The Stately Shugborough

I recently stumbled upon a 1969 copy of The Great Houses and Finest Rooms of England. Written by the late British House & Garden editor Robert Harling, the book profiles some of England's most beautiful stately homes including Hatfield House, Charlecote Park, Blenheim Palace, Leixlip Castle, and Sezincote. The book (which is now on my top twenty list of favorite books- it's that good) is an interesting mix of interior and exterior photos plus text that includes interviews conducted with each of the estate's owners. Downton Abbey fans take note: as these interviews took place during the late 1960s, the then-owners (including the Duke of Marlborough, The Marquess of Salisbury, and the Duke of Argyll) recall what life was like at their respective homes during the early part of the 20th century, a time when houses were tended to by large staffs like those at the fictional Downton Abbey.

If you're also a fan of John Fowler and David Mlinaric, then you're really in luck. The work of both designers appears in this book, including the Mlinaric designed private quarters of Shugborough, a Staffordshire estate once owned by the Earl of Lichfield. That's him, below, with his Swinging Sixties hair and attire. (Lord Lichfield was a prominent celebrity photographer whose professional name was Patrick Lichfield.) I'm showing a few photographs of Shugborough here so that you can get a taste of this book. If you're as enchanted by these country estates as I, then you should try to get your hands on a copy so that you can see it for yourself.



Lord Lichfield




The Bird Room




Lord Lichfield's bedroom





The private study.




The circular breakfast room.




A guest bedroom.









Two of the estate's follies, the Temple of the Winds and the Doric Temple, were built by James "Athenian" Stuart. The Chinese House was transported from the Far East by one of Lord Lichfield's ancestors.

The engraving at top depicts Shugborough.

In His Own Words

It's always a nice surprise to find a note or an article tucked into the pages of an old book. I've come across photos, business cards, even Don't Forget notepaper in my vintage books. I recently bought some old issues of the French publication Connaissance des Arts, and the previous owner, a doctor in Beverly Hills, had made notations throughout the pages. (At least, I'm assuming the notes are his.) These were no ordinary notations either, having been typed on note cards and placed within the corresponding article. It makes my method of folding over the top corner of a magazine page seem downright primitive.

In the Christmas 1954 issue, a lavish article on Charles de Beistegui's Palazzo Labia appeared. The Venetian palace is noted for its elaborate baroque design, its frescoes by Tiepolo, and its impressive renovation in the late 1940s and early 1950s by the wealthy de Beistegui. But, not everybody seemed to have been impressed by Beistegui's handiwork. The Beverly Hills doctor included this observation about Palazzo Labia:

Le Palais Labia a Venise, one of the main residences of M. Charles de Beistegui. This little renovation reputedly set him back a c-o-o-l $10,000,000.00. He was really having one of his 'off' moments, and can do MUCH better.


Well, it's nice to see that someone wasn't afraid to express his opinion.




Le Salon des Indes at Palazzo Labia




The Tiepolo frescoes














The bedroom of de Beistegui


Palazzo Labia images from Connaissance des Arts, December 1954

Winterthur, Part One

I just returned from two glorious days at Winterthur, and I was dazzled. I don't really know where to begin because it was all so incredible. I'll first say, though, that if you ever have the opportunity to visit, you must. And if you don't know if the opportunity will present itself, then make it happen. I don't see how anybody could not be inspired after a visit there.

For those of you who may not be familiar with Winterthur, the Delaware estate (now a museum) was the vision of the late Henry Francis du Pont, one of the 20th century's foremost collectors of Americana. du Pont inherited the house and the sprawling property from his father and immediately set about creating a home in which to display his more than impressive collection of early American furniture and art, porcelain and ceramicware, and textiles. Through the years, du Pont enlarged the original house and created period rooms that were a shade different from what you might find in other museums. The look of the room- the interior decoration- was just as important to du Pont as historical accuracy, so it could be said that du Pont's rooms were curated through the eyes of a 20th century aesthete.

Now it's no surprise that I am a lover of history, so the provenance of the objects within the rooms was of great interest to me. However, I know that there are many people who don't have the same interest as I. (And if you don't like history, that's really okay.) But please don't think that because the words "history", "Americana", and "early American" are associated with Winterthur that the house has no relevance to design today. Hardly! If you really look at the rooms, you'll find architectural details, fabrics, curtains, and such that would look right at home in a 21st century house. I don't want to demean Mr. du Pont's work because it obviously has great historical significance. But you really can apply some of what you see at Winterthur to your own home. Just take a look...


This is the pine cabinet that sparked du Pont's love affair with collecting. Both the cabinet and the pink Staffordshire china once belonged to another famous collector, Electra Havemeyer Webb. And to think that this rather humble piece inspired all of this:




The room that I was most anxious to visit was the Chinese Parlor. Now who wouldn't want to have a room like this? The wonderful antique wallpaper was found by Nancy McClelland, a prominent decorator and wallpaper dealer. In order to accommodate the height of the paper, du Pont chose to create a cove ceiling. Note too that terrific chandelier. The room, where cards were often played, seems quite comfortable. I like the Early American antiques as this was the kind of furniture with which I was raised. However, if you're a fan of French antiques or even early 20th century pieces, just think how well they would look in a setting like this.


Many rooms feature interior architecture that was purchased from early American homes ranging from Pennsylvania to North Carolina. Those pilasters framing the fireplace, the broken pediment, and dentil molding is stunning.


And that fabric on the armchair? Looks like something many of us would use today to great effect.






This mantel was purchased and removed from a Pennsylvania home. Isn't the detail incredible?


Molding in one of the rooms. A bit blurry, but I think the picture speaks for itself.


Another architectural detail, this time in the sleeping porch.



du Pont liked to entertain, and everything- flowers, linens, food- was carefully thought out. This room contains du Pont's candelabra and candlesticks. Ruby Ross Wood, the late, great decorator, wrote of dining at Winterthur and admiring the most perfect Battersea candlesticks.

And speaking of Ruby Ross Wood, many decorators clamored to visit Winterthur while it was still du Pont's private residence. du Pont's approach to collecting and decorating was so novel that decorators just had to see it for themselves. Wood wrote to du Pont of her employee's awe after visiting Winterthur. That employee was none other than Billy Baldwin. I wonder if this room below, decorated by Baldwin in the 1950s, could have been inspired by his visit to Winterthur:



I think that after my visit to Winterthur, I look at design and collecting much differently. du Pont believed that no one piece should dominate a room; rather, a room should have impact in its cohesiveness. (That may not hold true for the Chinese Parlor. That paper definitely packs a punch!) Well, that's not the way I have ever approached design. I always look for the statement piece. But I completely understand du Pont's point, and now I think I'll start looking at a room as a whole rather than a sum of its parts.

And in regards to collecting, once you see du Pont's porcelain, you'll never want to buy cheap or mediocre accessories again. You'll want to save your pennies to buy a piece that has value, not just monetarily but aesthetically too.

Tomorrow I'll post about the "Chic It Up!" design conference that I attended last Friday (it was really fantastic), and on Wednesday I'll share some photos of the textiles in the Winterthur collection. Actually, I could go on for days about Winterthur, but I'll try hard to condense it into a few days' worth of posts.

Oh, one more thing, Christmas decorations were being installed while I was there. The talented floral artisans at Winterthur created a dried floral Christmas tree. The flowers were collected from the Winterthur garden throughout the year and then dried in anticipation of the holidays. How great is that?



(All photos with the exception of the first photo were taken by me.)

Appreciating John Fowler

One thing that I will never understand is why someone would move into a great old house and discard the good stuff. By that I mean a fabulous wallpaper, a good old linoleum floor, even antique or vintage bath fixtures. Perhaps some people think that old things have no value, or maybe it's an ego thing- the homeowner wants everything to bear his or her stamp. It's wasteful and in some ways disrespectful to the history of the house.

That's why I'm always pleased to read about homeowners who have no intention of stripping the life out of their homes. In the October issue of Tatler, there's a great article on Cornbury, the Oxfordshire, England estate of the Cayzer family (Robin, 3rd Baron Rotherwick, and Tania, Lady Rotherwick). The house has only been in the family since 1967, though it dates back to the 15th c. Another claim to fame? It's the last house decorated by John Fowler. And guess what? They've kept Fowler's handiwork. Still installed are his magnificent curtains, bed hangings, even upholstered dog "pavilions". (Anyone who would be crazy enough to get rid of a John Fowler curtain deserves to be taken out behind the woodshed. Just my opinion.) But rather than seeming stuffy or old, the house's interiors seem fresh, comfortable, and welcoming.

Lady Rotherwick says of Fowler's work: "It's so amazing you literally can't change anything. The most I've been able to do is put a bunch of flowers in a vase and decorate my own study." Amen. Obviously, the Cayzers and their young family seem quite happy in their home that was decorated decades ago. And why wouldn't they? I just hope that others will follow suit.


The Drawing Room


The Yellow Room's bathroom


The famous dog pavilion. Also, don't you love the armchair's fabric?


Harriette Cayzer's bedroom. She's 23, and you can tell that she appreciates her Fowler room.

Image at top: The family in the master bedroom. All images from Tatler, Oct 2009, James Merrell photographer.

That Door!

It all started for me with this image:


The carved door frame in this New Jersey home had been a gift to previous homeowners by Madame Chiang Kai-shek. Not just any old door, but one with provenance.


Then there was Ruthie Sommer's door, a Pagoda and fretwork topped affair. Love it.


Going back in time to the early 20th c.- Henry Sleeper's Gloucester, Massachusetts home Beauport featured the China Trade Room with, yes, a fabulous door frame. Simple, but fabulous.


And my love affair with Chinoiserie style doors continues. Just look at this door in the dining room of the English House in Atlanta. Philip Shutze was the architect responsible for this glorious example; both door and frame are richly detailed with Chinese Chippendale style carving. Do you think a door like this would look out of place in a 1968 condo...like my 1968 condo??

(Image 1: House Beautiful, Feb 2005; #2, In Style Home, Spring 2007; #3 via Emily Evans Eerdmans; #4 from American Classicist: The Architecture of Philip Trammell Shutze)

Chinese Scenic Paper

As of late, some of the most popular handpainted wallpapers seem to be those bird, flower, and tree prints by de Gournay (see above) and Gracie. Certainly they are lovely, easy to live with, and quite elegant too. And if someone wanted to make a donation of this paper to my home, I would not refuse. However, what I wish to see more of is the colorful, exuberant scenic Chinese paper that once adorned some of America's finest homes.



Of course Winterthur's Chinese Parlor is one of the most famous rooms in America. The Chinese paper was painted between 1775 and 1800 is known as "Pastimes and Leisure Scenes of Chinese Life" because it depicts scenes of Chinese people strolling through gardens and studying. Henry Francis Du Pont obtained the paper from designer Nancy McClelland in 1928. Because the paper panels were 12 feet long, Du Pont had to create a room tall enough to accommodate the paper's length.


A detail of the Chinese Parlor's paper.


Henry Davis Sleeper purchased this scenic paper in the early 20th century for his summer home Beauport. In what is called The China Trade Room, the paper depicts both the rice and the porcelain trades. The paper dates back to late 18th century when it was originally imported from China by the Philadelphia banker Robert Morris, although Morris never used the panels. The paper remained crated until it was discovered in the early 1900s.


Even Billy Baldwin had an appreciation for this paper in this 1950s era room that he designed.

What I've also noticed is that gloriously unrestrained architectural details and valances seem to go hand in hand with this colorful Chinese paper. There is often fretwork molding, pagoda pediments over doorways and windows, and scrolled pelmets that decorate these Chinese themed rooms. Unfortunately, papering an entire room in scenic wallpaper can be rather expensive, and some people might be apprehensive about having that much color and pattern on one's walls. However, what about framing a panel or two to hang on the walls? At the very least, I might be tempted to copy some of those wonderful valances for my windows.


(Image at top courtesy of de Gournay. Chinese Parlor photo #1 from Winterthur's flickr photostream; Chinese Parlor photo #2 from HOUSE AND GARDEN'S NEW COMPLETE GUIDE TO INTERIOR DECORATION: FIFTH EDITION). Beauport photo from their website. Billy Baldwin photo from House & Garden's Complete Guide to Interior Decoration.)

Swiss Cottage

Isn't there something so intriguing and so very enchanting about follies? These architectural gems are such unique examples of fantasy, creativity, whimsy, and well, folly. I recently read about one that captured my attention: Swiss Cottage near Cahir, County Tipperary, Ireland. The structure is considered to be an ornamental cottage, and frankly I don't know what the difference is between an ornamental cottage and folly. Perhaps there isn't one.

Built around 1810 by Richard Butler, 1st Earl of Glengall, the cottage was used for entertaining guests, although some websites mention that it was used as a hunting and fishing lodge. (One book claims it was a romantic hideaway for Butler and his mistress. This cottage must have seen many different types of recreational pursuits.) The man responsible for the cottage's design is believed to be John Nash, one of the foremost architects of the Regency period.

What caught my eye was not the thatched roof, though it is charming. Rather, I'm taken with the trellis type ornamentation on the exterior. I can't tell if it's actual trellis, or if the design is painted. The scale of the decoration is quite large; it's very early 19th c. Dorothy Draper. This type of ornamentation would be a great way to perk up a garage, a potting shed, or a child's playhouse. Or, what about painting trellis on an exterior wall that adjoins a terrace or patio? Very chic indeed.


Sybil Connolly set this table outside of Swiss Cottage, a structure near and dear to her heart. She helped to raise funds for the cottage's refurbishment back in the 1980s. You also get a good view of the charming rustic woodwork.


The dining room of the cottage still has its original Dufour wallpaper, "Scenes from the Banks of the Bosphoros". Some believe that this paper is some of Dufour's earliest printed paper. I wish I could find a photograph of the entire dining room. I'm sure the rest of the paper is just as beautiful as this glimpse.

All of this reminds me of a present day take on trellis: a Dallas entryway designed by Michelle Nussbaumer. Trellis from a garden center was painted glossy black and was affixed to the entry's white walls.



(Images 2 and 3 courtesy of Tiffany Gourmet Cookbook. Nussbaumer photo from the Dallas Morning News, Terri Glanger photographer.)