Hydrangea Hill Cottage

Friday, January 22, 2016

A Room of Her Own - Tory Burch

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Tory Burch

Thursday, January 21, 2016

Throwback Thursday - Raymond Yard Jewelry

I recently discovered these brooches online and fell in love with the sheer beauty of them. After doing a little research, I found that Raymond Yard was a self-made jewelry designer/artist in New York City during the early part of the twentieth century.

The Rockefellers, Fleischmanns, Flaglers, and Woolworths were among the wealthy and glamorous families Raymond Yard catered to in the early days. It was his friend, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., who convinced Yard to open his own shop and Raymond C. Yard Inc. opened its doors on Fifth Avenue in 1922.

The quote below is taken from the following website: http://university.langantiques.com/index.php/Raymond_Yard_Inc. Click here to read and see more of his designs.

"Yard is noted for two original stylistic designs: the iconic anthropomorphic rabbits and the house brooches that debuted in the late twenties and early thirties. Featuring pavéd diamonds, calibré-cut gems and accents of enamel, these whimsical pieces were as always, gorgeously executed. The delightful rabbit brooches were created in a number of different themes. Among them are brides, anglers, yachtsmen and British Royal Guards but the most famous of all are the rabbit waiters. Dressed in stylish formalwear, they carried trays of cocktails, along with buckets of ice and bottles of champagne. The waiters first appeared in early 1929, near the height of prohibition; a chic, elegant and playful gesture of protest.

The first house brooch was introduced in 1932 and by the 1960s, well to do clients were bringing in photographs of their homes to be turned into exquisite jeweled replicas. The most elaborate of these was an astonishing reproduction of Cee Zee Guest’s lavish Villa Artemis in Palm Beach.

A distinguishing design feature of Yard jewelry was the extensive use of mixed-cut and single-cut diamonds in his pieces. Yard aimed for an overall luminous elegance rather than a sharp brilliance; a look that did not overwhelm the design. Although he followed the design motifs of the time, this technique distinguished his style from that of other well-known jewelry firms such as Tiffany & Co. and Cartier." Please click here to read more about Yard's designs.

Of course, he designed other beautiful jewelry, but I am only featuring the bunnies and houses here. I found a few pieces for sale at 1stdibs.com. Click here to see them with the brooches in the $3,000+ range and earrings in the $45,000 range.

Amazon has a beautiful book on his jewelry, as well. Click here
to check it out.

Emeralds, rubies, white diamonds, gold and enamel.

Platinum, gold, diamond and enamel house brooch

Gold roof, foliage of carved emeralds and sapphires

Cabochon and faceted rubies and single cut diamonds

1.20 carats - 1961

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

A Whimsical Palm Beach Retreat

This whimsical Palm Beach retreat designed by Mimi McMakin and Ashley Sharpe of Kemble Interiors (Celerie Kemble is Mimi's daughter), was carefully planned with the interests of the homeowner in mind.

Since this is a part-time residence for the family (they live in Cape Cod and winter in Antigua), the designers added a very whimsical and tropical feel to the hand painted dining room walls to remind the family of their Antigua vacations.

Notice the pineapples on the table - a symbol of hospitality.

The railings and mouldings were added over the mural.

The painted ceiling draws the view upwards and makes the room look taller.

The sconce lampshades above were caned by the upholster.

Love the bamboo detail in this room especially the window trim.

Detail of the window trim above.

The owners wanted a large tv in their bedroom and the designers nearly cried at the thought of it, so their upholsterer built the sofa at the foot of the bed extra deep at the back and the tv is hidden in it and is raised and lowered by a hydraulic system that is completely hidden. Genius to hide it in the sofa!!

Pineapples on the bedposts.

The loggia with fireplace is a wonderful space.

A poolside chinoiserie pagoda is so inviting it's a wonder anyone sits anywhere else.

Love the hand painted striped walls and tassels in the poolside powder room.

To see Mimi's daughter, Celerie Kemble's resort in the Dominican Republic that I posted last October, please click here. You will see how mother and daughter both enjoy whimsy, fun and fantasy when designing interiors.

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

An Invitation to Recline

Looking for a comfy place to lay down and read a book on a quiet afternoon? Perhaps you need a quick catnap! Look no further! For the fortunate owner of a daybed, it's an automatic invitation to recline.

Among the daybeds below you will surely find something suitable for your taste and comfort. There's a bit of everything with neutral and colorful palettes, solids and prints, with or without canopies and indoors or out?

Take a little time and imagine which one you would choose..........and hope you don't mind sharing some of them with a few furry best friends!

Have a wonderful day!