Author: Frances

The Italian Villa Cetinale captures the true beauty and grace of 17th century Siena, redolent with history and as charming as it is grand. The Villa was designed for Pope Alexander VII by the architect Carlo Fontana in the Roman Baroque style. The gardens are renowned as some of the most beautiful in Tuscany. And the wisteria … you keep daydreaming there and I’ma run set up my easel. Visit my link in bio for more…

Let’s visit the wonderland of bespoke and vintage pieces: Etsy! If the stock price is any indication, many of you have already discovered the ultimate digital crafts and housewares emporium so rife with treasures that I can find myself lost for hours… But if you are seriously in the hunt for a specific item, the search can be a bit daunting. @verandamag is sharing tips to help you shop @etsy like a designer, and I’m taking notes. Join me? Tap my link in bio and get ready to #addtocart.⁠ ⁠ Design Caroline Gidiere⁠ Photography Brian Woodcock for @verandamag⁠

The divine Julia Reed at Bee Cottage for lunch in 2016. Man, will we miss her. So much to say and so much said already and beautifully in @gardenandgun ‘s Jon Meacham’s superb tribute, link below. Rest In peace and rise in effin’ glory, as Julia herself might have said, but she would not have said “effin’” https://gardenandgun.com/articles/in-memoriam-julia-evans-reed/?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=socialmedia&utm_campaign=august2020_linkinbio&utm_content=julia-memoriam #juliareed #whatavoice #gardenandgun @voguemagazine #anoriginal

Who says art isn’t hung on tiled bathroom walls or kitchen backsplashes? Art can and should show up in unexpected places. An old-school still life in a modern kitchen, or a traditional landscape over the loo, why not? Such contrasts and small surprises bring life into a space–and into life! See my stories for a few ideas for combinations…⁠ ⁠ Photography: @madelineharperphoto ⁠ Design: @theidentitecollective

Traversing memory lane and hiking back to Bhutan, prompted by @indagareco ‘s posting a few days ago of our congenial group en route to the precariously perched Paro Taktsang, the Tiger’s Nest Monastery. I loved Bhutan, a tiny Buddhist kingdom that each year measures its Gross National Happiness. I bet even Bhutan is using different metrics this year, as are we all. What’s on your travel bucket list? ⁠ Photography by @sylvain_bouzat

We’re all spending sooo much time at home these days that we’re increasingly attuned to what’s working and what isn’t. In our decor that is, and possibly in our lives as well. (And that’s another post!) But meanwhile remember that what we choose to place around us is a choice first made within us. Are you ready for a bit of color and pattern? Nothing transforms a space more quickly or more dramatically, and many companies now make removable options so you can change your room as quickly as your mood. I gathered a few favorites in my stories.⁠ ⁠ Design and Photography @graciestudio

Easing into the week in the form of what has been inspiring me lately. From exotic locations, to artists’ magic, to marvelous interior flourishes, like this sublime bath in Milton Hall in Cambridgeshire, join me for a jaunt through ingenuity. In my stories…

A while back I posted one of my favorite appetizer-first-course-h’ors d’oeuvres called Bagna Cauda, and I emphatically included it in #californiacookingandstouthernstyle. (Holler if you’ve tried it. Y’all back me up here!) Why this Italian country cooking classic has not caught on is a mystery to me, but once you try it, honey, it will catch on with you, I’m certo 😉 Earlier in the summer @food52 published a version of Bagna Cauda with pasta, which we thought was genius and adapted for ourselves. Recipe by the brilliant @chefstephanievalentine⁠ Photography of garden crudites and Bagna Cauda via @marthastewart

These two characters are reunited at last and probably already fussing at each other. My darlin’ godmother Sarah, right, departed in peace Friday morning. She was 91. My mother, at left, was her lifelong friend, of which Sarah had many. Sarah did not have children of her own, but she “claimed” my sister @duvallfuqua and me, and we her. This photo hung in a place of honor at Cotten’s Grill, (formerly Cotten’s gas station and for a while both️) in Tarboro, NC, with the caption “A League of Their Own.”

Feeling endlessly inspired by floral artist @iamronnicole whose stunning work was recently featured in @flowermag. Ronni has found a way to capture nature and extend the life of the delicate and beautiful flowers that touch our hearts and brighten our days. Tap through the link in my bio to discover her floral handcrafted clay pieces!

Today I find myself nose deep in the endlessly talented @timothycorrigan’s fabulous design Château du Grand-Lucé. Dive in deep to the lush layers of color, texture, tapestry, art and furniture in my link in bio.⁠ ⁠ Written by Fernanda Eberstadt for @archdigest⁠ Photography by Eric Piasecki

No green thumb? No problem. If the thought of a fake plant makes you shudder, you’re in for a surprise. These aren’t your granny’s plastic palms. Faux plants have grown up and gotten fancy, with such realistic texture and detail that I’ll admit to having a few in my off-for-the-summer fireplace right now. 😮 I know. But used judiciously, and/or combined with the real thing, faux plants to give you impact you don’t have to water See etc…⁠ ⁠ Photography of Palms inside the Ashton Memorial Butterfly House at Williamson Park, Lancaster City, England.