T MAGAZINE

Meg of Pigtown Design (one of my favorite blogs) posted about the newly revamped T Magazine (New York Times). And the first photos had me from the get-go. Being raised in Central Mexico (just south of Mexico City) and then living in Spain for seven years, I have a huge spot in my soul that craves Mexican and Spanish architecture, design and way of living; the photos accompanying the article on Merida, Yucatan nailed that spot and set me to yearning.

The photo above show the bedroom of a hacienda in Merida. It could represent any of the bedrooms of my childhood friends who lived in the Belle Epoque homes of Mexico City. Completely minimal and highly sophisticated. Each element of this room is a sculptural or cultural statement and there are no apologies for what seems to be a lack of "perfection" in one element--the whole is perfectly balanced.

Compare this room with the bedroom of the London Designer Rose Uniacke, who is also featured in this edition of T-Magazine.

             

I'll do a couple of other counterpoint from these two articles:

The upper photo shows a fragment of the restored garden of a Merida Hacienda. The lower photo details the solarium of Rose Uniacke's London home. The feeling/mood of the spaces is so similar that you might think they were connected.

  

And here are a couple more side-by-sides:

  

If I close my eyes and ignore the gorgeous orange of the Merida space, the souls of these two spaces unite.

This is the style, design aesthetic that I have been waiting to see on the horizon. Could it be that with these two spaces, who (I use "who" intentionally as these rooms seem to breathe) are many miles apart, we are on the cusp of a new aesthetic? Both of these homes reflect elements of Axel Vervoordt's design aesthetic, but they also add freshness to the conversation. (Remember that Spain controlled parts of The Netherlands which included parts of Belgium in the 16th c.; so there is a sisterhood in the artistic elements of these countries). I can't wait to see this blending of classic antique neoclassical and baroque elements with a modern touch--always retaining the souls of the space and the furnishings.

Jones is out of the dog house and back to his usual duties.

Have a wonderful Presidents' Day!!

Mary and Jones (& Cole)