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.

Come for Drinks

Doesn't the photo above look inviting? I love the way in which this drinks table was arranged with a gracious plenty of everything: liquor, glassware, ice, drink garnishes, and cocktail nibbles. I wish that I could remember from which issue of Veranda this image came. Regardless, I think that a drinks table as elaborate as this one is best suited for a party (or a magazine photograph!) But for everyday use, a smaller drinks table in a library or drawing room is always nice for impromptu gatherings or a solitary drink while reading. If the table is placed near a fireplace, even better.




In an Indian noblewoman's London flat designed by Nicky Haslam.




In a far corner of the living room in a Faubourg Saint-Germain house.




In Blenheim Palace underneath a 1963 portrait of the 11th Duke of Marlborough.




In a niche in Madeleine Castaing's salon at Maison de Lèves.




In the lush red salon of a home in Paris.




In the London living room of decorator Anthony Denney.



In a glamorous New Orleans salon decorated by Nicky Haslam.



In the library at Clandeboye, County Down, Ireland.


Image #1 from Veranda; #2 from Interiors by Min Hogg and Wendy Harrop; #3 from The Finest Houses Of Paris by Christiane de Nicolay-Mazery; #4 from Vanity Fair, June 2011, Jonathan Becker photographer; #5 and #6 from French Interiors: The Art of Elegance by Christiane de Nicolay-Masery; #7 from The Best in European Decoration; #8 from Sheer Opulence by Nicholas Haslam; #9 from The Irish Country House by the Knight of Glin and James Peill.

From Paris to New York with Jean-Paul Beaujard

I must have offended somebody at the Postal Service because for whatever reason, I now receive all of my magazines two weeks after everybody else. Very annoying. I only just received the September issue of Architectural Digest at the end of last week, but that's okay. After reading it, I spent a pleasant weekend dreaming about antiques dealer and designer Jean-Paul Beaujard's Manhattan apartment. It's such a sumptuously elegant home.

I was not familiar with Beaujard's work, but a Google search showed that Beaujard's Paris apartment was featured in the September 2006 issue of Architectural Digest. You should visit the magazine's website to see the entire article, but what struck me is the similarity between the two apartments. Beaujard obviously has a well-defined vision of how he wants to live. Madeleine Castaing fabrics seem to be a favorite of Beaujard as evidenced by his use of it in both apartments. Also, his collection of antiques shows a great deal of consistency between both homes. (That is hardly a criticism, rather an observation.) In the 2006 article, Beaujard was quoted as saying, "I don't like to do fashionable decorating. I like things where you can close the room and open it up 10 years later and it doesn't look has-been." I think that "has-been" is a term that will never describe Beaujard nor his homes.



If you look at the photo at top of Beaujard's Manhattan apartment, you'll notice that the green velvet sofa has a gilt wood frame. In his Paris apartment, above, a gilt chair wears a darker green velvet. A collection of Old Paris plates is displayed behind.



In his New York home office, the walls are covered in a Castaing fabric while a swatch of a different Castaing print rests on the desk.




In his Paris guest room, the walls are covered in the very same Castaing print.




I remember tearing this page out of the 2006 Paris article because I was taken with the painted door, not to mention that beautiful Coromandel screen.




Beaujard has used an array of animal prints in both of his apartments. (Perhaps that's why I'm smitten with his work!) Here, in his Paris library, the designer covered the walls in a leopard print fabric. That's a very Castaing touch.


Paris photos plus quote from Architectural Digest, September 2006, Marina Faust photographer, text by Peter Haldeman. Manhattan apartment photos from Architectural Digest, September 2011, Miguel Flores-Vianna photographer.

Color Inspiration

Last week, I attended a luncheon at which Charlotte Moss was the guest speaker. If you've read any of her books, you know that Charlotte finds inspiration in almost everything: travel, architecture, books, flowers, fashion. It was interesting to learn what sparks her imagination and how that spark might manifest itself in a later design project. Take, for example, Madeleine Castaing's pink and black bathroom (at top). Charlotte has long been a devotee of Castaing, and the particular color combination used by Castaing intrigued Charlotte- so much so that Charlotte later used a pink and black color scheme for her table setting that was photographed for At Home with Wedgwood: The Art of the Table. You can see that Charlotte chose a pink cloth and napkins as a backdrop for her black basaltware. Very striking just as Castaing's bathroom was.

Inspiration can be a funny thing. There are times when we see a photo or a color combination, for example, and might actively find a way to incorporate it into whatever it is we're working on. But then there are times when inspiration can be more passive. You might be struck by the mood or feel of something, and only much later do you realize that that "thing" has found its way into one of your creations- maybe a piece of art if you're an artist, or perhaps a dress if you're a fashion designer, or even a table setting if you like to entertain. This not so "deep thought" occurred to me after Charlotte's lecture. When thinking about the Castaing influence on her Wedgwood table setting, I remembered this photo of the Maharaja of Jaipur, featured in The World in Vogue, that I first saw well over a year ago.




This image is all about dazzling color- vibrant pinks, oranges, blues, and golds. It's really quite magical. Every so often, I would pull the book from the shelf just to take a good look at the Maharaja and soak in the gorgeous setting. But you know, I never really thought too long and hard about the photo. I never made a concerted effort to strike up a room in a bevy of pinks and blues because that's not my style, nor did I ever think to write a blog post about this photo. I made no plans to do anything with what I saw. And then it dawned on me a few days ago- this photo has indeed had an effect on me, though I never realized it. I now believe that it inspired me to:



1) Buy these Rajasthan table linens by Le Jacquard Francais. My linen closet is filled with solid-colored hemstitch napkins and some Porthault here and there, but when I saw Rajasthan last Fall, I was so taken with the pinks and the oranges that I had to have them. The Maharaja never once crossed my mind while making this purchase, though. Or did he?





2) Arrange my books by color. Well, at least on one shelf. Now you know that I'm one of those people who will not arrange books by color. I have a system that works for me and organizing by color would mess that up. But on one shelf of books on fashion, I found myself stacking rows of pinks mixed with some reds. How did that happen? Maybe the photo had something to do with it?




3) Pull fabric samples that seem to fall in the pink, coral, orange, or peacock blue range. They tend to all be velvet, which isn't very Indian-like, but the colors certainly are. Now, where should I use this fabric???

Of course, there very well may have been other factors, and obviously I'm not the only person currently influenced by these particular colors. But, perhaps that photo of the Maharaja was the spark that I needed to branch out and experiment with a new color palette.


(Castaing image from The World of Madeleine Castaing; Wedgwood photo from At Home with Wedgwood: The Art of the Table; Maharaja from The World in Vogue)

Blind as a Slat

One of my all-time favorite fabrics is Venetian Blind, a trompe l'oeil chintz designed by the late, great John Fowler (see it above.) If you've read Martin Wood's book John Fowler: Prince of Decorators, you've seen the print; it makes appearances throughout the book as Fowler used it quite often in his projects. I've always wanted to make shades out of Venetian Blind ever since I saw Clarence House's version many years ago. Alas, Colefax & Fowler discontinued Fowler's original print years ago, and Clarence House's version is, yes, discontinued too. I think that's why Nicky Haslam's version was met with great fanfare when it was introduced last year.

Nicky's talented Creative Director Colette Van Den Thillart was kind enough to send me samples after I inquired about the fabric. Nicky's interpretation is printed on linen, and the various colorways are gorgeous! Dovecote Grey has my name written all over it. Now I just need to find some naked windows in my home that I can dress in this fabric. Or, I can do as Colette did and have an actual dress made from the fabric. (If you want to see Nicky, Colette, and the entire staff posed in front of the print, click here.)

Funny enough, on the same day that I received the samples, I happened to find a photo of a room designed by Madeleine Castaing in which the wallpaper looked Venetian blind-esque. It may not be a blind print per se, but you can see below that it somewhat resembles blinds. You know how I love design happenstance, so how could I not write a post on such a charming print?

Nicky Haslam's version is Shutter Stripe. Colors include Dovecote Grey, Moonlight Beige, Pomegranate Red, New Mown Green, Cloudy Lilac, and Unearthly Brown. For more information on Shutter Stripe, visit NH Design's website.




Here, Fowler used the fabric for shades in the home of Anthony Ayscought at 14 Gayfere Street, Westminster. Don't you love how you can see the sheen of the glazed cotton?




Venetian Blind also made an appearance as, what else, blinds in Fowler's early showroom at 292 Kings Road.




Here, the chintz was made into a roller shade at Yarty, a country home decorated by Fowler.




I wonder if this vignette was located in Castaing's Rue Bonaparte showroom? I'd love to know what this wallpaper's print actually is. Might it be Venetian blinds?




This Nobilis paper named "Les Jalousies" graced the entryway of the apartment of M. et Mme Yves Halard.

(All Fowler images from John Fowler: Prince of Decorators; Shutter Stripe samples photo by Jennifer Boles; Castaing photo from Decoration, Volume I (Connaissance des Arts Collection); Halard photo from Les Reussites de la Decoration Francaise, 1950-1960)

More Blue (and Leopard too)

My favorite combination as of late is a clear shade of blue mixed with leopard print. I blame it solely on this soon to be released book, The World of Madeleine Castaing, seen above. To be fair, though, I guess I should blame not only Emily but Ms. Castaing as well.

Perhaps this is why I can't seem to get a certain Parisian apartment out of my mind. This too was another discovery in my copy of Architectural Digest International Interiors (are you sick of me mentioning this book yet again??) This apartment was the home of antiquaire Jean Pierre Hagnauer and his wife. At one point in his career, Hagnauer had been a decorator, having trained under the legendary Georges Geoffroy. Hagnauer counted Jean Cocteau and Jean Marais as clients, but eventually the lure of being a full-time antiques dealer was too great and he left decorating behind for good.

The home, like most of the others in the book, is worldly and refined. But I think that what sticks with me is the color blue woven throughout the apartment. It's such a beautiful backdrop to the fine paintings and artwork, the rare specimens of furniture and bibelots, and some really great leopard print pillows. Before I finish this post, though, I thought I would include Hagnauer's decorating wisdom. Truly, these are words to live by:

*Above everything else, respect the thrust of the architecture. Do not decorate a vintage 1930s apartment in a Louis XV manner nor make a Pop statement in some Louis XIII chateau.

*Reject those trends of the moment that force interior designers to accept objects of poor quality under the guise that they are "amusing."

*Reject any literal and painstaking recreation of historical periods. In the long run such an approach can only be static and boring.

(Castaing cover image from The World of Madeleine Castaing by Emily Evans Eerdmans, to be published by Rizzoli. All other images from Architectural Digest International Interiors, Pascal Hinous photographer.)