BABY OSTRICH TAXIDERMY

This amazing baby ostrich belongs to an East Hampton antique dealer whose name I promised not to reveal because he is a top secret source of my friends. They took me to his house to see his beautiful and totally unique personal collection. Of all his objects I was completely captivated by this strange little creature. 

ANTIQUES IN THE HAMPTONS

I was recently fortunate enough to be invited by friends to the Hamptons. One of the highlights of my visit was the East Hampton Antiques Show sponsored by the Historical Society. It was held outside under big white beautiful tents at the historic Mulford 

Farm Museum. The antique exhibitors were among the best I have seen in a long time. Because I took so many photos I can't possibly include them all. Will have to save some for later posts.

The Vervoordt Aesthetic

Best known as an art dealer and collector, antiquaire, interior and furniture designer Axel Vervoordt is so much more. To my mind his real brilliance is as a curator.
The Vervoordt curatorial aesthetic has best been displayed through a trilogy of exhibits exploring the universality of art.
The first was Artempo at the 2007 Venice Biennale in the Palazzo Fortuny. Academia:Qui es-tu? was held the following year in Paris. The final exhibit in the trilogy concluded at the 2009 Biennale in the Palazzo Fortuny and was titled In-Finitum.
Unfortunaely there is not enough time or space in this blog to give  Vervoordt's  rare and enlightening vision justice. 
Hopefully the following images will at least give you a glimpse of his artistic and aesthetic view of the world.
   

Vervoordt Castle in Belgium

ARTEMPO Exhibit

Academia Exhibit

Palazzo Fortuny 

Vervoordt Collection

TINE K HOME - Nordic Style

For quite some time now I have been following TINE K HOME.They have a beautiful website and blog. I am especially drawn to their product and photo styling which is minimal and wonderfully unpredictable.They have a Nordic affinity for neutral colors and clean lines but manage to surprise you with their sense of whimsy.Following are photos from their site.

PAULA RUBENSTEIN

Paula Rubenstein is one of the premier inspiration destinations in NYC. On so many occasions in my conversations with magazine and prop stylists visiting from New York her antique shop is mentioned as their favorite source for finding unique objects, industrial furniture and lighting, stellar vintage textiles, old photographs and the unexpected curiosity. Formerly located on Prince Street she has recently moved to 21 Bond Street not far away from John Derian's  fabulous shop. It is certainly worth a visit for all visual creatives.

I took the following photos during my last New York visit a few weeks ago.

NYC FLOWER DISTRICT

The focus of my visit to New York  last week was the FLOWER DISTRICT on West 28th between 6th and 7th Avenues . I needed a strong dose of visual inspiration for myself and the shop.  Even though this area has been shrinking  over the years it continues to be an oasis in a city dominated by vast expanses of  cement and stone. The visual contrast between the rather harsh surfaces and angles of the high-rise architecture with the extraordinary natural beauty of the flowers is quite powerful. After taking hundreds of photos of  flowers and greenery I decided to use them along with architectural images (that I did not take but selected from Pinterest) to demonstrate the rather obvious differences between the man-made and the natural world.

SPRINGTIME AT DUMBARTON OAKS

Spring has arrived at Dumbarton Oaks Washington DC's most beautiful garden. This is my second post on Dumbarton Oaks and there will certainly be more to follow. Once again I focused my camera on the garden ornamentation as well as the grounds. There are so many details to catch the eye and capture the imagination. I've also included photos of the 'Cloud Terrace' installation by Andy Cao and Xavier Perrot.

NATURAL INSPIRATION

Once again nature inspires. This time it's the color and texture of animals that we find in interiors - tinted greys and off color neutrals mimic the animal world and create a  feeling of calm and harmony.

Pelican photo by Michael Fitzsimmons via

Cat photo via

Dog photo via

Horse photo source unknown

Sheep photo via