Running a blog is funny business. I've spent the last 30 20+ years practically peeing my pants over racy interiors and beautifully made furniture, I figured I would slap a bunch of pictures of well designed rooms up here and expect the whole world to swoon. My taste is exceptional, right? But whenever I go to put together a post I find something totally out of left field (thanks to this clunky interweb thing) and end up doing a post on the most unexpected thing ever. I mean ever. I was all prepared to show you the latest in hot hot neon yellow home-goods (stay tuned for that tomorrow) until I saw Erin's post yesterday on the Gramercy Park Hotel. I just couldn't stop thinking about the Dutch inspired guest rooms and my very favorite Dutch artist, Jan Van Eyck. Thankyouverymuch4yearsofarthistory. Man that class could really bore me sometimes, but, like the guest rooms, I always remembered Giovanni Arnolfini and his Bride. The lush colors and insane detail blew my twentieth century pot smoking* college mind.
*long since over the pot smoking
Let us quickly review a pic from her post yesterday compared with Van Eyck's painting before moving on to some (insert fantastically witty adjective here) dutch inspired goodness for the new millenium:
hi, hello, yes, i love you. Can you believe how much those Christmas colors are rocking your world and not looking Christmasy at all? How insane is it that the room looks EXACTLY like the painting? It does not even appear as though the people are missing, the guest room IS the couple, it IS the background. Can I ever ever aspire to create such a grande homage if left up to my own devices? If someone would like to give me a room, a check, and a new piece of artwork I sure as hell would love to try. Any takers?
Since I don't have a room to layout just yet (I'm counting on you people) I spent my time cruising the net finding other modern day reincarnations of the 15th century. I know it was easy to start with a Dutch company, but there's no denying the sexiness in holland porcelain's latest ad campaign:
yep. That pretty much says it. So, I'm not always one for subtlety. I also get all hot and bothered when a stodgy old company isn't scared to sex-up their image. The nod to the dutch masters with this modern twist is such a perfect way for Holland's porcelain to rebrand their goods. It also doesn't hurt that they invited designer at large Marcel Wanders to create a few gems for the collection.
More images from the campaign:
a scuba diver? perfection.
Then there's artist Desiree Dolron who uses her camera and some mad photoshop skills to echo the masters:
look, you could totally hang that on your wall, this is still an interior design blog. Drink from those porcelain cups and stop your complaining.
anyway... no that is not a painting, yes it is photography perfection. My husband likes to tell me that photography is not art, I like to show him images like this and laugh in his face. Thoughts?
Here are some more:
Do we even need to discuss how girl with a pearl earring this is? (or how much Scarlet Johanson is annoying us these days) How about instead we dream about how great this will all look over my fireplace. Right next to the yellow door I'm going to tell you all about tomorrow.