Well…I’m back in New York after spending several weeks traveling abroad and shopping for the showroom.  Before the trip fades away in my memory, I want to share different parts of my trip with you. 

From New York I went to Spain, and my first stop was in Barcelona where I made a pilgrimage to see the Barcelona Pavilion.  This incredible space was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and was the German Pavilion for the 1929 International Exposition in Barcelona, Spain.

It was quite an experience.  Mies’ talent and his design’s timeless quality makes this pavilion one of the most incredible pieces of architecture that exists.  It epitomizes what contemporary design is all about.  He plays with texture and pattern between different marbles, reflective steel, and clear and frosted glass.  He also thought a lot about how light plays in the reflecting pond.  The simplicity of one beautiful piece of bronze sculpture floating in space is quite amazing.  It’s a sculpture by Georg Kolbes, and is named Dawn.  I got chills just standing there and taking in the space.  If there was ever a temple built for modernity, this is it.

Below are pictures I took of the pavilion.  Enjoy!

Wow what a trip it was to Spain!  Two days in Barcelona, two in Sevilla, two in Grenada, and two in Madrid…but I was able to see a lot in a short time.

My big stop in Barcelena was seeing the Ludwig Mies van der Rohe masterpiece that was built for the 1929 World’s Fair – I felt like I was going to church. It was so enlightening and spiritual to see his work.  The other buildings at the World’s Fair site were also a sight to behold.

I was especially excited about going to Grenada to see the Alambra.  I absolutely loved the Islamic architecture, and spent two days walking through the gardens.  I also did a night tour, which was very interesting.  I’d suggest going there first thing in the morning, and booking the tours ahead of time, as there are hundreds of people waking through. 

As for shopping in Grenada, I found some great antiques at a store called Antiquedades Decoracion Abascal.

In Madrid I visited the Museo Nacional del Prado, Museo Reina Sofía, and many other beautiful sights.

I visited two shops in Madrid: Justiniano X SL and Mercedes Urquijo Antiquedades for 17^th Century Spanish and other objects for the showroom.

The best meal I had in Spain was a magnificent dinner at the La Terraza Del Casino restaurant in Madrid which serves nouvelle food.  I had the tasting menu which came with 15 small courses and it was delicious.  The flavors were a combination of sweet and sour, infusion and froth – my meal started at 9:30 p.m. and I left at 11:45 p.m.  I also tried several different wines.  The whole experience made me want to come back to Spain just to eat there again.  I cannot recommend this restaurant enough…plus it has a Michelin star.

The next day, I took off to Delhi for a whirlwind shopping trip with a furniture dealer.  My next stop is Bali, Indonesia, where I’ll be visiting my good friend Bruce Carpenter who is the owner of Amirshop (which sells furniture and objects from different islands in Indonesia).  I’ll be spending Christmas in Bali – it truly is the perfect place to celebrate the joy of the holidays. 

I’ll post photos from my Spanish adventure when I return!

With all my travels, I’ve never been to Spain.  This year is going to be my European trip.  It won’t be a shock to you that I’m no longer going to Libya as I had originally planned…instead I’m traveling throughout Spain to Barcelena, Sevilla, Grenada, and Madrid.  Seeing the Alambra in Grenada is, I know, going to be the highlight of the trip.  There are going to be so many museums and sights to see…I will have an activity-packed time in Europe.

From there I’ll be going to Bali, Indonesia where I’ll shop for the showroom, photograph a residence for a new book, and spend Christmas with friends there.  For New Years, I’ll be in Bangkok and will shop. On the 2nd, I fly to Myranmar (formerly known as Burma) where I have visited three times before but this time I’ll be sharing the country with somebody’s who’s never been there.  It will be fun to experience it with them.  I’ll be going to Yangoon, Mandalay, Bagan, and Inga Lake, then back to Bangkok, and from there onto Hong Kong to prepare myself for returning to New York and to do some shopping for the showroom. I’ll keep you posted on my travels!

Happy Halloween!

Since many of you wanted to see more photos of my friend Tim’s French chateau, I created a photo album for you to see the beautiful place.  You will have to wait for the Veranda magazine article to come out to see more interior photos of his chateau. I’ll keep you posted!

Photo Album Parisian Chateau

I’m getting ready for my trip to France.  Many of you have been asking me where I shop in the City of Lights, here are just a few. If any of you out there know of any great flea markets in Paris please share.

Galerie Yvan Royer

La Cerisaie Antiquites

Alexandre Venturini Antiquities

Thibault De Chastenet

Sophie Vizzavona

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I’m off to Paris for Baccarat’s Annual Advisory Board meeting, which I am so honored to be on. During my trip I’m going to take a 3 day side jaunt to Amsterdam, I have been dying to back there to buy some more water lilies and to see the tulip fields.   I have tried to see them the last 3 times I have visited but they were never in bloom….fingers crossed.