Villa Vizcaya

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—01. The gardens.

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Villa Vizcaya is the former estate of a wealthy businessman named James Deering. It’s located on Biscayne Bay in the Coconut Grove neighbourhood in Miami. The property was designed by Paul Chalfin, a former curator, interior designer and painter, who helped Deering assemble a collection of antiquities, art items and architectural elements. Together they successfully created an estate that resembles an old Italian Renaissance villa. The main draw is the beautiful, expansive and well-maintained gardens. Considered to be one of America’s most important Gilded Age estates, and now open to the public, I highly recommend stopping by if you find yourself in Miami.

—Vizcaya Museum & Gardens

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Chris John Dewitt in America

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—01. The Cornwall Building, New York 1987.

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I recently came across an interesting collection of photos taken by Chris John Dewitt during his visits to America in the 1970s and '80s. He covers cities like New York and Los Angeles, but also everywhere in-between, in both black and white and colour. He includes notes and information with each image: telling us where it was taken and what has changed in the location since. It’s a fun read as well as a valuable resource.

—Chris John Dewitt in America

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Visiting Noguchi's Playscape

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—01-02. Piedmont Park Conservancy.

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Isamu Noguchi (November 17, 1904 – December 30, 1988) was a popular Japanese-American designer, sculptor, architect, and craftsman. Noguchi is probably best known for his eponymous coffee table produced by Herman Miller and his Araki Light Sculptures; both considered to be modernist classics. He was also a landscape architect creating gardens, parks and special commissions like Playscape – which is located in my hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. Built in Piedmont Park in 1976, the set of colourful, architectural, multipurpose concrete and metal pieces have recently been restored and now look brand new, making a visit especially worthwhile even for adults.

—The Noguchi Museum

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Bazar des Poilus

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—01. Abandoned country house.
—02. French Workwear Jacket.

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Bazar des Poilus is the online home of Leonard Vintage Store in Lyon, France and they stock an impressive selection of antique French clothing. Owned by vintage hunter Frédéric Marc Marion they focus on garments that date back between 40 and 140 years. Indigo linen coats, blue moleskin pants that have been repaired, and patched French work jackets are just the beginning. I imagine the stuff goes quickly, so check back often.

—Bazar des Poilus