The Soane Mystique

History has produced but a small coterie of architects and designers whose work continues to inspire us today. One person who figures prominently in this pantheon is Sir John Soane, the visionary British architect. Well versed in the Neoclassical style, Soane designed both private manor houses as well as public buildings (most notably the Bank of England). However, it is Soane's home at 12-14 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London (now known as Sir John Soane's Museum), that has inspired legions of fans through the years. Built in the late 18th c. and added on to during the early 19th c., the home is a sterling example of Soane's refined aesthetic and his no nonsense practicality.

There are a few rooms in particular that seem to enthrall visitors. The Breakfast Room is a marvel in design. In order to maximize the light in an otherwise dark space, Soane topped the room with a domed ceiling and oculus. He then added small convex mirrors throughout the room- in the archways, around the fireplace surround- to help reflect the light. It is highly effective and pleasing to the eye too.

The Library, characterized by segmented arches and Gothic accents, is noted for its rich Pompeiian red walls and bronze green trim. Trust me, the combination of these two rich colors is extremely handsome- you really have to see it in person to appreciate the complexity of the colors.

And I can't forget to mention Soane's collection of antiquities and architectural ruins, displayed en masse throughout the home: in the Dome Area; the Colonnade; the Sepulchral Chamber. It's staggering to think that one man is responsible for such an important collection!

So, how do modern day designers channel the spirit of Soane? Well, let me show you. And I'll add that I think Sir John Soane would be quite proud of their efforts.


An arch in the red and green Library of Sir John Soane


An homage to the Soane style, on a small scale, in a library designed by Josef Johns.


The home of Stephen Calloway. Note the rich red walls, the green trim, and trompe l'oeil painted arches.


Soane's Breakfast Room. Note the convex mirrors inset into the arches and the ceiling.


A detail shot of the ceiling of the Breakfast Room.



David Mlinaric designed this Soane-esque dining room/library in the home of Lord Rendlesham. Look at the marvelous ceiling.



A tribute to Soane's impressive collection in the flat of Peter Hone. Some of the antiquities and fragments are real, while others are faux (the columns on the walls are actually engravings that have been glued to the wall)


Another view of the Hone flat.

Fantasy Room

The current issue of Vogue Living has a great article on a fantasy room created for actress Rachel Weisz. Inspired by the lives of 19th century Parisian courtesans, Weisz wanted a boudoir with a salon feel. The fantasy room, created in the empty apartment of the late Fernando Sanchez, was assembled with the help of Vera Wang and designer Jessie Carrier. And what fun that must have been! The room is dominated by a gorgeous bed dripping in fabric by Michael Smith and crowned by ostrich feathers!

So, I started to think about my kind of fantasy room. Now in reality, I'm a student of the "Albert Hadley/Billy Baldwin/ Van Day Truex with some Dorothy Draper mixed in" school of design. But we are talking fantasy here, so why not go for broke. I don't see myself creating a period piece- Regency England, Belle Epoque Paris, or Renaissance Italy are all very inspiring periods, but they're not striking my fancy at this moment. And I don't want a costume drama. Although Scarlett O'Hara is a heroine to us Southern gals, I'm just not seeing hoop skirts in my fantasy room (although allowances might be made for Scarlett's green velvet curtains; they just might come in handy!).

No, my room would be planted firmly in the 20th century; actually, the 1930s to be exact. I see satin, mirror, interesting plasterwork, a bit of Chinoiserie, and moody lighting. It would have to be shot in black and white for that extra touch of drama. Oh, and I see an ermine cape thrown on the ground for that touch of devil may care attitude.


If we're talking 1930s, we have to include a Syrie Maugham room. Perhaps a satin sofa like this might be nice, although the fringe is a bit hard to stomach.


I suppose this might be my fantasy bathroom, located next to my fantasy room. (Bathroom at Gayfere House, London)


What about these unusual ropes, wooden tassels, and porcelain hands on a wall in the fantasy room? (Images from House & Garden, Conde Nast Store)


You see, nothing like a little dramatic lighting to change the tone of a room. (Room designed by Thedlow; House & Garden, August 1936)


Oh look, there I am striking a pose in my fantasy room! (Photo of late actress Gail Patrick)

(Images at top from Vogue Living, Spring/Summer '08; Annie Leibovitz photographer)

The Hunting Lodge- Then and Now

One of the most charming houses featured in the recently published John Fowler: Prince of Decorators (written by Martin Wood) is Fowler's beloved country house, the "Hunting Lodge" . The Gothick style house is actually quite small, but this limitation did not deter Fowler. According to Wood's book, Fowler wanted to create a home that was "utterly unpretentious, very comfortable, with a veneer of elegance and informality and the feeling that one can sit down anywhere without having to move a chair." When I look at the photos of Fowler's home, I'm struck by the soft, faded colors, the chintz, the Mauny wallpaper, and the charming antique furniture. It is, in the words of Fowler, elegant and supremely comfortable.

After Fowler's death, the Hunting Lodge was deeded to the National Trust. Its current tenant is British designer Nicky Haslam, who has kept much of Fowler's scheme intact (do you think that would happen here in the States?). While Haslam's incarnation is a bit more formal and not quite as faded, it's still cozy and inviting nonetheless. British House & Garden recently published an article on Haslam's country home, so I thought I would show a comparison between the Hunting Lodge of each of these design legends.


The sitting room designed by Fowler. The color of the walls was "Sienna Pink", according to Wood.


Haslam's version of the sitting room; note that Haslam kept the Sienna Pink color for the walls.


The dining room from the Fowler era: originally this room had been a front hall. Fowler added trompe l'oeil paneling, a chest of drawers, and an upholstered chair to keep the room from looking like a "dead dining room".


Haslam's dining room, which was the only major change from Fowler's scheme. Haslam eliminated the wall between Fowler's smaller dining room and a service kitchen to create a larger room.


One of my favorite rooms from the Hunting Lodge- here, Fowler converted this little hallway and stairwell into a small library and study. The wallpaper is Mauny.


I'm so glad Haslam chose to keep this beautiful wallpaper, seen in the background.


Fowler painted his bedroom in blue distemper and applied a Mauny border vertically (a trick that Fowler also used in other homes). The bed hanging is "Victoria" chintz.


Once again, Haslam chose not to alter Fowler's scheme.


Fowler's summer house is still there too!

(Haslam images from UK House & Garden, photographer Simon Brown. Fowler quotations from "John Fowler: Prince of Decorators" by Martin Wood)

The Mysterious Jib Door

In last week's post "Fun with Books", I showed a few examples of book-themed treatments of jib doors. A reader suggested that I devote a post to the subject of these doors, which seem to be more prevalent in Europe than they are here in the States (although there are jib doors in the Oval Office).

For those of you who may not be familiar with them, jib doors are basically disguised or concealed doors. The doors tend to be flush with the walls around them and lack any surrounding architecture, thereby creating a continuous plane. Many times the doors even have concealed hinges to further add to the disguise. Jib doors are usually given the same treatment as the rest of the walls in a room- paper, fabric, mirror, etc.

John Fowler was a designer who incorporated jib doors into many of his projects. In one of the images below, you will see that Fowler papered both the walls and the jib door with a Chinoiserie paper. But Fowler could also be quite inventive with his treatment of concealed doors. In David and Evangeline Bruce's Albany set, Fowler gave the jib door the same molding as the rest of the wall but added a trompe l'oeil painting to both the door and the wall. When one opened the jib door, the painting was revealed to be faux.

Even if you have never heard of the term "jib door", I'm sure you've seen them before. In fact, I think one of the most famous photos of a jib door has to be that above of Pauline de Rothschild opening the door in her Paris bedroom. And with beautiful wallpaper like that, who would want to mess it up with a clunky door!


This jib door at Colefax & Fowler in Mayair was cut into a large painted panel- the door became part of the artwork, so to speak.


The Bruce's dining room with the trompe l'oeil painting on the jib door.


A classic treatment of jib doors- papering both the walls and the door (located to the right of the bed). Design by John Fowler (Sudeley Castle.)


David Hicks was also a fan of jib doors. Here, he papered both the walls and the door with a marblelized paper. However, he also added a little lit vitrine that, according to Hicks' son, moved with the door. Now that's clever!


I once saw an interview with Albert Hadley in which, if I remember correctly, he discussed the concealed door in his gorgeous red hallway that led to his powder room (I believe he said that his guests usually had trouble finding the powder room!). I couldn't find any images of this, but did find a jib closet door in Hadley's guest room. Look closely- it's on the left-hand side of the room.


Jib doors in the Oval Office- a rather blah treatment of the concealed doors during Eisenhower's administration.

Turkish Tents

After reading and posting last week about the Turkish tent inspired room designed by Renzo Mongiardino, I decided to learn more about these exotic structures. So, here is a *brief* history lesson (and I don't think you'll need that shot of espresso to get through this!).

The early Turks were a nomadic people who lived in ornate tents that were derived from yurts. This choice of abode later influenced the Ottoman armies, which were known for traveling with elaborate war tents. As the Ottoman empire expanded, and as their wealth grew, the tents became even more intricate and were often influenced by Byzantine and Persian designs. Many of them were quite luxurious (especially those built for the sultans) with elaborate fabric hangings and furnishings inside. Fortunately for us a few of these Ottoman tents survive, such as that at Wawel Royal Castle in Krakow.

In time, the exoticism and ornateness of these tents became a source of inspiration for the design of garden follies across Europe. One of the most famous is that built around 1760 at Painshill Park, Surrey, England. This tent was actually a quite sturdy structure with a brick floor, partial brick walls, and a wooden dome which supported the painted canvas. Although the original structure disappeared in the 19th c., it has now been rebuilt based on Henry Keene's original designs. Other Turkish tent inspired structures are also found at a few of the Swedish royal palaces.

Besides being an interesting history lesson, I think it is fascinating to see how these tents have inspired people through the ages. No, not many people are inclined to build a garden folly (although I wish more people would), and yes, the idea of that much fabric in one room (like Mongiardino's tented room) may intimidate some people. But there are so many other ways in which these relics of the past can influence us. Perhaps in our choice of textiles, or our use of color, or even the way we might apply a certain decorative motif. Sometimes, if we open our eyes and our minds, we can really be inspired by some of the most wonderful, and historical, things.


An authentic Turkish tent from the first half of the 17th c. It was a spoil of war from the Ottoman defeat at the Battle of Vienna in 1683. Now part of the textile collection at Wawel Royal Castle in Krakow, Poland.


Henry Keene's design for a Turkish Tent at Painshill Park, Surrey, c. 1760 (the drawing is part of the collection of the Victoria and Albert)


The restored and rebuilt Turkish Tent at Painshill Park (photographer Antony McCallum)


The Palace Guard's tent at Drottningholm Palace Park, Sweden. Built in the second half of the 18th c. (dates vary on the internet), the structure is made of painted copper.


Another copper, Turkish inspired tent at Haga Park, Sweden. It was built in 1787 to house both stables and guards.




I don't know if these tents, designed in 1971 by Maison Jansen for the celebration of the 2,500th anniversary of the founding of Persia, were inspired by Turkish tents, but this was a modern, luxurious, and glamorous treatment of temporary tent living. (Images from Jansen by James Archer Abbott, Acanthus Press).

Image at top: Franz Geffels painted "Battle of Vienna 1683" to depict the bloody battle. Notice the Turkish tents present.

Maximum Impact

Round Chinese Cabinet at Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna

Nothing creates more impact than displaying a collection, particularly one of porcelain, en masse. In the 18th c., some of the European palaces had porcelain cabinets and chambers- rooms in which the palace's collection of porcelain was displayed. Many of these porcelain rooms were decorated with ornate gilt brackets on which the pieces of porcelain were placed.

Of course, the grandeur of these rooms is not necessarily something to which the modern homeowner aspires. However, the grouping of brackets and objets certainly creates just as much visual impact today as it did centuries ago. Just look at the way this idea was applied in rooms designed by Jansen and Syrie Maugham.

The moral of the story? Sometimes in design it's better to be bold, especially with collections. You can always show restraint in other areas!


Porcelain Chamber from Dubsky Palace,Brno, now located in the MAK Museum, Vienna.


Part of a Porcelain Cabinet from a German palace, c. 1738, now located at Schloss St. Emmeram in Bavaria


Moody drama in a room designed by legend Syrie Maugham


Jayne Wrightsman in her Palm Beach library, designed by Maison Jansen (1959)

Bold Borders

According to son Ashley Hicks, one of David Hicks' favorite design tricks was to outline the edges and corners of a room with a contrasting braid or paper (Hicks also liked to apply similar borders on window treatments and upholstered furniture too). The effect is one that is bold and graphic- it visually reinforces the shape of the room. Ruthie Sommers used a similar idea in a room she designed for her husband (above). Wanting to make the room look like it was "tied up like a package", Sommers chose a Hicks style paper for the walls and painted a dark, wide border around the edges of the walls. What intrigued me most about this decorating "device" (to use the words of Ashley Hicks) is that it was used in the former royal palace Kew Palace (England) during the late 18th/ early 19th c. In Princess Elizabeth's room (below), the walls are covered in a green verditer wallpaper, and a Greek key border outlines each wall. How interesting to see this type of decoration used in a historical home, in a mod sixties room, and in a 21st c. California home.


A graphic room designed by David Hicks


Another Hicks designed room; the walls are covered in a blue woolen fabric and the outline is achieved using black braid.


Princess Elizabeth's bedroom at Kew Palace

(Photo at top of Ruthie Sommers' Santa Monica home; courtesy of Cottage Living)