Courts of the Sun

Got distracted by the rooftops in these photos by Meisel taken in 2000. Very distracted. My taste in interior design fluctuates between natural minimalism (modernist decor, natural accents like stone and wood) and balls out crazy antique-gatherer-sparkles-collector-intricacy. Obviously the former would be more livable but then a see a house like the one in this shoot and think that that is so much more of a home than most homes I've been in. Though form the other photos in the shoot, I suspect it is a temple or a spiritual retreat in Asia somewhere. 

Just imagine what the sparkled/mirrored room would be like at night, with candles. 

I took a book, I went into the forest, I climbed a hill, I wanted to look down on you

Lush wants to rename its Tramp shower-gel. They are considering "Dryad" and I am not impressed. I like my shampoo to be free of prissy wicca pagan associations and I really don't think that's too much to ask. Tramp was one of Lush's first shower gels and it promised to make you smell like a tramp that had slept on a bed of leaves. Yum. 

Another Magazine

Art Director: Alexander McQueen

Stylist: Katy England

Photographer: Martina Hoogland Ivanov

Photographer: Carter Smith

Tramps used to be smelly and usually a little bit crazy. But they were also kind and often a bit magical. Nobody likes tramps anymore. Maybe that's why Lush wants to change the name, but I really hope they don't, because I like smelling like a tramp. And would certainly sleep in a bed of leaves if I could.

Tale as old as time

A few months ago I read about a woman who was so organised (read obsessive) that she stored all her books with the spines facing inwards so the shelves appreared a fairly uniform beigey-white colour. How did she find a book when she wanted it? She remembered where it was. This worked for her, but personally I don't think this is a very fun way to store your books.

The Bibliochaise and the adorable Bibliopouf are a much nicer alternative.

Or for those very special books...

My favourite unusual book storage idea is definitely the lovely Joe bookshelf by Ibride. These French conceptual designers have a strange sense of humour. The website is worth a look, if only for the hilarious but eerie 1920s family portrait where all the heads have been replaced with kangaroo heads. They also have decapitated deer and emu tables. But Joe is whole, a lovely big white polar bear:

I have a bit of a thing about bookshelves. I love books, hence places where you find lots of books are nice. I'm a strong believer in custom bookshelves being the only way to go - anything else ends up sagging away from the wall when you fill it up, and is not the best use of space. Floor to ceiling bookshelves, preferably wall to wall...yes, that would be a library.

Of course the best example is to be found in a french castle. The Beast knew what he was doing when he gave Belle his library.

"You... you like it?"

"It's wonderful!"

"Then it's yours."

Sadly the world is no longer full of wolf-filled forests with magical castles and mysteriously hairy occupants. Which is a sad state of affairs, not least because the world is still overflowing with beautiful maidens who want more than a provincial life.