Thursday, August 11, 2011

The Legendary Duarte Pinto Coelho





I'm sure that many of you have heard of the late Portuguese interior designer Duarte Pinto Coelho. I'll be honest- I never had until I bought the June issue of Spanish AD. And I'm sorry, too, that this article was the first that I've read about Coelho because by the looks of these photos, I have really missed out on a lot!

Coelho died last year, and the contents of both his Madrid and Trujillo homes were auctioned off earlier this summer at Christie's. The photos featured here were taken at Coelho's Madrid home. I wish that I could tell you more about the article, but unfortunately I don't speak a lick of Spanish. But really, you don't need text to accompany these gorgeous photos. The home's beauty speaks for itself.




































All photos from Spanish AD, June 2011, Manolo Yllera photographer.

19 comments:

  1. There's nothing like a pipe organ to provide a focal point for a room! It's a beauty, I must say. And I love the classical trompe l'oeil walls in the dining room!

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  2. Fabulous post. I would only like to remark that Duarte Pinto Coelho was not spanish. He lived in Madrid but he was portuguese as his portuguese traditional "Pinto Coelho" family name indicates.

    This was the only time I posted about him:

    http://scalaregia.blogspot.com/search/label/Duarte%20Pinto%20Coelho

    wikipedia ( from the portuguese ):

    Duarte Maria Egas de Avillez Pinto Coelho (1923 - July 4, 2010) was a portuguese decorator.
    Duarte Pinto Coelho was born in Cascais in 1923 and began his studies in law in Portugal with the intention of pursuing a diplomatic career. In the mid-1940s, she moved to Paris to join his friend Antonio da Silva Carvalho and quickly becomes involved in the frantic life of the city light in the post-World War II. In 1955, Duarte trade Paris for Madrid, where he also found a scenario reconstruction, in this case after the Civil War. In Madrid, Pinto Coelho starts by opening an antique shop, but quickly turns a famous decorator working even to the Maharaja of Jaiputr. Throughout his life he was friend with some famous personalities of the time as Coco Chanel, Elsa Schiaparelli, Dali, Alexis de Redé, the Rothschilds, the Noailles, Babe Paley,Truman Capote, Maria Callas, Amalia Rodrigues and Henry Kissinger.


    cheers,
    Diogo

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  3. Anonymous9:48 AM

    WOW!!! This speaks to me. I am so tired of the neutral interiors shown on so many blogs.
    Thanks for posting this.

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  4. Diogo, thank you for this information. It is MOST helpful!

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  5. Sandra and Devoted Classicist, so glad to know that you too are captivated by these interiors.

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  6. Jennifer Dengel10:03 AM

    @Sandra...I could not agree more. That is a whole lotta personality going on in the very best way!!!

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  7. Spain! One of my great loves. Pinto Coelho was amazing. These images make my brain perk up. Such a great mixture and superb taste. Thanks. Mary

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  8. Makes me feel better that you weren't familiar with him either, but delighted to now be introduced to his beautiful work!!

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  9. This was like a shot of adrenaline--straight to the heart! I know that sounds coarse but it has been a long, long time since I have seen something that has made me gasp like this. Yes, so very different and he obviously assumed his choices completely.

    Thank you so very much for this post. It seems like I have some major googling to do...

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  10. These photos were the reason I shelled out $10 for the magazine!!!

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  11. well, dear all, i just received auction catalogue Christies edition for Duarte Pinto Coelho colection (took place last 20 and 21 July at South Kensington, London)... you can have photos and detailed description for every single piece in those interiors and much more... just buy it from Christies website. It worths every single page...cheers. Pulo//

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  12. Fabulous post! You would love to see the exquisite collections in the inspired home I just posted! A must see!
    Jan

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  13. So agree with Sandra Jones about the wonderful difference shown here with a confident, colorful exuberance. Personality sizzles off every corner of these rooms. Makes me feel much better about the chestnut alligator wallpaper going on my upstairs hallway and the leopard carpet creeping down the stairs. These all white/gray rooms we see EVERYWHERE feel like coffins to me. On one blog some reader called Fowler's beautiful red striped wallpaper "bordello"; another called it hideous. As Emily Dickinson wrote, "the soul selects its own society." I join the society of color!

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  14. Great post! amazing information! you always have interesting things to post on!
    love your blog
    jamie Herzlinger

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  15. Anonymous3:26 AM

    he was portuguese, not spanish!

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  16. Anonymous4:58 AM

    Actually Duarte Pinto-Coelho was portuguese and not spanish. He comes from an aristocratic family from Lisbon and he went to Madrid in his early twenties and remained ther ever since.

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  17. Anonymous9:39 AM

    Great man....met him in Malawi - Africa - his company was doing the interior decorations of State House. I became close friend in early eighties up to the end....I miss him a lot....

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  18. Anonymous9:44 AM

    He has been for many years Honorary Consul of Malawi in Spain!

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  19. Anonymous5:22 AM

    one of his famous sentences was "There's no good of fake Goya I havent hung in Spain!"

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