Maison Noir Blanc: Messing with Mesh & Materials

Inspiration: Neoclassic Row House

In Second Life, as in real life, I tend to be a "jack of all trades and master of none".  I love to dabble in the different skills necessary to create but I'm very impatient with the learning curve.  I'm really excited about the introduction of Mesh and now Materials to Second Life but I find it hard to make a concentrated effort to get up to speed on these 3D building techniques.

 

All this to say that I need a lot of inspiration to propel me into uncharted territory.

 

The Neoclassic Row House pictured above, was just what I was looking for;  small & stylish, classic & contained.  It's a build that easily lends itself to mesh modelling, or so my untutored self surmises.  And so project Maison Noir Blanc was launched.

Kitchen Garden: Roses

French Chateau & Pink Roses

It's no secret that I absolutely adore roses; throw in a French Chateau, make the roses varying shades of pink and I'm in heaven!

 

I've always wanted to create a complete rose garden for the Petit Trianon but just haven't gotten around to it yet.  Seems that with my Second Life, as with my real life, there are just too many enticing projects and just not enough time!

French Ephemera: Paris et Poulet

Exposition Universelle (1889) ~ Eiffel Tower, Paris

I have just started reading Paris: The Novel by Edward Rutherford; a multigenerational saga that covers 700 years of the city's architecture, culture, society and history.  Yes, I'm in for the long haul on this one and I'm going to enjoy every minute!

So far I've been introduced to  Monsieur Eiffel as he is working on the Statue of Liberty. He believes that this immense undertaking may be the greatest achievement of his career but of course we know that the Eiffel Tower is still looming in his future.  Don't you agree that one of the best things about historical novels is that, in many cases, you don't have to cheat and skip to the end of the book to know what's coming up next!?

And so, having the Eiffel Tower on the brain, I was excited to come across a poster advertising the 1889 World Fair for which it was constructed.  This beautiful piece of French Ephemera set me off on a delightful tangent.

Kitchen Garden: Lemon, Orange & Herbs

Parc de Versailles, with the orange trees in boxes

I had a wonderful time dreaming of orangeries, parterres and the sunny, south of France as I continued my Adventures in Virtual Gardening this week.  It seems that working with potted lemons, oranges and herbs can conjure up a special type of magic that can make even the dreariest of days a whole lot brighter!

My Adventures in Virtual Gardening

Queen's House Ornamental Kitchen Garden in Second Life

It seems that I've been captivated by the Potager or Ornamental Kitchen Garden for a very long time now.  Though I come from a long line of gardeners, I was first introduction to the magical structure of the potager through the BBC television series The Ornamental Kitchen Garden hosted by Geoff Hamilton.  The mix of fruits, vegetables, flowers & herbs arranged in symmetrical garden beds stuck me as such a practical & exceptional work of art that I've been in love with ever since.

For a while I was content using potager techniques in my own backyard until one fateful day back in January 2008 when I goggled "Versailles Kitchen" and found Louis XIV's "King's Kitchen Garden" aka the "Potager du Roi".  As with so many things associated with Versailles it was mind blowing!

The Potager or Ornamental Kitchen Garden

A Potager at Château de Villandry, France

Designed to feed both body and soul, the potager or ornamental kitchen garden is the ultimate combination of parterre and vegetable patch.

Fruits & vegetables, flowers & herbs, are artfully arranged in symmetrical garden beds that are surrounded by low clipped box hedges.  These individual plots, separated by sand or gravel paths,  are precisely placed to form striking geometric patterns.

Coeur Virtual Worlds

There's always something going on in the Duché de Coeur!

Featured Merchants, Events, Available Rentals, Bibliotheque notices, new products...

How do you keep up with all of that?

 How about checking out our new website?

Note in particular, you can instantly travel to a merchant or an available rental right from the website! 

Visit us at Coeur Virtual Worlds

Text & Illustration: Bedrich Panacek