Monday, July 9, 2018

Books: "Everyday Monet" by Aileen Bordman




Everyday Monet: A Giverny-Inspired Gardening and Lifestyle Guide to Living Your Best Impressionist Life
By Aileen Bordman
Dey Street Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, $26.99

Ailenne Bordman, who has been inspired by the beauty of Impressionist painter Claude Monet's home and paintings, has created a one-of-a-kind book of gardening, design, and lifestyle steeped in the history and aesthetic of the celebrated artist, Everyday Monet.


Dissatisfied with her life as a Wall Street stock broker, Bordman gave that up to immerse herself in the work of Monet, one of the founders of French Impressionist painting whose esteemed works capturing the simple beauties of fin de siècle French life, from waterlilies to haystacks, have fetched astonishing sums at private auction houses and can be found in the greatest art museums around the globe.

Aileen is the President and Founder of Monet's Palate, Inc, a company dedicated to sharing the world of Claude Monet. She co-authored Monet's Palate Cookbook: The Artist & His Kitchen Garden at Giverny with Derek Fell.

The filmmaker and photographer became a bonafide Monet expert with help from her mother, Helen Rappel Bordman, the American Representative at Giverny since 1980, and 2018 recipient of the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des lettres.

With Everyday Monet, Aileen transports the reader to Monet’s garden at Giverny, the third most visited site in France. She draws inspiration from Monet's way of life to take readers on a journey to Monet-ify their lives. 

Combining the history, palette colors, and designs of Monet’s gardens and paintings in this one-of-a-kind volume, Aileen shows how to encapsulate a home and lifestyle inspired by the artist.

The gorgeous book is full of history and practical tips to bring Monet's signature style into your life, whether it's on your terrace or in your garden, kitchen, bedroom, and while entertaining.

Tips and tricks in Everyday Monet include:
  • How to create your perfect Giverny with a guide to the flowers at Monet's garden, season by season
  • A step-by-step DIY to growing and preserving your very own water lily
  • How gingham and lace are essential to the Monet lifestyle
  • How to use Monet's paint colors from his palette to decorate
  • How to prepare foods that inspire your inner Impressionist.
Filled with lush photos of Monet’s milieu, from the gardens of Giverny to the streets of Normandy, and reproductions of Monet’s most famous paintings, Everyday Monet is a practical guide to finding ways to implement Monet’s beautiful designs into any home and garden, whether you live on a country estate or in a city apartment, and is a memorable keepsake Monet devotees will treasure.

Aileen writes of the essence of the legendary Impressionist painter, "Just imagine Monet's home and garden as a gigantic blank canvas with moving parts that change seasonally. His style and zest for life have always inspired me.

"We can easily tap into and benefit from the master's touch. Color and light caress the objects and furnishings throughout his home. There is nothing too sharp in Monet's home; there are simply lots of flowing curves for the eye to see. It's all so visceral, and when you walk through Monet's front door, you realize this is not a journey or visit...it's a pilgrimage.

"Monet's art and prowess with respect to style were astounding, capturing nature in ways that had never been done. In France in the 1860s, taking a palette into the outdoors was revolutionary - which is exactly what Monet did. Monet had always been a man searching for perfection, and there is no doubt that he was, and should forever be considered a Renaissance man. No one else in Normandy was as eclectic as Monet; he knew how to bring the same beauty and innovation to his home, as he did to the world of art and impressionism. Monet's key design inspirations came from his art and included all aspects of color, light, and texture. Whether it was for the next magnificent subject to paint, the most delicious meal, an exotic orchid, or a Japanese woodcut, he scoured the world. In addition, frequent trips to paint in other countries and other parts of France exposed him to so many cultures and styles.

"We are so fortunate to have been left the keys to the treasure box Monet created. It holds a magical trove of beauty and inspiration that allows others to add their own voices into the chorus he started. After all, wasn't it Monet who broke with the art of his time by looking out the window of the Louvre and opening the museum's window to paint what he saw outside?

"Every aspect of Monet's everyday life was intertwined, and his style of living is one that informs our own style of living today - and I promise that including just one aspect of Monet's style into your home's interior or exterior will bring joy."

Everyday Monet is one of the most beautifully done works on the Impressionist painter, and its uniqueness comes from how it will help you incorporate what he did on the canvas into your home.

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