Hello – Happy November!
I hope you are well! Tom and I have been busy transitioning into this month of “gathering.” To get the house ready for company, we’re tidying up inside and out, washing the china, and polishing the silver pieces. You should see our mini production line for these domestic chores. The dogs are, of course, not pleased as their favorite blankets went from “well loved” to squeaky clean. And their old beds got tossed out.
After all that polishing, I decided to create a few silvery shop vignettes inspired by the cool light now upon us.
Here is a Swedish Gustavian chest and French silver leaf mirror with beautifully oxidized glass at
Tone on Tone. Below is an American tea caddy. Despite the cool tones, these antique items possess a warmth and patina from age, handling and nature. Their spirit, though classical, feels modern.
This vignette of French silver leaf mirror over gray chest is heightened with silvery accessories such as the framed graphite drawing and candlestick.
A footed oval tray with an unusual coat of arms having a broken arrow held in hand. I don’t know anything about it. Do you? Perhaps it came from a family with an archery connection?
ABOVE: A 1900s French silver gilded mirror with faux-bamboo frame. Wouldn’t it look chic in a powder room with a geometric or floral wallpaper?
Two French Louis Philippe (Ca 1870-90s) mirrors with signature rounded top corners.
A closer view of the etched frame.
* * * * * * *
Now a look at some silver mirrors in situ, starting with this Louis Philippe beauty over a fireplace in my client’s home. See more of this lovely home
here.
One wall of our dining room is decorated with a mirror flanked by landscapes, all with antique silver luster frames. I think the mirror’s frame, which is worn down to bare wood in many places, makes the formal console more approachable.
Two photos of my
myrtle topiaries shot by Helen Norman for Southern Living earlier this year.
Speaking of topiaries, every year at this time I begin bringing them inside. Gathered here are just a few. Using myself as scale, you can see their size. Because I’m running out of sunny windows, I’ve decided to let a few go 🙁 If you’re interested in purchasing a topiary, please stop by the shop. Sorry these cannot be shipped – too fragile.
And I leave you with my recent finds from HomeGoods. I went there looking for new doggie beds and left with……well, just a bit more 🙂
Did I need these pillows? No! The price was simply irresistible, plus they reminded me of pretty abstract watercolors. Also picked up a runner that we’re using as one long place mat, a white cast iron Dutch oven, and a farmhouse style fluted bowl.
Perfect for the Halloween candy of which we have way too much. Come see me at the shop for your treat – no costume needed!
xo
Loi
Looks beautiful, Loi! Okay now that you have the Dutch oven, you have to cook! 🙂 I'm already busy with Thanksgiving too. It sneaks up if you're not prepared!
You'll have to do a Thanksgiving post, Stephen! Hope you are having a great fall.
Loi your home is beautiful, and who would guess any piece would be in your show case home from Home Goods. You make the home good pillows truly look like a piece of art, a high end custom dyed fabric that would price you out of the park.
The topiary boxwood trees and such are amazing, this is a big winter quest of mine and that's to add a few herbal trees and garden box woods.
They really are quite sizable and the pride you have taken in their care, wish I live closer I would take a couple off your winter hands.
See you soon dear.
Beautiful November to you
Xx
Dore
Thank you, Dore. I wish you lived closer, too 🙂
Not sure where to even begin…the pictures of your dining room console added at least 3 years to my life…it just seemed to reverse any stress I have ever experienced. Your silver etched framed mirror is stunning, the faux bamboo framed mirror is something I might try to hide under my arm after having a lovely dinner at your home. Last but not least—seeing a picture of you with your beloved topiaries is a treat (I am sure many of your readers will agree).
Hope you had a lot of adorable trick or treaters—we had a little over 200 this year!!!!
Fondly,
-Lisa
Loi,- in a word-gorgeous!
xo
Mimi
um, i know where that silver bamboo mirror would look chic…. anywhere in my house!!!! love it! we have so much candy, too. i want to eat it all. ugh.
Love all the silver and gray tones!!!
So elegant!
XO
Whilst you were polishing silver, I was (rarely) allowing a piece to be used tarnished. The console is quite charming.
Hello Loi, Your silvery finds are perfect in these vignettes. Silver leaf has an ethereal look that can evoke seeing things by moonlight, especially when it is a little on the worn side. I have found that small silver-leaf frames, popular in the early 20th century, are a good thing to search for at house sales.
–Jim
Dear Loi, What a beautiful way to start my Sunday. I love these vignettes. Happy November! xoxo
Dear Loi, Your favorite posts for me are when you show your gorgeous antique entry pieces and mirrors with the artful accessories atop! Adore silver leaf! Stunning as always and I wish I could have you ship a topiary to me!!
xoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena
I'm leaving for the NC mountains and Asheville (my favorite place to treasure hunt) this morning. But after seeing all the beauty you shared in this post I could almost stay home and redecorate – well at least move things around and start some new painting projects!!!
Splendid – awesome – beautiful, Loi. The Phillipe mirror I want so much, but the gorgeous mirror over your sofa is stunning too. Yes, HomeGoods does often have treasures – just have to hit it right. Love the white casserole – mine are red but I may change that later!
Happy week – Mary
Your vignettes are always perfection Loi! Loooove your topiaries! We have lots of candy here too; i might've gone a bit overboard and bought too many for our trick or treaters. Happy Sunday! xx
Everything looks absolutely stunning! Polishing silver is such a tedious task, but so worth it. Isn't is funny how dogs prefer their old live in beds?
Indeed! It's been over a week and still the pups are not in their new beds!
Love, Love all the mirrors! Can't pick a favorite.
and your ….Vignettes,,,,well are the BEST!
It's such a treat to visit your home this morning! I must admit I am more than a little envious of your topiaries. I bought one Myrtle topiary last year and killed it within two weeks!
Your new HomeGoods finds are wonderful. You have such a brilliant eye for all things beautiful.
Happy Sunday!
xo
Brooke
Thanks SO much, Brooke!! Give the myrtles another try…..they are worth it 🙂
Beautiful vignettes, Loi. Love the silvery accents at this time of year. I would never have guessed that your purchases were from Home Goods–the fluted bowl looks like an antique!
xo,
Deborah
my how dashing you are amongst the topiaries dear loi!! adore your finds and the manner in which you vignette, very smart. your clients fireplace is lovely, lucky lucky clients of yours.
it is a great feeling when all the domestic chores are behind you and entertaining can begin. enjoy!!
debra
Everything looks beautiful…your new HomeGoods pillow looks great…
Loved seeing your blog pop-up this morning. I still have a candy hang over and needed the November re-boot! I would have laughed so hard if I had been at home goods and saw you:) I would never have guessed!!! Love and warmth this Fall! xoxo, K
Hi Loi, You are too much! I'm on my way over right now. Those Louis Philippe silver leaf mirrors are so much harder to find than the gold. Everything is gorgeous. Love those chests. xoxo Mary
Loi,
So much to see and take in on a blistery. cold Sunday morning! I LOVE all of your silver vignettes, they look calming, warm and sophisticated. You have persuaded me with your photos to get out my own stash of family silver to make a few vignettes for the holidays.
I am so excited to start baking! And cooking too. For the first time in ages we have family coming for Thanksgiving, I hope they are going to be hungry because my husband and I have so many recipes that we want to try on them. Then my sister and I are going to start baking for Christmas!
I would love one of your topiary but I have a brown thumb and I would kill it in a week.
I love your Home Good finds! They have had some fabulous things in recent weeks and whenever I go there I find myself "needing" something new.
Have a great week Loi and thank you for sharing your talents and beauty with the world. You make it a better and more beautiful place!
Dear, dear Loi…..
Ahhhh….(a huge sign of total delight).
How do you do it? I mean, I know I have a good eye, but you just know what to put together so well. I think I "get it." You have more silvers and grays in your shop/home, as where I have more gold to embellish my grays. I love it, but when I see the silver mirrors and the sleek, simple silver accessories, I think, "THAT'S IT!" And you are so right in your description….there is no cold feeling here, but a warmth from the patina of handling and age. A well-loved piece.
My dream is to sell my beautiful but very large Stickley sage velvet brocade sofa and get a smaller gray settee like any one of the ones from your shop. Trading the large green sofa for a smaller gray settee will give me the final touch I seek in my greeting area. THANK YOU so much for the fun, the inspiration and the treat of seeing YOU!!!!
HAVE FUN, YOU TWO! Happy November, Anita
Silver accents, cool blue hues, topiary green lovelies, and all the beautifully styled furnishings, are such inviting features to your cozy and elegant home; the candy, just as welcoming! Enjoy!!
Happy November, Loi!
Poppy
ONLY YOU!!! could make Homegoods purchases look so elegant and unique!! Love the idea of the runner for the breakfast bar, I am going to borrow that idea from you, LOVE it!!! Always a pleasure to visit your blog!!
Happy New Week and Month!! Let the games begin, the Holidays are upon us!!!
xo Kathysue
Stunning as usual my friend, I wish I lived closer so I could come in and grab those topiaries from you!! I love the little pop of color that those pillows added and all the silver accents are just gorgeous have a great week, xo K
Hi, Loi,
Your house looks great every time of the year, but it is a pleasure to redecorate for the season. Here in Florida, there's even a greater urge to feel change in seasons. I've always admired those mirrors with rounded top corners — I'm glad to now have a name to call them!
Hi Loi! I love every inch of your home and every vinette you do! Simply elegant! Each piece shines without overtaking another! You have a gift! Have a good one! xo Leslie
Hi Loi, It's funny, but I always get notified about your blog posts a day late. However, I noticed a spike in traffic from your site and thought I better head over here and pronto! Well, you've done it again! Just gorgeous! Thank you for reposting the home you did earlier. What a gem! Oh, and you DID need the pillows. But did I read that correctly? You got them from Home Goods? That's nuts! OH, I think you'll get a bang out of my last post. There's a shot from downtown Stockholm and let's just say— it IS Tone on Tone. haha! But not exactly gray. xoxo, Laurel
Loi,
Your vignettes are always beautiful. The mirrors are stunning and I remember seeing the post on your friends home. Absolutely love their style!
How nice to see you with your topiary!! I'm certain they will find lovely homes.
XO Sarah
The photos are gorgeous and the photo of your myrtle topiaries taken for Southern Living is breathtaking!…Just love the beauty of silver!
Loi,
November seems to be on the East coast when we clean and polish to make our treasures sparkle and reflect the light of Autumn in our homes. Your home is sheer enchantment, shows great pride and consideration went into filling the rooms with love and creativity. Loved seeing you standing along side your amazing topiaries, no one I've ever met has your expertise and green thumb. Amazing Loi, simply amazing. Enjoy November and wishing you and Tom great gatherings this month.
xo,
Vera
I just love your things and would love so many of them in my home. You have exquisite taste my friend. I love that tea caddy and the silver frames. I wish you all a wonderful November and looking forward to seeing more shots of yours in this autumn light. xo Nancy
Hi Loi, I learned two things reading this post. 1) I always thought I'm a gold kind of girl, but now I want something silver with beautiful patina! 2) Next time I go to HomeGoods, I know I'll be looking for those Loi pillows. Both your shop and home are gorgeous. I hope you'll find good homes for the topiaries. xx
Perfection as usual, Loi! The antique silver frames and your topiaries are stunning! The watercolor pillows are just right too!
xo
Holly
Your shop…mirrors…vignettes…all so exquisite!!! And it's always a treat to get a peek into your stunning home.
Mary Alice
loving loving the cool silvery vignettes that so clearly reflect your signature elegance. bella needs a new nest so that goes on my list thanks to you. your topiaries are enviable–bravo! now i'm off to make more woolen pom poms…a new obsession!
I can see that it is time to visit your shop again. I hope to be in your neck-of-the-woods in the next couple of weeks to welcome a new grand baby. I promise to stop by. BTW, I love your console, the silver leaf mirror and those landscapes in your dining room! And the runner as a long placemat is very clever!
Totally elegant, cool and wintery colors …. so truly gorgeous!! You have such a wonderful eye for color, scale and visual balance! You must do a décor book! No photos of the new dog beds? Perhaps for the next posting? LOVE the Homegoods pillows!
Jan
Many thanks, Jan! The new doggie beds are quite boring. My dogs are 14 and 13, so I got them orthopedic foam ones.
Such lovely vignettes, full of lovely wares Loi! I agree with the previous poster…when is your book coming out my friend, really, it's way overdue! 🙂 Try to stay warm and grounded with these crazy winds we're having.
xo Kat
Exquisite post!
I love it all, especially the Louis Phillipe mirrors. I have the pitcher to your fluted bowl…love Home Goods.
XO, Victoria
Great photos of more of your shop's beautiful items. And those Home Goods finds are something else! That's why I don't go to stores like that more often — too tempting, and we have no space for anything more. I didn't realize they sell dog beds. I can't tell you how many dog beds we've been through over the years!
Claudia
Hi dear Loi, such lovely photos of your beautiful things and I especially love the photo of you with your topiaries! It must be hard to let some go. I don't have many good windows for plants and can't have the collection I'd like. What charming silver pieces – that tray with the broken arrow coat of arms is delightful – I love mysterious symbols like this and it was clearly designed and made by a spirited soul with a sense of humour. I'd love to know the story and hope it was a cherished family piece.
I love that gorgeous console table in your dining room. Such a great stage for your styling. Happy November. We welcomed it with wet snow this weekend. No more outdoor plants for me! Hope you're both well and enjoy your house guests! Xo Terri
Dear Loi,
How can it be November already? I love your myrtle topiaries, wish I lived closer, although hearing that Brooke killed her's within two weeks gave me pause. I love all of the silvery tones in this post. Such pretty combinations.
Your Home Goods finds reminds me to visit Home Goods more often, although I need nothing! 🙂
Happy November, have a great week.
xo,
Karen
Your vignettes are lovely and have me rethinking silver! I had a pair of myrtle topiaries several years back — I feel your pain about letting them go.
What an absolute treat to see more of your gorgeous home. Love, love, love the topiaries. If I lived near by, I'd be on your shop door step first thing. The silver touches are each one gorgeous. Coveting that silver tea caddy, by the way. '-)
Your home is warm and inviting, Loi. It feels like a retreat!
Happy Autumn!
Loi your home is beautiful, and love the topiaries. Your Home Goods finds looks so great in your home and everything looks so elegant!
Hugs,
Vesna
I love your home – and would be like a kid in a candy store in your shop. Plus, I'd eat that whole bowl of Halloween candy while I was there!
Hello Loi, you are looking good. Your topiaries are so beautiful too. Too bad I can't buy them. Silver is very elegant in the house. It matches perfectly with your furniture and decor. Have a lovely week.
Thanks for writing Loi, I very much liked your newest post.
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEAUTIFUL vignettes and antiques Loi! Hey – did you find dog beds? I love HG for dog beds, since we consider them essentially disposable 🙂 I saw some ADORABLE gingham ones in Ballard yesterday that I NEEEED, but I don't know if I'd be ok if they destroy them lol 🙂
Thanks, friend! I picked up two orthopedic foam beds for Panda and Mocha. They are 14 and 13, but still spunky!!
Wow, Loi. I had to go back through the photos three times, everything is so lovely. I especially love the Louis Phillipe mirror in silver. I wish I had a free wall in my house for that! The topiaries are inspiring me, too, and I think I will have to go out and pick up a couple today – wish I lived closer so I could get some of your beauties. Thanks for starting my morning out on such a beautiful note. Hope this is a lovely month for you! XO
What beautiful vignettes, Loi, and you really do make the expression "all that glitters is not gold" to the test with your silvery accents. That Louis Philippe frame with its lovely etching is beautiful! Sorry we can't take any candy off your hands – we're still working on ours.
xxoo
C + C
Hello Loi
I love your selection of mirrors and the vignettes you created. Your lovingly grown topiaries are also beautiful
Have a wonderful week
Helen xx
I do not know how you manage to grow those suckers! I had mine for a hot minute and it could not die fast enough:) You have some of the most beautiful things in your shop and of course don't get me started on your home! Score at HG"s which of course it is not hard to do right?
Loi,
I was so inspired by the post that I used it as the basis for my post today!
I hope you don't mind!
Dean
Beautiful photo's of your house and your shop Loi! You life so very stylish! Lovely photo of you too. Hope you had a good Halloween! It looks like you had some delicious treats.
Madelief
Everything about your living room is so lovely…that mirror!!! I look for dog beds at Home Good's also…and usually find a couple other goodies, too. Your topiaries are the best! I saw some at our flower mart and thought of you.
Loi,
Honestly, do your ears burn daily as I profess to many how much you inspire me. Your attention to detail and ability to share so much with each of us is such a treat. I only wish I were in your neighborhood to pop in for daily visits and to see you in person. Your warmth radiates in each and every post.
Thankful for you,
pve
Dear Loi, so kind of you to come to visit me and leave a comment. I SO loved seeing you on Tina's Enchanted Home post today. How YOU inspire us to look at our homes differently. I love her crush on topiaries now, and I think I just may have to get two of them as well to flank my little mantel! Again, your post here is so perfect. XOXOXOXO
Sometimes I'm hesitant to come visit the blog, Loi, because I know you are going to tempt me with some beautiful thing that I MUST HAVE (or I like to think I must have for a moment or two). Today I MUST HAVE EVERYTHING. It's all just SO good. Do you give your topiaries any special treatment when you bring them in for the winter?
How did we live without HG??? It is an "absolute adventure" every time…including….candy. 🙂 franki
I'm in love! Everything is beautiful!
Returning Loi, just to remind myself why I so dearly love Tone on tone pieces, the lack of colour muted soulfully.
Your world traveled pieces that make up the beauty around you leaves me breathless.
I am sharing my more detailed French wire work in making of crowns, and of course bits of salvage.
See you soon and you refined beauty.
Did all your topiaries sell? Wish I were closer so I could have taken a few beauties off your loving green thumbed hands.
Xx
Dore
Looking forward to spending the holidays here with you and your all is calm.
All your items are so exquisite Loi, your shop is a must-stop for me for sure when I get to go to your part of the country! I was just gonna ask about your topiaries, glad you cleared it out , really want one, a living display from YOU! Anyway, hope all is well my friend, you look good and good luck with the guests!
Loi, those pillows are very pretty! Beautiful decor, I love everything here!
Great summary, composition almost perfect.