Hegel’s caveat “history teaches us nothing” may be relevant in cultural and philosophical realities but in the design world the statement is far from succinct.…
View More One Special Summer with Jackie OTag: London
London is one of the most inspiring cities for me as a writer so I visit it as often as I am able in order to glean inspiration for literary adventures.
Moving through the London literary scene during the fin de siècle was not a comfortable ride. Oscar Wilde is one of the most explosive examples but others who navigated those restrictive streets and who cloistered themselves in the gentleman’s clubs learned what a dicey trip rebellion can be. The lot of them, known as aesthetes and decadents, frequently show up in literature written during the era. In The Cantos of Ezra Pound, for instance, the poet quotes a conversation he had with Aubrey Beardsley, the caveat “beauty is difficult” showing up a number of times in his Pisan Cantos.
I’d be hard-pressed to find a more subjective phrase than this one, an idiom that often pops into my mind as I cover design events and product introductions during which hundreds of manufacturers and tastemakers hope to make their mark on the industry. But my task when I’m in London is generally hours spent tracking down the homes of some of my favorite British writers, including Horace Walpole and Mr. Wilde. My home-base is the Chelsea Arts Club, an affiliate of The National Arts Club, my club in NYC. The location in Chelsea provides me with easy access to many of the parts of London where my literary heroes moved around when they were alive.
You can read about all of my literary adventures in London by clicking on the tag. I hope you enjoy reading about my jaunts as much as I enjoyed writing about them.
Furnishing Pastimes of Henry VIII
As I mentioned in my last Improvateur article presenting a brief history of Hampton Court Palace, I launched into a furnishings fantasy when I heard…
View More Furnishing Pastimes of Henry VIIIThe Peacock Room à la Whistler
The most recognizable painting by artist James Abbott McNeill Whistler might lead you to believe he was as Puritan as his upbringing. The fact he…
View More The Peacock Room à la WhistlerCinderella in the South of France
Cinderella in the South of France “From morning until night, Cinderella worked very hard. She carried water, got the fire going, cooked, cleaned, and washed.…
View More Cinderella in the South of FranceHorace Walpole Shops The Decorative Fair
The books I’ve been reading about Horace Walpole since I returned from my trip to London to attend The Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair in…
View More Horace Walpole Shops The Decorative FairThe Old Familiar Faces
…I have been laughing, I have been carousing, Drinking late, sitting late, with my bosom cronies, All, all are gone, the old familiar faces… These…
View More The Old Familiar FacesLove Among the Ruins
How would it feel to spend your life so absorbed by crumbling architecture and disintegrating stone you could bring them vibrantly back to life with…
View More Love Among the RuinsCourtesan Style Counts
Everyone has a different definition of beauty but I’m betting it’s the rare soul who wouldn’t be enamored with this sexy chair by Alden Parkes, which…
View More Courtesan Style CountsJane Austen Era Silver
If you are a fan of movies inspired by the novels of Jane Austen but you haven’t read her books, you may be surprised to know…
View More Jane Austen Era SilverSummer Reading with Carmen Natschke
For those of you who think Carmen Natschke, of The Decorating Diva fame, is merely a glamorous gadabout holding court in the design stratosphere, there…
View More Summer Reading with Carmen Natschke