SANTA MARIA NOVELLA- Body and Home

Beautiful fragrance for the body and home can lift your spirits and enhance your well-being. One of oldest artisan makers still makes wonderful perfumes favoured by the rich and famous and stylish, worldwide.

Officinal Profumo – Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella is one of the world's oldest pharmacies. It was founded in Florence in 1221 by the Dominican Friars; they started making herbal remedies and potions to use in the monastery. Soon their reputation became world renowned and sponsored by the Grand Duke of Tuscany, the pharmacy opened to the public in 1612.

Many of Santa Maria Novella’s wonderful products have become a part of history. The first “Eau de Cologne” was created in the 1500’s for Catherine de Medici. This was called “Water of the Queen” and featured citrus and bergamot scented water. Its popularity in France lasted into the 18th century.

Giovanni Feminis, took it with him to Cologne and began to make it there, renaming it Acqua di Cologne or Eau de Cologne as a tribute to the city where it was produced. Today the same formula is still used and is called Santa Maria Novella. It is the signature fragrance and the most sought after of all of their scents.

Many of the oldest products from Santa Maria Novella are still popular. The Almond Paste is an excellent rich cream made from almond butter. The Rose Water can be used on the face for washing and removing make-up. The Pot-Pourri is still hand-made and left to ferment in large terracotta jars. The Milky Soaps, scented with their own fragrances are made with whole milk to protect and soften skin. Scents use: Honeysuckle, Rose, Iris, Patchouli, Jasmine, Violet and Lily of the Valley.

The Pharmacy is run by Eugenio Alfandery, who has kept the tradition and legacy of the brand whilst updating the old methods and procedures. All new products keep to the Santa Maria Novella philosophy of quality and precision, mixing old world formulations and expertise with modern mastery of current technology. Local ingredients are used whenever possible and the products are never tested on animals. Each batch is hand-made in Florence and supervised according to age old recipes and artisanal methods.

 For details view www.santamarianovellausa.com  

 

Sara x

The Perfectly imperfect Home by Deborah Needleman

I have a question to ask, should the perfect home be perfect in every aspect or is the perfection in the imperfections?
In this wonderful book by Deborah Needleman she raises this issue.

 Deborah writes that the point of decorating is to create a background for the rest of your life, that decoration should be life-enhancing, making a charming and happy home. Beauty and comfort should sit side by side. A stylish home is highly functional and enhances your sense of wellbeing. Luxury cannot be defined by expense or by grandeur.

I remember when selling furniture been told that how comfortable a sofa was didn’t matter it was simply about how it looked. I feel that the point of a good design is not only about the look but how comfortable and practical the design proves to be. A chef can make a wonderful looking plate of food, but if this is inedible, how can it be successful as the taste of food is a key factor in the enjoyment of the diner.

Quoting from the Grand Dame of interior design Dorothy Draper, No room can be called perfect unless it has real comfort.

Deborah stresses the importance of paintings and drawings on the wall, a home needs these to finish off the look. I would also say that these give personality to a room.

Henry James writes; Houses of the best taste are like clothes by the best tailors- it takes their age to show us how good they are.

What makes a home feel alive? Strong pieces that make comments, Items with a history, objects made by hand, bespoke or well- loved collected items with give stability.  Many items get richer with age; rugs, textiles, furniture and antiques. I think that is echoes the sentiment of this blog.

Do read this lovely book as it’s an entertaining read and Deborah makes some very interesting points for design lovers. 

Sara x

Happy Christmas

I love Christmas and can't wait until the start of December until I can start to decorate.

These are some of my favourite images.

Pinterest is wonderful for ideas and lovely ideas to try or just admire.

Happy Xmas

Sara x

Wonderful Shops

One of my favourite shops for luxury and great design is Liberty, in Regent Street in London. Probably one of the best loved and recognizable department stores in the world

Founded in 1875 by Arthur Lazenby Liberty, it originally sold imported goods from the Far East. As the son of a draper, following in his father’s footsteps he was an apprentice to a draper at 16, going on to work at the Great Cloak and Shawl Emporium on Regent Street. Arthur Lazenby Liberty was to become the manager of the Oriental warehouse, a mecca for pre-Raphaelite artists. He had a passion for the products he sold and soon become a friend of many leading artists of the time; William Morris, Edward Burne Jones and Dante Rossetti. After 10 years he asked to become a partner in the business, when this was refused he set up on his own, using a loan from his father.

This became known as the East India House, originally dealing with fabrics and silks from China, Japan, India and Persia, gradually more goods were added such as ceramics, Japanese fans and object d’ art. This was at the height of the aesthetic movement and along with his friend’s, he was to change the taste of fashion and decoration. His early passion for eastern arts and the desire to educate, keen eye for style and astute business brain made Liberty a leading retail tastemaker at the time.

A sociable man, he moved in artistic circles as well as making influential friends amongst the wealthy. He started using British manufacturers to print fabrics, and Liberty prints are still popular today. Where possible he tried to promote British Craftsmanship.

 In 1870, Liberty and Co, as it was now known, underwent rapid expansion and purchased 140-150 Regent Street. In the 1890s Arthur Lasenby Liberty built strong relationships with many leading English designers. Many of these designers were key figures in the Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau movements and Arthur Liberty was instrumental in the development of Art Nouveau through his encouragement of such designers.

Arthur Lazenby Liberty’s intuitive vision and pioneering spirit led him to travel the world looking for individual pieces to inspire and excite his discerning clientele. Liberty is not just a name above the door, its Arthur Liberty’s legacy, which stands for integrity, value, quality and above all beautifully designed product. This vision and spirit continues today within the same iconic Tudor building.

 

Sara x

Amanda Mercer Ceramics

I love items which have a nostalgic feel and the beautiful work of ceramic artist maker, Amanda Mercer is lovingly handcrafted and inspired by memories and nostalgia.

Amanda’s range is a collection of delicate porcelain buttons, jewellery, pretty home wear and decoration all individually handcrafted and created in Carlisle, Cumbria.

Based on a love for vintage memorabilia such as vintage buttons found in her Grandma's button box, scraps of lace, black and white photographs, stamps and letters, Amanda, translates this feeling through her work.  She explores both the surface decoration and form. Many different techniques are used to achieve her pieces. Such as imprinting, screen printing and the use of decal transfers which are produced through drawings and collages of postage markings and letters.

Each piece is individual and bespoke and they make the most beautiful presents for yourself and others.

Since graduating in 2009 with a first class B.A HONS in Contemporary Applied Arts, Amanda started selling her collection of items through shops and galleries throughout the UK and has also taken part in many exhibitions and events.

Please view www.amandamercer.com for the full range and more details.

Sara x

Serena Partridge- Small But Perfect

As always, I am on the look-out for bespoke items and gifted artisans.  Serena Partridge makes miniature fashion accessories and garments inspired by a passion for European costume, dating back some six hundred years. Her particular interest is for the flamboyant fashions paraded by the wealthy élite. Such as platforms rising to heights of twenty inches or the superfluous coiffures supported by Marie Antoinette. Although her works contain strong references to the past, Serena is not concerned with producing historically accurate replicas. In her work, scale and proportion are distorted to create curios that send up the frivolity and futility of life à la mode.

Though the work involves endless hours of hand stitching, it is not really embroidery; Serena is more of a mixed media artist who leans towards textiles. She mixes antique fabrics and trimmings with materials that will achieve desired effect. Kid gloves are reborn as elongated shoes and a fragmented wedding veil becomes the filling of a six-tier gateau; while heels are carved in wood and coiffures are fashioned from strands of fine silk.

These miniature accessories are crafted from fine papers, with tiny hand-stitching up the back of the stockings and 25 carefully cut pieces of card, stacked and sanded to create the shaped heels of the mules. The embellishments are hand-made with silk ribbons, antique lace and cut-steel beads.

 If you are looking for something a little different, the shoes and stockings are perfect unique gifts for special occasions and followers of fashion. They can be personalised with a message printed inside a tiny card or on a miniature label.

 

For more information view www.serenapartridge.co.uk

Amanda Cobbett-Textile Artist

Who thought that Paper Mache could be so exciting! I just love these quirky sculptures. I hope you do too.

Amanda creates sculptures, embroideries and paintings based in life outside her back door using a mixture of Paper Mache, wire, found objects, antique and up-cycled fabrics.

Her sculptures of garden birds are life size and accentuate colour and the intricacies of feathers using torn silks and lace, they often have little wire speech bubbles with quotes and phrases, quirky sayings or machine embroidered text in the body of the fabric and sometimes ticker tape with a little 'ode' about each bird. Unique and colourful, they make a wonderful gift.

Amanda runs workshops for schools, colleges and art societies, and private groups if you want to have a go yourself, what great fun!

 

 

For more details and to shop:  www.amandacobbett.com

Bye for now
Sara x