Decorating and the Death of Ivan Ilych

While flipping through Pottery Barn Home the other day, I was suddenly reminded of Leo Tolstoy's short story, The Death of Ivan Ilyich. It was one of those tales I read back in University that had a lasting impact on me for some reason, though perhaps not for the reasons my Professor might have hoped.

You may recall (spoiler alert!) that Ivan Ilyich dies while trying to install some new curtains in his home. You see, Ivan has a desirable, bourgeois home he has filled with the sort of objects that the upwardly mobile fantasize about. Ironically, Ivan is completely unaware that the design choices he thinks make his home unique actually render it quite common. Worse yet, these decorating decisions ultimately lead directly to his untimely death (weekend warriors: you have been warned!).

Now, when I read Ivan Ilyich back in University, it made the sort of impression on me that such stories generally have on the young (I saw Fight Club the same year and came to the same conclusion): middle-class tastes are bad, if not downright dangerous. Perhaps this is what Tolstoy was saying, perhaps not. At any rate, these days I'm a little more hesitant about passing out judgements. I said nasty things about Ikea for years after watching Fight Club; today I'm a big fan.  I might not be fully in love with Pottery Barn, but their styles are quite pleasant, and as long as your life doesn't revolve around having the latest and greatest end tables, I don't see how it's harmful.

It could be that I'm a little older and wiser, or it could be that I've simply become a little more cynical. At any rate, these days, I can't help but think that Mr. Ilyich could have died just as easily while protesting globalization, and it wouldn't have necessarily made him a better person (thought it would have rendered him a more romantic character, to be sure).

My personal theory is that Tolstoy was tired of watching decorating shows on HGTV (or whatever the 19th century Russian equivalent) with his wife, and decided to exact his revenge by penning a scathing novella.

Now, back to Pottery Barn Home: it's a beautiful book. Yes, the interiors are the sort of thing you see everywhere. They are ubiquitous, tasteful and relaxing. I was definitely inspired by the lovely photographs. As I sat picturing the changes I would like to make to my humble abode, I was reminded of our friend Ivan:

Looking at the yet unfinished drawing room he could see the fireplace, the screen, the what-not, the little chairs dotted here and there, the dishes and plates on the walls, and the bronzes, as they would be when everything was in place.--The Death of Ivan Ilyich

 We all have a little Ivan in us, don't we?

Julia Child's Beurre Blanc

For the past few months, I've been a little more obsessed than usual about cooking. It started when my husband and I went to go see Julie and Julia a little while before the baby was born. We both loved the movie, and it inspired me to be a little more adventurous in the kitchen.

I've always loved to cook, but I've historically been rather timid when it comes to sauces. I tended to make a very good, but very safe, bechamel (and its variations) over and over again. This has changed! I have discovered that sauces are really quite simple, and so I've been charting new territory (for me) in the sauce department.

As part of my culinary inspiration, I've been reading Julia Child's My Life in France (even better than the movie!). If that book doesn't make you want to cook (or at least eat) really well, nothing will!

Sauce Beurre Blanc
1/4 cup white-wine vinegar
1/4 cup dry white wine or dry white vermouth ( I used a Sauvignon Blanc)
1 tablespoon finely minced shallots or scallions
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
8 to 12 ounces [1 to 1 1/2 cups, or 2 to 3 sticks]
chilled best-quality unsalted butter, cut into 16 or 24 pieces

1. Begin by boiling the liquids.
2. Add the shallots and salt and pepper to taste.
3. Continue to simmer on a low heat until most of the liquid has evaporated.
4. Remove from heat.
5. Add butter to this mixture a piece or two at a time, taking time after each addition to whisk the mixture vigorously until the butter has been completely absorbed into the sauce before adding more butter.

The secret to getting sauces right is having all of the ingredients prepared ahead of time! Now when I cook I try to always have everything chopped and portioned ahead of time in little containers - it makes a world of difference!

Now, beurre blanc is amazing with fish, and I had two sea bass fillets that had been sitting in the freezer for weeks. You see, I can count on one hand the number of times that I ate fish at home as a child, and I've always been afraid of it. It always seemed like it would be immensely complicated.

Sea Bass Fillets with Mushrooms- Inspired by Julia, but with some revisions.
2 teaspoons butter
2 Tablespoons minced shallot
2 fillets of fish
salt and white pepper
juice of 1/2 fresh lemon (Julia wants you to use 2/3 cup white wine and 1/3 cup fish stock)
1 c thinly sliced crimini mushrooms (I just think they look better on the fish than white mushrooms).

1. Set pan over medium heat and add butter.
2. Sprinkle shallots and cook slowly to soften without colouring.
3. Remove from heat
4. Season fillets on both sides with salt and pepper.
5. Lay in pan skin side down (where skin used to be - the skin should be removed)
6. Pour in lemon juice (should be enough to cover fish 1/2 way).
7. Lay sliced mushrooms over the fillets.
8. Put parchment paper over the pan.
9. Put on lid and bring liquid to a simmer and hold for 5 minutes. Make sure fish is cooked throughout. Serve topped with the beurre blanc.

Now, Julia's recipe (which is for sole) calls for fish stock and 2/3 cup wine, rather than the lemon juice. I'm sure she's rolling in her grave, but I didn't happen to have any fish stock lying around, and I wasn't about to use another 2/3 cup wine in the fish. Moreover, as I mentioned earlier, this was the first time I've cooked fish, and I've never had ANY fish that I really liked, so I thought the lemon juice might make it less fishy.

Well, I will stand by my own recipe for two reasons: firstly, I LOVED it. Amazing! If I do say so myself. I have no more fear of cooking fish! Secondly, even though I used the juice of 1/2 lemon, the fish did not have an overpowering lemon flavour. At all.

Now, I'm a lousy food blogger, because I have no pictures. It looked so good, and we ate it immediately. Well, almost immediately - I had my dear husband stand in the kitchen and stir the sauce for about 20 minutes while I fed the baby and put her to sleep! So, you'll have to use your imaginations, or better yet, make your own beurre blanc!

Oh, one more thing: this is a really rich sauce. I'm not sure how Julia managed to tuck into 1/2 cup of butter at a sitting, but we had a couple of tablespoons of sauce each and I ended up feeling just a wee bit ill. A cup of tea took care of that, but I'm going to have to work on my butter tolerance, as it appears I'm a bit of a lightweight in the beurre department.

Bon Appetit!

Ring House Nagano, Japan

I ran across the Ring House, designed by Takei-Nabeshima-Architects (TNA) the other day, and was enchanted. This blog tends to focus on the history of the Arts and Crafts movement, but I'm always on the lookout for modern design that reflects the principles of beauty, simplicity and utility that the Arts and Crafts movement celebrated.

Just looking at this lovely home is relaxing! Created from rings of glass and wood, the Ring House was completed in 2006 and has a 360-degree view of the forest. Because of the rings of windows, you are able to look directly through the house from every side to the woods beyond.

In his writings, William Morris continuously emphasised the importance of creating new architecture that celebrated the best of the simple medieval aesthetic, while discouraging historical reproductions (faux gothic and the like). In the past, I've struggled with this particular aspect of Morris' writing. After all, we've all seen pretty terrible examples of contemporary architecture. I've often asked myself, why not just reproduce things from the past that were beautiful and useful? I'm slowly coming around to a different point of view, however. In my view, the Ring House is an example of how we can live in and celebrate contemporary architecture while respecting the best of design traditions.

For more information, please visit the TNA website. Photo by Daici Ano courtesy www.worldarchitecturenews.com

Review: Classic Design Styles

In an effort to familiarise myself with basic interior design periods, I picked up Henrietta Spencer-Churchill's book, Classic Design Styles. It's a beautifully illustrated volume, filled with lush photographs (I freely confess that I'm all about glossy picture books).

At the beginning of the book, each section examines an historical period in English and American interior design, covering the basics, such as furniture, art, moulding and window design. The latter half focuses on "The House Today" and is considerably weaker, in my view. The author's commentary can also get a bit ponderous at times. Regarding the contemporary tendency to reserve the formal dining room for special occasions, she writes, "[o]ur hectic lifestyles and the lack of inexpensive and easily obtained domestic help have led us to adopt the originally American style of one room living." Ah, for the good old days, when we could rely on indentured servants to do the work for us. Perhaps Ms. Spencer-Churchill can look with fondness on the days of yesteryear, when the supply of desperate domestic workers exceeded the demand; however, since I probably have been stuck working for her, I can't be quite so wistful.

This book would be useful for anyone looking for a basic introduction to period design. But don't read it too carefully...unless you find the author's troglodytic tone amusing (which I did). As the dust jacket proudly proclaims, she is "the daughter of the 11th Duke of Marlborough, whose family home is Blenheim Palace", so one can forgive her for thinking that her readers may have likewise grown up in palaces. I shan't burst her bubble by confessing that I picked up her book in the public library. Oops, too late!

First Trip to the Art Gallery of Alberta with Baby!

Well, it took my husband and I months to decide, but we finally have a stroller! We chose a Bugaboo Bee in hot pink. I just love it. It's small and light, which was essential for me, since I live in the city and love being able to take the LRT without too much hassle. It also handles beautifully and navigates through narrow places with ease, and I love that the seat is reversible. My only complaint so far is that the locks on the swivel wheels are a bit stiff, but otherwise it's perfect!

Last Tuesday, my mom and I took the baby for her first outing in her new stroller. We decided to make the new Art Gallery of Alberta our first destination. After a quick lunch at Da Capo near the University of Alberta (they have really great pizza there, by the way), we took the LRT downtown. We got off the train at Churchill Station, and arrived at the new Art Gallery in minutes.

The newly opened Art Gallery of Alberta was gorgeous. The building was designed by Los Angeles architect Randall Stout, and forms a beautiful and functional space for the gallery. Mom and I had a wonderful time visiting the exhibits. I was able to take my time to enjoy the Degas sculptures (baby was napping), but I had a bit harder time with the Goya exhibit (baby was awake at that time, and a bit more noisy--perhaps she was debating the significance of Goya's socio-political commentary?).

While Goya and Degas were fabulous, I must say that Karsh's photographs blew me away. It doesn't take long to realize that truly great photography requires every bit as much artistry as the other fine arts. My photos are about as far removed from Karsh's work as my sketches are from Da Vinci's.

Now that we have a family membership to the gallery, I can't wait to return and take in these exhibits in more depth!

Edmonton Opera Presents Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance

Last night my husband and I had the chance to see Edmonton Opera's presentation of Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance. We had such a fabulous time! It was the first opera of the season that we've been able to attend. We always get season tickets, but we had to give our tickets to Rigoletto to some friends, since the performance was one day after our daughter was born!

This time we were able to make it, thanks to my mom, who stayed home with the baby and entertained her by singing snippets from the production. I discovered this morning that my three month old daughter adores "Modern Major General" -- probably because she's never heard anyone speak that fast before!

I am so glad that the Edmonton Opera chose to stage such a thoroughly entertaining production. I've been a fan of Pirates for years, ever since I first saw the 1983 film version starring Kevin Kline in the 1990s. My sister and I adored the movie and watched it time and again on video. But certain numbers lost their lustre in the film version. Of course, songs like "With Catlike Tread" are impossible not to love, whatever their format, but others, like "Hush, hush, not a word!" simply fell a bit flat on the silver screen. Watching Pirates live was a revelation.

First of all, the cast was fabulous. Curt Olds stole the show as Major General Stanley - his sense of comic timing was impeccable and made the production. I was also impressed with Lawrence Wiliford as Frederic and Nikki Einfeld as Mabel.

Gilbert and Sullivan lend themselves particularly well to revival, and their appeal to modern audiences is strong, with humor that easily crosses age and cultural barriers. My husband, who had never seen a Gilbert and Sullivan production before, absolutely loved Pirates. I am so happy to see the Edmonton Opera choosing to showcase this Operetta, and I hope it means there will be many more Gilbert and Sullivan productions in the opera's future!

The Rejection of Cain's Sacrifice

I've been very busy with my little girl over the past few weeks. She's an absolute delight! Even though she's only three months old, I've been having a lot of fun reading with her. Before she was born, my husband and I bought a copy of Tomie dePaola's Book of Bible Stories. It has fantastic pictures that really capture her interest (and the stories are short, so she doesn't have trouble staying focused). At any rate, the other day I read her the story of Cain and Abel. Yikes! It's easy to forget how gory some of these stories were! I was sort of glad that she was too little to have any idea what it was about. Nevertheless, I found myself trying to explain to my infant why people do mean things, though I had a bit tougher time telling her why God was not that impressed with Cain's vegetarian sacrifice. Welcome to motherhood, I suppose! What happens when she can actually ask questions?

Anyway, today I came across this 1842 sketch by John Millais of the Rejection of Cain's Sacrifice. Millais was just 13 years old when he produced this! Even at this early age, you can see the talent Millais possessed. I love how he's drawn Cain's cloak blowing in the wind and the smoke billowing up towards heaven (notice the pious looking Abel in the background). You can see a lot more of the details in the painting if you visit it at the Birmingham Art Gallery's online gallery. Be sure to check it out!