Moodboard Monday - Queen Bee

Good Monday morning to all of you!  Hope you had a great weekend.

As you regular followers of my posts know by now, I kind of like doing these moodboards on Monday.  I started out with moodboards from Veranda magazine and then I started saving some from other periodicals.  When I came upon this 'Queen Bee' moodboard in an English publication recently, I thought it might be fun to see what I could find that was 'bee related' while really thinking I probably wouldn't find much in fashion or decor.  Boy, was I wrong!  

As I googled and researched, I was surprised by all the other blogs on this subject, the history lessons I learned and the antiques, art, architecture, collectibles, fashion, needlework, books, home decor and gorgeous jewelry were beyond my expectations.  I could have gone on for days researching, but I had to condense what I found as much as possible.  

Among many tidbits, I found out that the 'love affair' with the bee motif began with Napoleon when he used it on his crest.  Napoleon and Josephine popularized the motif in France and that's why you see so much of it in that country - it's popularity originated there.  It became known as the 'Napoleonic bee'!

So, that's the history of it (in a nutshell) - hope you enjoy the art and creativity that has gone into the items you see below.  Those Guerlain bottles!! Stunning!  And the jewelry!! And everyone knows Alexander McQueen was a genius - who else would think of designing skep dresses! 

Strangely enough, as I was putting this post together yesterday, the 1957 song 'Honeycomb' came on the radio......

Have a great day!

Alexander McQueen's honeycomb hat and dress with skep peplum.

Also, the tortoise shell bee cuffs.

Alexander McQueen

Alexander McQueen's gold honeycomb dress with skep shaped skirt.

Alexander McQueen's tortoise shell bee cuff.

Alexander McQueen

Giambattista Valli bee cuff.

This beautiful purse is a work of art by 

Judith Lieber

Cartier watch

Cartier watch

Works of art

Master Exclusive

Yellow topaz bee ring

Farah Khan

Joan Rivers

Diamond, ruby brooch

luciecampbell.com

Pearl, diamond, enamel brooch

Indulgy.com

Pearl and laurel wreath pocket watch owned by

Empress Marie Louise of France

Alain Truong

Guerlain

One of 47 Guerlain bottles of perfume

$19,000

Nine were sent to New York City 5 years ago and sold out immediately

Wall Street Journal

Guerlain designs

Another view of the crystal bee bottle

Go here to read more about these incredible works of art

by Guerlain

The article was written by Coty Farquhar

Eye for Design

Eye for Design

Fabric - Google

Eye for Design

Farrow & Ball Wallpaper

Door knob 

Pinterest

David Hicks Honeycomb Wallpaper

Cuddledown Linens

Honeycomb Flooring - Google

Honeycomb Chairs

Viacomit.net

Bee skep shaped lighting

Eye for Design

Esther Feinman

Elizabeth Staiger

Antique gold sewing kit

Holly Rison

Beautiful bee needlepoint

Katherine Duiguid

Bee Embroidery

Victoria and Albert Museum

Bee skep fireplace

Bee dishes at Le Carillon Hotel, Paris

Bee skep sculpture on Paris building

Paint + Pattern.com

Shangri La Hotel, Paris

Paint + Pattern

Kenneth Rougeau

Tumblr

Lovelypetcollections.com

W. H. Harris

A Room of Her Own

Here's another great small space for a lady's office.  Notice the art work on the door behind the desk - she's taking advantage of all the space in order to surround herself with the things she loves.  Just lovely!

Have a wonderful weekend!  

Eye for Design

A Little Jewel Box

Good morning!

We're having another beautiful morning here on the island.....it's been raining and incredibly mild this week, so our snow is quickly disappearing.

I have a little 'jewel box' for you today.  At about 500 sq. ft. it covers this empty nest couple's needs perfectly.

Downsizing from a large five bedroom home, this couple required a small space in the city during the week.  They retire to their larger home on Cape Cod for their getaways and family gatherings.

Interior designer, Mary Douglas Drysdale, was given the task of turning this small space into a cozy and welcoming haven for two.  

This row of Georgetown townhouses were built around 1900 as living quarters for people working at the larger homes in the area. Initially, there weren't even stairs to the second floor - just a ladder. The upstairs consists of two small rooms and a small bathroom.

Their home is on the left.

Sunny yellow is the homeowner's favorite color.  The chair by the door is a place to drop your keys in a bowl.

The opposite end of the living room is just off the kitchen.  The Madeline Weinrib area rug is very similar to the damask on the furniture.  Notice the dining area off the kitchen.

The stylish shelves with white dishes are easy on the eyes.  Notice the painted floor.

The bed was painted to match the chest of drawers which was painted by the lady of house's grandfather and given to her when she was a little girl.  Drysdale loved the headboard motif and transferred the design to the painted walls.  The wedding quilt is from Stella Rubin Antiques.

The floral, handpainted detail.

Wedding quilt detail.

The chest from the homeowner's childhood.

The sisal rug was taped off and sprayed with acrylic paint to form the stripes.

Chest of drawers detail.

The bath between the two rooms upstairs.  The second room was was turned into a closet and dressing room.

Sometimes I do posts about larger and very expensive homes, but only if there is something particular I like about them, such as the color scheme, the prettiness of the rooms or perhaps because they were done by one of my favorite designers.  And while decorating ideas can be gleaned from any space, it's the small spaces that I really love and find the coziest..........always have loved small spaces and would take a small space anyday over a large space. They also offer the biggest creative and organizational challenges, but it's been proven over and over again that it can be done and done beautifully, as shown above.

Hope you enjoy the ideas in this home and that you have a great day!

Kay

Winter Whtes

All of the above by Ralph Lauren

A Beautiful Garden

When jewelry designer, Elizabeth Locke, returns from her trips around the world searching for rare coins, gems and other elements for her jewelry designs, she can't wait to get to her Gothic styled greenhouse to see what's blooming.

After living in their home in the Virginia countryside for over thirty years, Elizabeth finally bit the bullet and signed the check to have her long dreamed about greenhouse built.  And it has become the "joy of her existence".

And what a pleasure it would be to walk into a back yard that is so beautifully thought out and to be rewarded constantly with the fruits of her labors in the greenhouse.

Hope you enjoy a stroll through this green garden on one of our wintery days!

Veranda

Veranda

 Veranda

Orchids from the greenhouse.

Veranda

Veranda

 Notice the lily pond in the backyard.

1st Dibs

 The Queen Victoria silhouette gate was found in India years ago during Elizabeth's travels and was incorporated into the new garden design.

1st Dibs

Elizabeth enjoying the greenhouse.

1st Dibs