tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-410035090306749692.post502467115512220427..comments2024-03-18T10:48:14.525-07:00Comments on Balintore Castle Restoration Project: Hand-Tinted Postcards, Subtle and Not SoDavidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04217306675998382738noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-410035090306749692.post-42316098605019959132019-09-21T03:59:52.690-07:002019-09-21T03:59:52.690-07:00I think that little money makes us more inventive....I think that little money makes us more inventive. I am always broke but I think that I have some lovely things, usually left overs or street finds, you could furnish a chateau with what the French put on the pavement! I did a few projects with Philippe Starck and was friends with his wife ( now divorced) and when I moved into a new flat she offered me stuff from one of their hundred storage units ! it was Inlaid chests, murano chandeliers etc but I told her that in the real world people Don't have 15 feet high ceiling and 50 m2 rooms ,, she meant well but I had to say no ( painfully ) I once dragged a heavy lions foor wardrobe base and two oil paintings home at night when walking the dogs! and anothre night it was a 1930s oak chest of drawers ( I went home for a trolley ) and I still have those things. xxxMrs Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04630340544742247984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-410035090306749692.post-75104978894871733062019-09-21T03:39:06.322-07:002019-09-21T03:39:06.322-07:00I envy you the SA experience! :-) Actually, having...I envy you the SA experience! :-) Actually, having no money makes decorating Balintore very easy. With 85 rooms to furnish, I just buy the cheapest Victorian brocante out there - it's authentic and inexpensive and no interior decorator has imposed their socially-aspirant regimented aesthetic.<br /><br />Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04217306675998382738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-410035090306749692.post-78747721908304654392019-09-21T03:33:44.799-07:002019-09-21T03:33:44.799-07:00Yes it's easy to judge the super rich. I used ...Yes it's easy to judge the super rich. I used to dress the Saudi Royals and when I stayed over in SA I was amazed by their taste, the incredible collections, not flashy but really authentic and they even had ancient Tibetan prayer rolls and Chinese silver wire embroidered panels on the walls. The most amazing thing was the silvered horse armour above the sofa, the jewel incrusted daggers just lying on the table and the huge wall of rough hewn slate as a fireplace, high end mid century style. Not that it was ever lit ! Yes some of the mega rich are so afraid of being labelled tasteless that they get the right people in the do their homes jsut as in LA where practically no one 'does' their own home ,,, xxxMrs Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04630340544742247984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-410035090306749692.post-72905978879467227802019-09-21T03:28:09.465-07:002019-09-21T03:28:09.465-07:00Just spoken to a friend who has visited Balnagowan...Just spoken to a friend who has visited Balnagowan and she confirmed that al Fayed's pad has high fences all around. :-( Actually, I am fond of al Fayed's Egyptian staircase at Harrods. I hope it has not been dismantled. So I would not pre-judge an interior before seeing it.<br /><br />A high end architect I know, says it is 50/50. Some rich buyers of Scottish estates do honour the original style and alterations/restorations are done with great taste. Others blunderbus the interior with "nouveau riche" trappings. I try to take an optimistic historical perspective. We now enjoy Victorian "nouveau riche" taste as charming and quirky. :-)<br />Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04217306675998382738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-410035090306749692.post-33728507197820433152019-09-21T03:13:44.092-07:002019-09-21T03:13:44.092-07:00Thanks David, I looked this up, amazing nice old c...Thanks David, I looked this up, amazing nice old country house. I only remember the trophy room, quite dark and lined with glass cases and the Builder telling me that all the taps were solid gold ( must have been gilded ) and he had the victorian conservatory torn down. I have passed there since and there are walls and fences and guards and a helicopter pad etc ,,, all the mod cons for modern billionaires !! such a pity that for the most part the only people who can afford to take on houses like that are tasteless ones ,, unless they are ruins and they find dedicated Young people to make them homes again ,,,xxxMrs Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04630340544742247984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-410035090306749692.post-60564884020015797772019-09-16T09:21:04.772-07:002019-09-16T09:21:04.772-07:00The Internet does not reveal what al Fayed has don...The Internet does not reveal what al Fayed has done to the interior, but the pre-existing interior on canmore is pretty special:<br /><br />https://canmore.org.uk/site/14541/balnagown-castle?display=image<br /><br />Oh for a look around! :-)<br />Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04217306675998382738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-410035090306749692.post-8791748682507945152019-09-16T08:31:14.013-07:002019-09-16T08:31:14.013-07:00This reminds me when Harrods owner Mahamed al Faye...This reminds me when Harrods owner Mahamed al Fayed bought Balnagowan Castle near my home in Scotland. I was a teen and walked around the castle as it was restored, he pulled own the victorian winter vérandas and installed dozens of bathrooms but the most incredible thing was his having the facade painted pink. The painter told me that instead of dark pink with light pink detail he wanted the opposite so it had to be redone. I suppose that he saved the building but I shudder to think what the Inside is like now with gold taps and elevators and indoor pool ! Yikes ! Mrs Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04630340544742247984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-410035090306749692.post-77653216889005833172019-05-30T09:44:20.686-07:002019-05-30T09:44:20.686-07:00Yes, small world! I wondered if the residents of t...Yes, small world! I wondered if the residents of the house would mind me putting the photo on the blog, but then I reflected that it is on Google StreetView already and they may be interested in past residents of the house. <br />Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04217306675998382738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-410035090306749692.post-74671589765675346772019-05-29T14:44:37.700-07:002019-05-29T14:44:37.700-07:00This is less than a mile away from me, small world...This is less than a mile away from me, small worldTony McGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11029852886893292408noreply@blogger.com