Most of us swooned over these photos when they first
appeared in House Beautiful back in October of ’08…
Jewel tones of purple, amethyst, silvered blues…
Monogrammed valances with crown detail…
When the homeowner showed antiques shop-owner turned
interior designer Hal Williamson tassels she had collected in
Paris in her favorite colors of purple, pink, citrus green and blue…
he found the embroidered silk that became the bed covering, as well
as inspiration to the home interior’s color palate…
Per the homeowner: “…in my walled courtyard, I have my late grandmother’s
gardenias planted. We brought them over from Alabama, stem by stem, with the
roots in little jars of water. To sit near them reading the newspaper in my
pajamas while listening to the New Orleans soundtrack of crickets, steamboat
whistles, children playing, cathedral bells, and the pie lady selling pies —it’s divine.”
Paying homage to Ella Fitzgerald…
The quote, tabletop crown, a kaleidoscope of marbleized
folios and pink ballroom skirted drapes…
all clues to the sensibilities of the homeowner…
An antique Paris map whose street names mirror those of New Orleans’
Vieux Carré (French Quarter). Mimi Read interviews Hal Williamson
about the home via House Beautiful here. Photography John Kernick.
Though identified in House Beautiful only as ” a southern-born media
executive ” who hails from New York…the homeowner is Debra Shriver,
who has recently published a book about the magic of New Orleans.
In Stealing Magnolias...tales from a New Orleans courtyard…
Debra Shriver weaves a fairy tale of her evolving love of New Orleans..
begun over frequent visits from New York and brief stays at the Soniat Hotel.
A dinner party in the garden district, her husband’s toast expressing the hope that
they would one day could put down roots in New Orleans, the party’ s hostess
calling with a hot tip on a nearby home the very next day, and no sooner had
a bid been entered than Hurricane Katrina struck. Rather than back out the couple
resolved to go forward, and magic and serendipity produced this treasure of a home.
In a chapter titled “The House Finds Us” …it is Coup de Foudre…love at first sight…
” the moment we walked in, looked upwards at its high ceilings, then down the
hallway to its small, leafy courtyard, it was familiar to me.“
The various toile images on the dining room chairs
illustrate different aspects of the city’s past…
One of the many ways that Debra weaves the history
of New Orleans into her home…
With chapters on Monograms and Muslin, Recipes and Rituals,
stories about her grandmother’s gardenias, and catching the
golden coconut at Mardis Gras, snippets on Old Paris porcelain,
a glossary of terms complete with pronunciation guides, quotes
throughout from the famous and infamous residents…
“My only regret is that I did not drink more champagne“
…Lord Maynard Keynes on his deathbed
…its a scrapbook, design journal, love story, travel guide…
Antique gilded Pots de Crème on matching stand…
So while your running madly through the mall…you might want to
take a moment to flip through this book…or put it on your wish list…
Other blog reviews and more photos Visual Vamp here ,
Style Court here, All the Best here…
Stealing Magnolias by Debra Shriver
Copyright © 2010, published by Glitterati Incorporated.
www.Glitteratiincorporated.com.
Available here
gorgeous photos! I just love the house. And I am lusting for those toile dining room chairs!
I actually have the mate to the crown on the desktop!
Absolutely stunning! I’m speechless.
This looks so beautiful Trish….another one for the Christmas list. xv
Absolutely fabulous!
Tis a lovely book , lavish & over the top. not to everyone’s taste, but a lot of lovely details, like the silver mirror and the toile dinning chairs that can be replicated in a less formal setting…….Adore the colors of purple, pink, citrus green and blue…in the bed linens & room.
joanny
buona matina I always love your pages and this was particularly delicious today mmmm thanx fay
Oh my!
Where’s my Christmas list?
Thanks for sharing this amazing book Trish!🙂
as if my book list isn’t long enough! I am entranced with the photos though….that toile chair is to die for! Thanks for posting on this.
This book is a love story. It is like that all-consuming love that lives in its own air. It is compelling to read this book, to see this enchantment take over this woman’s life and to see that love returned to her in a way that only New Orleans can do. New Orleans is the most French city in the United States and yet it is French in its own way. My mother grew up in Louisiana and while she spent all of her adult life in Oklahoma, she would say (as if it were not obvious), “Deahhhha me, I don’t have an “R” in my head.” From her kitchen I learned to make that most magical of things: roux, to add flavorings in layers, and to view the Okra as noble. The decor style of New Orleans never appealed to my most practical mother, but the food always spoke volumes.
Trish, so fabulous, I recall some of the images I adore so much the pink balloned curtains, the map room with pink carpet and ikat chair….I would love the book!
Joyeaux Noel!
I have a new giveaway from My Sparrow, do come and enter!
xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena
Trish,
Oh my gosh, I love, love these images. I have to check this book out—what beautiful design work and antiques and details.
Thanks for the break in the madness that is this time of year.
Karen
Funny I was just reading this book a couple of days ago and it’s wonderful, I highly recommend this to everyone. Trish always recommends the best books!
Thanks for the last minute Christmas gift! Just ordered the book and it should arrive in 2 days! The images are beautiful and New Orleans is a frequent weekend destination. I love the city and it’s people!
I love this house. I’m getting ready to add this book to my Christmas Wish List! Thanks!!
Trish: Yes, the HB article is burned into my retinas (and my heart) and I remembered it immediately, when I opened your post. This book will definitely be on my Christmas (or after Christmas) wish list! BTW, I always devour the wonderful images you post. Thanks for such an outstanding blog!
Hi everyone! You have no idea how ferociously I hunted for that magazine after getting the book. I suppose it helps that I never throw anything away. Determined to try either a pots de creme or trifle recipe from the book for Christmas eve. Thanks for all your comments!
Trish, thank you again for sharing so much with us, we all want to swoon! I will surely look for the book. I also have the notion, at the moment, that I will attempt your Pot de Creme recipe from last Christmas for my family. Do you think? I always have such great aspirations this time of year!!!! I do think I am ahead of the game at the moment. Time will tell. Have a happy and blessed Christmas, Nella xo
Happy Holidays, Trish! Visiting your blog is liking taking a lovely holiday. I look forward to next year’s journey.
love your blog….so glad I landed here. xo Laura
Just received my copy of Stealing Magnolias yesterday. It is -36 C with the windchill, so you can just imagine what a delight it is to cuddle up with a hot latte and dream with this book – full or recipes, websites, gorgeous photos and text to inspire the imagination. Yummy! thanks for recommending this book – what a delight!