Showing posts with label Weekend. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Weekend. Show all posts
Sightseeing at home
One of the great parts of having a houseguest is you see parts of your own home city that you otherwise rarely visit. This weekend I played tour guide to a friend and explored the best of what DC has to offer!
Brunch at POV overlooking the White House, formerly the Washington Hotel and a trip to the Newseum and the National Mall filled the day Sunday.
The Newseum has THE view of the Capitol building, which you can see above. However from the inside of the museum, with the Canadian Embassy in the foreground, the view is a bit......odd?
A bit of a contrast, the US Capitol building behind the Canadian flag: I thought it was funny!
Saturday was spent exploring Hillwood with the ever gracious Steven as guide (thanks again!). It was the perfect day for a walk around the gardens which always have something to surprise and delight, no matter the season. 
I have always loved the fountain in the parterre but never thought much of the pattern which runs along the base. Even on a (rare) cloudy day in DC, the water would sparkle as it hit the points of the pattern; ingenius detailing.
I didn't bring my camera with me, as evidenced by these pictures. I am a bit disappointed with the camera on the Droid Incredible (phone); The pictures are ok, but tend towards the blurry side. 
I have to remember to get out and explore the city even when I don't have the excuse of a guest in town. Hope you had a great weekend as well!Sunny weekend
I hope everyone is enjoying this hot sunny weather. This amazing French ormolu decoration at the Getty seems the very height of summer sun to me!door handles
Continuing on yesterday's opulent posting, today I bring you a bronze door handle from the Palazzo Grassi in Venice. My best friend Eric (ArchitectDesign's foreign correspondant) was recently there and sent me this photo for obvious reasons: it's gorgeous! Why have a boring handle with a view like THAT, afterall. Have you ever seen a more sunny or gorgeous day in Venice? Have a great weekend!
Vaux le Vicomte
Unfortunately I don't think we'll be able to make it to Vaux le Vicomte this trip to Paris (next time!) but it's still an awe inspiring site, don't you agree?The history is fascinating - built by the superintendent of finances to King Louis XIV, he aroused suspicion of stealing funds for this magnificent palace. Plus, you never wanted to outshine the King! He was thrown into prison after a huge estate-warming party, but not before inspiring the king to turn Versailles into the place we know it as today.
Enjoy your own weekend and don't worry about outshining anybody!
colorful weekend
While walking through Georgetown yesterday, I really noticed all of the colors of the city in the summer sun. I hope you enjoy your weekend!
Summer weekends
I hope everyone enjoys their weekend! Is it the middle of summer already? I'll be enjoying the weekend in NY and hopefully will have fun and interesting things to post when I get back!Picture of mosaic above my kitchen sink.
Draper Doors
Just a fun picture of a fantastic doorway I spotted on an apartment building in Beverly Hills while in LA recently. Very Dorothy Draper, no? I especially love the hardware. Have a fantastic weekend!
Container Gardening
For a side door at Filoli which is rarely used, I loved this idea of lining the staircase with overflowing terracotta containers. Maybe this is an idea for our own houses to bring some life to abandoned entries? I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend in this gorgeous weather and have a great 4th of July!
weekend jaunt
A lot has been said in the media lately about local desinations being popular this summer or the 'staycation'. Use this little reminder as your incentive to get out there and see something new: it is the season after all!
Photos of the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco (not local, but a destination none the less!).
A hot weekend
More of the same hot weather here in DC, so you'll find me in my favorite corner with a stack of books and magazines. I'm trying out the british notion that hot tea in hot weather will cool you down: I'll let you know how that goes! What cools you down?
weekly roundup
Welcome to another weekend! I know I'll be enjoying my new iphone (trying to make it work -no phone reception in my apartment, any helpful hints anyone?) 
Also, I've found a new summer drink in St. Germain Elderflower liqueur. Not just a beautiful bottle but the most light and refreshingly sweet drink, perfect for summer! I can't get enough!
Also, I want to thank Little Augury for her interview on my summer book choices HERE! She is running a series of blogposts this summer with selections from a number of bloggers. Make sure to stay tuned!
Top photo taken last week at Sugarleaf Vineyards while in Virginia - great winery, especially their white and dessert wines.
Old Executive Office Building
Attached to the white house is a wedding cake of a structure known as the Old Executive Office Building or the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Built from 1871 till 1888 in the Second Empire French style -it originally held the State, War & Navy Departments. Designed by Richard Ezdorf and Alfred Mullett - this local favorite is built of the expected granite & slate -but also cast iron. Fun fact -there are 900 columns and 1,572 windows on the exterior!
I hope everyone has a great weekend and gets to enjoy some 'cake' of their own!
A beautiful dormer
I noticed this grade school in Georgetown the other day and loved all of the little details. Check out that terra cotta dormer with the greek key details! click the image to open largerI hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!
Blogger inspiration
I feel a bit uninspired lately, I have to apologize for that. I want to thank the kind people who have emailed me to make sure I'm ok: I'm fine and just a bit pre-occupied! Hopefully the weekend will rejuvenate my blogging sensitibilites and 'think different' as this old Mac ad proclaims with the divine Callas. I hope her singing will inspire you this weekend!Fun weekend projects
This past weekend, I went to the National Building Museum to check out some of the new, and very interesting, exhibits. They have the best gift shop in all of DC: Fun games, household items and every design book under the sun! I picked up a few postcards from Monkey Designs which contain parts to build models of some houses -you can see a few above.
I bought 7 and thought I might build 1 or 2 for some fun. I built 4, just couldn't stop myself! I started with the Georgian house you see to the far right, then progressed to the yellow Greek Revival style house which was a bit harder. I then moved onto the pagoda which, while it had a lot of steps -wasn't as hard as the French Styled house with lantern on the roof (a lot of swearing went into the creation of that TINY lantern). These houses stand about 1 1/2" high - TINY pieces to cut out with an exacto-knife!
But it was a lot of fun, I plan on digging up a miniature train set from micro-machines (do they still make those?) and putting them under my mini christmas tree this year!
a blurry picture of my weekend projects. The 3 left are a Greek revival house, Buckingham Palace and Chartres Cathedral.
a blurry picture of my weekend projects. The 3 left are a Greek revival house, Buckingham Palace and Chartres Cathedral.First rose of summer
I was walking home the other day and noticed that the roses are coming out in full force. I guess summer is upon us! I hope everyone has a great weekend and takes some time to smell the roses!
Furniture re-do
Lately everyone has been thinking about how to do updates to their home on the cheap, for obvious reasons. I found this great vintage sideboard on ebay made by Baker and decided to have some virtual fun with it. You can find it online HERE. 
A quality made piece like this is worth the investment. If you buy a vintage, dated-looking cabinet like this (the blonde ashen wood isn't very popular now, even if some readers do like it!) it's easy to update-especially if it has great lines like this! 
I would start by lightly sanding it, priming the exterior then spray painting it a glossy black with a few coats. I suppose a more adventurous decorator could go for a bold color, but thats not my style. I would leave the interiors and even the edges of doors and drawers the natural wood to prevent sticking. Next I would update the hardware. 
I love this Pirouette knob from Restoration Hardware and think the lines compliment the console. Nickel finish of course!
A quality made piece like this is worth the investment. If you buy a vintage, dated-looking cabinet like this (the blonde ashen wood isn't very popular now, even if some readers do like it!) it's easy to update-especially if it has great lines like this! I would start by lightly sanding it, priming the exterior then spray painting it a glossy black with a few coats. I suppose a more adventurous decorator could go for a bold color, but thats not my style. I would leave the interiors and even the edges of doors and drawers the natural wood to prevent sticking. Next I would update the hardware. I love this Pirouette knob from Restoration Hardware and think the lines compliment the console. Nickel finish of course! The Gilmore Knob, also from restoration hardware, would work nicely too -and is more masculine.
This would be a great chest for in a large bathroom or dressing area, painted white, for toiletries and odds and ends. The black paint would work nicely in a hallway or foyer as a catch-all. You might even consider leaving just the very top the natural wood. Dated looking, quality pieces like this are easy to find at tag sales, craigslist and your families basement -give it a try!
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