Hmmm, January.  This can be a challenging month.  The holiday sparkle has worn off, a little too much winter lies ahead and we’re all a whiter shade of pale.  I agree it’s tough to feel motivated when it’s cold and dreary outside and happiness is Haagen-Dazs and a Snuggie on Friday night.  However, I’m a January baby and a Capricorn which means I believe from problems come opportunities and there is still reason to celebrate a month as gloomy as this.  January can actually offer inspiration.  Not in an obvious way, but beneath the surface and outside the box.  As with so many things worthwhile, in January you have to dig a little deeper and work a little harder to get to the good stuff.

GARNET

January’s birthstone is like no other. The deep crimson is at once sophisticated and sultry. It has undeniable glamour, yet totally lacks pretention.

   

 Garnet jewelry is always dramatic.

Modern earrings by Caprichosa, antique Victorian brooch, Islamic ring,

  

  

 This look from Gucci is all about the lips. I have been saving this photo since fall with the intentions of replicating it for a glamorous night.

 My current garnet pedicure.

 

A stunning garnet velvet I used alongside pastel fabrics in a Virginia living room.

 And speaking of fabric …

  

 The gorgeous drape of Zac Posen on Naomi Watts at the Golden Globes. She is always red carpet perfection.

JANUS

 January is the month of Janus, the Roman god of gates and doorways.  As a designer and architecture buff, I photograph a lot of gates and doorways … actually more than I realized once I began combing through my files.

      

      

     

 – all photos from my life and travels except central image –

row 1:  Munich, Los Angeles, Hempel Hotel

row 2:  Georgetown, Melbourne residence (via est Magazine), Italy

row 3:  Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, Dubuque church, Dumbarton Oaks

THE GOAT

 Although January 19 ended Capricorn’s (i.e. the goat’s) reign, it’s never too late to have fun with die ziege.

 We found these darling little guys in Montreux.

     

       If there’s one thing most of us like to do in January, it’s eat.  And Lord knows, I love me my cheese … thank you goats!  Clearly a girl who takes photos of cheese and cheese shops (as seen here) has a thing for chevre.

     

Goatskin (often referred to as vellum or parchment) is a preferred material of designers and furniture makers both contemporary and past.  I gravitate to it myself and have selected several furniture pieces for projects over the years.  Like wood or marble, its beauty is innate and born from nature; it can’t be faked.

 Furnishings for DC, Switzerland and London Huntley & Co. projects respectively.

WHITES, GREYS & PALES

The colors of winter may seem a bit solemn, but they translate beautifully.

  

White, grey and pale works in a stark, ethereal European bedroom or in a bar/restaurant on Mallorca.

Moonstone and black onyx rings by Mathilde Danglade.

  

The concept of black and white in art stretches beyond the medium of photography.

A painting by Picasso, a photo study of a golf swing and a neon installation by Glenn Ligon.

 Perhaps the only thing that could entice me to spend an afternoon in subzero temperatures – beautiful, beguiling and utterly happy sled dogs.

Happy January.  Hopefully your new year is off to a good start!

Tricia xo