Photos Courtesy of Lilse McKenna, Inc. In our new "Small Businesses that Inspire" series, today we highlight Lilse McKenna Inc, the eponymous interiors firm based in Manhattan recently launched by Baltimore native Lilse McKenna. You recently launched your own firm. How have you pursued your path in interior design that ultimately has led to your own firm? Aside from a few classes here and there at the New York School of Interior Design, I don’t have any formal schooling in the subject. I always had a passion for interior design, which stemmed from my close relationship with my grandmother, who loved all aspects of design. After graduating from college I realized that it was something I wanted to...
Gift suggestions abound this time of year......here we join the chorus with our suggestions for gifts that are a joy to shop for and a pleasure to give and to receive. In our minds, gift giving should be thoughtful, meaningful, and always a pleasure (never a chore....otherwise, why bother?) We prefer to gift antiques and vintage, where possible. Otherwise, we select gifts that are of the highest quality and craftsmanship. All of our suggestions reflect this standard. And, of course, beautiful gift wrapping is a must. For special friends, mothers, sisters...... We love Cire Trudon Taper candles, from the oldest candle maker in the world (photo above). Made in France, dripless, and in an array of gorgeous colors, these...
While visiting the campus of Duke University we were able to explore just a small portion of the Sarah P. Duke Gardens. The Gardens were established by Mary Duke Biddle in honor of her mother Sarah in 1938 after her mother's original gardens were flooded. Today the gardens cover 55 acres and are free to the public. In addition to interesting plants and flowers, the gardens are filled with unique fountains, statues and sculpture. Above is the Perennial Allee. A cool respite on a very hot and steamy North Carolina day. "Melludere" Mother of Pearl Rose, Grandiflora, 2007 in the Rose Garden. My favorite spot, the Garden's Tool House, designed by the esteemed American landscape designer Ellen Biddle Shipman in...
Dumbarton Oaks, located on the highest point of the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, DC, is a 27 acre oasis of gardens and a Federal style Mansion. The property was the home of Robert Woods Bliss and his wife Mildred Barnes Bliss in the1920s and 30s. Bliss worked with famed landscape architect Beatrix Farrand to transform what was once farmland into a series of terraced gardens, including an ellipse, a rose garden, a pool, an orangery and a cutting garden. In 1940, the property was given to Harvard University, Bliss's alma mater, and today serves as a Research Institute in the studies of garden design, landscape architecture, Byzantine Art, and Pre-Columbian art. The Gardens will be closed July 10, 2017 through...
Those who have followed us for some time know that we love sculpture and that Henry Moore (1898-1986) is one of our favorite sculptors. He also has a trove of drawings that served as a basis for his sculptures, as well as stand alone work. Interestingly, Cezanne's nudes were an early influence on his work. His sculptures are iconic and grace the best museums in the world but recently he has had renewed attention given that the British stalwart Burberry chose to feature a retrospective of his work as part of their Fall 2017 exhibit. This has led to a collaboration with design publication Cabana, whose latest issue features three different covers of Moore's drawings. The above photo is of...
