Monday, May 06, 2013

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.

17 comments:

  1. What a great post! I am curious about the 1970s floral fabric covering the chaise longue in the drawing room. It is really kind of fabulous, as it stands out among all of the quiet, classic pieces.

    The Perfect Life

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  2. Jennifer, I remember these pictures so well...especially the daring mix of patterns and colors. Just the mix on the dining table alone! But it was the entry floor that took my breath away. Still does!

    Thanks again for a 'wirthy' walk down memory lane!

    April, Just Verte Style

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  3. Arnaud Chevalier9:44 AM

    This is soooooo perfect!!!

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  4. Cynthia, I too am intrigued by that floral fabric. It was an unexpected choice considering the room's other furnishings, and yet, it totally works!

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  5. April, the entry hall is divine!

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  6. Arnaud, So glad you like it! Thanks for commenting.

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  7. Amazing + it has held up beautifully. Thanks xxpeggybraswelldesign.com

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  8. Great architecture. It would be easy enough to add a rug or two on that brown wall-to-wall carpet in the bedroom, but I would have to re-upholster that headboard!

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    1. Classicist- Re-upholstering the headboard would certainly tone down the room's feminity and make it more palatable to a man. Good suggestion about the throw rugs.

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  9. Gorgeous--the dining room with the indigo and white--still curent today; just a translation of ikat.
    Have a great spring week.
    Mary

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  10. The pattern in the bedroom is beautiful in an insane sort of way...lol. Everything else holds up very well, especially the dining room table:)
    Maude

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  11. Kathryn10:03 AM

    I, too would also like to know if that floral fabric is still in production.

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  12. The fun bright colors, the dining room drama. I love this!
    Thanks Jennifer!

    xoxo
    Karena
    Art by Karena

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  13. Anonymous5:09 AM

    I had the pleasure of working for Mme. Wirth as a college intern at the David Hicks boutique in Paris during the winter of 1985. A delightful and charming (and quite beautiful to even my 19yr-old eyes) woman who graciously tolerated my shortcomings as a shop assistant. Also had the pleasure of meeting M. Badin (a cousin of M. Hubert de Givenchy) on numerous occasions. A very knowledgeable and modest man who always had an eye for the exquisite and classical without being fussy or stodgy; more of a professor than an interior designer. He and Mme. Wirth decorated my parents' Paris flat which was then featured on the cover of a special edition of Architectural Digest. Sadly, Mme. Wirth, M. Badin, and the Paris flat are no longer.

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    1. Anonymous, I would so enjoy seeing photos of the Paris flat. Would you mind telling me the date of the AD special edition?

      I envy that job you had in 1985!

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    2. Anonymous11:00 AM

      It was AD France, 1974 (i think), or '75. Will try to see if my dad still has a copy. The cover shows a grand entrance hallway painted in a dark oxblood red, with a marble floor with a large star-shaped design in the middle. There were also two torchères with red porphyry vases on top.

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