a good green-white, some lavender

a little wedding gift, p. II: bridesmaids

it was fun to be given the flowers. we supplemented

a few dozen roses- a good green-white, some lavender-

and a sweet brilliant cloud of baby's breath that seemed

to have landed at safeway just in time. the final results

were a bit afield of what we might've brought forth if left

to our usual buying patterns; boundaries and budgets

often result in finding new ways to do good things.

photos: vt

a little story

dress: small earth vintage

spoon & textile: nettie's

shoes: topsy

flowers: for nellie

cracker jack

set a little holiday cheer

with dear friends

framed

almost back from the shop

have a sweet friday

still one of my favorite finds

Oatmeal. Sugar. Beans.

love

[found these a few years ago in

a funny little store, long gone]

About Our New Profile Photo

The incredibly talented Miss M. Logsdon, above, is our new profile girl...the photo above was taken last spring during a shoot for a book which we have been working on for some time. Miss M. is a gifted actress and we thank her for providing us with endless amounts of inspiration. The shoot was styled and conceived by our design team, and taken by the marvelous Margot Hartford (whose website can be found here). We thought this light-hearted image would be just right while we prepare to roll out a new design start-up (we're also decking lots of halls for the upcoming holidays whilst we watch, warily, the economic news). Here at Victoria Thorne Design, hope doth spring eternal. 

Thank Goodness.

Miss M. is reading the delicious How to Dress for Every Occasion..., which is cheered on here by Daniel Handler and Lisa Brown. Her plaids are from The Scotch House of London and Mr. Lauren of NYC. The vintage cable sweater is from the collection of Miss Vivian Catherine Thorne, and the jeans are the model's own. 

The exquisite antique silk child's chair is from The House on Laurie Avenue.

I Can Fly

mary blair, genius

victoria thorne, staging & design

margot hartford, photographer

megan logsdon, model
house on laurie avenue, pink bath

[thumbnail for "my magic mim"]

Hearth for Home

The truly important part of home design is the collaborative effort behind it.

When the project is finished, the goal is to have created something that is useful and beautiful: the design needs to fit, like a glove, those who live there.

If you can create a space in which your clients can live well and happily...a space that holds, with care, the essence of their lives...then you've done your job.

To get a call from someone gifted with a great eye, an open spirit, and the desire to roll up their sleeves and work toward this vision with you...that is, clearly, the best of all possible worlds. This project is that.

When we started the work, I had just returned from France and had seen, in the Louvre, the original foundation of the Great Tower. The rough beauty of the 12th century stones was astonishing. There was a sort of quiet enchantment to the whole business...something that made you just want to be there, a solid peace.

To build a fireplace--the virtual heart of the project--and incorporate a bit of the feeling from this remarkable fortress seemed ideal.

The result sits firmly centered in the back of the yard now, holding down it's own little fort. It is solid and well-used, and has a bit of a sense of humor in it's stout and stalwart appearance. (When riffing--in California and elsewhere--on an ancient french chateau, a grain of Cleeseian Salt seems advisable.) The fireplace became the inspiration for much of the building and masonry that followed. Grand in it's own happy way, it brings a quiet bit of peace to the family on many a weekend, and work night.

Posthaste to Laurie...

Look's like the evidence is mounting:  maintaining a broad network of friends and companions is one of the best things you can do for your health.

I'd like to send my utmost appreciation to a friend who has been a veritable beacon of light (thanks, in large part, to her extraordinary compassion and awe-inspiring intelligence, which I mentioned in passing to her two hours ago over coffee.. the embodiment of non-ego, she continually brushes aside all compliments, and laughs...thank God): a dear and trusted companion who is a most magnificent human being.

{The new louis is very good indeed: pure art. The grill can wait: old Volvo's rock with or without hardware.}