The fate of the ideaboard idea and coming soon....

You know it's a slow day at the Deersign Manor when I do three posts in one day.

Since I started posting to my blog again part of me wondered if I should return to doing the ideaboards. It was a great brain teaser of sorts for me and for the few that I actually blogged I liked the idea of sharing my visions with the world. The only hitch: assembling the boards on a weekly basis was rather time consuming for me. With life and my freelance work, I do not feel that I could keep up with such things if it had to adhere to a strict schedule.

I do love reading a blog with regular content and I'd rather not post just about the fact that I do indeed wear clothing. So I've brainstormed and decided that I will add two regular features to this blog. Both are things that I feel I can keep up with since it pretty much focuses on things I regularly do anyways.

Not much more will be said now. Just keep your eye out Tuesdays and Fridays!

(top photo by yours truly)

ideaboard #2 // Irma Vep

When I say "Irma Vep", I'm not talking about the film where Maggie Cheung flounces about in latex. I'm thinking more along the lines of the femme fatale in Louis Feuillade's silent serial Les Vampires.

The lovely Musidora stars in this 10-part serial that brings to life Irma Vep. As a member of the gang "Les Vampires" she slinks about dressed in a skin-tight black costume and commits an array of dastardly deeds.
I won't go into the details of the serial, but the bit that made me go "wowie" was when Irma Vep makes her dramatic appearance at the theater dressed very much like a bat.


Prior to the first time Irma Vep came to my attention, I had long been a fan of the illustrator/author Edward Gorey. One of my favorite stories of his is La Chauve-Souris Dorée (or The Gilded Bat).


So it is very possible that I might just have a thing for women dressed as bats (or wish to be one my self).

ideaboard #2 is a sitting room inspired by the past, wickedness, and Irma Vep. The cabinets could be suitable to hold a small library (books on poisons maybe?) or to showcase heisted goods before they find themselves in the hands of the highest bidder. Seating is plentiful in order to accommodate many persons involved in the latest plot. A sideboard behind the sofa could store snifters and a variety of liquors (who doesn't love a drink while plotting?). Finally, table lamps would provide mood lighting and could be moved in order to view maps or other bits of information better.

Wallpaper // "Bat and Poppies" fabric @ Arts & Crafts Home
Cabinets // Elliptic Library Cabinet @ Jayson Home & Garden
Chair // Queen Ann Arm Chair @ Baker Furniture
Lamp // Alhambre Table Lamp @ Bellacor
Distressed Sideboard // Napoleon Sideboard @ Jayson Home & Garden
Damask Pillow // Brown Vintage Damask 17" Square Pillow @ Lamps Plus
Map Pillow // Antique World Map Pillow @ Lamps Plus
Sofa // Scrolled Arm Sofa @ Baker Furniture
Chairs // Regency Tub Chair @ Baker Furniture
Small Table // Paris End Table @ Decorati

When I started planning this room I found it was the perfect opportunity to use a favorite print design of mine "Bat and Poppies", a wallpaper designed by M. P. Verneuil in 1897. While rather surreal (Bats with poppies??), it is a beautiful design and would be a fine touch to this room.

Image credits: "Qui? Quoi?" etc poster from the wikipedia entry, still from the movie I had on my hd but could not find a reliable source online, book cover from goreydetails.net, "Bat and Poppies" wallpaper achome.co.uk.

ideaboard #1 // Breakfast of Champions

Nutella for me is something of an acquired taste. Only recently has it become an item you would regularly find on my shelf. When I have time in the morning I usually slather it on a small crepe and top if off with bananas.

This morning I was aware that I'd most likely be unable to finish the ideaboard I had been working on in my spare time for this blog. Darn me for being one of those people that get obsessed with specific details! Unsure of what I could do, inspiration struck when I made this morning's breakfast. A crepe with Nutella (unseen in the photo), bananas, set on a lovely blue plate (that belongs to my roommate), and a glass of cranberry juice.

Photo of my breakfast by Rox

Click to enlarge...

I scoured the internet and my archives looking for the perfect table with that could emulate the texture of a crepe. Cork as a material came to mind since the patterns vary (much like crepes do) and it is available in an array of hues. During my search I found some lovely mid-century pieces made from cork such as this table by Paul Frankl, but nothing really suited the bill. That's when I thought one could cut a giant place-mat of sorts from cork to the size of the table. Such a place-mat would add a bit of texture to the arrangement and would also insure that nothing would ever skid off the table! (har har)

The colors chosen pretty much were taken from my breakfast. Soft creamy yellows for the banana, deep rich browns for the Nutella, a back drop of blue and a hint of red.

Pictured in "Breakfast of Champions",
Chandelier: " Voltolina" @ forzieri
Dinnerware: "Kata" @ target
Table: "Frank" @ jayson home & garden
Chairs: "Martine" @ restoration hardware



Photo of the Nutella spread obtained from Wikipedia.

Update: Mission Statement 170708

Above: An early conceptual illustration for a class project
Below: Style board for a "Steampunk" parlor

From the beginning I've been tossing around ideas for regular design related features. I recognize that there exists MANY blogs with emphasis on specifically interior or product design and many more about design in general. Quite a few of those blogs have an eye towards the latest and greatest. I'm not one to snub trends but knowing that such things are well covered elsewhere I've decided to focus more on inspiration from what could be seen as individual preferences regardless of what is "now".

The first weekly feature will consist of a mood and style board centered around a specific theme. It may sounds like a common design blog feature but as mentioned I'm thinking less "Orange and gray are the colors for Autumn" and more "This week is a room inspired by Dolly Parton". I plan on submitting a style idea for your perusal every Friday.

For the second, I'd like to do a post weekly on my love for inanimate objects and the designers who create them. While this feature is no way unique, I hope I can come up with people and objects that may have never came to your attention for before.

In short... I'm trying to put the past several years devoted to studying design to good use!

With that said, the first "ideaboard" will be posted tomorrow and now I'm off to locate wherever my camera charger is hiding ;)