It's back! Field Trip Friday has been gone way too long. So much work needed to be done the last couple of months that it left no room for play. But in as much as the field trips fueled my curiosity and inspiration, I am beginning rethink them simply as play.
So I tried to keep it close to home. I had just heard of a place in nearby Clifton, VA that sold antique Italian chandeliers. (Aren't those three of the most beautiful words in the English language?? Antique. Italian. Chandeliers.) I called two of my trusty sidekicks, one of whom should have stayed in bed because she's had a bug for like, 2 weeks, but I promised her we would go have some much needed soup at the end of the field trip.
La Bella Luce was more than I could have dreamed. I took a pretty horrible picture of their sign - didn't notice the glare. The shop is in an old house, right on Main St.Once inside, I was lucky enough to catch the owner, Aly, long enough to meet her and hear her story.(She said she is so busy with clients that sometimes she only pops into the store for 5 minutes in a whole day.) She lived in Italy for many years but is not Italian. I think she said she still has a house there. She imports Italian chandeliers, but she also had a good mix of antiques and artwork. Aly has the kind of store you have to wander through twice just to try to take it all in.
We all fell in love with these antique twin beds. Loved the chandeliers over them. They were overloaded with snowflake decorations.
In the blue bathroom there was still a Christmas tree in the bathtub. Such a tiny room, it was hard to photograph.In fact, my picture keeps coming in sideways. Sorry.
Now, I love red and white kitchens (or any room, really) so this kitchen vignette really stopped me at the door!
Lots of old dishes, glassware, even a freestanding wardrobe in the corner that looked so perfect instead of built in cabinets.
La Bella Luce features a different artist each month (displayed in the stairwell - pretty cool!) and also each month they have a short seminar or event related to design. The address is 7137 Main St., Clifton VA 20124. Phone: 703-830-8442 Visit them on the web at www.labellaluceimports.com.
