Split gateway......

going downstairs.

I believe you dear readers know by now, that I'm a slow doer.

Still my determination is just as strong as this iron gate! 

 

My truly beloved french antique find, bought many years ago,

 has finally been tranformed and split into two shutters

for the stairs leading up/down to my workshop.

I'm so fortunate to have the most wonderful and skilful blacksmith in

my team of craftsmen, we've been working together for a couple of days,

trying to figure out the best way to do this.

 Made-to-measure doesn't come prefabricated!

 

He's put his heart into this wicked idea of mine and

 I'm so grateful for his brilliant solutions!!!

 

My perservering plans are in progress, the next will be 

some work in reinforced concrete.

It's September and normally the beginning of fall should be 

crispy and chilly but the weather is absolutely gorgeous here 

in Stockholm,  the breeze is warm and the sky is bluer than blue!

Thanks!

❤

After summer comes.....

a lot of things to deal with and they all seem 

to be scheduled at the same time.

My holiday is yet not over, but the last

couple of days I've spent in front of

my laptop at my the kitchen table.

Making all sorts of lists and orders, not to miss anything

preparing the plans of what will be happening this coming fall.

Some of the jobs are harder to kick off, like the dining room

with this beautiful ceiling in early Swedish Art Noveau.

   The original paintings with flourishing greens along with the dark wood have sadly been gone for decades! There has been a successful restoration made recently in this building and now

my job starts, taking care of the interior decoration, from top 'til floor. Still I cannot understand

why the center moulding has been left unfinished. I now have to begin to deal with 

this before I even can consider bringing anything else into this dining.

Fortunately I know a very clever artisan working in stucco!

There is nothing better than to watch a good craftsman in action!

The Art Noveau period has many different names over the world,

  in Sweden it's also known as Jugend. 

It shall not be confused with the later Art Deco period.

The Art Noveau style became very popular as well in interior design, 

mainly due it's assymetric forms and lines that automatically bring

 on a fluent harmony to the observer's eye. Also this is a main reason

 why the Swedish Rococo style is still so popular, 250 years later. 

I hope you all had a wonderful summer, it's not really

over yet, even if the vacation is for many of us.

We've had company by Tyra, she likes flies and hunts them down!

I've been watching television very little, except

for the Swedish summer show with Ernst on TV4

and how he transforms an old conservatory/greenhouse

into a modern living with an old touch, not forgetting 

the necessary modern facilites.

I just saw a trailer for next week's show and he will

be making a table with a countertop in copper,

just like the one I did some years ago.

I don't want to miss that, maybe he has some good tricks I don't know of!

Talk to you later!!

✍

I'm not a pinner...

or how shall I put it...at least not yet!

I was recently told by a reader that my kitchen shelves had become

 a popular pin and even published within an online international 

lifestyle magazine. I didn't have a clue especially since nobody had asked 

for my permission in advance and I was quite sure it had to be the shelves 

from the recent makeover of the kitchen they liked.

 Oh my, was I wrong! It was the old ones that were popular.

So, for a brief moment I was in despair of all that hard work and

 very long time I spent remodeling the kitchen...but then nothing

 comes around quickly when I'm at it. Could I've been so wrong?

 Nevertheless...I said no no, this is what I wanted!

Got the daylight and the airy feeling I was looking for.

A clean and crisp choice, blending my antiques with a slight touch of modern daily life!

Still I can't help but wonder - wouldn't it be polite being asked for permission before 

publishing somebody else's pictures. I don't mind the pinning, but for commercial 

benefits others than it's owner it's really a creepy feeling. I've seen several blogs 

being referred to as from other countries that by it's origin. I guess many using 

Pinterest are really unaware of this problem and YES it may not be a big thing!

I guess I might have comments on this...but I can take it!

Hopefully there will be some good answers too.

❤ to ❤

4,2 m head high

oops...I had not realized I've been out of the blog for that long!

I've been so focused on keeping my head high and above

the water (funny saying!!) with classes in art noveau

and taking care of old and new customers....

It made me realize the other day how much at ease I am

with high ceiling areas. This may be one of the reasons I

 agreed upon having the inner ceiling of our kitchen/dinner area

removed and opened up many years ago, but not until many years 

before that of my husband's harping or his determined plan to get

it his way...like all those corks of champagne that popped for 

the old ceiling every New Year's eve leaving big holes. 

Everything has a reason I later understood.

 Now, I may be the dictator when it comes to the interior decorating

at home, but I shall not take credit for this successful plan of his.

 We have lived in this old house for nearly 30 years and

if I remember correctly the original beams were revealed 

some 12 years ago. A massive job I mostly try not recall.

 This little chap was only a teenager by then

and a most active hunter for magpies, bringing them into the

house as he still does each spring, perhaps a little smaller nowadays!

The final hight sets to 4,20 mtrs, acoustics is great with a built-in

surround linked system, that sometimes drives me crazy 

trying to run it when I'm home alone. Saying this was not my

installation either....it somewhat came with beams...sort of!

Over the years this space has become the natural heart to be in.

The teve is running and of course hubby's making supper,

I saw some raw lobster on the countertop earlier today!

Sweet weekend everyone

❤

The final touch

always seems to be the hardest...

and this time it has it's double meaning!!

All I need is some marble for countertops to go with the one

that already is (but not shown here)

The thing is I want the marble to have a clean look without to many dark spots of quartz.

We are aware of the extra work the marble will bring on us trying to keep the surface 

somewhat intact, still this is the right choice for keeping the original style of this house, 1916.

Most retailers in the Stockholm area have been short of this marble for some time now,

 so I grounded the project long before Christmas and focused on other things. 

 I tend forget the fast progress that started at the end of July '12.

So now with the fantastic Northern daylight returning rapidly 

and the terrible flue finally sweeping out the door, 

there is no longer any excuse for not bringing myself 

together and visit those ware-houses again in search for the right stone!

Talk to you soon

❤

Art noveau

I've been spending a lot time in research of the epoch Art Noveau lately

and it's a grand time for design and architecture.

I recently found this fascinating story about Georg Jensen, 

the danish silversmith and his jardinière, designed in 1926

but remained a sketch until 2012 when it was found in the archives. 

With more than 900 hrs of craftswork this fruit bowl in sterling silver represents

 a truly unique and magical piece of Art Noveau performed 86 years later.

For more pictures read the whole story here www.georgjensen.com

Kära hjärtanes....

nu har tiden avstannat här och vi bryr oss inte om så mycket annat just nu!

 Orsaken heter Tyra, en 13 veckor ragdoll som tillhör 

äldsta sonen med flickvän sedan en vecka.

 Mycket bus o spring i dom små benen......Kletus har god översikt på den lilla!

Vilar gör Tyra gärna i kökssoffan...det är svårt att låta henne vara ifred.

 Tänk att en så liten boll kan bli så lång ❤

Nu njuter vi av ett par veckor till innan hon flyttar hem med sin husse o matte,

till den nyrenoverade lägenheten. Vi kör kattpsykologi på hög nivå, så Kletus

vill att lilla Tyra skall vara på dagis här. Än så länge går det bättre än vi hoppades på.

All that old silver

and all them old copper are becoming popular again!

I never could get rid of my hoarding....never wanted to!

Still my choice has been of the specific interest 

in shape, color and mostly origin.

I'm like a bloodhound where ever there's antique china and silver from Sweden and France.

Before deciding on a purchase I always try to make a good match with what already is!

I keep several different cupboards with glass fronts in the house,

they serve as mood boards with different kind of gems of

memories by heritage or auction sales.

 This shelf exposes a weakness of mine, with pleasure Ladurée.

 

The Christmas silvery embellishment is going down today, 

the hearts with the little bells have been a new but appreciated 

little sound this holiday every time this kitchen cupboard

has been opened.

❤  There's a whole life in here ❤

Time flies....

into 2013 and on and on and on.....❤

A year goes by so fast and so many things happen ❤

There are also changes in a life.....my dear father in law

 passed away and we had a beautiful memorial service 

at the beginning of June, when the spring was at full bloom.

His old family Mora clock, dated 1839 moved into our home 

and is now an important memory of GrandPa to our family. 

 The shape of these old clock cases are usually significative

 for different provinces in Sweden and very often the clock

 machinery was made separately by a fine artisan of watches.

 A trained eye can derive it's origin by the shape of the case.

You may also get some help from reading the signature

of the clock and the other one inside the case,

 hopefully the history tells us the rest.

Yes, we did start scraping off the white coat of paint to reach to the

 greyish/green layer of the original late Gustavian linseed oil with a razor

 blade. I soon realized it would take me an eternity which I don't have right 

now, so I rest that case until another time. Unfortunately many of these clocks 

have had white paint and some golden lines as it became à la mode in 1910.

What a big mistake!!

Happy 2013

 ❤