Tuesday, September 11, 2007

What Would Billy Do?

Sometimes when I'm faced with a decorating dilemma, I'll ask myself "What would Billy (Baldwin) or Albert (Hadley) do?". Silly, perhaps. But, by thinking about how these two design legends approached (or in Hadley's case still approaches) design, I'm usually able to think through my problem and find a suitable, and stylish, solution.

So, I was excited to come across a 1948 House & Garden article in which five of the top designers of the day (who are now considered legends) discussed their solutions to different design challenges presented by their clients. Today I'll profile the male designers featured, and tomorrow stay tuned for the women.



The master Billy Baldwin is photographed here with his client Mrs. Warren Pershing. The problem: Mrs. Pershing wanted to create a country house feeling in her Park Avenue duplex. She wanted the home to be rather informal but pretty as well.
The solution: Baldwin chose coral as the dominant color because it is a happy color (and one that would complement Mrs. Pershing's "dark beauty"). To achieve the country look, Baldwin used various chintzes for the upholstery and displayed vases with fresh flowers throughout.

What I find interesting is that though this room was a bit casual for the time (and for the Park Ave. setting), it is actually rather formal by today's standards. I think that what Baldwin achieved was a scheme that was fresh, comfortable, and elegant.



A living room designed by William Pahlmann for his client Mrs. Walter Hoving.
The problem: The living room was very large and rather long. Also, Mrs. Hoving wanted to create a room that was conducive to entertaining and an attractive background for evening clothes (aren't these fun problems to have?)
The solution: Palhmann created different seating groups allowing for conversation as well as better traffic flow. Also, he used two mirrored niches (visible on the far right) to create a sense of width. Pahlmann chose a green for the upholstery because he deemed it a flattering color for evening clothes (particularly against men's black and white evening attire).

All in all, a very elegant room in which to entertain! I especially love that Coromandel screen.


The problem: The client, Mrs. Vincent Astor, asked her designer George Stacey to create a cornflower blue room. She also wanted a room that was suitable for entertaining as well as relaxing with her family.
The solution: Because this shade of blue was a bit strong, Stacey chose white, crystal, and mirrored accents. He used a red fabric for the benches in front of the fireplace as well as a dark green for the sofa. In order to achieve the "comfortable" feel to the room, Stacey used a floral chintz for the armchairs (I think the use of floral chintz is a recurring theme in this particular article!).
I think Stacey's use of color is pretty smashing and bold. That said, what interested me most about this story is that one of the editors of H&G in 1948 was Brooke Marshall, later Brooke Astor (the third Mrs. Vincent Astor). And here is her predecessor Minnie Cushing Astor (the second Mrs. Vincent Astor).

28 comments:

  1. Sadly the Late Mrs. Vincent Astor....

    Yes, Chintz can be a huge fixer of problems who doesn't like a flower or two? Am I getting the feeling that we are in the midst of a 1940s revival? These interiors could easily be updated just a bit, especially the flower arrangements which are even worse than what some would call Dallas arrangements!

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  2. Jennifer - these are fun to see - I agree that the top photo does look a bit formal by today's standards - but also notice the scale of the art. I notice this a lot in vintage design books - the preference seems to be for a bit smaller scale than is the norm today.

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  3. Wow Jennifer, you really uncovered a treasure here! Love the images. Thanks so much for sharing this.

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  4. Jennifer these are great!!! I could look at old House & Garden articles and design books all day long! So glad you are back!!

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  5. Mister- I think floral chintz is making a comeback, although I hope in moderation. I think there are usually a few things that date interiors- floral arrangements, window treatments, and sometimes rugs :)

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  6. Patricia- Yes, I had not noticed that but you are right. Now we seem to have a preference for more massive sized canvases!

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  7. Thanks Courtney and Ronda!

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  8. Elements of the George Stacy room could be in Domino today...saturated colored walls, white accents and an ornate mirror.

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  9. Brilliant- So true! I love that Stacey room- he's one of my favorite "old" designers :)

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  10. Anonymous4:29 PM

    I agree with Mister on flower arrangements. Some of those in recent issues of Elle Decor are so gigantic (e.g., whole tree branches in vases) that they block out portions of the room. It's like the stylist is trying to undermine the designer.

    -pt

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  11. so delightful ~ i love walks down old school design lane!

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  12. PT- You're too funny! :)

    Studio- Glad you like it. I love looking at these old photos too!

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  13. Anonymous6:00 PM

    Love this posting -- fun to look at the old mags -- and search for them on EBay!

    Jan at rosemary Cottage

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  14. Anonymous6:41 PM

    Just had to tell you that I found an old decorating book "The Finest Rooms by America's Great Decorators" ((introduction by Russell Lynes and edited by Katherine Tweed)). Published by Viking Press in MCMLXIV! Fascinating articles by "william Baldwin" of Baldwin and Martin; Rose Cumming; Mrs. Henry Parish II; Anne Urquhart and Michael Taylor ...... fascinating read and wonderful photos! Just wanted to share my find with you ....

    Jan at Rosemary Cottage

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  15. Jan- I'm so addicted to these old magazines!!!!
    And I too have that book- is it not wonderful? A very fun read!

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  16. What a blast from the past - I agree with the other posters most rooms could be be current but for a few accessories. I'm more interested in the great dapper quality of the two designers. Dressed to the teeth and both with attitude - Awesome.
    Jackie

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  17. Jackie- I know- impeccable grooming!

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  18. Anonymous11:09 PM

    Yes -- the style and grooming for both men and women may be making a comeback!! Interesting to note that the "Fashion and Beauty Muse" for New York's Fashion Week designers was actress Veronica Lake with her wonderful hairstyle and signature look (my fav movie is "I Married A Witch" so much fun!!) And also check the prices on EBay for some of the vintage 30s and 40s clothing!

    Jan at Rosemary Cottage -- my personal favs -- Cary Grant; Myrna Loy and the "Thin Man" movies!! Pass the popcorn!

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  19. What a great post! How fun to read those old articles. I'm a huge fan of Mr Baldwin - what a genius. But I'd never heard of Mr Pahlmann, that rooms is stunning!

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  20. Anonymous4:05 PM

    Magazines have done the whole-tree-branches-in-vases look for decades, so don't blame ELLE Decor ... some of the best such rooms were photographed by Horst in the 1960s for Vogue! And think about it ... are you looking at a room photograph to be inspired? Or to have a clinical record of a room's contents, as if you, the reader, are an insurance appraiser? Come on, live a little! One of the most amazing tree-in-vase looks was done for Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, when several full-bloom azaleas were cut down in their prime and plunked into urns that marched down a banquet table at a dinner in her honor ... absolutely glamorous ... bring on the flowers!!!

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  21. Anon- I will admit that I do love to get very tall forsythia branches and plunk them into tall urns. Not only is it pretty, but it's rather sculptural too. I think flowers can be a bit of controversial issue (if flowers can be controversial)- for some it's all about moderation, and for others tasteful excess is the rule. And looking back through my floral expenses in the past, I think I'm of the latter!

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  22. Thanks for the really entertaining post Jennifer! I am always so impressed with your knowledge base and I love reading your posts! These designers have such staying power don't they?

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  23. Anonymous8:01 AM

    I say any arrangement of flowers and/or foliage that makes a room more dramatic and wonderful the better ... big or small ... and one of my favorite bits of knowledge is that the great Daisy Fellowes -- Singer sewing-machine heiress, great beauty, style-setter, et cetera -- liked mixing real foliage and fake flowers or vice versa in her vases ... and before anybody reading that titbit recoils, remember ... what passes for "good taste" is not just safe and appropriate, it's often deeply boring ...

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  24. Anon- What I think was admirable about many of these "style icons", such as Fellowes, is that they had the guts to do something unusual, daring or even a bit gauche and make it totally stylish... such as the fake flowers.

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  25. Anonymous11:47 AM

    I once interviewed Lady Harrod, a friend of Fellowes's, who told me of going to Fellowes's country house in England, Donnington Grove, and seeing a garden composed of beautiful geometric beds of boxwood -- but as Lady Harrod got closer, she realized that the open sections of the boxwood parterres were "planted" with the highest-quality plastic flowers in the world! Fellowes, seeing Lady Harrod's eyes widen in disbelief, blithely said plastic flowers were wonderful, since they just had to be hosed down every so often. Isn't that bliss?

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  26. Anonymous1:32 PM

    FYI re Pauline van der Voort Dresser Rogers Hoving's desire to have a sitting room that would be a great background for evening clothes (then the head of Bonwit Teller, her husband became chairman of Tiffany & Co) ... think about it ... history shows many examples of such forethought, such as the French interior-design firm Jansen (which tended to create dining rooms with that notion in mind, rather colorless but supremely chic) ... even the fashion designer Hattie Carnegie insisted on a largely ivory-colored dining room for that very reason, so the women's gowns could be admired ... it's an idea worth considering today, especially when decorating a dining room, especially if you like to throw parties and have friends who dress accordingly ... Oh, and guess what: by a previous marriage, Mrs Hoving was a stepmother of style icon Millicent Rogers!

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  27. Anon- That's a great story!Have you seen the Janus et Cie sheets of plastic boxwood? I'm dying to use them somewhere.

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  28. Also, I think you hit the nail on the head about friends who dress accordingly. I guess if all of one's friends wear jeans then that is not inspiration for creating an appropriate backdrop. However, perhaps if you design your dining room, for example, in a glamorous or formal way, then your guests may be inspired to make a bit more of an effort in their appearance.

    PS- I think you should write a geneology of design/style/social icons. So many of them are connected in some way. I'd purchase a copy :)

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