Tag Archives: French antiques

great house museums: the cognacq-jay in paris

Loyal readers know that I’m addicted to house museums, so today I introduce you to the Cognacq-Jay House Museum in Paris. House museums are time capsules of wonderful paintings, furniture and decorative arts assembled by great collectors and presented in … Continue reading →

portuguese royal palaces – the ajuda, lisbon

Portuguese royal palaces come in all shapes and sizes and are striking reminders of the country’s past. There are palaces set in the city of Lisbon itself and then others scattered throughout the city’s suburbs and into the countryside and … Continue reading →

great house museums: the jacquemart-andre in paris

I’m due for a revisit of the Jacquemart-Andre Museum in Paris – one of the city’s great house museums. There is always too much to do on my visits to the world’s capital of all things chic, but for a dose … Continue reading →

setting a chic dinner table – christofle silver knife rests

Knife rests are a wonderful practical invention whose sole purpose is to keep greasy and messy knife blades off your good tablecloth. You place one at each place setting with the knife blades resting on them. The French must be … Continue reading →

féau and cie. – masters of the carved wood paneling

Masters of their craft, Paris-based Féau & Cie. are today gracefully carrying on the 400-year-old boiserie tradition in France. In a world that seems to prize sleek, modern and minimalism, Féau & Cie. are a throw back to the grand … Continue reading →

the cerralbo palace in madrid

Today I’m over at The Daily Basics, featuring one of my favorite types of museums – the house museum. Much like I did in these pages with the hotel particuliere of Nissim de Camondo in Paris, I’m sharing one of … Continue reading →

frozen in time – the hotel particuliere of Nissim de Camondo, Paris 1935

If I talk about decorative arts as being jewelry for the home, then the Nissim de Camondo museum in Paris is the jewelry box to rival all house museums. Located in one of Paris’s loveliest residential neighborhoods – a stone’s … Continue reading →