Art for Your Floor,Persian Rugs and Carpets

Ever since Cavemen put fur pelts on the floors of their caves, rugs and carpets have been coveted for their warmth, decoration and in some cases, status. Great kings from ancient times had elaborate rugs and tapestries woven for their castles, many of which still exist today. Rugs are traditionally a hand me down in the American South, due to the fact that they can last for centuries if well cared for. A rug is generally smaller than 9 foot by 6 foot. Anything over that is considered a Persian carpet.

If you didn't inherit any antique Persian rugs, don't worry, they are in ample supply, easy to come by and in every price range.
The first step is to establish how much you want to spend on a rug.

For example, I recently bought a vegetable dyed Chobi rug with tattered fringes but the rug itself is in outstanding condition. No stains, no worn areas, and not stretched out. It is not technically an antique being only about 60 years old but it will be, in another 40 years. I purchased it for a song at a local auction. Auctions are the best source for finding Persian rugs that are inexpensive.
My personal preference in rugs are the tribal ones. Coco Chanel knew that French furniture looks fabulous on tribal rugs and she had a number of them in her apartments. This one is Rue Cambon, in the 1960's a beautiful Heriz from which she pulled the smokey colors and applied them to the room.

And if you haven't noticed, Persian rugs are very dog friendly,especially the tribal rugs which are made to withstand much wear and tear.

Speaking of wear and tear, I used to be quite persnickety when it came to the quality of rugs I would buy. But then the NY Times did a piece on New Orleans designer Karina Gentinetta, photographing her French antiques atop a very, very tattered persian rug. Suddenly, tattered rugs and overdyed, heavily patched rugs became chic. And the prices for overdyed rugs right now surpass the prices for some original pieces. But that won't last, so I recommend that if you are not going to pay a lot of money, get what appeals to you. If you want investment quality be certain there are no color runs, moth holes or stretched areas. Layering smaller more affordable rugs is a big trend now as well.

Persian rugs are truly art for the floor and beauty that can withstand day to day living. No home should be without one...

How to Restore Old Brass Without Losing Patina

Brass is really trendy right now. Much of the home decor brass commercially available is cheaply made and will not retain it's beauty long. But brass made in the first quarter of the 20th century and earlier, develops an exquisite patina. Assuming of course that it has had reasonable care throughout it's long life. Sometimes, a good piece of brass will have just a tiny bit of verdigris, that is the crusty blue green stuff caused by oxidation and tells you corrosion is setting in. I see this a lot on furniture with brass mounts, lamps, chandeliers and light fixtures. Most brass tutorials give directions only on bringing brass back to it's super bright finish. Many antique dealers restore brass to it's bright finish, removing the patina and then apply a commercial solution to darken it again. I can always spot those. They never look quite right. There are some pieces that devalue when you remove the patina. Natural patina enhances the beauty of a piece, like this cl...

Southern Bacon and Crawfish Cornbread Dressing

Imagine you are dining outside at Blake Shelton's house this Thanksgiving and deep frying some big turkeys. A crawfish dressing would probably be on the menu. Deep fried turkeys and outdoor dining on Thanksgiving day is very popular in the South. And while people don't wild catch crawfish like they did a century ago, crawfish are always popular on the menu. Here I have paired it with bacon, corn, mirepoix,and jalapenos to give you a dressing with real local flavor. Here is what you need: 5 cups crumbled cornbread 1 1/2 lbs boiled crawfish tails ( frozen is fine) 10 ounces bacon, cooked and coarsely crumbled 12 ounces yellow corn 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion 1/1/2 cups chopped celery 1/1/2 cups green red and orange bell pepper 1 jalapeno ( optional) 2 eggs beaten 2 cups chicken stock salt, thyme, and sage to taste. Fry your bacon until it is ready to crumble, remove from pan and set aside. Saute the mirepoix, (onions ,peppers and celery) corn and jala...

Birdcage Beauties

Bird keeping is an ancient art. Long before the Spaniards invaded Mexico, Macaws were being bred as pets and the Japanese were cultivating beautiful songbirds. But of course it was the French, during the time of Louis XIV that brought bird keeping into popular culture. These birds all needed housing and the variety of cages designed for them is as varied as our own homes. From the Baroque... ..to primitive... ..whether for decor impact, or for keeping live birds.. beautiful bird cages, with their airy design adds ambiance to every space they grace. It is no surprise that they are the darlings of decorators around the world. If you love bird cages as much as we do, we offer this gilded cage currently on Chairish. https://www.chairish.com/product/286472/gilded-birdcage or click our icon in the right hand column. A stunning home for a pair of Java Temple Birds, Finches or Canaries. Until next time..

Oh La LaY'all......French Style and Southern Charm

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