{FADE TO DUST}

A grandeur slightly faded, becoming ethereal and otherworldly is darkly romantic, quite desirable in every way. Roomscapes as well as the objects they contain improve greatly with age. The lapse of time produces glimpses of other incarnations, the hidden secrets, forgotten and largely unseen. Sentience slowly awakens, belongings thought to be inanimate suddenly breathe... Trust me, dear ones, for I know of what I speak... 

{Decrepit upholstery can become a home for birds, ghosts & other spirits}

When accumulating a collection of antiques much is made of a prim and proper appearance. There are those that covet perfection above all leaving many objects simply astray, cast off or otherwise orphaned. I adore the decadently disheveled, the slightly sorrowful are always welcome amid our walls. Forsaken furnishings have found a home with us, content once again. Crumbling frames hold hazy vistas; mirrors' silvery faces clouded with age. Our curio cabinets hold abandoned oddities rescued from a certain fate. We listen closely to their whispers and the strange tales that they tell...

{Find fragments of Gothic Revival wallpaper throughout this post}

Often we converse with our Black Baroque Luxuries creations for they too contain pieces of the past. Vintage jewels and elderly gems are often incorporated, glittering darkly under the patina of time. Tatters of tulle are reclaimed, as well as bits of old fashioned lace. Silken shards, forlorn and frayed, add antiquated elegance when combined with fabrics faded to a subtle shade... Perhaps you will find conversing with cushions rather capricious but we invite you to hear their murmurings and tell us what you hear... 

Gather here is a feast of deliciously distressed décor... Enjoy! ~Splendor 

 

{BLACK BAROQUE LUXURIES} Skull & Bones Society

{THE INFERNAL STAG}

It took of series of days to bring the Infernal Stag into being. We incorporated and combined many relics and charms that we collected for this object. Each embellishment used has a certain significance and meanings, a message into woven the overall design. This ritual sculpture is in our personal collection, a companion and guardian of our journeys...

{BRIAR ROSE OTTOMAN ENSEMBLE}

Drawing inspiration from the vicious rose, this ottoman ensemble is a fairy tale darkly told... Perhaps the perch of a wicked stepmother or throne of a cruel queen, this collection of finery is clad in blood red velvets, onyx silk with ruby accents throughout... 

 

{MEMENTO MORI ENSEMBLE}

Deathly, yet decadent this Reliquary Ensemble features our Skull of Aries sculpture. This sculpture is entirely hand assembled blending the techniques of collage and sewing with a bit of sorcery and otherworldly inspirations... It is highly decorative from every angle and truly one of a kind from the organic nature of the ram skull itself to the divergent materials used in its conjuring. Several skull encrusted cushions add to the air of darkness and decay...

We invite you to (our not so secret) society of skulls and bones, dear ones... Enjoy!  ~Splendor

{COURTESANS OF COLOR PART I} The Purple Paramour

Among the cast of characters that accompany us in our studio, the Courtesans of Color are perhaps the most important... Some may say that mere harlots haunt our halls, glittering in gems and garish in nature. These naysayers are quite mistaken for these mysterious muses act as our advisers as we weave their sensuous shades throughout our designs. Introductions are in order, dear ones, and our violet vixen shall be the first of many... 

{A truly wicked Victorian wallpaper}

{Set Design by Anthony Holland 1940s}

The color purple in all of its many manifestations from luscious lavender to elegant aubergine is an endless source of inspiration. The perfect shade of dusty plum is quite delicious, while amethyst, a decadent delicacy indeed. When conjuring creations in the colorway, we call on the illustrious Lady Nightshade. A word to the wise, one should be cautious when seeking her icy embrace for this paramour of purple quite lives up to her name... A perilous poisoner, Lady Nightshade spends her endless hours in a reverie of beauty, darkness and demise… 

{Set Design by Anthony Holland 1940s}

Windows veiled in cobwebs and lace reveal the parlor where our lady plucks the fruit of her poisonous flowers, ever plotting her next victim. A lilac haze of perfumed potions waft amid her sorrowful salon, bookshelves hold wicked plots, her curio cabinet a crypt. Upon plump pillows, evil notions rest...   The first cushion and namesake created with Lady Nightshade's assistance resides at the lovely Insomniac'sAttic and by all accounts is quite content (and HOPEFULLY well behaved....) *wink* ~Splendor 

{Purple hued draperies and passementerie}

For more of this curious color, please visit our Pinterest board The Purple Parlor.

{Set Design by Anthony Holland 1940s}

{CONJURING CAMELOT PART II} Crowning Glory

Perhaps, dear ones, this post is inspired by a certain (not so) chivalric soap opera that is all the rage at the moment or perchance I am just in the mood for dark medieval times done right... A noted Arthurian scholar once astutely stated that "Camelot, located nowhere in particular, can be anywhere". Thus, one's décor should receive the royal treatment whenever possible, a golden age conjured anew. I prefer ours tinged with a bit of mystery with magic abundant at every turn...

 

{The Silver Tiara by Fernand Khnopff 1900}

{King sized tiebacks, regal indeed}

Amid our mouldering walls we consort with a strange cast of characters that inspire us in our work. An Unholy Court of sorts comprised of courtiers and courtesans alike, as well as other odd creatures that announce their presence with a rustle of wings. Oft as not, we brush shoulders with ghostly grande dames as we go about our tasks. Strangely sentient skulls stand guard at entryways; long deceased ladies in waiting assist us in our every need.. 

{French Antique Jeweled Crown / Paris Couture Antiques}

 

{A modern take on medieval by Marie Beltrami}

A proper palace (even existing only in hazy vistas of imagination much like ours) requires several things. As dangerous liaisons are apt to occur, secret passageways and hidden doors are a must. If your walls cannot be coaxed into this cabal, the clever placement of tapestries will certainly do. As for illumination, only fire shall suffice, wrought iron tendrils and torchieres containing the flames. Bedchambers and belfries should be suspended from spindly staircases, turrets and towers only entered through a maze... A gargoyle should sit at every gable and griffins given leave to wander at will. A throne room will be requisite, as well as a dungeon adorned in cruel deeds. 

 

{A grand chair with aristocratic upholstery details}

{In medieval times it was quite acceptable to slipcover your stallion}

As to our whereabouts, we will grace the grand hall on occasion but most likely can be located deep in our lair much like the alchemists of old... Here is a bit of finery befitting a fortress from medieval times to modern day. Enjoy! ~Splendor 

{Throne Room Houghton Hall}

 

 

 

 

{LIVING AFTER MIDNIGHT}

 Well, dear ones, it has been one of those days in the studio when an assortment of light bulbs burn out simultaneously and a Stygian cast fill the air. Sitting amid gloom, it occurs to me that any decorating style can benefit greatly from turning to the dark side... A quaint cottage will transform when bathed only in moonlight; the most stately manor will appear quite malevolent in the dead of night. Thus, the witching hour is a wonderful time to decorate to your black heart's desire... 

 

As darkness falls gather shadows and tuck them throughout your interior. If they prove difficult to catch wisps of tulle and tatters of taffeta will surely suffice. Cloak furnishings in melancholy, dress chairs in shades of soot and coal. Clad mirrors and mantels in proper attire as well, for shrouds and veils shall only enhance a midnight mood. 

 

Conscript a small army of candle sticks & candelabras to the service of darkness. Corners hold their secrets when illuminated only by candlelight, hallways become perilous paths... Draperies drenched in shadows elongate to elaborate proportion, while apparitions hold court in the eves, all basking in the infernal glow. 

 

 

Next, conjure a constellation of decorative accents throughout the sombre stands of twilight now assembled. Chandeliers, who surely speak the language of the night shall become shimming stars as silvery sconces capture Luna's light. Invite a cast of characters to keep company with in your nocturnal revelries. Pretty paintings by day become a perilous portrait gallery at night, masks turn wicked, statues suddenly sentience, stalk among the finery... 

 

Now that we have crowned darkness triumphant, let's dim the lights and welcome the oncoming night... Gathered here are some darkly delicious roomscapes... Enjoy! xoxo ~Splendor 

 

{OBJECT OF DESIRE} Part I:

Ever on the search for all things fabulous, I find myself rather smitten with this Rococo Revival chair and ottoman. Currently held captive in the venerable halls of the Victoria & Albert Museum, this set must simply be ours. Festooned in carved ivory, richly upholstery in red and accented throughout with onyx, it is truly an object of lustful desire... *sigh* Created by the craftsmen of Berhampur, India in the 1820s, and described at the time to show 'vulgarity and bad taste' it would be PERFECTLY paired with our Death's Key Coffin Cushion and would have a proud place in our parlor... ~Splendor 

{DEATH’S KEY COFFIN CUSHION}

A cryptic collage of vintage jewelry forms the center piece medallion of this cushion. An antique skeleton key (guarded by a grinning skull) sits upon a festoon of tattered silk, tassel trim and bullion fringe. To each side, a set of metal rosettes detailed with blood red stones and crystal teardrops suspended on a silver chain. The velvet ground fabrics (burgundy on the front, onyx on the back) are the very last fragments of a vintage drape. At the pillow edge, a blackened bauble trim and tarnished cording make this cushion complete. 

 

{Chair Detail}