wild about wallpaper

This image in April's Lonny was my favourite - when I saw it my immediate thought was that it I'd probably smile *every* single time I crossed the hall. I don't think I'd ever get bored of it. 

And then I read the caption - how true? 

It led me to doing some research on Zuber wallpapers - turns out they are still handmade in France today exactly as they have been for the last 216 years. Panoramic wallpapers of exotic locations became popular in France just at the end of the eighteenth century.

Back in 2001, Forbes magazine outlined how staggeringly expensive it is - 'A roughly 12-foot square section costs a minimum of $10,000; even a modest room could cost between $20,000 and $30,000' - crisis - I knew I had expensive taste but that's outrageously expensive, isn't it? 

Michael Smith's inspired design using Zuber paper in this small bedroom manages to give it a big country house personality.

Only it doesn't seem too expensive when you find out how it's made - first a designer produced a full size painting, which was transferred slowly onto wooden blocks. 'Each block must be carved so as to transfer a different area of colour. The 1000 or more blocks needed for just one scenic could take 20 engravers close to a year to complete.' Zuber has over 100 000 blocks engraved during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. 

And then this:  'Given that the number of wooden blocks was large, and that they needed to be applied with exactly the right colours and strictly in the correct sequence, it was small wonder that some of the printers went mad.*' 

Ouch. 

Can you even imagine that any other wallpaper would work with that incredible day bed?

On a happier note though, the Zuber site explains that the product is an investment, rising in value at between ten to fifteen percent each year. The company advises 'many years later, take off the walls, you just have to search into the Zuber price lists to know its valuation.' 

An investment AND an elephant on my wall. Deal. 

/cx

*(source)
images: Lonny, Michael Smith, Four Seasons Milan, House Beautiful, Elle Decor, Houzz

friday flowers: Lainston House wedding

This week's Friday Flowers are really Sunday's flowers - those we did for a wedding last weekend at Lainston House Hotel, a handsome Hampshire red brick country house of beautiful proportions that makes for a charming wedding venue. (And a jolly nice place to visit even if you're not getting married!)

Wedding flowers are almost as important as the bride's gown in terms of setting the tone for the big day. The scary part is the admin - trying to ensure we order enough flowers to create exactly what the couple wants of their big day, allowing enough for any unforeseen dramas, but not too much as to create waste when weddings are so very expensive.

The fun part is what a lot of people think of as the most stressful part - the day before and the morning of the wedding, when it's high pressure and seemingly chaos. 

{Memory lane roses at back, Quicksand at front}

It always feels as though there is an insurmountable task ahead of us, but as it comes together  all the little things that were so carefully considered- what colour ribbon, favors, whether to 'serve' the boutonniere's on silver trays or wooden boards -  contribute to an over-riding sense of occasion. Our brief was to create a soft,  romantic, vintage-style wedding. The bride wore a very pretty nude dress with lace overlay, which led us to a romantic mix of Quicksand and Superbubble Roses, white Antirrhinum, Libretto Parrot Tulips (insanely beautiful), Viburnum Snowball and Syringa. We were lucky too - in that peonies are the bride's favourite, and while we had discounted the idea of using them due to cost this early in the season, our wholesaler had some left from another wedding order and so we were able to get some at a great price to work into the bride's bouquet. The room at the hotel was really warm too, so the tulips and peonies opened fully during the day.

{wax flower and roses tied with pink ribbon for boutonnières}

{ladies favors}

Each round table was decorated with three vintage cut glass vases of varying heights, and we placed foxed mirrored glass tealight holders near the glass vases, to make the glass sparkle in the candlelight.

The bride had initially chosen pale pink ranunculus and roses, but the Carlton Room at the Lainston has curtains of a burnt orange silk - way too overpowering for pale pink, but Quicksand roses have an almost desert type dusky pink hue which was perfect for the romantic look we wanted to achieve. We added Ammi Majus, commonly known as Queen Anne's Lace, Syringa and Viburnum to add softness and volume.

 {bouquets}

 {15 mixed vintage cut glass vases for table centrepieces}

The focal point of the room, apart from the impressive black chandelier, is a huge fireplace, at over 2 metres in length, and nearly the same in height. We considered symmetrical vases either side but we felt we needed to create an arrangement that would appear to lower the ceiling height, which is considerable. The perfect solution was to create a full length mantel arrangement with trailing Amarantus:

Having a job that involves making the most important day of people's lives the most beautiful day too is pretty cool. 

have happy weekends y'all.

/cx

first image: exclusive hotels

icons in blue, and pink & green

Yesterday the world was hit with the news of the passing of two great women - although they couldn't have lived more different lives.

In Britain, the news of Margaret Thatcher's death has reignited all the controversy of her life - did she save Britain from the austerity of the post-war years, (she definitely saved us from the Euro) or cause the demise of Britain with her unrelenting position on unions and the like? All I know is that she was formidable, and that growing up she was an example that women could do anything men could do, particularly given the chauvinist attitudes of a lot of old South Africa at that time. The older I get, the more I find it hard to find any one politician who makes sense - when I agree with someone on monetary issues, invariably I think differently to them on human rights issues - but I think Time magazine nailed it in their essay yesterday - Farewell to the Iron Lady - when they outlined her as a conviction politician, which doesn't seem to happen very much these days, particularly not in the UK!

Meanwhile, across the pond, Lilly Pulitzer also passed away yesterday. I can imagine that lots of British and South African readers might be saying 'who?' but while Maggie's life might have been one led in the conservative panelled halls of Westminster and facing down the miners of South Yorkshire, Lilly, six years younger, lived a much more colorful life as a fashion designer and marvelous hostess. 

She was a socialite who eloped to Florida and needing something to do after suffering with depression, she opened a fruit juice stall in her husband's citrus groves. Her clothing line was one borne of necessity - she needed to hide the fruit stains that were the side effect of her new line of work! Soon though, her frocks became her work, and the patterns and prints are now iconic. So iconic that despite Lilly having closed the business in the early 80's, a company contacted her over a decade later to bring her pieces back to life - there are now dozens of Lilly Pulitzer stores in the States selling all kinds of garments & home decor items. The fabrics might be cute or kitsch, but they are summery and happy, and that works for me: 

While Lilly might have been the doyenne of high society fashion and prints involving flamingoes, peacocks and pineapples, there are a number of quotes attributed to her that might sound flippant, but are pretty good mantras to live with - all the more fascinating given her depression and how she found a way out of it. I guess that they are the kind of things Maggie had to tell herself too - 

(I've set this as my iphone wallpaper - save it to your camera roll and then change it in settings)

(Lilly's answer as to why she refused to do a Fall or Winter collection!)

Other quotes that I love include:

 “Anything is possible with sunshine and a little pink.”

 “Being happy never goes out of style.”

“Style isn’t just about what you wear, it’s about how you live.”

“That’s what life is all about: Let’s have a party. Let’s have it tonight.”

Although I wonder what Thatcher would have made of this: 

RIP Ladies.

/cx

images: google, lee jofa, pinterest

Friday flowers: an appreciation reignited

Working with flowers, there are times that I perhaps take them for granted - and then something happens, like coming across Andrew Zuckerman's book Flower - which stops me in my tracks.  

While the most famous Zucker might be Zuckerberg, Andrew Zuckerman is a celebrated filmmaker and photographer whose work has an emphasis on minimalism, divorcing his subjects from context resulting in a reaction that is generally one of awe. There's that dreamlike sense of familiarity, of intimacy, but also of hyper-realism - like when you spell a word too often so that eventually you think you might have it wrong. (Or maybe that's just me!?)

So while there are exotic flowers that you might expect to be breathtaking, like these:

Perhaps the most amazing and awe-inspiring are the flowers we might count as 'everyday' ones: 

I think I love this book because it stopped me bang in my tracks, reminding me to really *see* the flowers I work with all the time - rather than just look at them or consider them part of my job. Although working with them isn't so bad since while I have become rather immune to their scent (customers always talk about the amazing perfume in our Botanical Room which we don't even notice anymore) and have perhaps started seeing them in terms of groupings and colour-ways, I am definitely not immune to the emotional effect they have.

That is probably the loveliest and most rewarding part of working with flowers - sharing in life's exciting and celebratory moments - or being able to help provide comfort when words aren't enough, at times of great sadness for whatever reason. My favourite though are those bouquets that are for everyday events - I love those - dinners, thank-yous, congratulations, new homes. Flowers for everyday really, that could be to my own nearest and dearest, even though most of those are half a world away... 

My lessons from the book aren't finished yet - I don't like gerberas, or banksia. Or chrysanthemums. 

Or at least, I thought I didn't, look at these: 

and my favourite Chrysanth, which even made it to the cover:

Architectural Digest's review of Zuckerman's book captures it best: 

'The leaves, the textures, the petals, even the pollen are all mesmerizingly provocative - in a most elegant way.' 

Provocative and elegant. 

I like that. 

/cx

images: all Andrew Zuckerman

from top: exotics: Beallara, Gloriosa, Nemesia, Orthosiphon

everyday: Hydrangea, Hyacinthus, Rosa Cinderella, Tulip

the surprises: Chrysanthemum Hoko Yaui, Banksia, Chrysanthemum Coral Reef

Flower is available on Amazon: 

friday flowers

'xhausted. 

and no time off this weekend. 

but when work is this pretty, it's okay. 

/cx

Meat-free Monday: Oliver's Date Loaf

Some of the best recipes are not those found in the glossy pages of coffee-table worthy recipe books, but are those that earn their reputation through good ol' fashioned tried-and-tasted, then requested, recipes - handed down through generations, or around social circles, becoming known as 'Aunt Alice's pudding' or 'Granny Iris' Granadilla Tart'. And invariably, a recipe is eventually passed along so that no one actually knows who Aunt Alice or Granny Iris actually is (or was), but one never-ever changes the name. It would be like plagiarism, stealing the glory, passing it off as your own. And God knows, if it was your own, there's your reputation to uphold, massive pride when it is that your curry or cupcake is the stuff of urban legend, so each time you write it down to pass it along, you proudly stake your claim with your name in the title.

And so, I've grown up with today's recipe - Jean's Date Loaf - named after my mum's best friend in South Africa. We have a big culture of 'kuiering' in South Africa - it means to visit another's home, to pop in, sometimes at short notice or even unannounced, and then to often stay - a cup of tea turns into a long afternoon with many brews, a sundowner turns into staying for dinner. Jean's Date Loaf is perfect for those occasions, since it's quickly whipped up in the microwave - so with even the shortest possible lead time, there is something to present to company.

Yet this weekend something big happened. Rules were broken. Jean's Date Loaf is no longer.

What could have happened to break with tradition? 

My Super Fairy Godson, Oliver, that's what. 

I received an email from Jean herself with the subject line 'Oliver's Date Loaf.'

It's insane to think Oliver has only been here a year, since he's managed to capture most all of our hearts - including those who meet him just once. This past weekend, my friend Kirst took globe-trotting Ollie, who has racked up more airmiles in his first year than most, to meet my mom at mom's friend Jean's home. (Kuiering extends to inviting friends of friends to friends. It really is one of our weirdest and most welcoming of South African traditions). It's such a relief to me to have friends drop in on my mom, and then report back - and she likes it too, having known most of my friends for more than half their lives, so she delights in their little ones, particularly since her grandchildren are so far away.

Jean served up tea and her date loaf - and apparently Ollie seemed to like my mom but *loved* the date loaf.

Given that he's only the happiest and sweetest kid on the planet, 48 hours away from his first birthday (expect more Oliveresque posts this week) it's no wonder that the adults saw this as the highest form of approval - and so, going forward, whether his momma makes it or not, the bet is that date loaf will never again be served up without chat about how much Ollie enjoyed it & how absolutely adorable he is... 

...which I'm sure he'll be delighted about when he's a rugby-playing teenager,

trying to get his own dates.

/cx

Oliver's Date Loaf (with comments by his superfairygodmum Carly in italics)

Yields 10-12 Servings

250g stoned dates

50g  margarine/butter - ugh, not even flies like margarine, use butter

160g brown sugar

200 ml water

4 ml bicarbonate of soda

1 large beaten egg

210g self-raising flour

Pinch of salt

20g  nuts (optional) - but advisable

• Cut dates in pieces
• Mix dates, butter, sugar and water in large mixing bowl. Cook in microwave for 5 minutes on medium.  Stir after 3 minutes.
• Add bicarbonate of soda.
• Allow mixture to stand and cool down for 2 minutes.
• Add beaten egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla to the cooled mixture then add sifted dry ingredients and stir it thoroughly
• Grease an oblong loaf dish 22 x 12 cm and line with paper towel.  Pour mixture into pan.
• Bake in Microwave for 6 – 8 minutes on medium.

meat-free monday: the Green Kitchen Storybook is here!

It's almost two years since I blogged about Green Kitchen Stories, the vegetarian blog written by David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl that has outstanding food photography.

David & Luise live in Sweden with their little girl Elsa, and with his background as an art director, and with Luise currently studying nutrition, what started out as a simple blog has become a full on enterprise - with thousands of followers, mainstream press, and an iphone App!

And now there's a book! Well, two - but the one is a US edition and the other a UK/Australian one.

The Green Kitchen book has some recipes from the blog - do go and read it to be convinced that gluten-free vegetarian meals can be as beautiful as they are nutritious, but mainly new content. It launches April 1st, available for pre-order on Amazon - click the image below to be taken straight there.

Oh, *happy* days!

Of course, my enthusiasm for the book is totally out of proportion to my enthusiasm (or lack thereof) for cooking, so mainly, I'll just be looking at the pictures. 

/cx

images: Green Kitchen Stories

disclosure: Amazon affiliate