chandelier

Expat Decorating…Getting Lucky and Making Do

While life as an expat in far away lands does bring some decorating joys, i.e. exotic accessories, much of the time basic goods, such as upholstered pieces and quality furniture for reasonable prices, are just not on the agenda. Invariably there are technical difficulties with the technical stuff, voltage variances and possibly language barriers for sourcing parts and hardware, let alone explaining the details of tufted buttons on a headboard. Designing interiors as an expat is much like being on a budget, without the great vintage shopping, thrift stores and Target that are such key resources in America. The best and most reliable places for shopping are often other folks houses – all expats know the best way to get stuff is to hone in on anyone moving back home the moment they announce it. Opportunities need to be grabbed as they tend to be one of a kind and won’t come around again. And the suitcases of all visitors and guests should always be maximized to one’s benefit. My mantra over the years has always been “get lucky and make do” because it has to be, and while it has definitely brought out my creativity, I occasionally wish I had a few other options on the table.

You’ve already heard some of my best stories – certainly nothing will beat the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat that was the free chairs and desk. The colorful scheme of Mally Skok and Raoul Textiles for the kitchen was born out of necessity from the inability to make any changes in our rental. And while I really did want the Saarinen Tulip table for the dining room, it emerged as the absolute front-runner of the three possible schemes simply because it could be had – although perhaps shipping from Malaysia isn’t exactly just had! The IKEA Tobias chairs around it are a classic case of making do with a very happy ending and my living room has a DIY coffee table coming. In the course of this year I’ve had to be resourceful, I’ve had to compromise but the stars have aligned for me at times too.

One of my earliest stories here in Doha is a typical tale of triumph against newcomer odds. Long boxed up in storage in Japan, waiting for its imaginary future, this massive pierced brass karakusa (scrolling arabesque) globe chandelier was one of my favorite shrine sale finds ever.

Of course in Japan I couldn’t hang it, the ceilings being so low that even basically flush mounted it would have hit the top of my sweet husband’s head (and he is about 6 feet tall). With the high ceilings here in Doha it was time for it to emerge and be hung. Enter said expat challenge, better known as chandelier chain. In America, you can walk into any hardware store and there are rolls of chain in different sizes and finishes. Of course here in Doha there is a single strip of lighting stores, which happens to be tucked behind the largest and most complicated building project in the city, making it almost impossible to get to even after you find it (if you find it!). But in my first weeks here, I managed to get there before closing time (all small businesses close between roughly 12:30 and 4:00pm every day – add that to the planning mix), double parked bravely and illegally (no other way to do it) and ran in. The first shop had only bright brass chain in a single size. As did the second, the third and so on. It seems there is only one size and one color finish of shiny brass chandelier chain to be had here in this country and it simply wouldn’t do for my antique fixture. What I did notice was that one small shop had a display chandelier hanging from old chain that was nicely patinated in that dark brass/bronze color even though there was none of it for sale. So I put on my best negotiating skills (all of this at 12:15 while double parked illegally) and managed to convince the owner to let me buy him a length of shiny new chain from another shop to exchange with him (and a little bonus) for his length of old chain. I think he thought I was absolutely nuts, but so be it, mission accomplished! Now it hangs in all its loveliness, casting mysterious shadows at night, and even my 6’7″ friend has no fears of hitting his head on it.

Another favorite story has the longest expat legs of all. When we lived in Hong Kong from 1997-1998, I had a pair of gray and white silk curtains made – much like a ticking stripe – to hang in my chartreuse dining room. (As an aside, best dining room color ever – with gorgeous old Indonesian rosewood floors, Chinese table, painted Tibetan chest and lots of blue & white porcelain!) Upon moving back to New York City, I repurposed them in my gray bedroom, which had only one window so a single set was very useful. As the window was awkwardly placed near the ceiling, I needed to make a valance, so I asked a friend back in Hong Kong to go buy a bit more of the same silk and send it to me. This was all within the first year of leaving so it was easily done. Dug up some old snapshots (!) to give a sense of the curtains in both spaces.

Fast forward five and half years and off we go to Tokyo where our bedroom had three large windows. Better yet, they were all different sizes – not width wise, but height wise – and the ceiling heights were different in each part of the room. I know it is impossible to imagine or even believe that the Japanese would build this way, but I tell you it’s true – it looked like they sourced the windows willy nilly from a sale. I wanted to use the curtains again because I loved them and nothing beats a classic stripe – it just can’t be improved upon. So I tracked down the shop with the silk (I always keep my samples/orders/receipts from every project in neat little Ziploc bags) and they actually still had some. I bought the rest of their final roll as obviously the decorating gods meant me to and had it delivered to my original curtain lady (she of the obi quilt block pillows). Soon after, I visited some friends in Hong Kong and brought the original pair of curtain panels with me. I had her copy the originals – and here is the kicker – make them all the same original long length. Then I had her hem each set to the random length of the windows in my Tokyo bedroom. One set was hemmed about 2 or 3 feet even. But my instincts told me that there was no purpose to having a bunch of odd size and short curtains in the long run.

So now for the moment of triumph. We arrive here in Doha, shake the curtains out from their box and hang them on the existing curtain tracks. They are all way too short, some as much as two feet plus!

I carefully pick out the secondary hem stitches and (drum roll please) they are exactly, yes exactly, the right length. Cosmic decorating karma. A steamer takes out any creases effortlessly. To top it all off, I wanted deep valances, filling the space between the arch of the windows and the ceilings and had just enough fabric from that final roll to make them. I think I will leave you in suspense until my very next post for you to see how it all turned out…

One last story about the kindness of friends and strangers in an expat decorating world. After much deliberation I decided I needed that Pier One/Craig’s List staple the Papasan Chair for my teenage daughter’s room. How can you keep the “no boys sitting on the bed” rule when there isn’t anywhere else to sit? Add in that the room was veering in the slightly too formal direction and that a request for somewhere to “sack out” had been made. Her new desk (our giant antique French partners desk moved from the study) created a perfect deep corner that needed to be filled by something round. I searched the internet for proof that a Papasan could look chic – even Apartment Therapy seemed to be giving them credence – and came up with a few examples, including this one in a similarly colored room. With all things wicker and rattan being back “in” can the Papasan be far behind? Well maybe not, but its just the perfect thing for a teen!

All that said, what would be one of the easiest and most budget friendly options to get ahold of in the USA doesn’t exist here in Doha. And the oversized scale of them makes it prohibitively expensive to ship. So I mentioned to a few friends that I was looking for one or something similar. Within a week, my friend LL (come to think of it – she of the lost desk and chairs!) brings me to the house of another woman in her compound, leaving to move back to Canada. LL had been in her house casing the goods when she noticed a Papasan in the living room, that was not for sale. In classic style, she convinced the woman to sell it to me and just buy a new one when she gets home. Such an expat moment! This is the best I could get my model to give, but you can see it is already being well used. And the cranberry colored cushion has just been sent out to be recovered in white cotton duck.

Now much of my experience is only true in the places I have lived, namely Asia and the Middle East. Those lucky enough to live in Europe with its hundreds of years of furniture making its way to market might have a different story to tell. And there will be more on this topic in my next post, as I explore the challenge of updating a bedroom straight out of the Paris flea markets. But in the meantime, what have been your biggest challenges finding and creating your home, wherever you may live?

Jun 10, 2014 By tokyojinja in Doha Move, Expat Life, Furniture, Interior Design, Lighting, Textiles 12 Comments Tags: chandelier, curtains, expat decorating, expat life, girls room, Japanese, karakusa, master bedroom, Papasan chair

A Global Crossroads…the Flea Market at Old Jaffa

No vacation or trip is complete for me without finding time to hunt down an antiques market or neighborhood. Even with the rampant globalization which has started to blur trade borders for even the old junk of the world, somehow each city maintains its own unique vibe when it comes to vintage. Tel Aviv was not highlighted in my post the other day as it is less a treasure trove of ancient history and more a city that feels like New York met Miami met Europe hanging out in the Middle East. And while we wanted to shop and eat at every cafe and boutique that lined the streets, we simply didn’t have the time. Instead, we prioritized Old Jaffa, perched at the southern end of town, in no small reason because of its famous flea market, Shuk HaPishpushim.

Directly next to the unmistakable clock tower and lying below the more picturesque Old City, the flea market has supposedly been in operation in this spot for over 100 years. It it quite easy to believe that to be true. Selling things from every corner of the world, from carpets and textiles (of which they had wonderful ones although I forgot to photograph them) pottery, metals, paintings, old hardware and devices, ephemera, bric-a-brac, junk and all kinds of furniture, you can imagine the ancient port being a center for trade. And in that sense the market at Old Jaffa and its big sister city Tel Aviv had something in common, a real international sensibility.

The open outdoor stalls of the flea market were in many ways an example of flea markets at their worst. There was a great deal of absolute garbage, literally things that looked and sometimes smelled as if they had been pulled from trash bins. But in between lurked some treasure, from old aluminum and enamel cookware to brass ewers and pepper grinders. Some stacks of old encaustic tiles caught my eye and I heard that unusual tiles are a fairly common find here.

My favorite find was a bin of old printing rollers, perhaps for wallpaper or fabric, I wasn’t quite sure. They were short ones or I might have bought the whole shebang to turn into lamps.

Much more impressive than the open air market was the ring of surrounding shops and more permanent covered arcades. I was amazed by the quality and variety of furnishings and objects that were available as well as artisanal jewelry, clothing and home accessories. I was very busy thinking about what I wanted and less about what a post might need so I don’t have as many personal photos that give a feel for the hustle and bustle of the place. But in addition to loads of regional items, like the giant Arabic brass and copper trays my friend almost bought until she realized they were too large and heavy to fit in her duffel, there was a treasure trove of international design.

From classic mid-century modern…

…to trendy rough luxe (although this is clearly all new). Does anyone else think this screams Restoration Hardware?

My favorite shop Nekudotchen was a cornucopia of styles and periods and I would have liked to do real damage in there. They had shelves loaded with antique bottles and industrial lighting.

This tiny mint green bench would be ideal in my entryway at the beach house. I am having a fetish for benches these days, although this one has about a quarter of the size of the ones I have ordered here in Qatar.

And speaking of soft Scandinavian painted pieces I was desperate for this long low sideboard tucked away upstairs. It needed a wee bit of TLC but would make such a lovely TV console. The reeded glass and those kinda quatrefoil-like cutouts were darling.

Chandeliers were in no short supply – and you knew I’d be getting around to mentioning them. This antique crystal one had a really unusual shape with horizontal branched arms. There were even a few other shops lined two floors to the rafters with fixtures.

The big find of the day for me was this lavender (!) Murano glass chandelier in a small mixed shop. It was one of those have to have it moments even though I have absolutely nowhere to hang it. I played pantomime with the owner, bargaining away, but honestly the price was good from the get go. We talked about breaking down the pieces and wrapping it tightly and carrying it on with us. The big problem was that I knew we had our time banging around in open jeeps in Jordan ahead of us. Caution and common sense won out and I left it behind, although I am still carrying the shop owners card around with me.

After all, he said he could ship it…

The flea market seems to be open every day but Saturday and closes earlier on Friday. We also strolled the wonderfully restored upper city which is full of art galleries and creative boutiques and dotted around the area are numerous cafes and old local food hangouts.

Don’t miss Old Jaffa and be sure to save extra space in your suitcase!

Jan 9, 2014 By tokyojinja in Furniture, Lighting, Rugs and Carpets, Shop Talk, Shrine Sales and Flea Markets, Travel 2 Comments Tags: chandelier, flea market, Israel, Jaffa, Old Jaffa, Tel Aviv

Holidays in the Holy Land…Israel and Jordan in Instagrams

This year we took the dream trip of a lifetime – visiting Israel and Jordan at the holidays. We gazed out at the sites sacred to three of the world’s great religions, from the golden Dome of the Rock, Islam’s third most holy site which happens to directly abut the Western Wall, all that remains of the destroyed Jewish Second Temple. On Christmas Eve we walked the Via Dolorosa to arrive at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre just as the priests began their procession to the spot upon which it is believed (by the Catholics at least) that Jesus was crucified.

The Old City of Jerusalem was truly magical, both weighted by its incredible history and bustling and real with residents at the same time. The tightly knit Armenian Quarter yielded up a few treasures, like this massive crystal chandelier spied up a hidden staircase.

Chandeliers were a highlight of this trip – maybe they always are for me and I just hadn’t realized pre-Instagram? Spied this massive Dale Chihuly, a sister to the one I saw at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London this summer, at the Aish HaTorah Center in the Jewish Quarter. From their rooftop I took the “money shot” photo that starts the post. The view was incredible.

In the Arab Quarter we saw this amazing graffiti on the walls around a residential door. It’s a celebration and advertisement that someone in the home had done the Hajj, meaning they had made their pilgrimage to Mecca. Before moving to Doha, I would not have known was it was, but now I do, as here people put out flags and decorations for the same reason.

We went to Bethlehem for the graffiti as well. Our friends that we travelled with have been following the career of graffiti artist Banksy who has numerous pieces up along the walls in Bethlehem, including this one called Armored Vest Peace Dove.

But the real reason for going to Bethlehem was obviously the Church of the Nativity, although honestly it was so crowded I found it nowhere near as interesting as the Holy Sepulchre, except of course for the chandeliers…

… and not to get ahead of myself, but I must mention the amazing lavender Murano glass chandelier I found in the flea markets of Old Jaffa in Tel Aviv. But more about that in my next post.

We caught the Herod’s Tomb exhibition at the Israel Museum along with the Dead Sea Scrolls and a few other “old” things. Personally I was obsessed with his bathroom!

Tiles and mosaics always grab me and this trip was no different. There were Roman and Byzantine bits to be found all over, some out in the open, protected only by sand. My girls loved playing archaeologist and sweeping to make discoveries. We also worked on a real dig one day and found pottery shards, bones and other detritus of the ancient Edomites.

The old crusader fortress and UNESCO World Heritage City of Akko (Acre) was fascinating. It is one of the oldest continually occupied cities in the region and felt as impregnable as it looked. Napoleon lay siege to it for two unsuccessful months as did many other potential conquerors. It truly felt like we stepped back in history.

My favorite takeaway from Akko was these hexagon tiles in the old Turkish Hammam. I’d like to order some for a kitchen backsplash, wouldn’t you?

We hiked up Masada on New Years Day after an extremely tame Eve.

Our outdoor activities continued into Jordan where we slept (froze!) in a bedouin camp one night in Wadi Rum. My camera wasn’t good enough to photograph the incredible stars and confetti of the Milky Way, but let me tell you I have never seen the likes of it. We awoke in the morning to a red desert and scenery that seemed as if it had been painted by Hollywood. We hiked, we climbed, our guide cooked us lunch from scratch over an open flame and basically we had the entire place to ourselves.

From Wadi Rum we went on to the pièce de résistance of the trip – Petra! We had lowered our expectations, thinking to find it crowded and full of hawkers and simply unable to live up to the spectacular emptiness of the previous day. Instead, it was full of surprises and majesty.

Coming out from the narrow canyons to the sight of the Treasury was every bit as exciting as we had hoped.

Even more amazing was the huge Monastery, reached after a long hike. The scale and the location left us speechless – be sure to notice how tiny the two people are in comparison to the structure. These two buildings are the highlights of Petra but everywhere you turned there was something to see.

We had passed all opportunities to take donkeys or horse carriages preferring to walk the whole way. But the youngest amongst us was determined to at least get a camel ride in. It was a pleasure to grant that wish.

Of course the most pressing thing on my mind was where to buy one of those gorgeous camel blankets, but unfortunately, I couldn’t get that answer. Oh well, an excuse to go back!

For more photos from our trip and to keep up with my day to day finds, check out my Instagram feed. And from my family to yours, we wish you all health and happiness in 2014!

Jan 7, 2014 By tokyojinja in History, Kids, Lighting, Travel 12 Comments Tags: Acre, Akko, Banksy, Bedouin, Behtlehem, camel, chandelier, Christmas, Dome of the Rock, graffiti, Herod, Israel, Jerusalem, Jordan, Masada, Mosaics, Petra, Tel Aviv, travel, Wadi Rum

Opportunity Knocks…Shopping, Storing and Saving Stuff for Later

So I have been thinking a lot about what I wrote in my last post, about considering buying that French marble pastry table even though I don’t have a use for it right now and keeping it for some later home or project. And I did buy that vintage schoolhouse desk at the garage sale, using the “it’s too cheap and too nice to leave behind” rule. Making me think about it more was seeing the just released September issue of Elle Decor featuring Reese Witherspoon’s early Wallace Neff designed Ojai, California home. Originally built in 1923 as stables for Edward Drummond Libbey, it retains much of its original detail in great condition including hewn beams, stucco walls and iron railings and fixtures.

Decorated quite simply and elegantly by Kristen Buckingham, who is always a favorite, it has got me asking myself that same question about yet another item. Witherspoon’s daughter’s bedroom, full of soft pretty colored textiles and that great alcove bed, has a swagged 1920s tole chandelier, which is a sweet focal point.

I have been tracking a similar fixture at one of my local antiques stores for a few years now. It hangs a bit forlornly over a booth full of mid-century modern furniture, the relic of a previous dealer of Continental antiques. Not inexpensive, but not unreasonable, I have always thought about buying it, even though once again I don’t currently have a need for it. Entryway, dining room, bedroom – it could work anywhere – but will I ever need it? But if I don’t buy it will I one day regret it?

Furniture needs storage, but smaller decorative items can be tucked away. Textiles are another item easy to buy and store as they don’t take up much room. I recently shopped my own linen closet and came up with yards of this hand-printed cotton voile called Shree Teak from John Robshaw that I am using as a lynchpin in my upcoming “cheap and cheerful” kitchen renovation. Where and when I bought it, I couldn’t tell you, but having it on hand and having it be just perfect was great fun.

On the other hand I have an amazing embroidered fringed panel from an antique Chinese bed (bought in Hong Kong in 1998) still wrapped in acid-free tissue, sitting in a drawer at home in Tokyo, waiting for its eventual use. I have a vision of what I want to do with it, but the question is whether or not I will ever have the right house and the right space to do so. But even so, I don’t regret buying it for a minute!

The list of other things in storage is somewhat endless, from fabric to light fixtures, to furniture farmed out on loan to friends and relatives. What about you? Do you buy things and then put them away for the future? When you take them out, do you still love them or wonder why you bought them? Is there some item that got away that you still wistfully dream of?

Jul 28, 2012 By tokyojinja in Interior Design, Lighting, Textiles 19 Comments Tags: chandelier, John Robshaw, Kristen Buckingham, Reese Witherspoon, tole, Wallace Neff

Laundry, Lighting, Pictures and Postcards

It’s a common enough sight around the globe, particularly in third world countries, but ironically popular here in Japan. For some reason, perhaps health, perhaps energy conservation, perhaps small living spaces, the art of hanging out laundry continues to be practised here with great flair. Elaborate hanging devices dot the balconies of even the fanciest buildings in the toniest neighborhoods. Futons are aired regularly on sunny days. So it’s no surprise that amongst the pickings of a shrine sale I have encountered vintage laundry hangers, including these gaily colored enamel ones. Too cute to leave behind, but the question remains, “What are you going to do with them?”

In the grand spirit of repurposing, I have a few ideas. Recently I have noticed all kinds of unusual photo display holders at the homes of my (almost) teenaged daughter’s friends. They are great for catching photo strips and mementos in an ever rotating display, like this one from Amazon…

…or this one from Target…

…or this one from IKEA.

So using one for a photo display would be easy and fun, but I have another idea. That very same daughter collects vintage postcards (coincidence?) and wishes to display them more publicly than just in an album. So we loaded up one of the purple colored holders with her language of flowers postcards…

…thinking it would look lovely suspended in her lilac bedroom at the shore.

While not normally a black and white kind of gal, I have long loved the simple palette perfection of Ellen O’Neill’s Gramercy Park studio, including its amazing Ingo Maurer Zettel’z 5 chandelier. Referred to as “interactive suspension lighting” in its sales material, Zettel’z “is a grand chandelier where the Bohemian crystal drops are substituted by scribbled paper notes from some incurable romantic’s desk.”

The interactive thing about it is you can change out the standard notes it comes with and put up your own. O’Neill refers to hers as her “bulletin board.”

It isn’t only the chandelier that grabs my attention. I think that amazing wire parasol frame above the mantel might be my favorite item in the apartment, reminding me of another laundry hanger in my collection – this one possibly old enough to be called antique. Its wire curls are sculptural and eye-catching, much like that frame.

I think it would be easy to rig up a hanging light on a cord, suspend it through the center of the laundry hanger and clip on all kinds of mementos to construct a makeshift but infinitely more personal version of the Zettel’z. It would certainly be easier than constructing one from scratch, like Mavromatic did, and make a better looking fixture than the advice given over at Apartment Therapy.

Love notes and language of flower postcards just in time for Valentines Day.

Image credits: 1. L. George, 2, 6-7 & 11. me, 3. Amazon, 4. Target, 5. IKEA, 8-10. House Beautiful July 2010, photo credit: Thomas Loof, 12. via Mavromatic.

Feb 9, 2012 By tokyojinja in DIY, Interior Design, Lighting, Shrine Sales and Flea Markets 20 Comments Tags: chandelier, Ingo Maurer, laundry hangers, photo display, Zettel'z