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To Die For
Do you ever see something and say, “If I died and came back as a
_________ (fill in the blank), I would want to be that one.” I do. Granted,
I have a flair for the dramatic. But still. Sometimes a designer – or artist,
photographer, architect – creates something so original, so beautiful that one
can’t help but be awed. Luxe & Lucid will be highlighting some of these
objects d’art from time to time. So extraordinary, each piece stands alone.
If I died and came back as an …
ACCESSORIES COLLECTION
R & Y Augousti
Ria and Yiouri Augousti
20 years ago, through the grace of the design gods, Ria and Yiouri Augousti met in
London. They fell in love, married, and formed the company R&Y Augousti. From the
beginning, their design sensibilities were a match made in heaven. Traveling the world, they
select exotic skins, stones and other natural materials for their furniture and accessories
collections. Sculptural, textural and drop-dead gorgeous, each piece is a work of art. And
attention men: if there is a chic, worldly woman in your life whom you want to impress, this
is the answer. Forget diamonds, forget the Mercedes. When you give a woman a gift from
R&Y, you are telling her she is an exquisite, remarkable creature like no other. Perfection.
103 Rue du Bac
Paris
33 (0)1.42.22.22.21
(photos courtesy of augousti.com)
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H&C a la Montreux
As mentioned in last week’s post, I have been in Switzerland installing a project.
And as many of you know, I’ve been working a lot lately. So even though no one
likes to spend their weekends at the office or pulling all-nighters, the magic of being an
interior designer is that you get to enjoy the tangible results of all your hardship …
THE APARTMENT IN MONTREUX IS STUNNING!
Beyond the fact that I love every single thing we installed – the wallcoverings,
the furniture, the lighting, the textiles, the accessories – the views and the town
of Montreux itself are extraordinary. The work was dirty and exhausting, but with
distractions like Lake Geneva out your window, who cares!
The apartment – day one. Umm, excuse me???
Yikes! Needless to say, this is not what we were expecting. So much for a move-in
ready apartment. This not-so-insignificant mess is a big detail for management to omit
from our conversations pre-departure. OK … take a deep breath and work the problem.
Because there is a truck full of furniture outside and it needs to be installed – somehow.
The silver lining? The view!!!
So instead of installing right away … We run errands, meet with management and vendors, clean and walk the property.
A trying and exhausting day, but it’s hard to complain in an environment like this.
At day’s end, we all need a nice dinner and a good night’s sleep.
Huntley & Co. stayed at the Suisse Majestic, so four of us had dinner in the hotel’s
restaurant – Restaurant 45 – and had a lovely time before crashing for the night.
Moving onwards and upwards on day two with deliveries.
Furnishings are in and floors are clean (for now).
Is there anything more satisfying than progress?!
In days three and four, wallpaper goes up and we unpack all the accessories.
It may be a mess, but it’s my favorite kind of mess … Christmas in September!
We often ran errands during the day because there was always something else we
or our installers needed. This day we stopped for lunch at the Hotel Eden du Lac.
Yep, just another day in Montreux.
After another couple of days of cleaning and styling, we have a finished apartment. Almost.
There were a few things (besides the original mess) that didn’t go as planned. The artwork
for the foyer was damaged in transit, one of the beds was missing from the delivery and the
Swiss team hired by the property didn’t finish all of their work. One of the workers literally
laughed in our faces when we told him to go buy the part he needed and to come back. So it
looks like I’ll have to go back to Switzerland in October to wrap up the final details.
Bummer ; )
Tricia
P.S. A huge thank you to our Swiss logistical team Kuehne + Nagel!
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25 Signs You May Be Working Too Much
Greetings from Switzerland!
Huntley & Co. is in Montreux this week installing a residence on Lake Geneva. Yes, I’m a lucky girl. But as is often the case, leaving town for a week requires a lot of overtime at the office prior to departure. You have to get your ducks in a row (see item 4 below) for your employees, your other clients and your personal life. And there is never enough time. Rather than looking for sympathy, you might as well find a little humor in the situation. I started generating the list below on Friday thinking it would be ten items long. By Monday, I was up to twenty-five and completely delirious from a lack of sleep. It was all worth it though. All is going well here in Montreux and I know everything is running smoothly back home in DC as well. Now if I could just get some sleep!
1. Your to-do list is 4 pages long, has a table of contents and an addendum.
2. You don’t know what day (or month, or year) it is.
3. You can feel your eyeballs scraping the inside of your eyelids.
4. You use phrases like “ducks in a row” ad nauseum.
5. You are aware of DC’s disturbingly high nocturnal rat population.
6. Coffee has replaced one of the four main food groups.
7. At least 3 times a day you walk across a room and can’t remember why once you get there.
8. Your keyboard has developed a strange film on it.
9. You looked better when you had the flu last winter.
10. Your dog has abandonment issues.
11. Your laundry pile resembles Mount Everest.
12. Eating dinner at midnight seems reasonable.
13. Bathroom breaks are a nuisance.
14. Your communication skills have regressed to the first grade level.
15. Your significant other thinks there may be someone else.
16. Walking out of the house and leaving something behind incites tears.
17. The beautiful weather pisses you off.
18. Friends are mad at you because your emails of late have been “curt”.
19. You catch a little shut-eye by closing your eyes as you walk.
20. “Twitchy” is an understatement.
21. You would sell your soul for a few extra hours.
22. A sisal floor is surprisingly comfortable for napping.
23. You realize you have no business operating a motor vehicle.
24. You miss the good ol’ days of the recession.
25. You create entertaining lists like this so you can cope.
See you back in the states!
Tricia xo
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Volt
I had an incredible evening on Wednesday. I received a last minute invitation from
a favorite client to join her for dinner at VOLT in Frederick, Maryland. I always love
a good meal, but I was especially excited about this venue because the head chef
is Bryan Voltaggio of Top Chef fame. His dishes were so impressive during season 6
of Bravo’s acclaimed series that I couldn’t pass up the chance to sample them for myself.
To say that our dinner was delicious is the understatement of the century. Seated at
Table 21 (aka the chef’s table), we were presented and served a 21-course tasting menu,
5 bottles of wine and a front row view of the genius at work in the kitchen. By 11 o’clock
we were nearly delirious from four hours of absolute gastronomic indulgence. Thanks go
out to my client Donna, Chef Voltaggio and the fabulous staff at Volt. What a Wednesday!
Volt is located in the historic Houck mansion in the heart of historic Frederick.
The building was originally home to the Houck sisters – six daughters of the
wealthy, local financier Ezra Houck. The 8,000 SF structure was erected in
the early 1890’s by the architectural firm J. A. Dempwolf.
Views of the foyer’s hostess stand and adjacent bar.
Chef Voltaggio, Sous Chef Graeme Ritchie and Beverage Director Neil Dundee
oversee one of the evenings courses in the kitchen as Table 21 looks on.
L to R: Graeme Ritchie, Bryan Voltaggio and Neil Dundee
Bryan Voltaggio grew up in Frederick county and began cooking at an early age.
He studied at the Culinary Institute of American in New York and worked as Sous
Chef at Aureole in Manhattan and as Executive Chef at Charlie Palmer Steak DC.
Voltaggio opened Volt in 2008 with business partner Hilda Staples.
Some of the most memorable dishes of the evening …
celeriac macaroon | foie gras
yellowfin tuna tartare | cilantro, jasmine rice, soy “air”, yuzu, avocado
The fourth course and one of my favorite plates of the night.
chilled yellow corn soup | cucumber chive salad, coconut
cherry glen farm ravioli | maitake mushroom, goat cheese
My other favorite dish. The combination of flavors was incredible.
tuscarora farm beets | arugula, goat cheese, balsamic
I love beet salad and almost always order it when dining out.
Volt’s was delicious and beautiful
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quartet of mignardises | white chocolate with sour cherry, almond macaroon with
chocolate and cardamom, madeleine, and raspberry pâte de fruits
So full at this point, I was near tears. My boyfriend looked at me in disbelief when
I nibbled each and every one of these desserts despite my distended tummy.
If your mouth is watering and you want to book a table at Volt – call now.
They are already taking reservations for 2011 … and save your appetite!
Bon appétit!
Tricia
– VOLT –
228 NORTH MARKET STREET
FREDERICK, MD 21701
(301) 696-8658
* several photos courtesy of Volt’s website and www.kevineats.com *
THE MUSINGS OF DESIGNER TRICIA HUNTLEY
