Friday, August 03, 2012

Robert Lutyens at Home




You may not be familiar with Robert Lutyens, but chances are you've heard of his father, noted British architect Edwin Lutyens. Robert was also an architect as well as an interior designer and author.

I found these photos of Robert Lutyens' London home in a 1936 magazine. According to the article, the flat was notable for its modern backdrop against which period furniture stood, a background that Lutyens created by using blond wood and textured fabrics. The drawing room walls were sheathed in bleached, waxed deal which had a "silvery beige" patina. The curtains were white taffeta, while chairs were covered in rough-textured beige silk and pale blue satin. In the dining room, draped bleached linen crash covered walls. The furniture was a mix of Regency and Sheraton furniture.

It's the home's bedrooms, though, that are textbook examples of glamorous 1930s design. Mrs. Lutyens' bedroom had curtains of cream satin lined with coral shantung silk, a white mohair rug, and an upholstered sleigh bed that I assume was designed by Syrie Maugham. (In 1936, Robert Lutyens collaborated with Maugham on the design of Brook House, London where another of Maugham's fringed and upholstered beds was used.) And as would be fitting for a man, Lutyens' own bedroom was a luxurious vision of clean-lined modernism.




The image above as well as that at top depict two sides of Lutyens' London drawing room.




The dining room.




Robert Lutyens' bedroom.




Mrs. Lutyens' bedroom with that fabulous upholstered bed.



All photos from House & Garden, April 1936.

13 comments:

  1. Rachel7:24 AM

    Oh how I wish there were color photos in 1936. These would have been stunning to see in technicolor. The descriptions of the colors alone are inspiring. Thanks for posting this.

    I find the draperies interesting: the description of the coral-lined bedroom drapes (WOW!) and the fully curtained dining room (how stunning would that effect be in a bland, feature-less dining room?). I usually dislike half-curtains, but they somehow work in the mr.'s bedroom. Not fond of the thin pelmet, but that was the style back then I suppose: I remember seeing very thin pelmets at Charleston Farmhouse, Vanessa Bell's home decorated at about the same period.

    Thanks for the Friday inspiration.

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    1. Rachel, Isn't it funny how those thin pelmets were once all the rage? I also love the idea of coral-lined bedroom drapery. Sounds stunning!

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  2. Interesting. With just a bit of editing, in my opinion, it would still be a stylish apartment today. I wonder what is the story behind the painting in the first photo; it reminds me of a 1950s take on Renoir.

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    1. It is a rather odd looking painting. But yes, much of it still remains stylish today.

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  3. Funny what "Modern" denotes. The look in these photos is now so classic, courtesy of infinite variations on the theme by other designers and its use in countless soigne movie sets. I once read that the look we now call Louis XVI style, that paradigm of classical elegance, was originally referred to by those aristocrats and tastemakers of the late Louis XV period, as "le Gout Moderne" as well as "le Gout Grec" Many other styles would be so christened, until they received the names we now know them by courtesy of wits, writers or historical precedence. Interesting how low the ceilings seem for a man who had access to almost anything. Without color, the photos could almost be of Louis XV's private apartments or "rat's nest" at Versailles, at least in intimacy of scale and delicacy of line in the furnishings. I guess there is really nothing new under the sun, just variation, and what a new generation sees as new...

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    1. One generation's modern is defined as classic by the next, or something along those lines. Very interesting observation, Quatorze!

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  4. Very few design blogs look to the past for inspiration, so it's always a treat to read about what has struck your fancy.
    In fact nothing would be nicer than to hang out with Peak of Chic for an afternoon devoted to old magazines and a
    discussion of their contents. Failing that opportunity, we have your excellent blog. Long may it flourish!

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    1. As long as there are old magazines in which to mine photos, the blog will keep on, keepin' on!

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  5. Thanks again for this. Big fan of Lutyens- the architect- but had never heard of Robert. It's very Syrie Maugham, isn't it? Pickled furniture! By the way, I've just bought a copy of "Designing Dreams, Modern Architecture in the Movies" by Donald Albrecht. Have you seen this? It's about modernist set design in the 30's. Glamorous apartments for film stars, as imagined by Hollywood set designers and film directors. I would have thought it was right up your street, Best wishes, Luke

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    1. Luke, the Albrecht book is terrific! I read it a few years back. The photos made me want to completely redecorate my apartment as some kind of Fred and Ginger fantasy. Probably a good thing that I didn't, but it is fun to dream.

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  6. Of course...very silly of me...it was asking the obvious, wasn't it? Just the sort of book you might have in your library. It would be enormous fun to decorate a flat in this style: go on, Jennifer, be a devil, take the plunge...do it!

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  7. Anonymous9:56 AM

    I wonder if the Lutyens's flat was in Brook House? Which is on Park Lane almost at Marble Arch; the Mountbattens(David Hicks's parents in law, had the penthouse, natch--you might be able to find some pictures of their place, I think it was decorated by an American 'lady' decorator,sadly I forget the name.

    Best, Herts

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    1. Herts, that is an interesting question. I'm not sure as the article gave little information about the location of his home; it does make one wonder, though. I do remember seeing photos of the Mountbattens' Brook House flat. It was divine!

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