Villa Kerylos- The Entry

View of the Villa from the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild

During my recent visit to the Cote d' Azure in the south of France, the highlight and most memorable experience for me was visiting the Villa Kerylos in Beaulieu-sur-Mer. It had been a long time dream of mine for many years. My fascination with the Villa began when during my San Francisco days I was working on an amazing project with my former boss, Steven Volpe. I had gone to one of our restorers and as I arrived I noticed that they were unloading a set of the most remarkable and beautiful chairs I had ever seen.

It turns out the set of Klysmos chairs were from the Villa Kerylos and had been acquired by the the extraordinary antique dealer Therien and Company. Since we were looking for dining chairs for our project I immediately picked up the phone and called Steven to tell him about these wonderful set of chairs. The next day we had purchased them for our client and they looked perfect in her dining room. So that is where my fascination began for the Villa.

The Villa Kerylos was built for Theodore Reinach (1860-1928) who was a French archaeologist, mathematician, lawyer, papyrologist, philologist (study of language), epigrapher (study of inscriptions), historian, numismatist (study or collector of currency), musicologist, professor and politician. Whhheeeww, how someone can achieve all of that in their life is quite amazing!

He hired the architect Emmanuel Pontremoli to design a replica of a Greek dwelling right on the very edge of the sea. The villa was built between 1902 and 1908 and before even stepping inside it is very clear that no expense was spared for creating a truly authentic greek home. In 1928, after Reinachs death, he beqeathed the Villa to the Institute of France.

So let's begin our tour by starting in the entrance hall of this magnificent home.

Detail of the front door with the bronze knocker

Steps leading to the entry to the Villa

Detail of the mosaic floor. The rooster mosaic is I believe from the 2nd century b.c.

The richly decorated plaster walls

Bronze snake on marble and bronze console

Colors of Provence

There is no better place in Provence then the farmers markets to see the bounty of food and flowers that are grown in this glorious region of France. Wandering through the markets is a feast for all of your senses. From the brilliant colors of the spices to the freshness of the produce it is a foodies dream come true. The air is perfumed with lilies of the valley and the most perfect peonies you have ever seen. I must admit that the selections are a bit daunting so it definitely helps to have an idea of what your looking for. But between the selections of meats, cheeses, fruit and vegetables would surely inspire a menu.

One of the best Provencal markets is the one in the town of I'Isle sur la Sorgue located in the heart of the Luberon Valley. It takes place on Thursdays and Sundays. The crystal clear waters of the Sorgue river runs right through the center of town and the market meanders along the river's edge making the most charming and romantic of settings.

I'Isle su la Sorgue is also well known for it's many antiques dealers. After spending most of the morning perusing the market we barely had enough time to even scratch the surface of visiting the dealers. But to be honest I was not very excited by the selections and I found everything to be overpriced. I don't think there are any more bargains left in Provence.

My good friend, Dwight, who is a brilliant floral designer with his bounty of peonies and lilies from the market.

Pots of Lilies of the Valley (One of my favorites)

Marzipan pears

Gorgeous artichokes

More marzipan

Luscious tomatoes

The perfect peonies

An assortment of spices

Purple garlic

The most beautifully colored salt

Pastel colored soaps (love the boxes too)

Ranunculas is every color

Baby asparagus (Great for flower arrangements)

Squash blossoms just waiting to be filled with chevre and herbs

Off to Provence

Were off to the Cote d'azure and Provence and will return with many photos and travel stories to share.

Thanks Elle.com

Thank you for Elle.com for featuring one of my paintings from the Chinese porcelain series. It is really fun to see how they compared the painting to the beautiful blue and white dress they featured. As they say art often inspires fashion.

Chinese Ceramics Illustrated

Recently, I came across an amazing book on the history of Chinese ceramics through the ages. The beauty of the various pieces inspired me to recreate a selection of them in watercolor. The paintings began as small studies that I did on small, square sheets of handmade paper from India. My intention was to do larger versions but I found that I really enjoyed painting them in a smaller size so I decided to move forward and create a whole series. Each piece will be framed individually in a deep silver leaf molding and the painting itself will be floated on acid free paper with spacers. I am having one framed right now as a sample before I move forward with the rest.

What I love about many of the pieces is their modernity and simplicity of form. As well as the refinement of the various glazes.

Each painting will be available for sale so please let me know if you are interested in pricing.

Eastern Han Dynasty, green glaze pot. 206 BC - 220 AD

Eastern Jin Dynasty, blue brown glaze spotted jar. 317 - 420

Ming Dynasty, lidded jar in rivaling colors. 1368 - 1644

Neolithic Age, colored pottery pan. 3200 - 2700 BC

Neolithic Age, colored pottery striped vase. 4000 - 2000 BC

Neolithic Age, red pottery double handled jar. Qia Jia Culture- 2400 - 2000 BC

Qing Dynasty, crab shell blue glaze vase. 1644 - 1912

Song Dynasty, Black Flowered Vase. 960 - 1279

Song Dynasty, carved flower vase. 960 - 1279

Song Dynasty, Big Vase. 960 - 1279

Tang Dynasty, exclusive imperial eight facet vase. 618 - 906

Western Jin Dynasty, blue glaze double eyed pot with holes. 265 - 316

Western Jin Dynasty, footed washing vessel. 265 - 316

Western Jin Dynasty, blue glaze jar of net patterns. 265 - 316

Tang Dynasty, tricolor plus blue small vase. 618 - 906

Qing Dynasty, Lang kiln red glaze vase. 1661 - 1722

Qing Dynasty, Qianlong reign, zun vase. 1736 - 1795

Ming Dynasty, Zhengde reign, peacock green glaze bowl. 1368 - 1644

Chinoiserie for Dinner Anyone?

The great architectural watercolorists and historians, Andrew Zega and Bernd Dams, have a fabulous new feather to add to their talented caps. Porcelain! For all of you fellow chinoiserie enthusiasts you will nearly faint when you see their new collection of porcelain that they designed for Bryn Reese Fine China . It is the perfect marriage of architectural and decorative elements that Zega and Dams are well known for, combined with the exquisite and refined quality of Bryn Reese China. Think of the beautiful tables one can set with the collection.

Sandra Jordan Collection

Whether I am designing an entire house or just a single room I am always looking for something special that will really take the space to another level and make it more luxurious. I am drawn to understated luxury in a room with elements that exude refinement and elegance. Sandra Jordan's line of Prima Alpaca fabrics are one of my "must haves" in creating such a space.

With a full range of deliciously rich colors from pale neutrals to reds, blues, greens and even black I find that it is always easy to include her fabrics in my color palettes. She has even created an exciting range of brighter colors including a bright leaf green to one of my personal favorites, "Geranium", which is similar to a more vivid terra cotta. In addition to her large selection of solids her line also includes several patterns including tonal stripes and plaids, which are in the Prima Alpaca as well. In fact I used the "Silver Oak" stripe for a custom bedspread that I had made for my room at last years DC Design House. I found that the visitors in my room kept coming back to that bedspread wanting to experience Alpaca's incredible softness by touching it. It is also incredibly durable and is perfect for upholstery use and bedding.

The collection is shown in many showrooms all over the country including Holly Hunt in L.A. and Washington DC. To learn more about Prima Alpaca and the Sandra Jordan Collection be sure to visit her gorgeous web site.

All above photos are the property of the Sandra Jordan collection and have been used with permission.

Guest Bedroom-2010 DC Design House-Michael Hampton Design