The Mill, Part One

Over the holidays, I was tickled pink when a neighbor gave me a 1954 magazine clipping about the Mill, the French country house of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor (or, as the article referred to them, "the world's most romantic couple."). Titled Our First Real Home, the article was a two-part series written by the Duchess herself, who described at length the renovation and decoration of the couple's first purchased home.  (Their previous homes had all been leased.) 

Formerly owned by the artist Drian, the seventeenth-century mill, Moulin de la Tuilerie, consisted of a millhouse and three outbuildings located, naturally, along a stream.  According to the article, the Duchess chose a fruit and floral theme for the home because "every house should have a theme in its decoration." She also established a vibrant color-palette for most of the rooms because she "wanted to have a fling with bright colors."  The exceptions to this are the Duchess's pastel-colored bedroom and the lighter-toned dining room.  Assisted by her decorator, Stéphane Boudin of Maison Jansen, the Duchess filled her country home with newly-purchased objects as well as furnishings from their previous homes, including pieces from York House and Fort Belvedere.  (If, like me, you have spent hours pouring over the Duke and Duchess of Windsor auction catalogues, you'll likely recognize a number of the paintings and objects seen here.)

As I've said before, I don't consider the Mill to be on par with the Windsors' Paris home, which was really most attractive.  I find the colors of these interiors to be jarring to the eye, and some of the decorative combinations are rather odd.  (One such example, seen below, is the drawing-room banquette, which was accented with red satin cushions.  Alongside it was a corduroy-upholstered chair.  See what I mean?)  That being said, I relish these photos, because they provide a glimpse into the lives of a stylish couple who, rightly or wrongly, fascinate me.

You might recognize some of these photos, for they later appeared in Suzy Menkes's terrific book, The Windsor Style. Because the article featured so many photos, I'm dividing them up into two blog posts.  And I've also included the original photo captions, because they're too good to overlook.

So, now, the tour of the Mill...

"Our Moulin de la Tuilerie as it looks through the entrance gate."


The Big Hall:

"Sometimes I think the big hall is my favorite room- it's so cheery and comfortable. The overscaled chintz was chosen to heighten this effect. The low leather chair is the Duke's pet and the funny twisted-root stool on the hearth he used to sit on to rest while elephant hunting in East Africa. The stairs in the corner lead to our bedrooms and to the drawing room."

"This group in the hall just inside the front door is worked out around a red and gold Louis XV chest I had in my London apartment. The two still-lifes painted in 1839 were the first things we acquired especially for the mill- were originally intended for the dining-room. The big faience swan I bought from the people who most recently had been living in the mill- it seemed so right for the room. The high-backed chairs are old Irish ones."

"This view of the hall from the pantry side reveals the dining-room door across the room- not too convenient for serving, as you can see. The rug under the sofa group is of felt embroidered in floral squares- I bought it years ago hoping to have a place for it some day. Gravestones in the floor were stolen from cemeteries during the French revolution- fortunately nobody's under them."



The Drawing Room:

"You step up through that tiny door in the center of the picture to reach the drawing-room. The sloping shelves behind the door cover the main stairs to the hall below. To give this forty-foot room the height it needed we removed the floor of the old loft above it, thus exposing the beautiful cross beams and buttresses. The screen behind the piano- a map painted by Drian- carries the carpet design up several feet like a dado."

"To give you some idea of the size of the room- the baroque mirror over the fireplace is ten feet high. On either side are the two paintings by Lorjou which suggested the color scheme of the room. The carpet was especially designed and woven but most of the furnishings are things we had- done over. The small door by the fireplace leads to our Bahamian bar."

"The banquette around the corner to the right of the fireplace contrasts a Jacquard-textured cotton with shiny satin cushions- the chair is covered in corduroy.  On the wall is the almost life-size portrait Drian did of me at the time of my marriage. The tree-trunk pedestals holding geraniums were in Drian's old studio in the barn."

"The sofa group is dominated by the famous picture Sir Alfred J. Munnings painted of my husband on horseback when he was Prince of Wales. On each side hang old French hunting carvings. The coffee table, given us in Nassau, has a map of the Bahamas in black and antique bronze painted under the glass top."



The Duchess's Bedroom:

"This shows how my room looks as you first come in. The far window behind the dressing table opens over the millstream; at night its gentle murmur makes such a relaxing sound to go to sleep by! The clear pastel colors are those I've always been fond of- they also harmonize with the two painted chests (you can see a corner of one on the right) that I've had since we were first married. The little Victorian rocker in the foreground, painted to match the room, belonged to my grandmother in America."

"My bedroom is long and narrow with sloping beams, a little like a tent- so I decided to emphasize this by draping the old beams with striped antique taffeta. The colors in the curtains are repeated in the harlequin bedcover- a present from my husband on my last birthday. Its pieces are put together by hand like a patchwork quilt- I had decided it would be too expensive but the Duke ordered it for me anyway as a surprise. The door in the far wall opens to the bathroom; at the right next to it is the entrance door from the upper landing."

"My painted trompe l'oeil chest gave us the idea for decorating the bathroom. We painted the walls with the same wood grain, adding amusing trompe l'oeil symbols held up by red tape- things like the jacket of A King's Story, gloves, opera glasses, bouquets of flowers, butterflies, a dog leash."

"To me flowers are an important part of the decoration of a room and one of my hobbies is arranging them. I always like white flowers in my own room. Sometimes they're a low arrangement like the roses opposite; sometimes tall, like the one here of calla lilies and spiky eremurus."



The Duke's Bedroom and Bath:

"All the furniture here came from Fort Belvedere- the drum is one from the Grenadier Guards with the Duke's own cipher, ER VIII, used when he was king. The small clock on the mantel was a christening present from his maternal grandparents, the Duke and Duchess of Teck."

"The Duke's bedroom is also a quiet retreat. He has his favorite books and collections there- the old prints on the wall show the different uniforms of the Grenadier Guards from 1660 to modern times. A naval dress sword hangs there under prints of old navy uniforms."

"One of our planning problems was the Duke's dressing room and bath just across the landing from my room. We solved it by building fixtures into closets and cabinets and setting a stall shower in one corner (for he prefers a shower to a tub bath). Stairs at right lead to the bedroom."


To be continued....

Transcending Time

Last week, Christie's Paris held a sale that featured the contents of an apartment overlooking the Seine.  Lots included work by Jean-Michel Frank, Paul Dupré-Lafon, and Marc du Plantier, the kind of furniture that adds excitement to an auction.  But what's more exciting to me than these blue-chip pieces is the apartment that once  housed them.

Recently photographed for AD France, the apartment has a noteworthy history.  Based on my translation of the article (which may not be entirely accurate as my French is a little rusty,) it seems that the apartment, which was built between 1929 and 1931, was originally occupied by couturier Edward Molyneux, who abandoned Paris for London during the Second World War.  In 1948, a painter purchased the apartment and promptly hired Maison Jansen to decorate it.  Much of the finishes you see in these photos- the green lacquered walls, the ebony-stained parquet floors, the mirrored panels, and the boiserie- were the handiwork of Jansen craftsmen.  Now, before you read on, study the photo above, specifically, those lacquered walls.  To think that they were lacquered almost seventy years ago, and yet, they look as if they were done just yesterday.  In fact, the article mentions that the homeowner's heirs, who inherited the apartment in 1988, were surprised to find that the lacquered walls showed no cracks.  Impressive, indeed.

Unfortunately, I can't tell you which pieces of furniture were original to the 1948 Jansen installation.  This information was likely mentioned in the article, but I simply didn't understand it.  However, I did glean that at least some of the furniture and rugs were purchased in recent times by the painter's heirs, who made the decision to sell their collection at last week's auction.  These details, or lack of them, are really beside the point.  The compelling story here is how tasteful and well-crafted décor can withstand the whims of time.      

All photos from AD France, Paul Lepreux photographer.

Palme d'Or

Last Thursday, half of Atlanta- literally- turned out for Miles Redd's lecture. Looking at the packed pews of the Cathedral of St. Philip, one could be forgiven for thinking that it was Easter Sunday. Well, the talk was most interesting, and Miles was most charming. I think that I could have listened to him speak for an additional hour, especially considering that Miles packed his slide presentation with numerous photos of interiors and swells of yesteryear.

One memorable part of the talk was when he referenced the photo, above. As you can see, it's the dust jacket for the highly coveted book, Jansen Decoration. According to Miles, that photo shows the Jansen decorated dining room of designer Mary McFadden's grandmother. But connections aside, what struck Miles were those plaster palms, so much so that he chose to indulge his home's entry hall with plaster palms too:

If you look through Miles' book, The Big Book of Chic, you'll see a black and white photo of his entry hall where you can just barely make out the plaster palm to the right side and at the end of the hall.

Miles mentioned that the plaster palm trees of the Jansen Decoration photo reminded him of those at Spencer House. Now that he mentioned it, they do look similar to those at Spencer House, the magnificent 18th century London house built by John, First Earl Spencer.  What makes the palm trees and fronds of Spencer House so spectacular is their lavish gilding, as you can see below.

I consulted my guide book to Spencer House, and it notes that The Palm Room was designed by architect John Vardy and was intended for use by gentlemen after retiring from dinner. (The ladies retreated upstairs to Lady Spencer's Room.) According to this guide, the design for the Spencer House Palm Room was based on the King's Bedchamber at Greenwich Palace, conceived by John Webb. Vardy's interpretation can also be seen in the c. 1755 drawing, above. One interesting tidbit about the palm motif with which I wasn't familiar is that the palm tree symbolized marital fertility.

Funny enough, just days before Miles' talk, I was reading through Biedermeier to Bauhaus, a wonderful book suggested to me by Quatorze, a very knowledgeable reader of this blog.  Quatorze advised me not to let the book's rather dry title dissuade me from buying it. I am still going through the book, but so far it is very interesting. And one of the book's beautiful photos portrays yet another Palm Room, this one at Neues Schloss in Bayreuth, Germany. Don't you think it's beautiful:

This particular Palm Room dates to 1757. Here, carved and gilded palm trees stand alongside walnut veneer walls and a ceiling dotted with gold stucco dragons.

I am sure there are many more Palm Rooms in some of the great European palaces and houses, and if you are familiar with them, please tell me about them. I did find a few more photos of rooms in which palm trees- of the decorative kind, of course- play prominent roles.

The private dining room of the ocean liner Ile-de-France was decorated by Atelier Martine around 1927. The walls were decorated with some type of mural or, possibly, wood veneer or inlay. You can just make out the palm trees that appeared on the room's walls.

Here, an American room from 1938 captures the design trends of that time, from the Serge Roche-type plaster palm floor lamp to the zebra upholstery.

And finally, the Palm Room of Schloss St. Emmeram, the Bavarian estate of the Thurn und Taxis. The striking palm tree was inspired by Brighton Pavilion.


Miles Redd photos from The Big Book of Chic, Paul Costello photographer; Neues Schloss photo from Biedermeier to Bauhaus; Atelier Martine photo from The Decorative Twenties and the following photo from The Decorative Thirties, both by Martin Battersby. Thurn und Taxis photo from Private Splendor: Great Families at Home.

France, May, 1939

One of the nice things about collecting old magazines is that I have a treasure trove of inspiration. One of the bad things about collecting old magazines is that I often forget which ones I own. Over the weekend, I found a May 1939 issue of the French magazine L'Illustration, an issue about which I had completely forgotten. The issue's theme was houses and design, and it contains photos of all kinds of wonderful Parisian apartments and country villas.

While reading the magazine, it dawned on me that this issue was published just a few months before Hitler's invasion of Poland, an event that ultimately embroiled Europe in World War II. That's not to say that in May, 1939, Europeans were ignorant of the troubling brewing around them; most were in fact aware of the Nazis' growing threat. But, I suppose that in the spirit of "business as usual" (or perhaps "sticking one's head in the sand"), European magazines continued to promote the high style fashion and interiors that were the rage in the 1930s.

The interiors seen here were done by Jansen, Ramsay, Eugène Printz, and a firm with which I'm not familiar, Porteneuve. I don't know if these photos show actual residential interiors or showroom vignettes. Still, I think it's interesting (and rather sad, too) to look at these interiors with the knowledge that Europe was about to change forever.

Image at top: Salon by Ramsay




Room by Jansen




Dining Room by Eugène Printz




Salon by Porteneuve





Bedroom by Eugène Printz




Jansen

Chic It Up 1960s Style

I just received word that Winterthur's annual design conference, Chic It Up!, will be held on October 9 and 10 at Winterthur. This year's event focuses on 1960's interior design and the contributions that Henry Francis du Pont made both to Winterthur and to the design world during that decade. After all, du Pont was friends with such luminaries as Diana Vreeland, Billy Baldwin, Millicent Hearst, and Jackie Kennedy. In fact, you might recall that Kennedy appointed du Pont to be chairman of her committee to refurnish the White House, something which I'll explore in a future post.

This year's lineup of speakers includes Adam Lewis speaking on Billy Baldwin, Emily Evans Eerdmans discussing Madeleine Castaing, James Archer Abbot holding forth on Maison Jansen, and Mitchell Owens expounding on Swinging 1960s Style. I have heard both Lewis and Eerdmans speak before, and they are both interesting and engaging speakers. And although I have never had the opportunity to attend a lecture given by Abbot nor Owens, I hear that they too are most impressive. Can you imagine a better way to spend the day than to learn more about 1960s design? I can't.

Later in the day on the 10th, there will be workshops that one can attend led by Winterthur's own Maggie Lidz, Tom Savage, Jeff Groff, and Linda Eaton as well as other Winterthur historians. I have heard this group lecture before, and they too will knock your socks off. And there is even an optional tour the day before of private homes in the area including one whose dining room appeared in Thomas Jayne's recent book, The Finest Rooms in America.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend this year's event because of a prior commitment. I am sick that I'll miss it because the Chic It Up! event that I attended two years ago was one of the best conferences that I have ever attended- truly. This is why I urge you to make plans to attend. You really won't be sorry. And if my ebullience seems a little over the top, just know that I am not receiving any type of compensation for this plug. I am doing it solely because I think that Winterthur is one of our country's great treasures.

For more information, visit www.winterthur.org/ciu or call 302-888-4786.





The Dining Room at The Big Bend, one of the houses that is part of the optional tour. Photo courtesy of The Finest Rooms in America (The Monacelli Press, 2010) by Thomas Jayne. Photo by Kerri McCaffety.





Madeleine Castaing's Winter Bedroom at Maison de Leves that will be discussed by Emily Evans Eerdmans. Photo from The World of Madeleine Castaing (Rizzoli, 2010) by Emily Eerdmans, courtesy of Sotheby's.





Adam Lewis will speak on design legend Billy Baldwin. Photo by Horst, from Billy Baldwin: The Great American Decorator (Rizzoli, 2010) by Adam Lewis, courtesy of Adam Lewis.





The White House Blue Room as designed by Stephane Boudin of Maison Jansen. Photo courtesy of the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library



Photo of David Hicks interior, part of the Chic It Up! banner, from from The Best of European Decoration (Reynal & Co., 1963) by Georges Bernier, courtesy of L’Oeil.

What Lies Behind Those Doors...

For me, one of the most stunning homes in James Archer Abbott's Jansen was the Paris apartment of Jansen president Pierre Delbee. It was a memorable home amongst many memorable homes. I think that what did it for me were those doors. Ahhh, those doors.... You see, they send me into a reverie every time I look at the photos. The ebony and ivory veneered numbers were decorated with depictions of follies, temples, even a trompe l'oeil grid-patterned floor. To have doors like these grace one's home must be pretty terrific. Good luck finding someone to duplicate them, though. What might be easier to replicate are the doors inside the home's library:



Upholstered in green suede and trimmed in gilt bronze. Now these are almost as beautiful as the other doors (although far more simple), and that centrally placed doorknob is the perfect punctuation point. While we're behind closed doors, let's look at the rest of the room:

Two things stand out to me- that greek key lampshade in the foreground which is actually made of cut silver, and the leopard print sofa at the far end of the room. The impressive antique armchairs in the library are all by Jacob. Pretty heady stuff, don't you think?



(Top photo from Jansen by James Archer Abbott; remaining photos from The Best in European Decoration)