A Blogger with Style: Greet Lefevre an expert in Belgian Design

Greet LeFevre from Belgian Pearls with her adorable dog Ralph
Greet is an interior decorator from Belgium who really knows how to live the good Belgian life and who writes the popular blog Belgian Pearls.  Together with her husband and brother she runs LeFevre Interiors where they create the most beautiful wood panels.  Her home is a great example of how traditional Belgian style can be created today and look as if it's been around for generations.  Back in 2000 I visited Belgium and I was absolutely enamored with the architecture and interiors.  Belgian interior is all about patina, comfort and texture, hence the famous Belgian linen.  Belgian Interiors are perhaps much influenced by traditional French design but more understated.  Usually, deep seated sofas are used and covered in plain fabrics, either linen or velvet, iron or crystal lighting are often used.  Belgian Interior is the kind that one would never get tired of because its style is so much in synch with nature ( putty-like paint colors, textured walls, stone floors and wood panel rooms, that it's quite easy to incorporate various pieces influenced by other styles, such as Gothic-like items that Greet shows us in the last image- to neoclassical or even Chinoiserie.  If I ever have a house in the South of France or in Belgium, fingers crossed, this is a style I would definitely go for and I will for sure ask Greet to help me.  You should see all the wonderful and inspiring work Greet and her company LeFevre have created.  Below are images of her gorgeous home.  Enjoy!
Above is a shot of her Orangery which process she chronicled in her blog.  Below is a Gothic-influenced LeFevre customized for a client.  Stunning!
 Have a happy 4th of July weekend everyone!!!
all images from Belgian Pearls
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Food for Thought


"Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works."Steve Jobs.
Images credit: The Art of Doing Stuff,  House and Home via My Design EthosElle Decor.
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modern sofa.






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Funtional Banquette

 
One of the places in our home that we enjoy the most is our banquette in the kitchen.  We surf the web, color with Lucas, eat, have our coffee in the morning, you name it.  I think a banquette is one of he most functional features anyone can incorporate in their home.  Not only does it offer a lot more space for seating than individual chairs but it also instantly warms up any space.  All these images are absolutely beautiful but my favorite is the very first one because of all those slick antique-looking iron windows, the adorable French mattress (a post coming up on this by the way),  and the accessibility to the banquette itself.  I just love it.  Barry Dixon's space, last image, is quite interesting with the church-looking banquette and all the use of global chic accessories in a very personalized way.  Enjoy!
Image credit: House to Home, Traditional Home, Katie Stassi via Cote De Texas and Barry Dixon.
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Wednesday Classics: Patterned Floors

Patterned floors have been mostly used in middle eastern design for centuries.  Ranging from elaborate and intrinsic techniques such as Mosaic- small pieces of stone or glass (mostly the same size) are glued together to form a scene or picture to Pietre Dure- where small pieces of semi-precious stones are cut in different shapes and forms and then glued together to form geometric or figurative patterns most often used on floors, walls or tables; to Parquetry-where a similar process (in geometric shapes) is done with wood.  There are simpler and less compromising methods such as painted or stenciled floors.  Although many people would be afraid to commit to patterned floors permanently when a consecutive geometric pattern is used, as seen in these images, the result can be as classic and easy to adapt to as plain tiles or wood floors.  And the outlook could be simply stunning.
Two images below, Pietre Dure on table. 
  
Below more  images of modern patterned floors.
Above Osterley Park in London by Robert Adam.  Amazing resemblance to Mary McDonald's dining room below.
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office furniture






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Kitchen of the week, Jacques Grange's in Portogallo

 I adore the kitchen cupboards (top & second image) with its fretwork doors
This is Jacques Grange's vacation home in a very private area of Portogallo, Portoguese.  I found these new images at Marie Claire Maison Italy and some of the things I was able to interpret was that the house was previously a fisherman’s house and Grange did not change any of the exterior features.  "Fa tanto rustico-chic"  he says and I agree.  Casa Nina was decorated in a very basic but sophisticated way, respecting the originality of the house and using whites and many tones of wood, Moroccan carpet and Jacques Grange's characteristic use of African textile.  Grange's own ceramic collection from Portugal, Turkey and France are displayed throughout this exquisite house.  Enjoy!
Photos by MG de Saint Venant
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Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty


Do not walk...RUN to see the Alexander McQueen Exhibit at the Met if you are in the New York area.  It is both hauntingly beautiful and sad simultaneously.  I suppose just like Lee was; always at odds, a contradiction, exploring his feelings through his designs.  The exhibit showcases 100 ensembles and 70 accessories within 6 magnificent vignettes.





His designs have become legendary~ the late, great enfant terrible who took his own life in February of last year managed to be hypnotic, controversial, imaginative, and commercially successful.













With its interactive components, the exhibit was a feast for the senses.  It was a visceral experience.  This wonderfully macabre, disturbingly beautiful, raw narrative of McQueen's short life is a must see!  You most definitely ask yourself, "Why Alexander, Why?" and wonder what could have been?







Someone asked me what my favorite part of the exhibit was, but I really couldn't say.  I marveled at the magic of the creative mind behind the outfits, the robotic painting of a dress, and the hologram of Kate Moss.  Simply magnificent!!





Philip Tracey was an important collaborator of McQueen's; his headpieces, more than a footnote.  Read more about how the two met here.

For more on the exhibit, photos: The Met website. Running through August 7th.  
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