Perhaps to honor French military hero Marshal Turenne this distinctive dish came into use in the seventeenth century in France. Most of the silver tureens of that era were melted down to finance King Louis’ wars and survived only in paintings. 500 years ago, most common meals in Europe we’re stews, chowders, broths or soups…and […]
What’s more fun than finding a great piece of furniture and incorporating into our home’s decor? An old-fashioned wood cook-stove, or a timeless dresser can be the piece that spurs a new look or theme to update the home’s look and feel. Perhaps a re-purposed item, […]
As an object of worship in several religions, mother and child figures are prominent. In Egypt it was Isis and her son Osiris or Horus; in India, Isi and Iswara. The veneration of the mother goddess Shing-moo and child was prominent in China and Japan. Greece had Ceres and Plutus, Rome had Fortuna and Jupitor-puer, or […]
In antiquity, the “court cupboard” was one of the most important pieces of furniture in the house. Because there were no banks or stock exchanges, wealth was invested on gold and silver dishes, chargers, platters and cups and these were displayed on a cup-board. Later, enclosed cupboards with vented doors, called almeries or aumbries were used to store leftover […]
After all the recent rains, everything is lush and green and Spring is in the air! We’ve just started Daylight Savings time again, springing forward to longer evenings…and we’re a couple days away from the annual celebration of St. Patrick’s day! In honor of this Irish/American tradition we grouped together some of our favorite “Irish” […]
To hang Christmas stockings from, or dress up a fireplace, nothing is more traditionally and nostalgically appealing as the mantel. We have some lovely mantels at the Cottage, and plenty of inspiration to get you started! Use a mantle to spruce up an existing fireplace, or create an eye-catching decor centerpiece even if you have no fireplace… […]
White, the color of purity… we go to great lengths to keep linens and towels as white as can be. White is also associated with trust, as in nurse uniforms and bandages… It is also a cool, crisp, elegant color, a la James Bond in a white tux. “She has skin like alabaster, or porcelain,” descriptive words used […]
The mannequin as a design element is very popular. We’ve seen them draped in vintage clothing, adorned with jewelry; even used as a canvas of sorts for whimsical and unique art work. Once only used for creating garments and displaying fashion, dress forms have donned a […]
The swallow, which always returns to its birthplace to rebuild its nest, is now most famous for the celebration of its return to the mission in San Juan Capistrano, CA. But it has another and much more romantic history… The poignant love story and theme of the movie Cold Mountain was the harrowing return journey […]
Adorning ourselves with jewelry is as old as mankind, with every variety of style, method and material. In ancient times jewelry production was spread across all of Mesopotamia – from Assyria to the Babylonian cities of Nineveh, Ur and Sumer. Materials not common to the area; jasper, onyx, lapis lazuli, sardonyx, agate and silver, were imported […]