Shape: Moorish Arches on Curtains

my wool semi-sheer panels from the company store

For several years now my wool curtains have needed replacing. Moths have eaten them through. It isn't noticeable since there is seating in front of each panel now. But when I go back there the holes are shocking. How dare something eat my beauties! The search for the same curtains has been fruitless. I got them on clearance in 2007. Nothing like them has really surfaced: both sheer enough to let the light in and with that exotic flair until recently.

But they're missing one important factor...

Lotus & Fig: Shades of Summer Sunset

the fergana ikat beach towel by john robshaw

They're at it again. Those eternal lovers, pink & orange, are running wild in decorland. Nothing calls out the brights like summertime. From earthy to neon, modern to eclectic, you're sure to find a version that suits your style.

Retail Odyssey: Madura Opens in NYC

909 Broadway - you can't miss 'em

On a street filled with the likes of ABC Carpet & Home, Safavieh, Design Within Reach, and Domain, a certain modern French flair has joined the mix. Madura has opened it's U. S. flagship store on Broadway in the Flatiron district: stripes, bold colors, jaunty patterns and luxurious textures.  

Now your stroll from Madison Square Park to Union Square just got that much dreamier.

Chez Moi: Curtains on the Wall

color texture pattern: curtains for any season

Last weekend I decided try something new: putting curtains up in the corner behind my bed. Some years back I tried this with some diaphanous sheers from Spiegel website. It was okay, but the curtains really only worked with the matching sari coverlet. I sold them off. This time I was longing to put an amethyst sheer up on the wall instead (really wish to paint the whole apartment this color).

Rooms on Film: L'Auberge Espagnole/La Poupees Russes

the end of innocence: youth, beauty and casual sex in barcelona

If you've read some of my other Rooms on Film posts, you know that I enjoy the odd foreign flick. IFC Channel is pretty damn great on that score, especially when it comes to French films. It has served up a sort of random and surprising peek beyond Hollywood into some very different notions about storytelling and... other sensibilities. (If you've ever sat through Mon Ange, you know what I'm talking about.) So, two fun flicks that feature cute, casual homes are "L'Auberge Espagnole," 2002 (The Spanish Apartment) and the sequel "Les Poupees Russes," 2006 (Russian Dolls). 

Starring Frenchman Romain Duris, we follow a college grad as he goes to Barcelona to learn Spanish and Finance in a year-long exchange program. Along with his half-dozen roommates from all over the world, Xavier gets up to some hilarious hijinks most involving infidelities of some kind. If you ever get the chance, you really should catch them. There are scenes that will make you lay down laughing no matter how long it's been since you were that age. You just sort of relate fondly to their absurd predicaments and attempts to grow and learn.