A House That is Glowing and Warm

"I wanted the entire house to be glowing and warm, but above all, cozy. Color does this; so do pictures, stacks of books, music, photographs and flowers."  So said Mrs. Anne Peto, an American whose London townhouse, seen here, was photographed for Architectural Digest in 1981.  Indeed, her townhouse was cozy and warm in an English-country-house kind of way, a result of that always-pleasing mix of floral chintzes, dhurrie rugs, lacquered antiques, and painted furniture.  Those saturated hues- red, yellow, and pink- added to the warmth, a colorful antidote to those grey London days.  And those "glowing" walls, their luminosity achieved by glazing, injected notes of cosmopolitan dash, an urbane counterpoint to the surrounding coziness. 

But the photo that really captured my attention is that of Mrs. Peto's fabulous red library, seen below, with its faux tortoise bookshelves, bamboo blinds, layer upon layer of pattern, and black and white dog photographs.  (Note to self: hire a photographer to shoot black and white glamour shots of Alfie.)  Of red rooms, the homeowner said, "Every house should have one!"  I concur, especially if that red room looks like Mrs. Peto's library.

All photos from Architectural Digest, July 1981, Derry Moore photographer