The Right Balance Between Order And Disorder....

Mr. Brock’s definition of aesthetic beauty made me reflect on how I put together the many pieces of the 'DESIGN PUZZLE,' that I call a beautiful and interesting room.

Horace Wood Brock may be a cutting-edge authority on the economics of uncertainty, but when it comes to art, he’s as traditional as they come.

“Beauty is back,” he said defiantly, discussing his collection, which is now on view at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. “Political correctness, move over.”

His collection includes a 17th-century Flemish cabinet-on-stand veneered with turtle shell, ebony and bone; an extremely rare Louis XIV Boulle longcase clock commissioned for the palace at Versailles; a Louis XVI fall-front desk by Jean-Henri Riesener; a George II japanned chinoiserie tea table; a garniture of floral Qing dynasty porcelain vases with Louis XV bronze mounts; and a Regency medals cabinet-on-stand veneered with precious woods. (His English Regency antiques have been promised to the Boston museum.)



Go here for the rest of the NYT article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/arts/design/30anti.html?_r=1

Mr. Brock’s definition of aesthetic beauty is based on a complex mathematical theory he developed. In the catalog he writes that beauty is present in an object “when the right balance is achieved between order and disorder.”

Go here to see collection:
http://www.curatedobject.us/the_curated_object_/exhibitions_boston/

*you may have to type in the above link and search for 'Splendor And Elegance' ( the name of his exhibit)

( enlarge any picture for more info and a closer look )

Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her blog of her Adventures in Design

'Carlton' & Me

On January 21st 2009 , I had the pleassure of meeting with Carlton Varney before he picked up his Lifetime Achievement Award at the DCOTA in Dania Beach Florida.

Carlton Varney and I sat in Brunschwig & Fils for about 40 minutes ( but who's counting ) , and I had the chance to ask him things that I wanted to know about his life and his feelings on design related issues.
I am way behind on getting his interview ready for you. I just started a new job, so I am way behind on 'my life' , if you follow me.....

But, I am working on it.


( enlarge any picture for more info and a closer look )
pink is for CV
Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her blog of her Adventures in Design

“ Flower Of Louis "

Louis VII (ca. 1120-1180) was king of France from 1137 to 1180. He strengthened the authority of the royal court, went on the Second Crusade, and repelled the aggressions of Henry II of England.



Irises have a long and rich history. The Fleur-DE-Lis, a stylized representation of the iris, has a long history with French monarchy, beginning with Clovis the I a Frankish king whose empire birthed the French state. Legend claims that when Clovis became a Christian he dreamed of an angel who gave him an iris to commemorate the event. After his dream, Clovis adopted the iris as his emblem.
Fleur-De-Lis translates as “flower of Louis” and gained the name when Louis VII, who went on the Second French Crusade in 1147, used the emblem on his banner.

The Fleur-De-Lis is often used symbolically in art and is often seen as the terminal ends of the arms of the cross, which effectively leads us to the importance of the iris in Christian history. The reason the iris connects with Christian history is that the number three is what the iris is all about. It has three standards and three falls. Three is the number of completion according to Pythagoras and three is the number of the Trinity the center of the Christian faith. As a result, Christian art adopted the Fleur-De-Lis as a symbol.

Fleur-De-Lis translates as “flower of Louis” and gained the name when Louis VII, who went on the Second French Crusade in 1147, used the emblem on his banner.

BTW, this is the ceiling that Anne Boleyn gazed upon.

The fashionable Fluer De Lis had made it's trendy little self known in England, where it began to adorn it's castles, and fabrics.

Fleur-De-Lis translates as “flower of Louis” and gained the name when Louis VII, who went on the Second French Crusade in 1147, used the emblem on his banner.

The name, anglicized, means "lily flower", and the symbol is in fact a stylized Iris pseudacorus L.. It was adopted by King Philip I of France in the 11th century.

In case you were wondering; as a garden plant, irises moved quickly around the globe often in the path of conquest. Irises were some of the first ornamental plants that came to the New World. They were found on gardening lists for Virginia as early as the 1600’s and soon became the center of many public and private gardens because of their dependability.

Today The Fleur De Lis has become so common place it is virtually everywhere.

Personally, I do nor care for this counter stool with a Fleur De Lis on it's back.

May I use the word " tacky " ? ....over the top?, or commercial ?

It looks to me like it belongs to Gaston, from ' Beauty & The Beast '.

This is more tasteful.

Suggested reading :
http://www.sacred-texts.com/sro/rrm/rrm12.htm
http://plantsbulbs.suite101.com/article.cfm/irises_history_and_culture
www.ancientrootsresearch.com

( enlarge any picture for more info and a closer look )

Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her Blog of her Adventures in Design

This Day

Obama Inauguration January 20th 2009




Go here:

The Way It Was

And The Way It Is

This was recently published in Trump Magazine ( winter 2008/09 ).
It sells for about $ 12 K, and is made of fiberglass and has all sorts of bells and whistles for a techno junkie to appreciate.
But for about $ 400-600 , you can have this an original Victrola.

This however, is what I grew up with in the living room of our beautiful home . My mother did an excellent job on all the interior rooms of the home I grew up in. This was always a fun night .... There is nothing that would stop you from converting this antique Victrola into a contemporary CD player , it could house the CD's as well. Think about lacquering it in a great color !
It could be really fabulous, and as I always am saying, a real conversation piece.

Since this living room was in a house on Palm Island in Miami Beach Florida, my dad would crank the air-conditioner up really cold, and he would get the fireplace going. LOL

Then my mom would pull out all these weird records, and sing & dance around the living room.

I would be in charge of changing the needles that went on the arms of the Victrola, which rested on the grooves and played the sounds of the record. They were made of lead and would wear out after 2 records .

huh ?

yes.

NO, I am not that OLD!

It is just that my mother made sure I was exposed to antiques and the past.

go here for Victrola's:

http://www.clarphon.com/Victrolas.htm

Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her blog of her Adventures in Design