My personal sanctuary

blog_lisa_banner.jpgLisa Borgnes Giramonti, who writes one of our absolute favorite blogs, A Bloomsbury Life, will be discussing her current obsessions on our Editors' Blog every Tuesday and Thursday for the next few weeks. (See her two previous posts here).

My home is open to all comers, but my bedroom is private. It's my little domain, my secret refuge from the at-times madding crowd. The possessions inside are highly edited; only the most meaningful talismans gain entry. Here are some I own and some I dream about:

blog_lisa3_01.jpgI love flowers by my bed, and have developed quite a fondness for the cheap and cheerful lisianthus. In creamy white or pale pink, they are just the antidote for a blah day. For professional arrangements, I love Lily Lodge, the florist shop that uses vintage vases to create couture (and 100% organic) bouquets. lilylodge.com

blog_lisa3_02.jpgMy recent passages to India have kindled a deep and abiding love for the kurta, an exquisite cotton kaftan I could live in day and night. I despaired of finding them here in LA until I discovered Govinda's, the import shop that sells top Indian lines like Anokhi and Fabindia, along with scarves, pajamas and embroidered silk kurtas of such high quality that I'm surprised the shop hasn't been raided by the Met Costume Institute. harekrishnala.com

blog_lisa3_03.jpgThere's nothing more luxurious than ironed, lavender-scented sheets and I confess I have a wonderful cleaning lady who performs this task weekly. But just as good is to keep a small bottle of Penhaligon's eau de toilette by your bed and spritz your pillow before sleeping. Being a creature of unapologetic eccentricities, my choice of fragrance is subject to my reading material. For example, Vita Sackville-West calls for a spray of dusky Violetta, but reading Winston Churchill demands Blenheim Bouquet because it makes me dream of leather and old libraries (and it was his favorite scent to boot). penhaligons.co.uk
 
blog_lisa3_04.jpgIt's always soothing to rest your eyes on a lovely piece of artwork before you drift off to sleep. This watercolor rendering, Chalk Paths, by British painter Eric Ravilious would help erase a stressful day, I'm sure. benpentreath.com

blog_lisa3_12.jpgOkay, repeat after me: melin tregwynt. It may not roll trippingly off the tongue now, but just wait. I'm betting that this classic Welsh blanket fabric is poised to become the next designer fixation. Style guru Ilse Crawford just decorated a restaurant in London with it, and furniture purveyor George Smith (see above) is using it in a twist on tradition. It's unexpected, it's graphic and I suddenly feel an urgent need to recover my headboard. melintregwynt.co.uk

The stack of books on my nightstand is always high and comes close to toppling when fall's new releases hit the shelves. This season, my wish list includes:

blog_lisa3_07.jpgPaula Byrne's Mad World: Evelyn Waugh and the Secrets of Brideshead, a fascinating account of the unconventional Lygon family who inspired the novel that gave Waugh immortality. Elizabeth Sharland's Passionate Pilgrimages: From Chopin to Coward, a glimpse into the private domiciles of artists, icons and creative luminaries such as Noel Coward, Somerset Maugham, Ivor Novello and many more. It's armchair jetsetting at its finest. For inspirational design and style, I am counting the days until I can rifle through More is More by Hutton Wilkinson, the second volume about over-the-top designer Tony Duquette.

blog_lisa3_08.jpgMy love for interiors is rivalled only by my love for Vivienne Westwood, so when I found out she was designing for The Rug Company, I hightailed it over there pronto. Her "Rubbish" rug is cheeky, anarchic and completely handwoven in traditional Aubusson style. It'll last forever as long as there's no grape juice around. therugcompany.com

blog_lisa3_09.jpgEvery good book deserves a lamp that can shed a proper light on its subject. I love this decoupage one from John Derian with its enchanting scene of a manor house surrounded by landscaped gardens. And if you're worried about it clashing with your coverlet, don't. Parkland goes with everything. johnderian.com

blog_lisa3_05.jpgI recently spent a weekend at The Ojai Valley Inn and found myself constantly applying their Lemongrass and Geranium Moisturizer. It smells like a summer garden in Gloucestershire. Every time I wear it, my friends ask to borrow some, so I've just ordered a boxfull. Next week, to each their own! ojairesort.com

blog_lisa3_10.jpgMy bedroom is in dire need of curtains, although now that the mornings are becoming darker, I don't feel as pressed as I did during midsummer. Designer Peter Dunham's gorgeous range of textiles raises my heart rate instantly: he has perfected that particular brand of aristo-bohemian chic that looks brilliant and comes off as effortless. His "Globe" fabric sets my brain spinning; I just know I would fall asleep dreaming of faraway destinations. hollywoodathome.com

blog_lisa3_11.jpgSee Lisa's previous posts HERE. And check back next Tuesday for her next installment! 
 

Categories:

Utilities:

Comments

Post a Comment
Subscribe to Wmagazine.com
Give the Gift of Wmagazine.com

Check in daily for the latest fashion news, shopping tips and celebrity scoop from the editors at W.

Every Tuesday we interview one of the industry's top models. Check out our archive of model Q&As, updated weekly.

Join Wmag on Twitter and never miss a beat.

W Newsletter

Sign up to receive the latest on fashion, art and style delivered to your email inbox.

W Specials

Revisit Posh & Becks, Brad & Angelina, Naomi on cleanup crew, Madonna's yoga poses, the Kate Moss tribute issue and more at W Classics.

Check out W magazine's covers from the past five years, starring everyone from Angelina Jolie to Renée Zellweger.

From a castle in the Dolomites to a modernist masterpiece in Malibu, revisit some of the most spectacular homes featured in W.
Inside Wmagazine.com

After divorce and a few years of flying below Hollywood's radar, Uma Thurman is ready to give marriage and superstardom another shot.

We scoured the showrooms to find the ultimate boots—in leather, pony, suede and even mink.

Amid sultry settings and irresistible distractions, Madonna falls under the spell of Rio de Janeiro.

For years Bruce Willis vowed he'd never marry again. Then the movie star met sizzling Emma Heming, and she changed his mind—and his life.
The Countess's Corner

W's resident aristocrat, the acid-tongued Countess Louise J Estherhazy, spares nobody. Read her columns here.
WWD Feed

Sporting skinny jeans and a whisper-thin vintage blouse, Kate Moss doesn't look like a traditional boardroom-bound tycoon.

Eva Mendes dropped into the Calvin Klein Jeans flagship in Milan on Wednesday night, drawing hordes of young Italian men away from their mothers.

He may be best known for his paintings of Campbell Soup cans and for his statement, "Everybody will be famous for 15 minutes," endlessly quoted in reference to celebrity culture.
Subscribe to Wmagazine.com

W Newsletter

Sign up to receive the latest on fashion, art and style delivered to your email inbox.

Christy Turlington Burns

Champion

One good classic deserves another. Christy Turlington Burns works the warrior-goddess side of Greco-Roman influence. Photographed by Michael Thompson.

W Blogs

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie

Domestic Bliss

The Steven Klein shoot that started it all: Mr. and Mrs. Smith costars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie play house in Palm Springs. (July 2005)