A Floral Paradise

FLORAL EMPORIUM WEST PALM BEACH

I buy my orchids here.

Through these gates of heaven ...

Winter flowers bloom.

 

 On the gateposts.

 On the walls.

 In pots.

 In the sun.

 In your hands.

 At arm's reach.

 In the fountains' shadow.

 In company.

 Intimately.

 In rooms and corridors.

 Out of stones.

 Out of urns.

Overhead.

 Before your very eyes.

 In unison.

 Together.

 Relaxingly.

Extravagantly.

Softly.

 Boldly.

 Mysteriously.

 Reassuringly.

 Amusingly.

 Astonishingly.

 Delicately.

Artistically.

 In pairs.

In groups.

Surprisingly.

Thoughtfully, we thank you.

Moon Over

NOT MIAMI

This is the view this evening from our terrace. Temperature about 74 degrees. Moon not quite full. Palm Beach. Dinner at home tonight.

Showing Water

FLORAL FLAIR

We had a drinks party the other evening and I wanted to add flowers to the occasion. At home in Lucca the flowers we cut are almost always from the garden—except for bought tulips in spring—but here in Palm Beach that's not possible. I bought the roses at the supermarket.

And the glass vase is from Pottery Barn. I like fresh flowers to stand in clear water, it gives them an air of freshness, even if they aren't so fresh.

The diptych is mine. The lights are from Restoration Hardware. The banquette, by Hickory Chair, is Bistro by Mariette Himes Gomez.

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The Bedroom

ANTIPRIMA

I'm not quite ready to show this but I'm doing it anyway—I've yet to hang the pair of drawings that go over the cabinet, etc. The Chinese cabinet, which looks as though we fished it out of the lagoon, was in fact found in a local antiques shop. It's from the mid-nineteenth century, to my estimate, and in very bad repair, but I love the patina and history it wears. It's scale is also interesting to me because similar pieces of this nature are usually much bigger in size—this stands under five feet in height.

The knit blanket is from Ralph Lauren and is impossible to fold in an orderly fashion, but I tell myself that I admire that casual touch. In this severe room of black and gray and white and to foil its masculine austerity, I've added, in a daring moment of abandon, a pair of pink pillows.

The television set is a black canvas—I'll be adding some other art around it. The desk is by Mark Hampton, and the tropical-themed carved chairs are from Java. The bow-front chest of drawers is Indian. The "Tico" table lamp is by Thomas O'Brien.