A Collector's Devotion

I recently had a great visual outing at the home of a collector of spiritual objects. It reminded me of the beautiful homes in the book The Divine Home by Peter Vitale. I have long been fascinated by decor using devotional objects HERE, so this home was a real treat for me.




This is a modest home in size in a lovely part of New Orleans called Old Metairie which is known for gracious living and grand tree lined streets. This house has been remodeled to contain an incredible collection of antiques, providing an aged looking backdrop.

A modest home in Old Metairie

Ordinary front doors have been replaced by a pair of French antique doors. The owners collect old architectural elements and retrofit them into newer spaces. In fact they have a business doing this for many homes in New Orleans.

An angel stands guard at the antique doors from France

The house does not have a large foot print, yet it feels expansive. Tricks like using flat fold Roman shades in linen in lieu of the more traditional silk drapes used in homes in New Orleans, keep the space feeling open.

The living room

Expert layering of objects and furniture is evident here. You feel interested but not overwhelmed.

Vignette in the living room

There are devotional objects come from Spain, France, and Italy. The home owners have lovingly collected them for years.

The angel head in the fireplace is gorgeous!

I snapped these photos on the fly. The house is unstyled as the owners really live it. The light is the natural light only. It deserves a much better magazine worthy photo shoot.

The simple Roman shades in the dining room

I just love getting these special secret glimpses into private homes, and I especially love sharing them with all of you. New Orleans has so many beautiful places behind closed doors and shutters, and walled courtyard patios.

Lovely French antique chandelier

A room used for an office
Fragment of antique fabric used for a valance

Antique angels flank the stove hood in the kitchen

Antique doors retrofitted over modern appliances

Old shutters are used as the pantry doors

A major altar piece from Spain in the wet bar

Butlers table

The family room - old beams were added by the owners

Lovely little soldier stands guard in the family room

Wonderful styling on the bookshelves

Nice trumeau flanked by chunky candle sconces

Gallery wall on stairway to the upstairs bedroom

There is only one bedroom in the house!

An antique bed from a convent

There is only one bedroom in the house. The kids' rooms were in what is now the pool house.

Shelf above the bed

There is a lovely pool and patio and garden. It is a small lot, but every inch of space is ingeniously used.

Antique doors lead to the garden

Lots of plants

Chess board patio - gravel has been removed and pavers will be added

Side yard leading to the street

Back of the house and pool

Loving all this! I hope you have too!

The Death Of A Blog

I think of bloggers as angels. They come into your life by chance, and then become a part of it by choice. Bloggers hover like angels just a click away waiting to fill a special space in your life. I depend on my daily reads as if checking in with old friends, tried and true and always there. Sometimes I'm a bad friend and I don't get back to a blog I love for weeks at a time, secure that it will be there when I have time to read it again.



Why does a blog die?

Who wants to kill off a blog?

You know how it's done. Cliques form. People are left out or ignored. Gossip girl (and boy) private e-mails are exchanged about a lesser "loser" blog. Friendly overtures are ignored. Anon comments that are mean are sent. Creepy anon stalkers emerge always watching, always ready to disparage. Personality cults emerge and if you don't gel, you're out. And if you have a popular blog, you poo poo all the high school hi jinks, just wanting to be left alone with your goodness.
The poor blogger who wants to be a part of the community, a part of the fun finally feels so left out and bad, he/she stops blogging.


Maybe the stronger ones keep blogging, and they usually find their own readers who appreciate them. But there is always that nagging sense of not being a part of the group of alleged super star bloggers, the ones who get the press, the adoration, the huge amount of hits of the site meter, the ones who get lots of comments, the ones who get featured on other blogs, or asked on radio shows, the ones who get a photo shoot of their work. Sure they work hard for it, but no less than anyone else really.
I'm not saying it's totally this mean girl/boy interaction going on in the blogging world. There's alot of good and generous souls out there too. But to negate the buzz kill bloggers is one way to be in denial.


What makes someone pull the plug on their own blog? So much work goes into a blog. Just go into an archive of any blogger and see the body of work that includes writing and image gathering. Why would someone not only kill their own blog, but wipe out their archive too? All that work gone in a click! It hurts me to think of it.


So now another blog is mysteriously gone. A really great one. A very original one.

It's Paul Pincus. His blog was one of an aesthete. It covered art, architecture, historical preservation, and photography, and all media, and home decor, and hunky guys, and glam woman, and all things interesting that you wouldn't see churned out on the "j'dore" girl blogs (and worst yet by the guys who write in sugary chatty third person), that massive circuit of chick lit decor writers.

So I saw this on my blog list yesterday, and my heart sank:

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Paul Pincus Blog, R.I.P.

Paul Pincus who is Roddy Gonsalves who is Paul Pincus, where are you? My e-mail to you has gone unanswered.

Your second to last post says you are bound for Tokyo. Is that true? Did you find a great job? A new love? Are you off on a grand adventure? On the lam?



And why oh why won't you share it with us who love you?



Paul Pincus R.I.P. indeed! I'm calling the Psychic Friends Network, getting out the Ouija board, contacting a medium, gathering a posse, getting a search party together! Your blog may be gone, but your spirit hovers my friend.

We're missing an angel in the blogosphere. His name is Paul Pincus.