Dec 24

The Art & Architecture of Gingerbread Houses

By pattisays In architecture, artistic expression, children, decorative arts, design, design competition, DIY design, fanciful design, food and interior design, fund raising ideas, Gingerbread houses, handcraft, handmade, history, inspiration, joy, nostalgia and design, party themes, personal expression, Uncategorized, winter / 2 Comments

Art and architecture meet all the time. Sculptural forms, building models, buildings themselves, sketches…but at this time of year, the fanciful world of gingerbread houses takes the spotlight and, in this recent scene we encountered, offered a beautiful fund-raiser while at it!!!

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As we pulled away in the pre-dawn hours of the morning…we felt the chill in the air and the glow over the mountain sending us on our way.

We traversed across the terminal and before cutting over left to the escalator, we spied—at the same time—a wondrously tall Christmas tree adorned with airplanes and ribbon…and surrounded by an amazing collection of ginger bread houses on display in some sort of fund-raiser fashion.

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Upon closer inspection, the fantasy became tangible. The individual structures took on a form of expressive life in their individual attention-getting style. Each one was quite unique incorporating rivers and ponds, vehicles and foliage of all manner.

It is a Christmas tradition to create a gingerbread house full of fantasy and fear, hope and salvation. From the simple joy of baking traditions for Christmas, to the many versions of fairy tales that save children from the wicked ones in the woods creating and story-telling surrounding these magical edifices makes gingerbread houses a staple of the winter holidays – all the while offering architectural design and construction projects for all ages. Below, see the Hanukkah version of this adorable house.

I just read a great piece by Tori Avey in which she summarized the history of gingerbread. http://toriavey.com/?s=gingerbread

She references architectural design with the fact that: Elaborately decorated gingerbread became synonymous with all things fancy and elegant in England. The gold leaf that was often used to decorate gingerbread cookies led to the popular expression ‘to take the gilt off of gingerbread.’ The carved, white architectural details found on many colonial American seaside homes is sometimes referred to as ‘gingerbread work’.

Having been raised on the east coast, describing houses with ornate “gingerbread” detailing was part of our vocabulary. I now see it in Rocky Mountain Victorians and California seaside cottages. It always conveys a quaint, welcoming feeling.

Avey further states: Gingerbread houses originated in Germany during the 16th century. The elaborate cookie-walled houses, decorated with foil in addition to gold leaf, became associated with Christmas tradition. Their popularity rose when the Brothers Grimm wrote the story of Hansel and Gretel, in which the main characters stumble upon a house made entirely of treats deep in the forest. It is unclear whether or not gingerbread houses were a result of the popular fairy tale, or vice versa.

Recently the record for world’s largest gingerbread house was broken. The previous record was set by the Mall of America in 2006. The new winning gingerbread house, spanning nearly 40,000 cubic feet, was erected at Traditions Golf Club in Bryan, Texas.

Everything is bigger in Texas!!!

The house required a building permit and was built much like a traditional house. 4,000 gingerbread bricks were used during its construction. To put that in perspective, a recipe for a house this size would include 1,800 pounds of butter and 1,080 ounces of ground ginger. Sounds more like a gingerbread resort!

So as we walked around this wonderful display at the ABQ Sunport and marveled at the colorful creativity, I knew this was the story for today.

The cartoon in the paper that morning also found humor in the subject.

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And to further galvanize that thought, we arrived in San Diego to find Keira proudly presenting their half-eaten, already picked apart gingerbread project in the center of the kitchen table. T’was the joy of gingerbread houses—post construction, eating them!!!

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Dec 11

Color of the Year 2017 Greenery!!

By pattisays In beach, beauty behold it, color and temperature re: interior design, color forecasting, color trends, colors, context of interior design, Contrasting colors, design, design tips, design trends, drama of color, exterior - outdoor design, Garden, inspiration from nature, interior design, interior design trends, joy, lifestyle, Lilly Pulitzer, natural designs, naturalist, nature, nostalgia and design, Pantone, patterns, personal expression, pinks and greens, seasonal interior design, summer, timeless colors, trends, winter / 1

Ta Da! Pantone announces its color of the year for the coming 2017…drum roll please…and the color is Greenery!! Yay!!! Last year there were two – yes, imagine that – they couldn’t decide so they slurried Rose Quartz and Serenity resulting in a pale, cool, wimpy blend of soft rose and lavenderesque shades into a blended wispy pastel dream. Non-committal, in my opinion…lacking confidence. Last year the rationale was stated by Pantone’s Executive Director, Leatrice Eiseman as…

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But this year they have it with this fresh organic hue in a yellow-ish shade primed for this year’s rationale from Ms. Eiseman which is:

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I have always loved green. I grew up in a Virginia jungle of a suburban neighborhood inside the Beltway surrounding my hometown of Washington DC. where the first signs of spring were the tiny tips of dogwood leaves poking forth from the delicate branches of those beautiful under-growth trees. The dogwoods were the graceful, human-scale layer beneath the towering canopy of the immense, rigid, vertical tulip poplar and white oak trees that commanded the woods.

Soft mosses, lacey ferns and perky lily of the valley carpeted the hidden pockets of our backyard. New growth is that prediction of amazing renewal and promise of the start of summer. So it is a prime observation that as Eiseman states in her 2017 rationale “greenery…bursts forth…with a reassurance we yearn for…” although I do not feel this is peculiar to this year as winter always makes me yearn for greenery and the reassurance that spring and summer will return.

My mother also loved green and that probably influenced my childhood perception of comfort and context of it in interior design. She had and still has an eye for color. In 1959 she selected an amazing sculpted wool pile carpet in a warm, dark, neutral, taupe tone and built upon it a color scheme of pinks and greens that was subtle and relaxing, organic and contrasting, blending beautifully in our wooded setting of verdant lushness in which we were cozily situated.

That was upstairs where we felt like we lived in a flowering tree house amidst the dense collection of green leafy between the trees and surrounded by all shades of pink and white azaleas. Downstairs, where we retreated in the winter months, her greens were mixed with gold tones creating a warm interpretation of the greenery around us.

When so many in that era, between the 60s and 70s, were styling interiors with heavy oranges, browns and golds,

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my mother gravitated toward Lily Pulitzer’s fresh, tropical palette of lime green and hot pinks, clean crisp turquoise and citrusy lemon yellow – both in her wardrobe and her interior accent colors.

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Our beach house was turquoise and teal, navy and tan – the sea and the sand.

Following color trends is a slippery slope. I have blogged about it in the past. Adopting that which is often a combination of colors instantly records a place in time when everything from bath towels and shower curtains, bed dressings to draperies appears in the marketplace and inserts its predetermined obsolescent combinations into the lives of so many who would rather catch the wave – often behind the crest – to own and participate in what is conveyed by the market to be the “in” thing to do and to have.

It is best not to embrace and adopt the combinations that the market presents. It is better to select color and combinations that transcend the trends – skirt them so as not to fall into the trap of dated color schemes and tired combinations. Some avoid the trap by staying neutral. The safe, timeless colors of whites and grays mushrooms and taupes- but where is the risk and fun in that?

“Too bad for them” I often remark. It is such a missed opportunity…a limitation to select colors that you think you are supposed to like rather than those that truly bring you joy. I say “go for joy every time.” Color is such personality. It is a stage-setting element. It is a backdrop or foreground. It is a theme. It is an atmosphere.

With all that having been said, I for one am thrilled with this fresh selection for the new year. A bright beginning full of hope and new growth, fresh starts and positive forward movement – organic and life-affirming. So seek the colors that brings you joy and go forth with color in this new 2017 soon to arrive. My personal schemes will always have greenery!!!

Oct 29

George Washington for President!

By pattisays In architecture, decorative arts, design, education, elections, faux finishes, George Washington, historic properties, historical interior design, history, interior design, Mount Vernon, Virginia, Museums, nostalgia and design, presidents of the United States, United States history, Washington, D.C. /

While in D.C. last week, in this most unusual season of the American Presidential election, it seemed more than appropriate, if not imperative, to visit Mount Vernon – the estate of our first president, George Washington.

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This historic property has been painstakingly maintained and developed into an exceptional educational facility on unspoiled grounds with uninterrupted, breath-taking views. Experiencing the beauty of the surroundings is magnificent. Learning about the history and minute details of this extraordinary man’s life is fascinating.

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Did you know when Washington was elected our first President in the initial forming of the United States, presidents were selected only through the vote of the Electoral college, rather than by popular vote? The 69 votes that Washington received in 1789, and the 132 he received in 1792 were all of the available Electoral College votes, and resulted in thereby making Washington the only president in United States history to have been elected unanimously.

Did you know that Washington’s presidency founded the United States Navy, established the nation’s official currency, created the State Department, and established the Supreme Court?

Gary S. Smith wrote in March 2010: While praising his military and political record, many scholars contend that Washington’s genius lies principally in his character. The only other American president who has been so highly extolled for his character is Abraham Lincoln. Since Washington, all presidents have been ultimately measured not by the size of their electoral victories or the success of their legislative programs, but by their moral character. His character helped sustain his troops throughout the travails of the Revolutionary War, convince delegates to the Constitutional Convention to assign significant powers to the presidency, secure ratification of the Constitution, and enable the new republic to survive in a hostile world….He took the standards of his age very seriously and diligently strove to be virtuous. To many, the crowning achievement of Washington’s character was his simultaneous resignation in 1783 as commander in chief o the American army and his retirement from the world of politics. Throughout the western world, his unprecedented relinquishing of power (which he did a second time when he declined a third term as president) was widely heralded. Unlike other victorious generals, he did not expect a political or financial reward for his military exploits. Washington’s character, Jefferson argued, probably prevented the American Revolution from subverting the liberty it sought to establish. The Virginian had a sterling reputation for integrity and honor, dedication to duty and his country, and remaining above the fray.

It is with such depth of character and broad view of his world that he was unanimously regarded as the only man who could effect change of the magnitude required to bring people together.

This many years after his death he still has a powerful effectiveness for bringing people together. The tour of this amazingly preserved property is intimate and familiar – even on one’s first visit. It’s partly scale and partly due to the well-versed guides that are scattered in every pocket of the place. They bring the historic home and it’s people to life.

While attending my Alma Mater, Mount Vernon College (no relation), in the interior design program, we toured this historic interior with rapt attention to decorative art and architectural details. One expects the facade to be white painted wood – but as you see it up close, you realize that it reads like beveled stone blocks. It is actually wood, shaped to replicate stone, with a sanded coating that gives a stone-like texture.

Interior finishes also reveal faux artistry upon closer inspection, with the paneled walls and doors painted with wood grain creating stunning matched patterns. Superficial treatments of faux finishes were elegant touches of the day.

Washington was truly a Renaissance man. He worked with the finest minds in agriculture and technology to develop new techniques for farming, implements and gadgets around the property. He recognized the toll tobacco took on depleting the nutrients in his fields paired with the time it took to grow and harvest and heavy taxes that were levied during trade and changed his operation to grow wheat which had limitless less expensive outlets for marketing and was easier on all counts of growing.

On the advice of his Scottish farm manager he created a distillery which produced more whiskey than any of its kind in his day. You too can purchase a bottle of Washington’s whiskey today for a mere minimum of $100 per.

His sensitivity to art and architecture, entertaining and hospitality, paired with the strength to lead the noble cause of freedom, managing troops, raising morale and keeping promises while always at the helm risking his life alongside his men and participating to the fullest in his every endeavor speaks to the moral character and brilliant creativity of this extraordinary man.

So, to sum up this unprecedented level of discourse in the current election season and questionable characters on the part of our candidates, I was left with finding levity in the Mount Vernon gift shop…

Feb 28

TRENDS – How Does One Decide?

By pattisays In Anthropologie, beauty behold it, color and temperature re: interior design, color forecasting, colors, design, design trends, Dunn-Edwards Paints, fashion and design, interior design, interior design trends, nostalgia and design, Pantone, patterns, retro, seasonal interior design, table dressings, trends /

TRENDS…we HAVE to have them…it makes us think, makes us shift…not to mention keeping viscosity in the economy. The shift is the element that moves the economy forward. Without that shift, we would be stagnantly content. And who wants to be stagnantly content – except the “Settlers” from the Direct TV ads? DIRECTV_Commercial_2015_The_Settlers-520x245

Yet if you Google design trends they are all over the place. The intrigue is when they land on an actual theme that becomes THE TREND.

So as we advance into the new year and winter fades to spring – what lies ahead? I’m finding lots of nostalgia – features on milk glass and floral patterns and fancy geometric patterns, a recall to wallcoverings in floral prints and botanicals… Rose-wallpaper-Bari-J-WallAppeal-pattern-pink-yellow-zoom

The trick is how to invest in these elements and not have them become passé by next year. It’s all about balance – unless you have the desire and pocketbook to change out your interior annually! The desire to add something new to your personal spaces, or as my mother has always said “punch it up” is an art unto itself. How does one decide?

Information is so accessible. Access to ideas is endless. But HOW does one decide? How to make the decisions, the right combinations, what to keep and what to change…? The internet and TV…Anthropologie to Pottery Barn, Pinterest and beyond…You pin a gazillion things – but how do YOU decide?

But it gets kind of funny – because for as many sites as you visit – there are oh so many professed “trends.” Therefore, sifting through is the challenge and distilling what seems to take the lead. Pastels, patterns and florals is my finding…but is this just spring? Will this fade with the next season? Or is this a “look” that will last for a while? And do I embrace it all or pick and chose? How does one decide? Elle Decor 2016 design trends table

Pantone the color experts are even all over the place. Their designers were “inspired by the contrast of urban design and lush vegetation.” Whoa, really? That sure is a wide swath of possibilities! And to say that these colors are unisex is as though attempting to blurr the lines. A guy might wear a pastel pink, Rose Quartz, shirt – but would he upholster his sofa with it? Fashion and Home Decor often parallel their trends – and then they must veer off that same course for practical if not socially directed reasons. Redford-3-Seater-Sofa-Peony-Pink

But the rationale is so amusing…for example, Pantone writes: “Colors this season transport us to a happier, sunnier place where we feel free to express a wittier version of our real selves.” Yes, we all long to escape the doldrums of the short, dark, cold days of winter – hence the positive effect of transporting us to a happier, sunnier place is obvious – every year for that matter. That’s why tropical destinations are the prime vacations for winter getaways. Even most avid snow skiers manage to sneak in a run to the white sand beaches for some sun and fun alongside their plans to hit the slopes, get frost-bitten and nestle by the big fires.

I guess I’m looking for a more cerebral explanation for the color movements. And yet, maybe there aren’t any – so let’s not pretend then. What does it mean a “place where we feel free to express a wittier version of our real selves.” Wittier like a guy upholstering or painting his man cave with Rose Quartz or Peach Echo? That’s witty all right!!!!! That’s not the cerebral that I meant. But it is an interesting rationale. Color is giving us permission to express our REAL selves. I guess that’s one way.

Yet, here are 5 different color series for the upcoming year…and as you can see – it’s all there – it’s all covered. Pantone color-trends-2016

So as you climb out of the dark, cold recesses of winter and squint your eyes at the bright, colorful luminosity of spring in bloom, where will trends take you on your journey to “punch-up” your interiors?

Jan 16

Table Dressings From Nature – Inspirational Fun!

By pattisays In art and interior design, beach, beauty behold it, context of interior design, decorative arts, design, designs in nature, dining and design, DIY design, environmental, exterior - outdoor design, green design, handmade, inspiration from nature, interior design, kitchen, Mexico, naturalist, nature, nostalgia and design, practical design, recycle, recycle design, seasonal interior design, stone, summer, table dressings, travel and design, tropical /

It could have been a sculptural piece of drift wood or a gnarly tree branch from the woods or a twisted piece of metal from a salvage yard…but the idea is to see things in a different way and once again—as I have done this before— to make something from nothing. And in this case, with no effort or manipulation—just the natural beauty of the found object.

The tide was out making the beach so wide it was like a great runway of wet sand. Scattered on the surface were the leavings of the waves – pieces of shell and polished stones. There amidst the beautiful debris was what looked like the suggestion of an abandoned boat hull—a dried, darkened palm sheath. I instantly knew, this would be another beginning of the tropical table-scape that I am so fond of creating when we are at the beach. P1110860

“Creating something from nothing,” my father would often say. He was a great believer in that idea that one man’s trash was another man’s treasure. We loved to beach comb together whenever we found ourselves at the tide’s edge. Sometimes it was tropical and the coral was bleached white and pocked with texture. Fine mesh pieces of purple sea fan and perfect little green “hat” shells would be nestled among the dense collections of heavier piles of white coral.

Then other scenes would find us on northern beaches of the Maryland coast where there was no coral but the ocean would wash multi-colored surf-polished stones onto the shore blanketing the sand particularly at the very edge where the water would curl between the beach and the ocean’s depths. Tiny purple and pink clam shells would peek, being abruptly exposed and quickly bury themselves back into the wet sand moistened with each incoming wave.

On this day, the warm breeze is tropical and the beach is expansive offering rare treasures scattered broadly but sparingly on the pristine surface of sand. It is here that I encountered my centerpiece.

Don of course is saying—”what are you going to do with that? It’s too big. Leave it here.” And I assure him that it is in fact a treasure and that it will be magnificent in the center of our dinner table where we are entertaining 11 for festivities this coming weekend. He, as always, acquiesces knowing that it is futile to stand in the way of my wildly enthusiastic creativity. P1110861 P1110871

Over the next couple of days, he and I both collect white stones and shells on our daily beach walks. At my instruction, we only collect white unless it is a particularly interesting shell. The idea is to have the stark contrast with the dark hull of the palm sheath. P1120142

Our dining table is a handsome slab of travertine marble. Laminated to a double thickness and finely finished with a smooth full bull-nose edge, it is the perfect organic surface to build this also very organic centerpiece.

It needs something…the neutral tones are lovely. Yet, the dark espresso brown of the palm sheath with the white of the stones, against the creamy surface of the travertine invites something more. I realize that it can only be enhanced with another layer of organic material – here in the form of the fresh verdant green palm fronds – the perfect punctuation! P1120102

Oh would that I had collected more flat oyster shell halves…they work so well for votive candle bases…but alas, parrot green cocktail napkins will have to do for this last minute detail.

Our woven palm place mats, in their natural dried flaxen color, compliment the rest of the organics on our table. And as night falls, the sun drops beneath the sea’s horizon and twinkle of scattered candles finish our scene. Salud!

Jan 09

Taking Pause to Value the Art of the Written Word

By pattisays In art and interior design, artists, beauty behold it, CAD, calligraphy, children, civilization, coastal, computer-aided drafting, decorative arts, design, graphic arts, handcraft, handmade, handwriting, Leon de la Vega, Mexico, mobiles, multi-generational design, multi-media design, nostalgia and design, painters, public design, red, scupture, teaching, travel and design, writing / 1

I awakened in the painter’s house with slivers of sunlight glistening through the bamboo shades, exotic chirping happily piercing the silence and cinnamon scenting the air from the open grill preparing the best French toast on the planet. P1110818

This place exudes thoughtful reflection and invites savoring the simple things of beauty and meaning. P1110821

From intense and intimate conversations centering around the passions of life to convivial arguments and relaxed exchanges, those gathered at the estudio-café tables examine the events of the world from their own individual vantage points. P1110829 Today the primary focus was a topic with which everyone seemed to view from the same perspective. All were in avid agreement as they discussed the recent exhibit in Mexico City from where the artist, Leon de la Vega, has recentlyjust returned. This significant event was an important auction where part of the proceeds were to benefit the Mexican Institute of Neonatology toward research on children’s learning and therapy and no less to benefit the artist expressing his concerns for the current state of affairs with the lost art of writing by hand. Federico's invitation P1110815

With the advancement of smart technology comes the dumbing of the people tethered to it. Everyone…all of us…are victims and if we are to save the core of our humanity we must preserve our handmade, organic, communications. We have computer aided drafting and graphic programs, texting and video all of which negate the tactile, made-by-hand written or drawn creations of the human touch. To have a computer consistently come between the hand of man and his end results is a gap that will never be regained once lost. Recovering this lost art, in so many forms, is critical to mankind. This all sounds pretty heady. But once you enter these spirited conversations you realize that the demise of past civilizations is not unlike this self-destructive path to which we now bear witness. The beautifully insightful, well-crafted video in Spanish introduces Leon de la Vega’s collection and explains these observations which are universally recognized by those who are interested in taking pause to realize what is happening around us. You won’t need a translator.

In response to these observations, as the video explains, Leon de la Vega has embarked on an exploration of communications by hand, incorporating them into sculpture, stylized images and abstracted interpretations. writing series P1110818

He is inserting into and embellishing on his artistic expressions in the form of calligraphy—which in its finest examples— has proven to be both art and literal communication through the ages. P1110838

But if one examines the very personal and expressive beauty of fine penmanship, we realize that our schools are not even teaching basic cursive to our children. Our schools are forced to chose between computer classes, music, art and even the basic direction to form the written word. The collection was very well received in Mexico City last month and a second exciting and thought-provoking exhibition/auction of work will take place in early February, also in Mexico City.

Dec 20

Stage Sets, Christmas and Cozy Fires

By pattisays In art and interior design, Bing Crosby, Christmas, decorative arts, design, design trends, fireplaces, historical interior design, interior design, lighting, love, Marjorie Reynolds, movies, nostalgia and design, retro, seasonal interior design, Set design, theatrical design, winter /

Old movies provide an extraordinary view into periods of history, social norms, and the interior design of the times. Watching old movies exposes lifestyles and context like a text book. Whether capturing modest environments or posh extravagances, they depict with accuracy – if not exaggeration – exciting opportunities to transport the viewer into another world.

From my perspective, I drink in all of this creativity as I scan the sets, peek around the actors and study the minutia of the many varied interiors. I marvel at the sensitivity and attention to detail and decorative arts required to create effective set designs.

When movies are in color they illustrate such interesting decisions for artistic contrast and combinations; but in black and white, the imagination must fill in the blanks. The emphasis on the chiaroscuro adds a very different focus. Scenes in color are often exaggerated realism stretching the art. While black and white scenes are rich with tonal values, shading and bathed with the art and drama of lighting.

Perfect for this season the 1942 classic film Holiday Inn, with Bing Crosby and Marjorie Reynolds shown here by the fireside, allows the viewer to feel the cozy setting, the warmth and take in the details of the room all without benefit of color. It’s fun to wonder what is the color of the walls, fabrics, accessories and other accents could be. The possibilities are endless – but probably not really – if one is to design with accuracy for the time period. movie Holiday Inn Bing Crosby Marjorie Reynolds Try it with this still shot from the movie…imagine the colors…it’s fun!

Tis the season to light fireplaces and enjoy the flickering light, golden white colors sparked with jewel-toned color bursts, the visual and physical warmth that come in many forms. Step into the scene and feel the temperature, textures…see the colors and combinations.

I recently said – as sexist as it might sound – that I would never have a gas-log fireplace as long as there was a physically capable, self-respecting man around to fetch the wood and haul it home and stack it up, go outside in the frigid air to lug in the logs and of course clean it out from all the wonderful timber turned ashes. Spoiled? Yes. I love a REAL fire in a fireplace – you bet…the crackle and smoky aroma of distinctly different species, real fire dancing and real wood “combusting” – natural elements that create a concert of sensory experiences and evoke so many memories. Is it working? Can you imagine it?

Fantasy mirroring reality, with the creativity of set design replicating accurate portrayals of life, provides another tool for historical markers and study outside of a museum setting. Perhaps you will find yourself scanning the sets and peering around the actors to see what you can discover surrounding and beyond the action.

And as this movie has so emblazoned in our holiday traditions…I’m dreaming of a white Christmas. Thank you Bing.

Dec 12

National Poinsettia Day and Cuttings to Carry into the Future

By pattisays In aging in place design, Christmas, colors, designs in nature, historical interior design, interior design, Mexico, naturalist, nature, nostalgia and design, poinsettias, practical design, red, seasonal interior design, table dressings, travel and design, tropical /

Thank you Joel Roberts Poinsett for bringing this brilliant red and green explosion of color and such a perfect plant to represent the colors of the Christmas season to our northern climes! Upon learning that today was National Poinsettia Day, I set forth to learn a bit about why… P1110598

You too can Google it, but in a nutshell, back in the early 1800s, this observant amateur botanist was our first Ambassador to the new Republic of Mexico! Not to mention, his day job was that of a doctor and a soldier! Busy well-rounded guy it seems!

Poinsett sent cuttings of this spectacular and exotic flowering plant from where he was visiting in the Taxco region of Mexico, to his home in Charleston, South Carolina. Once he returned to Charleston, he spread the joy and sent other clippings of his magnificent discovery to friends including a Mr. Buist in Philadelphia who gave a piece to Mr. James McNab who took it to the Botanical Garden of Edinburgh, Scotland founded in 1670. (From “Paxton’s Magazine of Botany” 1837)

The initial botanical name Euphorbia pulcherrima was actually assigned by a German botanist, Wilenow, in 1833, but within 4 years it was renamed Poinsettia Pucherrima by William Hickling Prescott a historian and gardener who had been asked, by someone in authority, to rename it. He did so by selecting to honor Joel Poinsett for his numerous achievements in both government and horticulture.

This dramatic flowering plant comes in many colors – the familiar and original red to creamy off-whites, chartreuse, pinks and various variegated versions such as this fabulous marbled specimen called strawberries and cream. strawberries n cream poinsettia

Poinsett retired from his career in public service as Secretary of War in 1841. He became one of the founders of the National Institute for the Promotion of Science and the Useful – which later became the Smithsonian Institute. I was born in D.C. and raised inside the Beltway and never knew that the Smithsonian which was a memorably mandatory field trip nearly every year of my childhood, was originally named the wordy National Institute for the Promotion of Science and the Useful – but it certainly describes it all in one fell swoop!!

There are many legends and folk stories centering around this “flor de Nochebuena” in Mexico but the thread of this story that has personal interest to me is that the same poinsettia cutting taken to Edinburgh by James McNab is still producing and flowering annually in the Royal Botanical Garden in Scotland to this day.

As I read this history, I was excited about this remarkable tracing of the original cuttings. In our family we have what my grandmother , Dee Dee, always referred to as “the family cactus.” This rounded, smooth leafed variation (some have pointy, spiked leaves)with its hot pink blooms is our cactus. P1110601

Dee Dee, Anna Ives Wagner, was born in 1892 in Youngstown, New York. She arrived at our house to live with us in the late 1950s. She brought with her a very special plant. It was a cutting off of the original plant that was in her ancestral home – the Root Home, Twin Pines – 830 River Road – then Main Street, Youngstown.

Dee Dee remembered that plant from her childhood and had heard from her mother and aunts that it was there in theirs as well – which without complicated math puts it in the house since the mid 1800s. Unfortunately we don’t know when it started…but the house dates back to our great, great, great grandfather, Dr. Benjamin Root c.1840. The house stayed in our family, passing finally to my grandmother’s aunt Helen Root who lived there with an original cutting of the plant until the 1950s when she moved to Elmira with her niece and her husband, Edith and Ray Hulbert.

We grew-up with the family cactus bursting forth with wild fuscia blooms every fall into winter. It was always an exciting and exotic flowering extravaganza in the colder dark months of the season. It brought a sense of life, growth, and color that was a spectacular contrast to the otherwise drab, dull, dormancy of winter. P1110609

I guard my plants, given to me as a cutting by Dee Dee when I first moved to New Mexico, with great responsibility and appreciation.

Last year my Mother’s large family cactus withered before our very eyes…she was so protective of it that she perhaps neglected to give it new soil and nutrients instead favoring watering a bit too much which resulted in its demise. As she witnessed and worried about the failing plant, we carefully cultivated clippings and as weak and depleted as they were – nurtured them in water losing a couple but saving a few so that they now are flourishing in a clay pot in a window with the soft daylight of northern exposure displaying a resiliency, hope, and celebration of life that continues to greet each day. Perhaps metaphors for procreation, family traditions, aging in place…

My mother is 93 and her mother, Dee Dee, lived to be three weeks shy of her 101st birthday.

Joel Poinsett died on December 12, 1851 at the age of 72 – one hundred and sixty four years ago today! Happy Poinsettia Day!! Merry Christmas Joel Poinsett!

Dec 05

Open Your Cupboards to the Eclecticism That You Have Collected

By pattisays In art and interior design, art as gift ideas, Christmas, colors, decorative arts, design, design trends, dining and design, folkart, food and interior design, handcraft, interior design, kitchen, nostalgia and design, terracotta, travel and design /

When I first moved to New Mexico I was enchanted (well…it IS The Land of Enchantment) by so many new things that were woven throughout people’s homes, flea markets and quaint little shops in various pockets of town. I began to collect and seek these vessels and fabrics to incorporate into my new world. Interestingly, these treasures were not and still are not featured – much less celebrated, in more trendy, stylish shops that might do well to focus on these regional functional art-forms as a means to honor our unique multi-cultural influences. We, at PATRICIAN DESIGN, enjoying offering interesting hand-built pieces in our shop for a truly one-of-a-kind collection of home decor, wearable art and unique gift items.

The first piece of this new influence I bought back in the late 70s. It was this fabulous squat casserole, P1110590 to which I have added many various colors and textures that I enjoy using throughout the year. Christmas is notoriously red and green accented with the bling of silvers and golds. Chanukah is blue and white…but I enjoy all of the colors to celebrate every occasion! So the many hues of the season can be found in the collection of colorful containers and serving pieces, accents and textiles that I often meld to create the festive celebration of the seasons.

Everyone who knows me – both clients and friends – know that I love color, pattern and texture. I love contrasts and combinations. Design by eclectic assembly of things that you love and that evoke memories, things that make you smile and feed your soul, results in the most successful and interesting design. The rich color of terracotta and history of it as a medium for making cooking vessels goes back to Old Mexico and Spain across the water. Spanish terracotta is steeped in centuries of tradition and the Mexican versions closer to home are similarly beautiful and generations old. Other cultures such as Italian and Portuguese also have crafted beautiful terracotta – as is often true, the common features, textures, and colors all share a common denominator of warmth, hand-built art, craft and natural, raw beauty. P1110596 Notice here, the brilliant colors and intricate open-weaving of the Brazilian lace.

Raw clay colors contrasting with brilliant and rich glazes, fabulous fiber art, wood and other organics all radiating the joy of life and the festivities around food, friends and family of these varied cultural traditions and rich indigenous heritages. Functional art at its finest – most honest and humbly celebrated in useful daily pieces – show them, open your cupboards, let them sing.

Feb 16

The Presidential Department of Décor

By pattisays In art and interior design, context of interior design, decorative arts, design, fashion and design, historical interior design, interior design, Jackie Kennedy, Nancy Reagan, nostalgia and design, public design, travel and design, White House /

Presidents’ Day – and what is the more significant focus for interior design on this day that celebrates the preeminent leaders of our country and the world? Well, the relatively modest (by some country’s standards), but significant home in which they reside, the White House.

Many years before I had a glimmer of interior design in my purview, I remember the buzz of my mother and her peers surrounding the exciting and noteworthy changes that Jackie Kennedy was bringing to her White House. The exhilarating tone of that time was super-charged with the young, beautiful Camelot couple who made such an indelible impression on all they touched. I sat on my father’s shoulders on November 17, 1962 at the dedication of Dulles airport – Washington’s “jet airport” watching and listening to President Kennedy describe this “distinguished ornament of a great country.” At the same time he recognized the value and beauty of historical properties that warranted restoration and protection. Back then it was a little too much for me to digest, but their sensitivity and appreciation regarding the importance of good design and their influence on the world of fashion and design was astonishingly profound. Everyone was touched by their style and discriminating sense of all things surrounding art, architecture, fashion and interiors.

Having graduated from Mount Vernon College in Washington DC in the first graduating class that was a model for FIDER accreditation in Interior Design, I was surrounded by architectural history and American decorative arts. From the State Department to the Winterthur Museum in Delaware, Washington, DC to Williamsburg – we had an exhilarating education that mere books cannot convey.

Aileen Mehle wrote in Architectural Digest of the first ladies and their very public opportunity to leave their mark on many elements of popular interest not the least of which is the most famous residence on earth. “As the wife of the most powerful man on earth, she commands the attention of the world, placed under a sometimes unforgiving microscope, dissected. From the top of her hairdo to the height of her heels, she is fair game. People want to know: What does she eat, drink, think? Does she like red, pink, mink? How and who does she entertain? Above all, what in her eyes is it like to be the chatelaine of the White House, the most famous house in the land? What mark will this woman make on her surroundings? What evidence of her personal taste and style will she leave behind, hoping that her loving imprimatur will last longer than the few years it was her temporary residence?”

Mehle narrowed the field of focus by highlighting two of the most effective first ladies in what I like to reference as the Department of Décor. She stated that “Jacqueline Kennedy and Nancy Reagan were two of the most remarkably caring first ladies of the 20th century. Previously they had both enjoyed brilliant lifestyles.” She notes that both women “were chic and stunning, refined and impeccable. They brought these personal traits to bear almost from the moment they walked through the door of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. How lucky (for their eras and posterity) that they cared so passionately about history. That the White House looked much more authentically beautiful and harmonious when they left than when they arrived is a testament to their exquisite stewardship.”

Jackie enlisted the internationally recognized French interior designer Stéphane Boudin, regarded as a “master of the grand and the opulent” regards Mehle. “He was the star of the renowned Paris decorating firm Jansen” and it was with his brilliant guidance that they transformed many of the more relevant rooms of the White House into exquisite statements of period elegance with timeless good design.

Catrin Morris reviewed Jackie’s fine work and quotes the White House Museum, as stating that the then new First Lady’s appreciation of antiques and fine art prompted her to “not merely redecorate but to restore the White House to a grander, more authentic period look appropriate to its role in American life.”

Decades later, Nancy Reagan, a stellar woman well recognized for her exquisite sense of style Mehle observes “left her own individual mark on the second- and third-floor private quarters of the White House, the Yellow Room, the Treaty Room, the Lincoln Bedroom and the Queens’ Bedroom. Ted Graber, a personal friend and noted decorator in the Hollywood scene was selected by Nancy to work to create an atmosphere bringing “beauty, color, graciousness and comfort.

It was during her reign as matriarch of the White House’s Department of Décor that I had the good fortune and extraordinary opportunity to have a private tour behind the scenes of the White House. It was in the middle of my career and the wives of a visiting NFL team had just been through earlier that day and although velvet ropes cordoned off many areas beyond which tours could not step, we were escorted by a longtime family friend to get behind the scenes and experience an intimate exploration of the stately rooms. President and Mrs. Reagan were not in residence that weekend. I remember touching Dolly Madison’s tea service and remarking how incredible that felt. Priceless decorative arts – significant artifacts of history were not only on display but presented in a way that suggested that the past Presidents and their wives were still present as following Presidents and their families passed through the halls. This melding of an ongoing, living history is quite unique and inspiring to witness first hand. From the Oval Office where a dutiful agent sat behind an outer desk granting us access to peek inside this dauntingly important headquarters to the spotless stainless steel subterranean kitchen…we explored it all.

Although our tour was limited to a daytime excursion, at that time, any guest privileged enough to stay overnight Mehle offers “might sleep in the Queens’ Bedroom, where five visiting queens have slept in the canopy bed. All was pastel—the Turkish rug, the striped silk taffeta on the bed and at the windows. The 19th-cen-tury painting and mirror over the antique mantel was a gift to the U.S. government from Queen Elizabeth when she was still a princess. Nancy kept intact the cerulean-blue fabric that covered the walls of the adjacent Queens’ Sitting Room.” Such extraordinary history of our fairly recently established great country preserved and made available for view in this exceptional context!

Mehle also tells readers that “many of the furnishings were authorized gifts from the Reagans’ devoted friends and others who loved and respected the White House. In nearby rooms, she kept her own collection of Battersea boxes, blue-and-white porcelain and jade on small tables. Paintings by Cassatt, Cézanne and Peale adorned other spaces in the private quarters.” Said Graber, “She was responsible for its same elegance and easy charm she herself epitomizes.”

Alas, despite the discriminating efforts of these extraordinary First Ladies, much of their fine work has since been modified as is the prerogative of those who follow. Historians have recorded the periods and transitions while history will determine and confirm the contributions of all who have the key responsibilities for the contents and presentation of the treasures within these walls. Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, yet in the final analysis, good design reads through and hopefully transcends attempts at transient change for mere ego. The value of sensitivity is priceless.