La Belle Époque Backyard Tour

It is a beautiful sunny morning here on the ridge, and I couldn’t resist grabbing my camera and snapping some photos of the backyard and gardens.  It is such a relaxing oasis for us and we are very fortunate to be surrounded by such amazing scenery in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky.

I’ll show you the back today and post about the front later.  There’s lots of landscaping.  Here is a view of the back of our house.  Please forgive the glare of the sun….

There are stairs to the left (which takes you to the garden overlook) and right (which takes you to the garage side of the house).

Last year our backyard was featured on Pikeville’s Garden Tour.

Let’s start with the left side.  This is the view as you come to the top of the stairs. We had the cobbled stone laid in a couple different places on the property.  This gate leads you to our side yard.

And, there’s the bench we sit on that overlooks Pikeville.

The city of Pikeville below.  Yes, we really do live on top of a mountain.

This is the view as you are sitting on the bench.

This is the only magnolia tree that I have and it sits just outside the sunroom window.  It is getting ready to bloom although you can’t tell in this photo.  Love my cherub statue.

Headed back down the steps.

Reclaimed log with an artisan made concrete leaf.  I like to have cool things hidden in the landscape.  They add an unexpected surprise and excite the senses when found.

Looking toward the pool house.

All of the stone is bluestone.  The planter on the wall is made from an antique piece of French iron fencing and a vintage French copper gutter (which you can’t see because of the flowers).  The daisies are beginning to bloom.

The pool is concrete and gunite with a raised hot tub.  The waterfall is one of my favorite features.  It has such a soothing sound.  My husband and I like to say it’s a small pool or a large water feature!  We’d already had pools with diving boards and slides in the past, and didn’t want that type to maintain when the kids left home.  So I guess it’s more of a grown-up pool.

This is the dog run, although Murphy never runs.  LOL  He reminds us that Cavaliers are definitely lap dogs who like to lay around.

Looking back toward the house.

Some of our property over the hill.

I’m gonna have to replace that icky looking umbrella.  The sun has faded it terribly.  When it is raised it has lights underneath that look pretty at night. 

The lavender is shooting up and looks like it is going to do well again this year.

Here is what we call the garden wall.  The roses were blooming during prom, but aren’t doing so well now.

This is a late 1800s poly-chromed terra cotta freize that came from an old building in Chicago.  You can see it came in pieces and our stone mason was nervous about tiling it into the new stonework.  But, I love architectural details like this and had to have it when we found it at Architectural Salvage in Louisville.

All of the hot tub, outdoor kitchen, and garden wall stonework was cut, chiseled, and laid by hand in separate individual pieces.

Steps to the hot tub.  The lavender smells so good.

Our landscaper used a lot of large boulders in the landscape that came from the back of the house when they were excavating.

The outdoor kitchen area.

It’s not very big, but we were able to add a sink, an outdoor cooktop in addition to the grill, and an under the counter refrigerator. This set of furniture is by Gloster.  It’s probably my favorite outdoor furniture and is made in England.

This is the loggia.  We love to hang out here in the evenings when all of the outdoor lighting and pool lights are on.

Most all of the other furniture pieces are either Lloyd Flanders or from the French company Fermob.   I really need to get new cushions next year!!!

These are the stairs to the right leading to the garage side of the house.

There’s a large field to the left and this is where we took some of the prom pictures of the group of kids.

Coming back down the stairs.

Murphy and Ollie checking out the water temperature!  You can rest assured neither one will jump in!

I have basil growing on the balcony for fresh summer caprese salads.

I showed you my hydrangeas in the front yard yesterday, but these are potted on the balcony.

The fencing around most of the property is aluminum, but we wanted something special for the balcony and had this wrought iron design custom made with gold fleur-de-lis.

And, lastly the view from the balcony. I have coffee out here a lot on summer mornings.  The balls in the pool are stainless steel and make for great pool decorations when we are entertaining.  I think I got them from CB2 a couple years ago.

It is a privilege to live in the Appalachian Mountains.  We see deer, turkey, and fox regularly here on the ridge.  But they are safe…..there’s no hunting allowed in the city limits!!!

BTW….for those of you who watched the Hatfields & McCoys mini-series starring Kevin Costner on the History Channel this past week, I live in THE Pikeville where a lot of the feud took place.  I can just about see the Dils Cemetery where Randall and Sarah McCoy are buried from my house and the original courthouse still stands downtown.   Lots of history here…

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend,

Kim

Linking up to:

Favorites on the First: Gardens at The Polo House

Garden  Tour Linky Party at Jennifer Rizzo

A French Antique & Fresh Flowers

The hydrangeas are blooming, the hydrangeas are blooming!!! Yay!

Now, what to do with these beauties?  They look so pretty in the front landscape, but I love to cut a few and use them in different places.

Do you know what a lavabo is?

Lavabo: salle de bains or sink, washbowl

Homegrown hydrangeas and an antique French cast iron and enamel lavabo =

Très Magnifique!

What more can I say?

One of my favorite French finds, it is mounted on our outdoor loggia.  A lavabo is a wall sink used indoors or out, with a water reservoir and basin.  This is an especially lovely cast iron example with the original blue-gray enamel over porcelain decorative insert.  The top lifts off so you can fill it with water and there’s a small spigot at the bottom.

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I purchased this awesome French chippy white iron lavabo last year at European Antique Market.  I’m selling this one.

Ahh, dreaming of the French countryside.  Here’s to a wonderfully Frenchy Friday with French garden antiques.

Au Revoir,

Kim

Linking up to:

Favorite on the First: Gardens at The Polo House

Garden Tour Linky Party at Jennifer Rizzo

French Focus- Three Artists: Part 2

In a previous post, I gave you information about the French-American artist Charles Levier.

Today, I’ll cover the other two artists.

First, is Victor Ferreri (1915-2009). He was a French post-Impressionist painter.

So little is known about him, that’s about it!  But I did find a couple more examples of his work through Google.

This is the Ferreri oil on board painting that I own.  It is small at 10” X 14”.  It is such a charming depiction of a village set on a hill.

It is signed in the lower right corner V Ferreri.  I purchased this from European Antique Market in Louisville, and Shawn herself brought this back from France. Lucky me!

Below is another example that I found of his work at auction on Google.   It, too, is a small oil on board.

Another of Ferreri’s pieces.

 

Finally, we have Paul Lambert, whose artwork is currently on my wish list.  Again, Belle Maison Antiques in Lexington is the purveyor of this exceptional oil on canvas.

Paul Lambert, a French painter (peintre) was born in 1910. He reputedly lived and worked in the artistic community of Montmartre, the famous night club and cafe district in North Paris.

In general, he made oil paintings (peintre de l’huile) of Parisian cityscapes around Montmartre and the banks of the Seine. He probably was one of the many artists who painted for the tourist trade at the Place de Tertre, exhibiting their art work on the mall of the cathedral. 

This Lambert oil painting is typical of his Paris cityscapes done with sharp lines and muted colors. There is something so compelling about this painting.

The following information is from Michele Carolla, director of European paintings and decorative arts for Neal Auction Co.

Paul Lambert, b. 1910, is a French painter known for his depiction of Parisian scenes, such as views from the left Bank of the Seine.  Little else is known about this artist, except that he regularly illustrated images of life in Paris, especially that of the artistic community of Montmartre, where he probably lived.

It is entirely possible that he was one of many artists who worked, and still work, at the Place de Tertre, painting for the tourist trade.  The area is similar to Jackson Square, in that artists congregate around the mall of the cathedral, displaying their work for passers by.

He employed a cool palette combined with a very precise dark line to capture the vitality of the city.  There is a pleasing quality to his work, though it retains a somewhat “postcard” feel.  While not widely known, Lambert’s paintings have occasionally turned up at auction.  His work does best when the specific site is identified.

(st. Pierre Du Montmartre)

(view of Notre Dame Paris, From The Back Side)

Parisian Street Scene

This painting is titled on the frame: ‘Le quai de l’horlage’ ( ‘The landing of the clock’).

Another Parisian Street Scene

I’m excited about the thoughts of working on building a French art collection.  I used to buy a lot of lithographs, but am now concentrating on original art and antique engravings.  While Charles Levier is much more widely known, I think these other two artists are equally charming and at least, documented.

One great piece of art can make a room!

Ebay currently has several of Levier’s oils for sale (but a bit pricey at $4,000 – $18,000) and a couple Lambert’s.  I’ll have to see if I can talk Hubby into investing in the Lambert painting in Lexington.  Who knows?

Happy Decorating and Collecting!

Kim