{travel: contemporary lodge, scotland}

. . . quite taken with interior designer Suzy Hoodless' Contemporary Lodge in Scotland, a perfect combination of modern and rustic, and then there's the view . . .

After last summer's trip to Edinburgh and Glasgow, and a haunting {and terribly romantic} boat ride on the loch in Inverness, have been drawn to the compelling beauty of Scotland as if under a spell . . .

{all images www.suzyhoodless.com}

See also this post at A Merry Mishap.

{laced with style}

{image: "newcastle" by wildquaver8 on flickr}

While I can appreciate the sheer prettiness and femininity of lace, I never imagined it coming back into fashion . . .

The history of lace dates as far back as the fifteenth century, when Charles the Fifth required lace-making to be taught in the schools and convents of the Belgian provinces. At this time, lace was solely based in fashion, mainly to replace embroidery as a means of transforming dresses to follow differing styles of fashion, since, unlike embroidery, lace could be removed from one material and placed on another.

Many styles and techniques of lacemaking have developed since, and almost all of them in these very Belgian provinces, making it known as the birthplace of lace.

The use of lacy patterns in design is not new (Marcel Wanders' 1996 Knotted Chair immediately comes to mind, or Thomas Paul's Gothic Dinner Plate Set). Below are a few examples of modern interpretations of this very old and very beautiful artform.

{A new use for the lace doily by Paul Lowe, via Emma's beautiful blog}


{A tear-sheet of an old Chloe advert, most likely from British Vogue}

{Lacy lamp at Glamchic}

{Window in the Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur by Shilpi Singh}

{Pretty, lacy accessories from a tear sheet from (most likely) Gotham}

{Marcel Wanders Studio Crochet Chair, hand-crocheted and coated with a fibre resin--via Maison Lunatique}

{The amazing Gothic Excavator sculpture on the Belgian coast by the often controversial, always thought-provoking Belgian conceptual artist Wim Delvoye}


{Renovated terrace house in Melbourne via All Things Bright and Beautiful}


{Lacy architectural features via Desire to Inspire}

Sand-blasted white carrera marble console via Maison Lunatique}

{Windowsill in Lanark, Scotland, taken this summer}

{happy weekend & edinburgh in pictures}

{Click here to view GLASGOW in pictures}

{history of tartan & plaid}

Couldn't very well return from a beautiful trip to Scotland without writing about tartan and plaid . . .

Tartan is associated the world over with the kilt, the national dress of Scotland, and the history of both goes hand in hand.

Tartan is a material that can be woven from many colours and was originally a sort of uniform for distinguishing the many clans in the Highlands and islands of Scotland and can be traced as far back as the middle of the 5th Century to Ireland, where the Scots originated.

The very first form of tartan is nothing like its modern day counterpart, being a type of shirt that ended just above the knee, known as léine in Irish Gaelic. It is generally accepted that it was made of linen, and although the earliest references to this garment describe it as light-coloured, it may have been of a darker yellow shade which led to the English describing it as a saffron shirt.

In later times, coloured stripes were incorporated into the léine to indicate the rank of the wearer--the first attempts at what is now known as tartan. For instance, a High King wore seven stripes, one of these being purple, the colour of royalty.

With the new abundance of a growing number of sheep herds in the land, the plaid grew from being little better than a rug to a long piece of material between 12 and 15 feet in length, which the Highlanders would pleat round their waists in folds and pull over their heads like a hood and use as a blanket at night.

By 1730 the patterns had evolved from simple stripes and patterns into what today would be called tartan, from the French word tartaine.

After the defeat of the Jacobites at Culloden, the English Army routed the Highlands, destroying the Highlanders' way of life, banning clan tartans and destroying cloth-making equipment, including sett-sticks. Yet even at their lowest ebb, the Highlanders rebelled, wearing trousers of their tartan, subtly woven.

Football (soccer) teams, even countries have commissioned their own tartan, emphasising the importance and emotion that the people of Scotland attach to tartan and the sense of kinship that has been an integral part of Scottish culture.

{images: 1+2: Holt's Women's Fall 2007; rest: Dolche & Gabbana Fall 2008 RTW via Style.com; bottom, Burrberry; copy: special thanks to the BBC}

{happy friday & glasgow in pictures}

{the glass house, edinburgh}

If you find yourself in Edinburgh, Scotland, and looking for a seriously lovely place to lay your weary traveler's head, check in to The Glass House, a boutique hotel that offers a rooftop garden with an amazing view of the city and the coast, spacious balconies, lounge areas with an indoor firepit, and the best service you're likely to receive anywhere. Also, since I'm a little like The Princess and the Pea -- completely fell in love with the amazingly comfortable beds that almost made me forget I was not at home . . .