Tuesday, July 05, 2011

Pool Party





I am probably one of the few people who did not spend the 4th outdoors. Thanks to a nasty summer cold, I was holed up inside watching the Royal Wedding which left me with much to ponder. First, what is up with this marriage? Seriously, you could cut the tension between Albert and Charlene with a knife. And secondly, don't you think that Karl Lagerfeld is in need of some Albert V05 to control his frizzies?

Yes, this was my weekend, so I needed to find some rays of sunshine somewhere. I think that I found it in these 1968 photos of the pool pavilion at Anne Cox Chambers' Atlanta estate. Designed by architect Henri Jova, the Regency and Chinese Chippendale hybrid was built to complement the main house, a Regency style home designed by Philip Shutze.

The structure is rather simple in layout. There is both a women's and men's dressing room at the back, each one with an adjoining bath. The front of the pavilion consists of a loggia with two seating areas and a bar. But the wow factor really lies in both the trellis and that roof. The interior is equally as jazzy thanks to the chartreuse dressing rooms doors and the bar backdrop, visible in the head on shot below. Yes, the colors and the fabrics scream late 60s, but you have to admit that they're lively and fun. And really, isn't that the whole point of having a pool pavilion? A serious and austere pool house seems like such a killjoy...much like that wedding in Monaco over the weekend.





A nighttime shot of the pavilion.




Facing one end of the loggia. The floor was covered in blue, green, and white ceramic tile.




The interior of one of the dressing rooms was also painted green. It looks like the ceiling (barely visible in the corner) was papered in a floral paper.


All images from House Beautiful, July 1968.

15 comments:

  1. I hope you feel better soon Jennifer!

    The weekend was a disaster waiting to unfold. The Grimaldi wedding was a farce. KL, looking bad. The ultra high humidity at the start of the Peachtree Road Race sent me back to bed for the day.

    Reading your post this morning of Mrs. Chambers pool house was a delight, and as delightful as she is. So much style and refinement despite the 1960's label of your post!

    It just struck me that what is missing today in all the fashion and shelter magazines is Style and Refinement!

    Has refinement completely disappeared from living well today?

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  2. Hmm, chartreuse lattice. It works better than I would have thought. I don't know about raising the structure three tile steps above the pool, however, as the possibilities for an accident seem great. (And we will have to speak privately about the wedding).

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  3. beautiful especially the last image!

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  4. I love the moorish arches together with the chinoiserie--late 60's colors are still hot. Hope that you are much better!! Mary

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  5. I got a good laugh out of your Royal Wedding commentary as I totally agree. Plus who has a cake that is that tall? I love the pavilion, classic and beautiful. Hope you feel better.

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  6. Brilliant post. Gorgeous pool pavillion and your wedding comments are spot on. How tragic.
    Although I did think Caroline did look chic.

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  7. I know we're meant to be discussing Mrs Chambers's
    pavilion, but your Royal Wedding of Monaco comment found me rushing over to You Tube for highlights. If body language is a valid science then that beautiful bride is in for a rough ride with her Prince Charming~there wasn't a trace of emotion on his part, real or feigned. Good luck to her, I say.

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  8. So sorry you were under the weather instead of out in it, darling! What a beautiful pool pavilion .. I love the color of the roof and how it matches the water! Divine!

    Sandy at Ooh La Frou Frou
    http://oohlafroufrou.blogspot.com

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  9. What was up with that wedding? Sad, I think.
    Love the pool house but , naturally, I would turn it into a dining room

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  10. That's a match that's not going to end well. She was stunning - that dress was just awesome, but that was one unhappy bride, one "whatever, I'm a Prince" groom, and two very unhappy sisters-in-law. The consensus is there will be at least 2 more illegitimate children "coming out" - at least 1 conceived during the time Charlene & Albert have been together. Allegedly, she only found out about this a day or so before the wedding.

    Truly sad.

    UT

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  11. Hope you feel better. Summer colds suck.
    But here is a juicy tidbit.

    I heard that Charlene bolted. When she tried to board a plane back to South Africa, the airline called Albert (the advantages of owning your own country) and he came down and "talked" her into going back with him and going through with the wedding. No wonder it was tense.

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  12. I feel really sorry for Charlene. Can you imagine your new husband having to take two paternity tests the day after getting married? I wonder if she'll try to bolt once she's in South Africa for the honeymoon.

    I thought Caroline's daughter looked really pretty although I wasn't crazy about the pink dress.

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  13. Anonymous7:51 AM

    Does the smashing upholstery on the chair and tabletop (picture 3) appear to be the coordinate to the ceiling paper ? (picture 4)

    Simply fresh and easy 43 years later, I wouldn't change anything. Except the asparagus ferns.

    That the major design components inside are a single fabric on fairly simple furniture with matching wallpaper and a very well done floor, is the perfect example of beautiful and timeless architecture not needing distracting interior decoration.
    Positively lovely.

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  14. Anon- It appears that it is all the same print- a nice choice that created some continuity between the different rooms. I agree- it's timeless.

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  15. Bob- in regards to your comment about refinement, I unfortunately think that you might be right. Showmanship seems to be the driving force today.

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