Rose et Lis: aged patina

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Past Perfect

I was inspired by a comment made yesterday on my "Which would you prefer?" post, here, by Leigha Oaks, of the inspiring Elle Oh blog. Leigha favors "ridiculously rough walls" over a more refined look.

Here are a few different ways to feature the spirit of rough luxe.

This is an 18th century home in Saintonge, France. The warm, mottled off-whites of its worn plaster walls, along with the gorgeous stone floors, create its welcoming warmth and invite you to run your hands over their smooth surface. I love the door, too.

Simply Contemporary by Henrietta Thompson Photo by Solvi dos Santos

This Norwegian bedroom wall faces the sea. To protect the home from the extreme elements, the wall was covered with old sails (probably canvas) and then painted. The wonderful craquelure that developed would be very hard to duplicate with anything new.

Simply Contemporary by Henrietta Thompson Photo by Solvi dos Santos

As this Italian home was renovated, the fresco was discovered and left in place. The whole setting is charming.

Italian Style by Jane Gordon-Clark Photo by Simon Upton

These beautifully textured walls are part of an old warehouse building in Marseilles. The inhabitant, painter Francoise Martinelli, created the collage, which becomes the room's focus on the white-ish walls.

Simply Contemporary by Henrietta Thompson Photo by Solvi dos Santos

In this bedroom, interior designer David Kaihoi and his wife, Monique Simard, found a tattered pile of hand-painted, 18th century Chinese wallpaper at an auction. They found three scenes, placed them on the walls and filled in the gaps with bits and pieces.