Touring the Cape May, NJ Victorian Physick Estate

I've vacationed many times in the charming seaside town of Cape May, New Jersey,
but until recently, I hadn't toured the Emlen Physick Estate.
I'm sorry I haven't done so sooner, and I encourage any 
of you who visit the area to take the time to do it!

Cape May is known for its lovely Victorian homes with gingerbread embellishments.
One of these houses, the Emlen Physick Estate, has been opened as a museum. 
The tour allows us to take a peek back in time to 
the architecture of that era and the lifestyle of its occupants. 

Emlen Physick, Jr. was from a well-to-do Philadelphia family.
His grandfather, Dr. Philip Syng Physick, is the father of American surgery.  
Emlen moved into the estate in 1879, along with his widowed 
mother Frances Ralston, and his unmarried aunt, Emilie Parmentier.

Located at 1048 Washington Street, the house was designed by Frank Furness 
in the stick style of architecture that was prevalent in Victorian times.

Architectural features to notice and appreciate include the porch brackets,
jerkinhead (clipped gable) dormers, and corbelled (upside down) chimneys.

The estate's grand entrance hall wowed me as I stepped inside.

Our docent pointed out the "lincrusta" applications on the ceiling and walls.

Lincrusta is an early version of linoleum, a design feature popular in the 1880s.

The home incorporates 8 different patterns in various rooms.

These photos show one the ceiling and another on the staircase wall.

Be sure to also notice the ornate wood trim and the gorgeous wallpaper. 

This chandelier showed off the additions of new lighting fixtures,

as they became available, on different arms of the piece.

I envisioned the family using their sitting rooms to read, work on embroidery,

play and listen to music, and enjoy one another's company.

The library contains Dr. Physick's roll-top desk.

This recliner, designed by William Morris during the 

Arts and Craft movement, is an original from the home's library.

A heavy iron cook stove dominates the kitchen.

In the servant's quarters, a row of call bells is lined above a doorway.

The one at the far right is original; the others are reproductions.
We may recognize them from the popular PBS series, Downton Abbey!

Loved sharing this experience with my lifelong friend, Suzy!

We met for a Cape May overnight and had great fun.

Here we are enjoying our favorite breakfast spot, The Mad Batter.

Here's more information to help you plan your visit!~
https://www.capemaymac.org/emlen-physick-estate

Frank Lloyd Wright's Amazing Fallingwater

A high point of my recent trip to western Pennsylvania was a tour of

Frank Lloyd Wright's architectural masterpiece, Fallingwater.

Built in 1937 for the Kaufmann family, the home is situated over a waterfall,

melding the structure and its furnishings with the idyllic mountain setting.

Cantilevers and terraces are only two of its highly recognizable design features.

I wish I could have taken photos of the interior, but photography was not permitted.

Please put this unique landmark on your bucket list; you'll be totally infatuated!

"The concept at the heart of the Fallingwater experience-
the vision of an architecture embedded in the landscape-
evokes a powerful, spiritual connection to the natural world."
-Edgar Kaufmann, Jr.

Enjoy this 4-minute video from YouTube by Frank Carmi.

You'll like its peaceful piano accompaniment.

Learn more at the Fallingwater website.

Touring the Moravian Pottery & Tile Works - Doylestown, PA

Doylestown, the county seat of our dear Bucks County, PA,

is the locale of a great museum called the Moravian Pottery & Tile Works.

We toured it, totally loved it, and now I'm excited to show you my photos!

Henry Chapman Mercer founded and built the place in 1898,

and served as its director until he died in 1930.

It's an attractive poured-concrete building with several tall chimneys.

Mercer drew his design inspiration from the Spanish architecture

of California missions in San Juan Capistrano and Santa Barbara.

Here's a close-up of the detailed tile work on one of the chimneys.

We did the self-guided tour for an affordable $5 each

and learned quite a bit about this "working history" museum.

I really recommend a visit if you've an interest in tile.

Many of the original tile designs came from iron fireplace fire-backs.

These tiles with their muted earth tones were my favorites.

An example of a tile mold for this woman hand-dipping candles.

An illustration of the process from mold to finished product.

Philadelphia's own Ben Franklin is represented.

Molds for a grape harvest, left, and Moses with the Ten Commandments on the right.

We attended this year's Tile Festival, which was wonderful!

You can read my blog post about it here.

Also in Doylestown is Henry Mercer's collection of pre-industrial age artifacts,

housed in the Mercer Museum, which I blogged about here.

Mercer's home, located right next to the Moravian Pottery & Tile Works,

is called Fonthill Castle, which we plan to tour sometime soon.

(stay tuned!)

Links for your research:

Moravian Pottery & Tile Works

Mercer Museum

Fonthill Castle

Curated Color: Wonderful White

travelinsurancetipus

This photo of the majestic Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany 

shows numerous variations of the color white. 

It inspired me to pull together this collection of whites: 

eggshell, vanilla, cream, and ivory, to name only a few.

Each shade is serene, crisp, authentic.

Textures only enhance the appeal.

aikenhouseandgardens

stylist.co.uk

cornelli

PeterHaigh

lolliepatchouli

foodnetwork

withthyneedleandthread

buzzfeed

hwtm

thefossilstore

theprincessparlour

tumblr

mykukula

deltabreezes

countryliving

agirlsrighttodream

More Curated Color:

Navy Blue

Sunshine Yellow
Warm Brown

Spring Green

Bubblegum Pink

True Blue
Outrageous Orange