Biased about Floors

There are some people who believe that checkerboard tile floors should be laid on the diagonal. For others, straight up and down is perfectly fine. I suppose it's an aesthetic preference, though I'm sure one style is more classically and architecturally correct than the other.

If my memory serves me correctly, and lately it hasn't been, Dorothy Draper had a very definite opinion on the matter. I believe that she was an advocate of the diagonal method, though her projects show that she flirted with both styles. Nevertheless, after finding numerous images of black and white floors, I think I prefer tiles laid on the bias. Visually, diagonal tiles draw one's eye into the room. And there's something quite elegant about it too. The up and down fashion, like that seen above in this movie still, truly does look like a checkerboard, but to me it looks a little blocky. (The image at top also is a great example of why larger tiles look better than small ones.)

When I was trying to find images for this post, I mostly found floors with the tiles laid diagonally, which leads me to believe that most designers prefer this style. Which do you like?





Hampshire House was one of Draper's earlier projects, so perhaps she had not yet formulated her opinion about diagonal tiles.


Dorothy chose large scaled tiles laid on the diagonal for the floor at Quitandinha.


Mrs. Kersey Coates Reed House, David Adler architect


Remember this home decorated by Celerie Kemble? The tile is actually a painted wooden floor, but the faux tiles were painted on the bias.


Woodson Taulbee's home in Old San Juan, decorated by Billy Baldwin.

(Image at top: Movie still from 1929 movie "The Show of Shows"; from Screen Deco (Architecture and Film, 3.). Image 2 and 3 from In the Pink: Dorothy Draper--America's Most Fabulous Decorator. Photo 4, David Adler, Architect: The Elements of Style. Image 5 courtesy of Celerie Kemble: To Your Taste: Creating Modern Rooms with a Traditional Twist. #6, Billy Baldwin Decorates: A book of practical decorating ideas)

Spatter Pattern

And no, it's not the spatter pattern that is discussed so frequently in episodes of "CSI". It's "Spatter", and it's one of my favorite Hinson prints. Designed by Harry Hinson in 1974, the print was inspired by the spatter motif found often in Colonial ceramicware (this according to a 2001 New York Times article). The article also mentioned that it's a print that counts Albert Hadley and Jeffrey Bilhuber amongst its fans. I've also read that Billy Baldwin used it in his Nantucket home, but I can't find a photo.

So, just where can you use a print like "Spatter"? Well, Harry Hinson used it in his East Hampton home (shown above), and I was thrilled to see it in another Hamptons house designed by Tom Scheerer (and featured in the August '08 issue of House Beautiful). But I do think you can use it in a city home too. How about in a powder room? Or a kitchen? Just think of "Spatter" as a modern take on early Americana.

And speaking of Americana, I was curious about Hinson's supposed inspiration for this print. Just what was spatter and how was it used during Colonial times? Well, one of the prime examples is spatterware. According to a ceramic curator at Winterthur, spatterware was originally manufactured in England where it was known as spongeware. As spongeware was not particularly popular in England, most of it was shipped to the American colonies where it became known as spatterware. And it was here in America where spatterware became extremely popular, especially amongst the Pennsylvania Germans. Sponge and spatter painting was also used on furniture, walls, and floors during this era.

So although I can't corroborate whether Hinson was actually inspired by spatterware or not, it's something to ponder. If you would like to learn more about spatterware, you should visit Winterthur. Henry Francis du Pont was a major collector of it, and there is a magnificent display of his collection in Spatterware Hall at Winterthur. Or you can read more about his collection here in an interview with du Pont's daughter, the lucky recipient of some of her father's collection.


(Many thanks to everyone at Winterthur for assisting me in my research of spatterware.)



Two images of Scheerer's fabulous wallpaper selection for an East Hampton cottage (image from House Beautiful, Aug 08; Simon Upton photographer).


A Spatterware platter, c. 1825-1855, Staffordshire England. Does this not look modern to you? Bequest of Henry Francis du Pont; image courtesy of Winterthur.


Spatterware pitcher, c. 1825-1855, Staffordshire England. Bequest of Henry Francis du Pont. Image courtesy of Winterthur.


Four examples of Spatterware jugs, c. 1825-1855, Staffordshire England. Bequest of Henry Francis du Pont. Photo courtesy of Winterthur.

Image at top: "Spatter" in blue and white on the walls and curtains of Harry Hinson's East Hampton dining room.

Frederick P. Victoria & Son and the Famous Billy Baldwin Bookcase

Last week I posted about Ventry Ltd. and their Billy Baldwin Collection. I mentioned the Porter étagères- those famous brass bookcases that Billy Baldwin designed for Cole Porter's Waldorf apartment.

Tony Victoria of Frederick P. Victoria & Son was kind enough to provide me with the history of this piece. The brass étagère originated in the workshop of F.P. Victoria as a collaboration between Baldwin and the venerable furniture studio. The piece was inspired by an English Regency shelf unit that was owned by F.P. Victoria (the Baldwin étagère was obviously designed on a larger scale than the shelf unit). According to Victoria, what made the design of the étagère unusual was the fact that "in order to give the structure the maximum rigidity, there were half round moldings that formed an “X” attached to the underside of the shelves AND soldered to the leg post knuckles. This was no mean feat, requiring a specially tooled and conforming element to be made in order to permit the crossing member to get over the other one without a break. This design factor is, by the way, how one can tell originals from later copies: the latter just have moldings that butt up against each other on the underside and that are not soldered to the posts (if they have anything underneath the shelves at all), it being much too costly to do that work in more recent times."

The bookshelves were handmade in the F.P. Victoria studio by a craftsman named Julius DaSilva. Owing to the retirement of DaSilva , F.P. Victoria decided to give the patterns to Guerin, of which the owner was a close personal friend. And now in 2008, you can buy this design (or some semblance of it) from Frederick P. Victoria & Son, Inc., Guerin or Ventry Ltd .

Tony also emailed me various images and sketches of the original Regency piece and variations of the Porter étagère. If you didn't already want one of these before seeing these images, I think you will become a convert now!

(Image at top: Photo of the famous Billy Baldwin brass étagères in the apartment of Baldwin)

The piece that started it all: English Regency dumbwaiter that had been in the collection of F.P. Victoria and which inspired the Baldwin/Porter étagère. The shelves are made of rosewood.


A variation of the standard Porter étagère that was taller and held more shelves.


Another variation, this time made for Gary Stephenson, a noted antiques dealer. Victoria notes that this photo shows the versatility of the étagères.


A reference sketch of the Regency piece in the files of F.P. Victoria & Son, Ltd.

(All images were provided by and are in the collection of Frederick P. Victoria & Son, Ltd.)

Billy Baldwin and Ventry Ltd.

It looks like Ventry Ltd. has updated their website with new photos of Billy Baldwin designed furniture (some of the pieces may not have actually been designed by Baldwin; instead, he may have lent his name to the pieces). If you've always dreamed of owning Billy B's classic slipper chair, Turkish ottoman, or metal bookcases, then take a look at the Ventry website. And if the unadorned pieces of furniture look a little vanilla on the website, not to worry. Just look at how Billy used these designs in his projects.


The classic Billy Baldwin slipper chair. According to Mitchell Owen's article in the New York Times (Nov. 5, 2000), Baldwin's slipper chair was supposedly designed with Pauline de Rothschild's tall, lean frame in mind (thus making it easier for her to strike a pose and extend her long legs).


Small slipper chair and Porter etagere in the apartment of Baldwin.


Porter etagere from Ventry Ltd. According to Owens, the Porter etagere was originally fabricated by PE Guerin (and is still available through them as well).


Another view of Baldwin's apartment with the Porter etagere and what appears to be a Studio Loveseat


Studio Loveseat from Ventry


The Turkish Ottoman from Ventry...


and in this Baldwin designed living room (the home of Mollie Parniss)


The home of Woodson Taulbee with the larger (?) slipper chair and the Studio Sofa, both upholstered in that famous Tree of Life print.


Large Slipper Chair from Ventry


Studio Sofa from Ventry


These metal tables have been attributed to Billy Baldwin, but there is debate as to whether he actually designed these tables or not. It's possible that he simply lent his name to this design.

Who Influenced Who?

Have you ever noticed how many designers have made their mark on the design world by creating gorgeous brown rooms? And not just any brown, but a deep, dark, and sometimes glossy brown. David Hicks, Billy Baldwin, and Vay Day Truex are just a few of the designers who have created stunning (and legendary) brown rooms- rooms that still serve as inspiration today.

But what I want to know is who jumped on the brown bandwagon first. And who influenced who?



Van Day Truex seemed to lead the way with his gorgeous brown living room, designed in 1951. Truex was a style setter, so I wonder if he influenced Billy Baldwin's enthusiastic and masterly use of glossy brown. After all, when you think of glossy brown walls, don't you immediately think of Baldwin's Manhattan apartment:



So, was Truex responsible for Baldwin's affinity for brown? Or was it in fact Mrs. Walter Farwell, a friend of Ruby Ross Wood who designed a Coromandel lacquered room in her home that captivated Baldwin, at least according to his memoir Billy Baldwin Remembers :



And what about David Hicks? Hicks' living room with its Coca-Cola lacquered walls has a bit of an American look to it. Might he have been emulating some of his American counterparts? I have a feeling that had Hicks been influenced by American designers, he would not have divulged this information:



Albert Hadley has used glossy brown throughout his career. He freely admits that he was greatly influenced by the design greats such as Truex (a close friend) and Baldwin. Not only is Hadley a genius, he's a gentleman too:



And what about Sister Parish's living room circa 1968? Was she solely responsible for the choice of glossy brown walls? Or, was she testing out Hadley's more modern aesthetic:



And the cycle continues... Miles Redd chose glossy brown for one of his early projects. He has cited Hadley as having an impact on his style, so are we seeing that here?

Finally... the Vreeland Apartment

When we discuss iconic rooms and homes of the 20th century, a few seem to come up time and time again: Cole Porter's Waldorf Towers apartment, Brooke Astor's library, and Diana Vreeland's apartment. It's the Vreeland apartment that has both fascinated and frustrated me- the frustration part due to the lack of Vreeland images in my library.

Well, that issue has been remedied thanks to a few readers who know a great deal about this legendary home. Not only did they give me details about the decor, but they also told me where I could find additional images. And this is what led me to purchase a copy of Architectural Digest Celebrity Homes. I know most of us have seen photos of the Billy Baldwin designed "Garden in Hell" living room, and I remember seeing a photo of the dining room in one of DV's biographies, but have you seen the bedroom before? I hadn't, so that's why I'm showing the images here.

Now, I like Vreeland's living room as much as the next person, and there are certain elements in the room that I love. But could I live in this room? Probably not. The dining room, however, is a different story- j'adore. And the blue bedroom is a respite from the intense red of the other rooms. The twist is that the fabric on the walls and curtains is the same print as the Garden in Hell but in a different colorway. (I believe a reader said it was a Gastón y Daniela print).

So, what do you think???


The Garden in Hell living room


Another view of the living room with a red screen that separated it from the dining room


The striped dining room


A detail shot of the living room


The blue bedroom with a Syrie Maugham designed bed. Wondering what the scarf is doing placed on the coverlet? Why that was where her shoes and handbag were laid out in the evening. What? You don't do that too?