Dark Mantel

There has to be some sort of compensation for putting up with Washington-area traffic, cost of living, and humidity.

Indeed there is, for any time you have a few hours you can head down to the National Gallery of Art. It is simply one of the finest museum experiences you are liable to find anywhere, just for the sheer beauty of the buildings, if not the magnificent art. This is exactly what we did last weekend.

We are trying to enjoy the last days of summer before we pack off our younger child to college. He, being an eager photographer, suggested the trip. And the first gallery we visited was the Small French Paintings, located in the East Building's lower level.

Donated by Ailsa Mellon Bruce, this collection is one of our family's favorites.

The painting that really caught my eye on this visit is Edouard Vuillard's Vase of Flowers on a Mantelpiece, c. 1900.

What a fantastic idea! I started picturing our mantel painted black. Now that would really pull together the new seating arrangement, giving our modest living room an undeniable focal point. It would also give a bit of edge to a room filled with furniture that is either painted off-white or just medium brown wood. And what about that bit of greeny blue in the mirror's reflection? I've been thinking of using that as the fabric color for the eventual new loveseat. I also love the touch of green on the crown molding. This echos the green of our adjacent dining room.

Although it has a late Victorian look to it, the painting and the room have a distinctly lighter French feel.

The only question is, would the mantel look best in a glossy or eggshell finish?

Vuillard liked to include at least one prominent dark object in many of his works. Here's a pastel entitled Madame Josse Hessel in Vuillard's Studio from 1915.

Many of the same colors are used in this painting. There's the overall softness of the pinky beige walls and blue door sharpened by the dark seated figure on the left and the artist's shelves on the right. And again a touch of green through the doorway and above the shelves.

I think I see a pattern developing here for my ongoing pursuit of living room decoration.

Vase of Flowers courtesy of the National Gallery of Art; Madame Hessel courtesy of The Athenaeum.