billet-doux: The Chagall Collection

 

The beautiful and colorful imagery of Marc Chagall in The Chagall Collection by Bernardaud, currently available at the Dallas Museum of Art. Image courtesy of the DMA.

We are having a serious love affair with Bernardaud’s tabletop pieces entitled The Chagall Collection. The art of setting a table is taken literally with Limoges porcelain pieces depicting the Russian-born and French artist's work. Marc Chagall was known for his colorful painting, sculptures, and even costumes, especially in France. What we wouldn't give to see a full tablescape built around these gorgeous pieces of art. To see these beauties in person, get thee to the Dallas Museum of Art. Not to toot our own horns, but Dallas is the only U.S. city featuring Chagall's work then it's all back to France. To read more about this fantastic exhibit entitled Chagall: Beyond Color, co-organized by La Piscine Museum, Roubaix, France, and the DMA (and exclusively in these two cities)  visit here. 

Marc Chagall, Costume for a Clown (Aleko Scene II), 1942, Private collection, Paris © Archives Marc et Ida Chagall. © 2012 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris

Marc Chagall, Model for the curtain "The Firebird", The Enchanted Forest, 1945, Private collection, © Archives Marc et Ida Chagall. © 2012 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris

Marc Chagall, Between Darkness and Night, 1943, oil on canvas, private collection;  © 2013 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris

 

billet-doux: place settings

Oh, how we love a beautiful place setting. Having a gorgeous an inspiring pattern makes it easy to change the look seasonally by incorporating different chargers and accent pieces. When we look for patterns for home, we often think of their ability to transform with different layers as well as stand the test of time in their design and durability. That's why we are so excited about the Scalamandré for Lenox patterns and Oscar de la Renta's tropical inspired line. (We wrote about the Scalamandré Zebra pattern here.) These look like the perfect additions to your personal collection, and they would be easy to change up throughout the years. 

 Top: Our favorite from the Lenox collaboration is the Bouvier pattern, based on the Scalamandré Tuileries silk print Jackie O used in her NYC bedroom - very chic. 
Middle: The  best-selling Love Birds (left), a perennially fresh pattern of one the earliest and most beloved Scalamandré patterns, and (right) Toile Tale,  an enchanting Chinoisierie pattern of beautiful flowers.
Bottom: Oscar de la Renta knows the beauty of tradition, as well as life in the tropics. This blue + white line of hand-painted stoneware is based on his beloved Punta Cana lifestyle - something we'd love to incorporate in our lives and our home. Plus, think of how cute they would look with Rattan chargers or dressed up with Barcelona Silver. 

billet-doux: The envelope please

billet-doux: A love letter, short and sweet. 

Our work inspires us everyday, but in order to live a truly inspired life, we have to look outside the box just labeled "tabletop" and channel our own creativity through the great work of others. Whether it's travel, fashion, art, people, or reading, this will be a place to share with you our inspiration du jour - what makes us smile or influences how we present our work. This is a  letter of love that will be at times important, at times whimsical, but above all else, a short and sweet way to point out what we love.

Up today, a few gorgeous envelope clutches that strike our fancy (we did say whimsical at times). Besides, we all need something to hold all those RSVPs. 

Images courtesy of one of our favorite sites: FEYT