Chers Amis du l’Ecole du Bon Gout, Bonjour d’Uzes !! You may think the hot sun here in Provence has fried Professor Smith’s brain when you read this, but I actually have been wanting to address this touchy subject for some time. Artificial flowers!! I think they can be “bon Gout”!! They are not a…
Elixir: Chocolate Chaud
Chers Amis du l’Ecole du Bon Gout, Bonjour!! Hot chocolate, which the Spanish conquistadors discovered was Montezuma’s favorite drink, has had a colorful history ever since!Originally this exotic new drink, bewitched all who drank it. It was thought by some to have been a health drink, an aphrodisiac, ( banned by the Catholic church for…
Is less really “more” ??????
Chers Amis de l’ Ecole du Bon Gout!!! Bonjour!! The April issue of Vanity Fair magazine had two adds which came as a delightful surprise for me to see in a contemporary magazine!! What made them surprising was their use of very bon gout 17th and E.18th century French antiques in deluxe 18th century architectural settings. Evidently the stylists for these…
Tower at Lake Martin, Louisiane
Bonjour!! Find here some photos that give an impression of the exterior and interior of my tower at Lake Martin, Louisiane. Enjoy!!Mes Amities,Robert E. SmithVisit the Au Vieux Paris Antiques homepage (click here)Browse a sampling of the merchandise available (click here)Mes Amities,Robert E. Smith (337) 332-2852http://www.auvieuxparisantiques.com
The plasma screen’s ancestor: the “vue d’optique”!!!
Chers Amis du Bon Gout, Bonjour!! Today many people spend a lot of time having escape, travel, informational or other forms of “virtual” experiences by viewing a high tech TV screen. Beginning in England in the mid eighteenth century, a new type of colored engraving and instruments to view them were invented which quickly spread to neighboring France…
Easy formula for successful entertaining!
Chers Amis du Bon Gout , Bonjour! With days getting warmer and longer, you probably are thinking of celebrating Spring’s arrival with some entertaining. For this endeavor, I like to have a formula for success which is both “guest pleasing” and also easy on me the host. For dinner parties, I find the formula that works best is 1)simple foods prepared…
The Richness of Antique Textiles!
Chers Amis, Bonjour students of Bon Gout!! There is a unique “old world” richness and feeling that just happens when you use antique textiles in your décor, that doesn’t seem to happen by any other means! No matter whether it is an entire wall paved with a fabulous antique tapestry or just a few throw pillows on the…
Upholstery”transformation”
Chers Amis du Bon Gout, Bonjour d’Uzes!! Even though we are continuing to enjoy incredibly sunny “Spring like” days here drawing us outside, I have been doing several indoor decorating projects.A few years ago I was successful in changing the yellow color of the damask upholstery of the head and foot board of a bed into a blueish green color…
A wonderful treat by day & by night.
Chers Amis du “Bon Gout” , Bonjour d’Uzes!! Here in Uzes, the weather has been miraculously warm and gloriously sunny by day with intense blue skies overhead. With such great bright natural light days, at night I have noticed, all the more, how important candle and fire place lighting is to me and my guests. Besides candlesticks and chandeliers, pairs…
Small tables of taste and function
Chers Amis du l’Ecole du Bon Gout! The very best experiences of my trip to Provence were spent visiting with good friends. Much of this time, we were seated around a dining room table or in a salon in comfortable chairs next to “occasional” tables. Today, I will address the subject of these small to…
