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I have written about handmade ceramic tile before and will probably do so again. I recently visited one of my favorite handmade tile factories in Southern California and remembered again why the material is so special. First, it is all organic. Next, there are countless opportunities for customization, from the color to the shape of the trim. It seems that we are in a stone moment, but I don’t want to forget about the beauty of ceramic tile.
Classic white dishes are faultlessly appropriate and always elegant. The white surface allows the food to be the star. Hostesses like the versatility of white dishes because they can be dressed up or down.
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Last week I went to The Hickory Stick Bookshop, my very favorite book store, in Washington Depot, CT. They have a delightful and personal inventory that always includes the latest books on design. Waiting for me on the shelf was a new book by Shax Riegler; 813 colorful, wonderful dinner plates. Despite the fact that most of my own dinnerware is white or cream, I love decorated plates. They bring design, color and drama to the dining table says Shax, whose day job is Features editorEat House Beautiful.
An example of the different shapes and the light colored terra-cotta tile body.
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I thought I would write this post as soon as I returned home. In retrospect, I am am happy to have had the time to think about my trip (certainly on my bucket list of places to go and things to see), the intensity of the place situated on the edge of the Sahara desert, the ancient medina with its snake charmers, the saturated colors and the architecture influenced by a complex history.
The ladies room in the new Ralph Lauren women's store on Madison Avenue and 79th Street is signature RL. The use of a Cararra marble counter top on washstand legs, a mosaic floor and beautiful black and white photographs is always classic.
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I haven’t written about public bathrooms in a long time, probably because most of them are abominable. But on my recent trip to Europe I saw several WC’s that merited photos. Here are a few things that make a public bathroom worthy of this blog; of course, they must be sparkling clean, there must be a relationship between the design of the bath and its’ adjacent space (the lobby or restaurant), the fixtures should be in perfect working order and the lighting good for a makeup refresh. It is always nice if there are fresh flowers or a fragrant candle and, it goes without saying, the space needs to be visually pleasing.
