What Lies Behind Those Doors...

For me, one of the most stunning homes in James Archer Abbott's Jansen was the Paris apartment of Jansen president Pierre Delbee. It was a memorable home amongst many memorable homes. I think that what did it for me were those doors. Ahhh, those doors.... You see, they send me into a reverie every time I look at the photos. The ebony and ivory veneered numbers were decorated with depictions of follies, temples, even a trompe l'oeil grid-patterned floor. To have doors like these grace one's home must be pretty terrific. Good luck finding someone to duplicate them, though. What might be easier to replicate are the doors inside the home's library:



Upholstered in green suede and trimmed in gilt bronze. Now these are almost as beautiful as the other doors (although far more simple), and that centrally placed doorknob is the perfect punctuation point. While we're behind closed doors, let's look at the rest of the room:

Two things stand out to me- that greek key lampshade in the foreground which is actually made of cut silver, and the leopard print sofa at the far end of the room. The impressive antique armchairs in the library are all by Jacob. Pretty heady stuff, don't you think?



(Top photo from Jansen by James Archer Abbott; remaining photos from The Best in European Decoration)