Designer Bikes, Yes or No?

I have been wanting a bike for the past couple of years, not a motorcycle, but an old fashion pedal bike. When I spend time in Key West with Michael Pelkey, we ride around town night and day on beach bikes, those faded cruisers often personalized with a home made paint job. I also have fond memories of Danilo riding me on his handlebars late at night to the New York City disco Area. We'd "pull up" alongside the limos and a doorman would take Danilo's bike and stash it in the coat room, and wave us in past the ubiquitous velvet ropes.

I love the new crop of designer bikes that have come out lately. Here are a few to consider.

Missoni bike at Target - You can still get it!  $399.

City Bike from C. Wonder - $249.

My favorite! At Wal Mart only $89.99! They are out of stock online, but I have seen it and lusted after it at my local Wal Mart. LOVE the aqua accents and the black and white damask print! I would love to ride around town on this for sure!

No post about bikes would be complete without a picture of Audrey Hepburn riding her bike! I would love to get a basket for my bike and ride Cholo around! I wonder if he would let me do it?!

Did you know that the bicycle was a very important aspect to woman's liberation? It was an equal opportunity modern way of transport that was embraced by women in the Victorian and Edwardian era, affording them a freedom to move around under their own power and on their own.

The bicycle gave women freedom

Another acquaintance, Pryor Dodge has an amazing collection of antique bicycles that he exhibits in museums around the world. He first pointed out to me the profound effect the bicycle had for women.


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Are Intaglios Still Trending?

There was a big buzz about framed intaglios in 2009, especially from Holly from Things That Inspire. Go check out her posts about them for a really good round up of photos and descriptions of what intaglios are. I met Holly a couple of years ago in Atlanta, and while I was there Renae Moore took me around to the antique shops, and there were a ton of framed intaglios for sale. They were hot.

Michael Pelkey gave me this box of intaglios - And yes, he calls me Celeste

Last year my dear friend Michael Pelkey sent me a batch of hostess gifts, and among them was a box of intaglios! I didn't know what to do with them so I tossed them in with some shells and bones on a tray, until the other day.

Framed intaglios that Holly from Things That Inspire sells HERE

I have often thought about having them framed, or getting a shadow box and doing it myself, but it's one of those things that just was not on the vampy radar. The other day I was cleaning out the tray they were on, and a mirror with a deep white frame caught my eye. It was part of a collection of mirrors that I recently took down, and it was destined for storage or a yard sale.

I attached intaglios to a framed mirror

Out came the glue gun, and I attached the intaglios to the mirror! They look very pretty, and so I found a place on my already too crowded walls to hang them. Only two years-plus after the trend ha ha.

First I hung them on a door....

...then I tried them over the etagere filled with books

I like them best here! They go well with books.

There are a lot of decor trends that come and go. Confess! I bet you have a few knocking around.

Holly had a framed intaglio on her book shelf

Love them hung as a grouping over the bed

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Moving Art

There have been a couple of photo shoots at my house. That and the subtle feeling that the seasons are changing, got me moving things around again. Well, actually it's more like being a restless crazy decor maven, something you might know a thing or two about.

Sabina suggested I move the art around. So I did, and here a couple of photos. Where have all of you moved your art around to these days?

Moving art in the living room, - Symmetry rules the day! Swedish antique demi lune tables from Karla Katz. - This is the first time I have flanked this couch with a pair of lamps - "Quiet" art placed, not hung - Shades of white tell the story - Framed drawing (a portrait of moi done in 1985!) on the right by fashion illustrator  Mats Gustafson - All of the art was flipped from one side of the room to the other - Photo of the room by Valorie Hart

This is the view of living room with the way the art was hung before - It was more colorful -  Zak hot pink  tray - The portrait entitled "Audrey" by Ashley Longshore dominated one side, while a large  lithograph by Will Barnet entitled 'The Young Couple" balanced the other side of the couch - smaller portraits were stacked over the larger -The hot pink tray and the bold graphic pillows were changed out for a more quiet look as seen above - photo by Valorie Hart

The smaller portraits that were once stacked above "Audrey" and "The Young Couple" are now placed on the mid century Baker credenza, along with the portrait of a chair by Anne Harwell - The portrait on the left behind Anne's painting is of Michael Pelkey done by Letty Nowak  - "The Young Couple" now hangs where the portrait done of me by Mats was - The large lamps used to always be on this credenza, but I prefer them on the demi lune tables now - I like the way the art along with the vintage anatomy charts (and yes that is a mask on one of the skeletons) frames the flat screen TV to form a casual gallery wall of sorts, making the TV almost seem like another piece of art - The more graphic pillow moved from the couch to the orange chair - I retired a pair of Ikat pillows that have been in the living room for three years to the master bedroom - photo by Valorie Hart

"Audrey" moved to the opposite wall of where she was - "Marilyn" by Mario Ortiz, and "Cholo" by Patricia Van Essche remain as they were - perfect!  "Audrey" looks wonderful here, with the back drop of the Union Jack armoire (painted by Alberto and gifted to us by Sabina) - another graphic pillow (both from Modern Market) lands on the second orange chair - the Saarinen coffee table now resides as end table (the bench I recovered in white patent leather is now the "coffee table" with more room for Cholo and Kitty Kitty Bang Bang to play, and it's great to put one's feet upon it as well) - The tall lamp was made in Toledo, Spain, one of many props I had made for an event I designed in Madrid some years ago - It's been used both as a floor lamp and a tall table lamp - photo by Valorie Hart

 

 

 

A view of the opposite wall where both large portraits were flipped to - It's great to sit on the couch and look at these beauties photo by Valorie Hart

The long view into the living room - I think moving the art has changed it, don't you?

Another view of the living room to showcase the antique French settee - photo by Valorie Hart

So there you have it, the great art migration. Well not so huge really, since all the art stayed in the same room. But really, moving the art around is a sure fire and quick and easy way to refresh your rooms, and I thank Sabina for nudging me.

Portrait of The Visual Vamp Valorie Hart by Mats Gustafson

The Art Of The Hostess Gift

Michael Pelkey is a master at gift wrapping!
These gorgeous packages arrived wrapped in the color of the year!

A huge box was delivered to the front door, and I recognize the calligraphy hand writing of Michael Pelkey! Go HERE to read about Michael.

Michael and I have been friends for many years, and though we don't live near one another anymore, we phone and write and send each other gifts.

Michael shops for interior design clients, and he has been an avid collector of antiques since he was 15 years old. When he sees some little trinket that reminds him of me, he gets it and stock piles it until he has an impressive collection of "hostess gifts" to send me.

The latest collection of hostess gifts unwrapped
I couldn't stop smiling!

The green cashmere throw is so soft!
The portrait is of Michael

Michael writes little notes with each gift. For a vintage style piece of subway sign art he wrote, "Celeste, I like to keep current on my blogs". He read about my wanting a subway sign HERE!
(Michael and I call each other "Celeste").

How cute is this subway sign from Michael Pelkey?

A Tiffany box filled with one dozen intaglios
Maybe I'll frame them

There was a box with a dozen of these mid century modern chandelier drops
I'll add them to my dining room chandelier

We gave each other the same book!
And I love the vintage ribbon - Michael writes on it: "So French!"

This bracelet is hand made by a woman in Africa
It is so elegant and feels great on the skin

This grouping includes a DVD of my fave movie, a goldstone brooch,
a tortoise shell pill box, two strands of amethysts - I die!

Michael and I haven't been able to visit each other for three years. He has a home in Key West that has been in tons of design books and magazines. He also has home in North Carolina that he is renovating.

It is an old stone house, and Michael is painstakingly designing every nook and cranny, retro fitting antique windows and doors, building a cupola, exposing the stone walls in the interior, installing an antique mantle, and so much more. I can hardly wait to see it!

Michael wants to do a book about the stone house, and we are also going to do a book together.

Michael is not a run-of-the-mill designer chasing trends. He is firmly rooted in using antiques, and one of kind architectural details. Comparable designers who come to mind to describe Michael's style are Bunny Williams, John Saladino, and Rose Tarlow.

You can contact Michael at michaelpelkey@windstream.net

You'll Love This Stuff

Huff-Dewberry

Here are a few things that have caught my eye, and I thought maybe you'd enjoy them too.

First up:

How an energetic, six-foot-five designer translated his love of 1960’s cinema, space travel and farmhouses into the design of his downtown loft.

Produced, designed, written, styled and directed by Brian Patrick Flynn with photography by Sarah Dorio

Go to Decor Demon HERE to read the entire article - it is well worth your time! I was lucky to meet Brian in Atlanta, and I hope he'll invite me over the next time I'm there.

Second, another man I adore, Michael Pelkey is in this month's issue of Southern Living.
His front porch in his Key West home is featured.


The photo is from the new book Perfect Porches where you can see more of Michael Pelkey's home, as well as many other gorgeous porches. Written by Paula Wallace, a co-founder of The Savannah College of Art and Design.


Last is this clipping of a fresh way to use a folding screen. The work of Huff-Dewberry is featured in this month's "Better Homes and Gardens decorating" magazine. You can see more of Huff-Dewberry HERE.



I love the little magazines BHG puts out. They are jammed packed with photos, like little decor books. Support hard copy magazines, and buy one today!



Have a great day!

Gifted

My friend Michael Pelkey and I have a long standing tradition of gift giving to one another and to everyone else we love, and to every home we are invited to. We lump it all in the category of "hostess gifts". Michael can never give one, and when we see each other, he lavishes them upon me, beautiful little things he has picked up here and there over time.

Michael Pelkey lavishes an embarrassment of hostess gifts
on the Visual Vamp on a visit to Key West

I was feeling blue, and all of a sudden the postman rang twice. Cholo barked his head off, and the mailman left a box on the front porch.


It 's a gift from my dearest Michael Pelkey!!!! Look at his regular handwriting! It's calligraphy!
And look at the gift wrapping! He used remnants from a $300. a roll of grass cloth wall paper that looks like raffia. The ribbon is chiffon with a leopard print!

He sent me a Majolica plate for my collection, a string of pearls, and bundles of wooden utensils he thought I would use for the lunches I serve in the garden that he affectionately calls my "French Woman's Lunch".

Visual Vamp Majolica plate in the fireplace mantle in the kitchen

Michael does his gift wrapping effortlessly, usually while sitting on the floor, or at his kitchen table, or maybe sitting on his bed.

I started to think about the gift wrap room that became popular when Candy Spelling had a picture of hers published.


It seemed so luxurious and decadent back then!!! Like only rich people would dedicate a whole room for wrapping presents!

But now, it's become mainstream, and people turn laundry rooms into rooms for gift wrapping.

Martha Stewart certainly played a huge part in the art of gift wrapping.


Where do you wrap your gifts? Have you turned a closet into a gift wrap station?



An armoire makes a nifty place to store all the gift wrap things.


I have all my gift wrap stuff stashed on a cubby hidden by a skirt in my dining room, and like Michael, I wrap my gifts sitting on the floor.

Michael Pelkey - Transformed Shed

Michael Pelkey’s Key West cottage had everything he needed -- except a guest bedroom. So he didn’t waste any time transforming the shed out back into exactly what he knew his visitors would love.

“It was just a flat-roofed shed, but it did have running water and a washing machine,” he says. At 8 feet by 9 feet, there wasn’t a lot of floor space, but he wanted his guests to have a full-size, comfortable bed.

To accommodate the need for sleeping space and storage, Michael built the bed on a platform with drawers below. On all the walls, he added built-in bookshelves to display reading materials and decorative objects.

To add extra light, Michael chose a gabled roof over its flat predecessor. Now, sunlight pours through arched, Gothic Revival-style windows, and a small one tucked in a bookshelf gives guests a peek at the brilliant hibiscus in his backyard.

Words of Wisdom: Install a tin roof in your backyard retreat. “It’s such a peaceful place to relax when it’s raining,” he says.

About This Cottage
Location: Key West, Fla.
Size: 8 feet by 9 feet
Who designed it? Michael Pelkey

Michael Pelkey

I met Michael Pelkey years ago when I had my design business in New York. I was always looking for good crew people, and he was introduced to me by Cheri Wagner. She brought him to my brownstone on 15th Street. I was still working from home then, and the dining room table was the work table.
We were hand wiring a zillion flowers, and I asked Michael if he could do this, and he said sure. So I asked him to make a dozen corsages for a wedding, and he made the most beautiful ones. From that day on, he became a part of my A-team, and a friend forever. Later he confessed that he had never hand wired a thing, or made a corsage, and that is so typical of this man with a myriad of natural talent.

Michael in his kitchen in Key West with a portrait someone did of him

Michael lived off his innate talent (we used to call it living by the seat of our pants). A rough childhood resulting in dozens of foster homes, he learned to use humor as his calling card. And uber generosity. And a tremendous capacity and joy for hard work.

The door to Michael's deck revealing the shell encrusted folly he made

He started collecting antiques when he was sixteen. He lived in the Boston area, where the pickings were fine. He always had a the eye for the hidden gem, the treasure buried under the grime. Eddie Ross and Michael are cut from the same jib when it comes to this.


Besides working for me for many years, Michael was a personal chef before those words ever became trendy. He worked for many interesting wealthy clients, and this took him all over the world, traveling with the people he cooked for. In every port and city, he dug out little treasures to bring home. He had several warehouses over the years of beautiful things.


In every home he worked in, he often did a little redecorating, along with planning and executing the most fantastic parties for his clients. He often used things from his collections, and the word got out. Eventually he accumulated an impressive list of interior design projects and dedicated clients.
Michael eventually made Key West his home. He bought a derelict Conch House and turned it into a show house, and nearly every style editor from Mary Emmerling to Martha Stewart used his home for a photo shoot.
The book Key West, A Tropical Lifestyle, features his home on the cover, along with a great spread inside.


Michael was so ahead of the time, as often is the case with original thinkers, and those with true talent. He was collecting alabaster lamps twenty five years ago. His ironstone collection is dedicated to pudding molds, and is legendary. He also used old ironstone bowls as vessel sinks long before the words vessel and sinks were used together in design jargon. The farm house sink was another one of his ideas that pre-dated it being a catalog item.

He was also first in using Carerra marble, rain shower heads, and so many things that became mainstream in bathroom design.

Note the black and white stripe gross grain ribbon used to extend the length of the shower curtain
The fan light window is an antique especially fitted into the shower

He collected windows and doors of all sizes, always knowing he would find a perfect place to build around them.

This little old stained glass window is hinged to open

When I lived in New York, Michael and I saw one another every day, yakked on the phone, hung out. He moved away first to Key West, then I moved away to New Orleans. We see each other every couple of years, and it is not nearly enough.
Recently he bought a new house he is re-doing in North Carolina. He is working for the design firm Tanda Design, who currently specialize in luxury projects all around hunt country. He seldom gets back to his Key West gem of a house, and often rents it out now. Once in awhile a buying trip will bring him to our open arms in New Orleans.

I don't have many photos of Michael's house. BB, Before Blogging, taking photos of houses was just not something we did ha ha. I found these in a folder tonight, and it made me miss Michael more than ever. Alberto took the bathroom photos the last time we visitied Michael in Key West, as an idea notebook for our bathroom renovation in New Orleans.

Alberto appreciates Michael on every level, but he is enchanted by all the little built-in cabinets in Michael's tiny 600 square foot house.

Michael and Alberto one Christmas in Key West-
I spy a clock that you all seem to love these days
Michael has had this clock for as long as I know him

I hope to do a book on Michael's body of work one day.
Michael doesn't do the internet; he doesn't blog; he doesn't twitter. He rarely uses the cell phone, except for work. So I doubt that he'll ever see the posts I've done about him, but I hope he feels my tenderness reaching out to him where ever he's making beauty today.