A trip to Sword & the Rose got me thinking about spaces, and a rambling walk down to Samovar opened my eyes a little more. I’ve always felt that any happymaking work in my life would need to involve the creation of space; art installations that remove the viewer from the present moment into tiny worlds, shops & window displays that you want to take home with you or stay in forever, bringing folks to the natural beauty of Vermont to just let everything go in the gold & green of the woods.
Sword & the Rose transports me every time I walk into it, I walk out feeling more magical, brighter, lighter, more in love with the world. Where do you feel this way? Why don’t we create these spaces everywhere?
These palm trees lined the street next to a huge Mediterranean style villa.
This is my new favorite house in San Francisco. It was entirely dark, and painted a deep matte charcoal grey. The tiny arched windows at the top are perfection, and the hobbit-like entryway stole my heart. I want to live in the attic and send baskets down to the street with messages. Also, there was a curious pile of bricks in front of the house. Maybe they are bricking up secret passageways.
walking past fairy lights in trees & lamps like wasp’s nests.
Oh why oh why?
Sword and the Rose! Samovar!
It’s funny, but ever since I left SF- I can’t stop thinking about wanting to have a shop. Mainly, I think just so that I could do just this very thing- create magical spaces. Luckily, it’s what I do for a living anyway.. But! Herbs from the ceiling! Baskets of treasure on pulleys! Tea and beeswax.
One day..
you are a magical space!
i love how uncommon objects is tiny little views into so many people & the spaces they make, but i agree – a whole angeliska shop would be perfection also. no one would want to leave, though, and you would be trapped there.
Oh, how gorgeous! I completely agree with you. It takes hardly any more effort to make a space beautiful, but so few people bother. I used to work at a shop that sold only fairy-related items – costumes, ornaments, books etc – and it had a grotto upstairs and a fairy garden out the back where we threw children’s birthday parties. It was such a beautiful place, I loved working there (I was the assistant manager and also worked as one of the ‘Fairy Queens’ who dressed up and ran the parties). The shop is closed now, sadly, but I would love to run a place like that one day.
Wow, long comment, sorry! I love your blog.
Andrea xx
Andrea – that sounds so perfect an amazing, what a fun place to work! Have you seen those books that make fiary houses out of tree stumps, etc? Add that to the “why didn’t I market this first” list, haha!
http://www.fairyhouses.com/home.html
Not enough time in the world for everything I’d love to do…
Wow, I had forgotten all about the Sword & the Rose. In fact, for some reason, I thought it had shut. Is it really still there in Cole Valley? That little block or two is magical in genral.
A magical space you might want to check out on your side of the water is The Sacred Well.
http://www.sacredwell.com/