Atelier de Poterie

Bonjour mes ami's!
I wanted to share with you the photographs in
my mind, as they materialize, for the
Louisville Visual Arts Association's, DinnerWorks.

My thought was, dinner in a potter's studio.
This is with the larger pieces moved in.

Remember the set of six, Louis XV chairs from
my earlier post? Back from the upholsterer with
their cotton, denim fabric. A fabulous job he
did!

Here is my carpet, "aubusson de atelier".
A canvas dropcloth with my paint splattering
technique.
As time goes by, you will come to know that
I am a dropcloth fanatic. They make wonderful
drapes, all edges are finished and you can buy
them cheaper than the fabric.
My wonderful husband made me a table from
antique French paneled doors. He had a piece
of glass cut, to top it off.
We used an old French scrolly iron base for
the support.
The biggest challenge of the space is the ceiling,
(my 5th wall). The ceilings are about 30ft. high
at the Louisville Water Tower. A historical
building, so we can't hang anything from the
walls or anchor to the floor. Since we could use
the tops of the door jams, I decided to hang my
French bookcase ladder horizontally. Extra
storage space always comes in handy at the
Atelier.
I HAD to use my little Beaux-Arts box full of
charcoal sticks, so I just attached it to a
candlestick. I also wanted to use clear glass
for the coffee and wine. I can't wait to see
tuxedo clad men drinking wine from a
French jam jar!

I had this wonderful old French drying rack,
so I put a few greenware plates there,
waiting, for their first firing.
Since I only had six Louis XV chairs,
the two end chairs are tall ladderbacks,
draped in dropcloths, tied with jute.
Victoire wanted to come along and
meet everyone, so I gave her a
prominent spot. She said it feels
good, visiting your birthplace.
Now you know why I was melting wax on
demi-johns. It wasn't just for relaxation.
The bookcases are filled with the potter's
essentials and more pieces of unfinished
works. The local Painter's Spot gave me
some large bisque platters.

An overhead shot. The little burlap bags

are filled with modeling clay for the

dinner guests.

I have one day left, today, to finish up.

Few more details I need to do.

There are 15 spaces total and when everyone

is finished, I'll share more photos

with you.

I hope you like it and if you would like

to have dinner at European Antique Market's

"Atelier de Poterie",

get your tickets here.

Now, I have to get going, have a wonderful

weekend and

Bisou!

Bruxelles or Brussels

I only thought I had been to Brussels!



I took the Eurostar from London to Brussels
once, spent the day at Grand Place and
soaked up the culture. Ate waffles for lunch,
washed them down with beer, (they have over
400 brews), stuffed my face with decadent
chocolate while shopping for lace, then roamed
the artist stalls with my entourage of pigeons
close behind.

Well, that was the Dutch version.


The French version, Bruxelles, I missed!

With dreams of Paris on my mind, I didn't
linger long in northern France.
Perhaps, if I would have known about
Bruxelles Antiques in Ennelevin, close
to Lille, that rental van would have
taken a detour.

What a stunning antique store and just my style!
My container would have been full before
heading south and I could have saved on the
transport to LaHarve.


I won't make that mistake again!


They even have a restaurant, a good excuse,
to linger for the afternoon.

and perhaps dinner too!

J'adore la version française !!

Nothing against the Dutch mind you, I just happen to have a French fetish going on here.

Jeetje, I mean ça alors, I wish I would have known! Visit their website here if you would like to see more.

Brussels or Bruxelles?

Now, on another note..... Someone out there, sent me an email about demi-johns. I was too quick with the clicks and accidentally sent you to cyberspace! I apologize !!!@!

I have a large inventory ranging from 8" to 18". Clear and varying shades of green. All are $125 each, regardless of size or color. If you are interested email me back.

Bisou mes ami's et bonne journee!

réfléchir

I'm reflecting upon my thoughts.
Really, I'm not sleeping, fiddling
with my camera and viola!

I like to just sit in the middle of my store
sometimes when I need inspiration.
But, I can also get inspired sitting in the
Cave a Vins, (the wine cellar). ;)
I have Bon Bonne Verres on my mind.
I have discovered that watching wax candles
drip can be a great stress reliever too.

I'm in the middle of relooking the store and
I am working on a couple of exciting projects.


I am one of the designers in the
Louisville Visual Arts Association's
DinnerWorks this year.
DinnerWorks is a dazzling visual art extravaganza,
featuring five weeks of exquisite art, innovative
design, fine food and spirits.
Designers are paired with top artists from
around the country and I was lucky enough
to select Elaine Carhartt from
Venice, California.

So, I'm thinking about how to design a
space that will do Elaine's pottery
justice, while I rearrange this pair.

The space needs to be a bit theatrical, but at

the same time accommodate eight people for

the Black Tie Dinner Gala on the 24th.

This project calls for the artsy-fartsy mode.

Reminiscent of the one I had when I plastered one of the walls in the shop then started seeing all these faces outlined in the plaster. Yes, it was before the wine.

I have four days next week to get it together, so parts of the store will have to wait.

Maybe the zinc trim will sell just as easily there, as it would being crown molding.

I have four of these Provencial rush seat chairs I thought about using, but changed my mind. The pickled Louis XV chairs that were in my last post have gone to the upholster to be covered in cream colored denim. Yum, Yum! I can't wait to see them.

Can't wait to tell you my idea for the space and develop these pictures that are in my mind, but for now I should keep it secret. I will share with you the shop though.

Maybe just a little peak inside my mind!

Until next time, wishing you bags full of beautiful thoughts!

If you happen to be near Louisville and want to attend any of the special events during DinnerWorks, you can purchase your tickets here. It is held at the Water Tower on River Road.

Bisou mes ami's!

pensée à la neige

January...where is the snow? Not here in
Louisville, perhaps in Sweden and the
French Alps.
Photo of French Boiserie Plaster from European Antique Market
French grays and blues, wintery whites, the
colors dreams are made of.

Grab your cashmere throw and voyage with me
to Scania, Sweden, the southern most province
on the Baltic Sea.

We'll visit the renovated home of
Barbo Grandelius (Antiquarian and Decoratrice)
and her husband Göran Peterson.

Furnished with Gustavian and French antiques.

Their love affair with antiques began when
Göran purchased a Rococo canape several
years ago at auction.

That led to moving from the heart of Sweden
to an area rich with antiquities. Now they
are living in their heart :)


Bitten by Vermoulu, the woodworm they were..
and his venom is contagious!
Who could possibly stop with just one piece?
Just ask my friend, Theresa Smith from
Time Worn Interiors


Then of course, you need a beautiful backdrop
that lets the pieces breathe. What is more
wonderful than plaster patinaed walls?

The transparency of antique glass just adds
to the ambiance.

The signature of practicality is always present in
European Country interiors.

Along with touches of formality in unexpected
places.
Architectural fragments add so much
character to a space, don't you think?

Old plank floors to die for! If you want to see

more fabulous floors, check out Ness's before

and after shots of her home on her blog,

Marley & Lockyer

A little black always classes things up a bit.

I love this linen shade with the botanicals.

Barbo's photos via Casa magazine
I want 12 inch windowsills to display my

Staffordshire dogs!!!

Quite the place huh?

Well, if you like the color scheme and

French antiques we would be glad to

help you start your collection!

The following photos are from

European Antique Market.

We have a large selection of white porcelain and

pottery. All these pieces are antiques and date

from 19th to early 20th century.

Top left souperie/tureen is Sarreguemines faience.

Top right, daisy knob, no mark, stilt marks

visible on lid and bottom.

Middle left, no markings, pottery, unglazed bottom.

Middle right, Choisy-le-Roi porcelain.

Bottom right, oval fish platters

Bottom right, Limoges whiteware bowls.

We also have a large selection of vegetable

bowls (all whiteware).

Do you like French Iron Chandeliers?

A Louis XVI style, original painted armoire

from early 1900's perhaps, or a French country

cupboard?

Garden pieces, zinc, trumeaus and accessories

to help you achieve the look.

"Furnishings from European country villas,

history steeped estates, and pied-a-terres are

inspiration sources for the next wave of

high end seating and accent solutions".

Quoted from this months Design & Decor

magazine.

Louis XV style buffet deux corp, (a buffet of

two bodies). Late 1800's. These pieces are

wonderful in any room of the house.

Toleware, clock faces, needlepoint tapestries,

and statuary are scattered about our store.

And no French maison is sans bust!

We have lots of bergeres (enclosed arms),

fauteuils (open arms), and

chaises (no arms), waiting for your

fabric choices and FYI, if you are in

need of a reasonable, excellent upholsterer,

we've got your man!

Didn't aim to get carried away here, but

Vermoulu bit me long ago.

How about you?

Bisou and have a great weekend!!