My Australian friend is at it again, sending me gorgeous photos from his world travels. This set of photos from public buildings in Vienna especially caught my attention. The Viennese know how to create a dramatic staircase!
The image at top reminds me of main hall in the
Library of Congress while the red carpeted stair above is reminiscent of an Escher drawing to my mind! Seriously though, is that not the most confusing staircase you have ever seen? A lot going on there.
The flooring in the stairhall above is what mainly caught my attention here. The checkered marble, again with the red carpeting, is so striking and those brass light fixtures are really beautiful.
I'll end with yet another complicated stair, however this time the limestone tones of the marble create a very calm feeling. Four very grand stairs and yet each one so different in its' own way, proving that there is more than one way to skin a cat!
Paris may be the city of lights but is also a city of bridges.
One of the best ways to explore the city is to walk along the river. The bridges provide excellent viewpoints to see the monuments of the town.
Some of the bridges themselves have become tourist attractions!
I guess this makes the bridges happy? This statues smile is broader than a mile.
I'm heading to Barcelona later this week with friends for a wedding so travel has been on my mind lately. I've been revisiting my photos from Paris last year; So much beauty that I had to share it with you here today.
Even something as simple as a light post can become a work of art.
Enjoy your Halloween weekend, everyone!
I attended a concert at the Austrian Embassy last weekend and on the walk to the metro, I noticed that the roof of the new Chinese Embassy perfectly framed the moon! The embassy was recently designed by famed architect I.M.Pei and has been widely panned. What do you think of this odd building; Bizarre, right? Rendering of the whole complex below.
Everyone knows of the elegant portrait 'Madame X' by John Singer Sargent from 1884. However, does everyone know the backstory of its' fascinating American subject, Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau?
In 2004, Gioia Diliberto wrote a fantastic book in the historical fiction genre, 'I am Madame X' which took the facts of this fascinating woman and wove a story of what her life may have been like. I'm dusting off the bookshelves and giving away my copy to a reader. On Monday, October 18th I will make the decision and mail it off! 
She was painted a few times after the Sargent portrait, most famously by Gustave Courtois in 1891, which sharply references Madame X but in virginal white, seen above.
One last portrait, showing her famous profile, by Antonio De La Gandara in 1898 probably captured her essence even better than Sargent. It was Gautreau's favorite and mine as well and I'll end the topic with it. 
An intellectual as well as an architect, Pennoyer is able to work in many different styles and formats given his broad range of study. Showing this versatility, this 'camp' cabin from the section on country houses is designed in an Adirondack style.
Playing with traditional styles for this area of New York from architects such as Robert Robertson as well as utilizing traditional Norwegian and Russian styles, the house was designed to look like an assemblage of pavilions attached through a series of covered walkways.
You must get your hands on a copy of this book to fully appreciate Pennoyer's work -this is only the tip of the iceberg! Christmas list anyone?
Another spot in Chicago which I visited was the 
This unusual folly was created in 1992 by Simon Verity as one of the focal points of the English garden. 
I loved this central urn on a pedastal. 
Why do elements like this make a garden so much more appealing to me? Ahhh yes - they add architectural interest!!
The other side of the walled garden overlooks a lake with 2 pavilions at either end.
One pavilion is open as a seating area. This would be a great place for a picnic!
