Gatsby Styled

I can't wait until The Great Gatsby comes to the theatre May 10! I'm as excited about the wonderful sets and designs as I am the actual portrayals of Gatsby and Daisy.  Being a huge fan of art deco design and of course, the whole notion of the Long Island's Gold Coast that F. Scott Fitzgerald was portraying, what's not to like? In Luhrmann's movie, Daisy's home was based on Old Westbury and Gatsby's was based on Oheka Castle. Love, love, love!  Here's a sneak peak from Architectural Digest - Enjoy!

  All Images Courtesy of www.architecturaldigest.com

saving Tiffany

Louis Comfort Tiffany that is.  If you get the chance to visit Winter Park, Florida (approximately 5 miles north of Orlando for you Disney fans) please take the opportunity to do so.  The Morse Museum in Winter Park holds the remains of one of Long Island's lost treasures of the Gold Coast; Tiffany's Laurelton Hall.  Laurelton Hall has been called Tiffany's greatest work of art, having been built between 1902 and 1905 and destroyed by fire in 1957.  The once grand 37,000 square foot home that Tiffany nutured for over 20 years is the expression of Tiffany's love of nature and his art.  Many Long Island boaters can see the only remaining structure from the once 600-acre estate in the form of the smokestack from the power house or as we call it, the tower, that stands tall above the harbor in Cold Spring, the spot where many of us raft up for July 4th and marvel at what was once up on shore.

 The Morse Museum exhibition features the recently restored Daffodil Terrace from Laurelton Hall and approximately 250 objects from or related to the estate. These include prize-winning leaded-glass windows, iconic Tiffany lamps, custom furnishings, as well as art glass and pottery in Tiffany’s personal collection. The artist directed every facet of the estate’s construction, from the room interiors and architectural details to an extensive scheme of gardens and fountains. In addition to the terrace, the 10 new galleries at the Morse showcase surviving components of Laurelton Hall’s dining room, living room, and reception hall—also known as the Fountain Court—as well as other rooms, creating a uniquely immersive experience.

The Morse Museum exhibition opened February 19th and is especially timely given the impending demise of the beautiful mansion, Land's End in Sands Point, Long Island, (said to have been F. Scott Fitzgerald's inspiration for Daisy Buchanan's home in The Great Gatsby) only days away. This exhibition is truly a unique opportunity to see some of the glory that was once Laurelton Hall from Long Island's Gold Coast and Louis Comfort Tiffany.

P.S. If Long Island's Gold Coast intrigues you, please visit my favorite site http://www.oldlongisland.com/ and Enjoy!

all images via http://morsemuseum.org/

australia? really?

When my good friends at East Egg Realty notified me that Baz Luhrmann would be re-making the Francis Ford Coppola film classic of F. Scott Fitzgerald's, The Great Gatsby, I was both ecstatic and saddened.  Ecstatic that Leonardo DiCaprio would be reprising Robert Redford's memorable 1974 portrayal of Jay Gatsby, alongside Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway and Carey Mulligan as shallow Daisy Buchanan. (Mulligan is said to have beat out actresses Keira Knightley, Blake Lively and Scarlett Johansson for the coveted role.) But, deeply disturbed by the fact that Luhrmann would be filming in Australia (and in 3D no less).  Forget the fact that Australia will be benefiting from the estimated $120 million influx of filming related income; but, Australia, really?  It is true that the 1974 film classic was filmed using The Rosecliff and Marble House mansions in Newport, Rhode Island, as Gatsby's house, and scenes at the Buchanan's home filmed at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, England. One driving scene was shot in Windsor Great Park, UK. Other scenes were filmed in New York City, and Uxbridge, Massachusetts. But, I have to wonder, where did the bureaucracy of New York state fail in it's efforts to bring Luhrmann and his wife to NY to film?  It was in the running according to rumors that surround the film's production. What happened? All in all, I'm not sure if I'll be able to watch the film without missing the true gold coast images or beauty of the Long Island Sound that Fitzgerald had in mind.  But, there is no question I will enjoy the beauty of Dicaprio, Mulligan, and Maguire.  For some really cool trivia about the other versions of the film classic, please visit Wikipedia.  Enjoy!

images via http://www.imdb.com/

images via http://www.newportmansions.org/