King of Cool

In loving memory of my Papa
1921-2007

Vienna

Leave for Vienna tomorrow. It better fucking snow because I had to dish out 350euro for snow chains!



What I was last to find out was that with the Mini Cooper D, you cant just grab the cheap set of snow chains. Noooooo, You have to get special ones to fit the special tires. Thats so absurd. But I love my car, so I'm just going to let it go.

I still haven't packed or anything related to leaving town for 10 days, but I have about 4 hours tomorrow morning to stress about that. As for my Timberlands...Looks like they will see another winter holiday...

So, since I wont be able to stalk my fav blogs, don't be surprised to see your hits drop drastically. But mid January I'll be back and will be sure not to let any of you down!

Happy New Year!

Dear Winter Boots

Dear Boots,

Please arrive today or tomorrow. You see, I ordered you for my trip to Vienna and I leave on Saturday. You boast of being made of fine leather and lined with real shearling. You come from a little French Boutique where I also spent too much on Cashmere scarves, hats gloves and socks. You were supposed to arrive today, but the shop hasn't called yet. Please don't let me down dear Boots. You are a part of my New Fashion Sense. Please don't send me on another Winter Holiday in my Timberlands. In St Petersburg I was embarrassed walking into the Mariinsky Theatre. In Munich they squeaked while walking around Ludwig Castle.

Please Boots, Help me be a better person.

Full Relax

I have a Full Relax Zone.

After a long day at work.
When I'm Frustrated.
When I'm Cold.
I come here.

I love that I have this. I love that music flows. I love that the lights dim.



I love you Bathroom. I love me for thinking you up, but I love you more for listening, comforting and keeping me warm.




I love you especially today. Today you gave me a full spa treatment in less than an hour and a half. Today I kicked off my boots and transformed myself. Today You made me love you more.

I Am So Relaxed. Thank You. Thank You. Thank You.

Christmas w/ MAds

All Thanks to Brooke a.k.a. the Black Martha Stewart

New Year's Resolutions

Now that I've had some time to digest the news of my husband's partnership in his law firm and my newfound wealth, I think I'm finally able to put my New Year's resolutions into writing.

1. Never miss a payment again for the Kenyan Kids I sponsor to go to school.
2. Step Things Up A Notch
3. Buy 10 things in 100% Cashmere (Actually, I can cross this off my list. I got a little crazy in a very nice boutique)
4. Go to the hairdressers and sort my shit out.
   
5. Get a better sense of style. Very connected to the idea of stepping things up a notch. I look good, but I could look soooo much better if I'd just put some effort in.
6. Be nicer to my mom. Okay, be more tolerant of my mom. Okay, find a way to get my mom out of my house and into her own apartment so she can stop driving me crazy and my husband I can start having sex again.
7. Sort out my husband's style. He is a partner now and almost all of our friends are loaded/nobles. Its time to retire the Old Navy Jeans...
8. Bring it hard to my job.
9. Write more and think less
10. Start the Torriglia House Project

If you haven't got your list together, get it done.

Decorno made me do it

Okay, Decorno opened her mouth about summer 2008 and the next thing I knew I was sending a deposit on an apartment.

Destination: Croatia

Reason: Its one of the most beautiful places I've visited.

Its worth mentioning that my husband and I are completely against going to the same country twice. Having said that, we went to Croatia last summer, swam and snorkeled in crystal blue water, sunbathed nude on deserted beaches and ate fresh fish like pigs for 25euro together. And we did it all in mid August smack dab in the middle of peak season. Did I mention we can even get there by car?

Plus, where else can you get an apartment like this...






And have a 360degree view from the terrace like this...




Of things like this...








All for less than 500euro? Nowhere. At least no place as safe, clean and accessible.

Croatia is hot. If you have the chance, Go. If you don't, know that you are seriously missing out.

PS I've rented the annex. The main house which sleeps 2 in the bedroom and 2 on a sofa bed is still available and is also quite nice.

Bad Ass

My new creation...

The Self Proclaimed Bad Ass

Only the Bad Ass need apply.

Italy Rocks!

There.

I Said It Again.

You'll See

Yesterday evening I saw Moody Mitch kinda skipping down the street. Confused, I took a closer look and noticed that he was not only skipping, but also grinning from ear to ear. As he approached he stopped in front of me, put his hands on his hips and leaned back with a cynical smile. So, you know, I took a photo. I mean, I've never seen the guy smile before and if he does become a famous artist, this could be just the thing I needed to jump start that savings account I keep talking about.

(Flickr Find)

His aura of happiness prompted my inquiry

"What's going on?"

"You'll see." Mitch replied overly satisfied and scooched past me to continue down the street.

I looked up at my gorgeous building to see if I could identify anything out of the ordinary.




Unable to reach a conclusion, and very curious at this point, I walked up to building's main entrance and unlocked the iron doors...




As I entered I heard voices. Voices that I recognized. Voices that spelled trouble.

Spin it

Mitch is a moody man. He calls himself an artist. Whatever. He's moody and he has a chip on his shoulder. He also thinks that a conspiracy lies behind everything. Some say that after 4 years of marriage to Sinthia he has become sullen and bitter. I say he's just a big fat baby who needs to be the center of attention, and when he's not, somehow the world is against him.

Anyway, now that he has got his own apartment, instead of 'Popping' he is the kind of guy that likes to create environments where nothing has more potential than the things or people around him. That way nothing in particular is ever expected of him and if, on the off chance, he does come up with something brilliant to say, it would stand out and chime. I guess that's why this room works so well for him...

(Elle Decor Italia Nov 2007)

Now don't get the impression that I'm anti-dark because I'm not. My good friend Jasmine does the dark thing and her place is great.

(Elle Decor Italia Sept 2007)

I mean, if Mitch weren't so busy being bitter, he could pull something off like this in his place too. Its all a matter of spinning things. In life and in decor.

(Elle Decor Italia Nov 2007)

Plus, don't forget that my inspiration room was way dark, and way inspirational.

Stereotypes

Stereotypes suck. They really do. But this is sooooo true.

It took a while, but this is why I've come to love Italy.

Thanks LallaLydia !

The Diva

Sinthia, daughter of Mr and Mrs Franshpipal, has never been discreet. I know this because she lives 2 floors above me and has been known for her wild parties and wilder tantrums. She is loud and extravagant and she always makes it a point to stand out. No matter where she is or who she is with, she always seems to find a way to distinguish herself from others. She has never blended in with the background, but instead always 'Popped'. Yes, I guess you could say she has that 'Pop' factor to her that instantly makes her an interesting person. So interesting, in fact, that even though she can drive you up the wall at times, you still find yourself drawn to her.

Her home is the same. Each element is distinct and stands out from the others while continuing to work well with its surroundings.

(Bijou Kaleidoscope)

(Maison Francaise Sept 2007)

Aside from being a Popper, she has always been the kind of person who has said exactly what was on her mind. She is so hardcore, she doesn't even need to open her mouth to do this. She can just look at you, in that way, and the message is crystal clear. She got this strength from her parents...And that's just about the only thing she got.

Now I'm no geneticist, but I've seen enough episodes of CSI to know that if both of your parents are short, stubby and have heads full of black bushy hair, the likeliness of producing a tall, slender, blond-haired, blue-eyed child is not exactly high. Normally I wouldn't stick my nose into other peoples business, but I heard that when Sinthia was about 6 years old, a distinctive Swedish man came and took her away for an entire summer. Mr and Mrs Franshpipal claim that she had been away at a summer camp for 'gifted children', but I never bought that for a minute. I mean, everyone knows going away to 'gifted kids school' is just code for 'got knocked up and have to hide the baby'. And since she was only 6 years old at the time, Mr and Mrs Franshpipal really need to think about opening another family business because selling all that crack just isn't working anymore...

Aw Shucks!

Big shout out to Desire to Inspire for posting up my home in Living it up in Liguria. She was really way too nice.

I didn't pay her...I SWEAR!!!

Plus, a huge thanks to coco+kelley and suggestions from Mélanie . The new dining room is almost ready.

Until then, I have tons of other characters to introduce. They are all based on images that inspire me, people I know and situations that come to mind. I mean, why just say how a room makes you feel when you can take it a step further and create the people who live in them. Makes sense to me.

Much love,

MAds

PS Cassandra, dont even think you are done with the dining room, there is still the tv wall to sort out, little lady!

Built to Last

Across the way from Madison's beautiful country home live an elderly couple originally from France. Their names are Mr and Mrs Franshpipal and although in their mid eighties, both are as strong as mules. They are also guilty of consistently spying on Madison (hence the need to put up that great fabric). I wouldn't say that they were perverts, but I have on more than one occasion caught Mrs Franshpipal staring at a baguette in an uncomfortably disturbing way.



Anyway, Mr and Mrs Franshpipal moved to the Italian countryside just after the Second World War. Rumor has it that they bought the house with bars of pure gold that they had been hiding under their apartment building during the German occupation. Now I'm not one to speculate or gossip, but I heard that they hadn't actually retrieved what was theirs, but had instead stumbled upon the gold while trying to dig out (with their bare hands) a secret passage under their building. You see, from what I could gather, before the war they were as poor as poor could be and that tripping over the gold was no different than the 'Beverly Hillbillies' striking oil. I also heard that they had found no less than 20 bars of pure gold and that the two of them, using only their hands and their brute strength, lugged all those bars of gold in one single trip across the French border and into the Italian village where they still reside today.

I only mention this because now they are quite rich and with that money they have painstakingly restored their manor with all its original features and then some. Now I personally have only been in the front entrance which leads to the ground floor bathroom, and even those areas were no short of impressive.

They were exactly like this...

(Maison Francaise Sept 2007)

This dark and heavy wood and iron really portray Mr and Mrs Franshpipal very well. It is sturdy and planted like the old couple. It has also stood the test of time, something the Mr and Mrs know much about. But most importantly, it is also very secretive and mysterious. Behind all those strong and fortified exteriors you just know that there must be millions of secrets hiding. I mean honestly, how did they really get all that gold across the border on their own...?

In a land far far away...

...there is a really sexy girl...no, Woman...named Madison. She has long legs that never need to be shaved because God gave her the gift of great hair where she wants it and no hair where she doesn't. She is also super intelligent which allows her to have a high powered job that doesn't cause her any stress because she is insanely able to delegate, negotiate, manipulate and obliviate all obstacles. Plus, she is a killer dresser and has such an organized closet that she doesn't even need to plan outfits. She can just wake up 20 minutes before leaving, pull a couple of things out of the wardrobe and with a wash of the face and brush of the teeth she is ready to go. Oh! Silly me forgot to mention that she has such flawless golden skin and naturally rosed glossy lips that make-up is something she has never needed to bother with. And I didn't mention any hair routines because she has natural curls that just bounce bounce bounce.

Anyway, She has also got an amazing country house...No, seaside house...No, no, country house with a covered back porch that looks a lot like this...

(Elle Decor Italia June 2007)

She decided to string this wonderful fabric up for two reasons.

The first was that the windows were exposed to the neighbors who were desperately and constantly trying to get a peep at Madison's perfect body

And the second reason was that they were a reflection of herself. They were crazy and wacky in such a perfect kind of way.

Wow, That Madison sure has got style!

My little bad habit

My husband and I have a 4-1/2 year old problem. We are completely obsessed with our dog. Everyone tells us to just have kids already, but we don't want kids. We have Eva and she is enough. Yeah, you heard right. I choose an animal over a child. Got kids? Good for you...I dont...Good for me.

Recently Desire to Inspire posted some photos of peoples dogs on sofas and chairs. They were cute and funny and I immediately thought of my Eva. Then I said "Mads, get over yourself. They have got tons of photos from other people. They dont need yours"

I forgot about it (not really) and woke up this morning and went straight for my camera.

And so, here they are...

Eva on a Chair

Eva on the Sofa

The Dark Side

If I had the space I would create a room like this...

(Elle Decor Italia Nov 2007)

These colours are boldly relaxing and the room is so warm. Dark but not gloomy. I was dreaming about how wonderful these colours were and thinking of where I could incorporate them into my own home when it hit me..

I already have those colours!

I had used the idea of this colour scheme in my kitchen and after reading the article in Elle Decor Italia, fell in love with the colours (and my kitchen) even more.

The colour schemes are these...

(Elle Decor Italia Nov 2007)



And here is my kitchen...






Yet another example of me having no idea what I'm doing but somehow managing to put two and two together...

MAds

Climbing the Walls

This is Ingenious...



(Elle Decor Italia Nov 2007)

This is designer free climb wall in a gym in Japan. They used picture frames, bird cages, side tables, etc to create a free climb wall. This is exactly what I love (and miss) about Tokyo. You can literally find anything and everything imaginable and unimaginable. But this...This is just plain GENIUS.

Bunkamadison

BunkaMadison was a concept I came up with years ago while living in Japan. The idea was to take my life, my experiences and my curiosity and infuse it into various cultures. 'Bunka' meaning culture in Japanese, allowed me to experience night when it was day and day when it was night. If you have ever spent an extended period of time in Asia, specifically Japan, you may know what I mean...

And so, 3 countries later I find myself living in Italy with a whole new wealth of Bunka to bathe in...and a love of interior design.


The mission:

To share my home reconstruction, the beauty of my city, the interesting inspirations I come across, and the insane situations I find myself in.

And to do it all in a positive and productive way.

Much love from Liguria

MAds