Wirthy Design

I can't tell you how many times photos of the homes and gardens of designer Barbara Wirth have caught my eye. There was the Veranda article about Wirth's holiday table as well as her Paris home that she shares with her husband, both of which I wrote about here. Then there was yet another Veranda article, this one about the Wirths' bigger claim to fame, the gardens of their Normandy home, Château de Brécy. And then, as I was recently rereading Architectural Digest Traditional Interiors, I found photos of a previous home owned by the Wirths. Somehow, I missed the Wirth connection when I first read the AD book.

Wirth is not only a talented interior designer, but she also once managed the David Hicks shop in Paris. For her villa that is seen here, Wirth collaborated with her cousin, designer Christian Badin, on the home's decor. Like Wirth, Badin also worked for David Hicks. I think you can see traces of the Hicks look in these photos, and perhaps that is one reason why they piqued my interest. The modern lamps, uplights, sleek side tables, and the living room's skirted table all seem very much from the Hicks play book, and yet, the cousins added their Gallic flair to the house with their exuberant uses of indigo and blue toile de Tanlay in the dining room and feminine, floral chintz in the bedroom.  Even better is the fact that not much of this 1970s-era home looks dated, with the exception of the bedroom's wall to wall carpet.  Not bad for a house that was decorated decades ago.

All photos from Architectural Digest Traditional Interiors, Pascal Hinous photographer.