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.

A Beauty of a Table

So what's today's "I want it. I need it. I have to have it."? Why, that would be a William Kent style table. A stretch, I know. I think that my desire for pleated lamp shades will be fulfilled long before that of a William Kent table. Still, one has to have those aspirational pieces on her wish list. After all, you gotta have something to work for.

So, who was William Kent and what did he have to do with tables? In a backward history lesson kind of way, that will be the focus of tomorrow's post. But in this post, I'll show a few examples of how these beauties are being used today.

See that photo at top? That's a William Kent table in the home of Oscar and Annette de la Renta. An elegant table for an elegant couple.



In the manner of William Kent, this eagle based console resides in the London home of Sue Stafford, former marketing director for David Hicks.



Alexa Hampton has this William Kent style table in her office.



I wonder if Alexa's table is the same one that her father, Mark Hampton, used at the Kips Bay Showhouse in 1997. Looks like it.



Mark Hampton also used a William Kent table in his Manhattan dining room.



Who could forget that Miles Redd used his William Kent style table to serve drinks?



A William Kent style table appears in another Redd project.



I'm not so sure about the red plush finish to this William Kent style console and mirror that was recently auctioned off at Christie's. That said, the carved eagle base is rather nice.

(Image #1: Vogue, 12/08, François Halard; #2 from House & Garden, October 2010, Sarah Hogan photographer; #3 from New York Social Diary, Jeff Hirsch photographer; #4 and #5 from Mark Hampton: An American Decorator by Duane Hampton; #6 from House & Garden, Paul Costello photographer; #6 from Elle Decor, Simon Upton photographer.)

On A Tangent

In the Boles family, my mother and I are known for beating a dead horse. Years after an event or situation, we're still talking and debating about it. (And usually, that's when my father picks up the newspaper and stays out of the conversation.) Sometimes, we're just not able to let something go. And over the last few weeks, the something- or rather, the someone- that I can't let go of is Michael Greer. I've written about him from time to time through the years, but lately I've been on a Michael Greer roll. His work was incredibly chic and elegant. There was a dramatic flourish to many of his rooms- and you know how drama never ceases to fascinate me. I wonder if Greer was the Miles Redd of his day? Take a look at Greer's Manhattan apartment. What do you think?




A view of his terrace at night. The awning with the wooden tassels is right up my alley.




His unbelievable bedroom. The walls were covered in beige silk and framed in black painted half-round molding that was supposed to mimic iron supports. The ceiling was also covered in fabric and trimmed with a Roman motif braid in order to look like a tent.



A desk vignette in Greer's bedroom.



The Salon with Louis XVI and Directoire antiques. Those triple arches led to the dining alcove.





Additional views of the Salon.




Trompe l'oeil paper lined the walls of the foyer. Greer employed trompe l'oeil effects often in his work.



The foyer stair. The carpet, designed by Greer, was pale gray.



The bathroom. That fabric on the walls? Trompe l'oeil painted against gray walls. I'm completely taken with that floor. Those faux iron supports look to be painted.



(Greer photo from Inside Design by Michael Greer; all other photos from America's Small Houses: The Personal Homes of Designers and Collectors by Henry Lionel Williams and Ottalie K. Williams.)

Clothes Make the Room

Yesterday I was on the phone for an hour and a half trying to get my AT&T land line disconnected. Of that call, an hour and twenty-five minutes were spent on hold listening to that obsequious music. Needless to say, I thought I was going to blow a gasket and was trying to figure out something- anything- to do to keep calm. (If you're wondering why that Warhol photo of Diana Vreeland is at top, it's because I believe she was saying "Listen, all I want is to have my phone line disconnected. What part of that do you not understand?" At least, it looks that way to me.)

A drink wasn't going to do; after all, it was only 3:00 in the afternoon and that just didn't seem fitting. So, I came up with a game. I was flipping through an old Sotheby's auction catalogue from their 1997 haute couture sale "Paris a la Mode", and I found the dresses so beautiful that I decided to match some of them to specific rooms. But, I didn't think too hard about the rooms. I simply went with the first room to come to mind. Here's what I came up with:




A late 1950s Jacques Fath evening dress reminded me of:


Geoffrey Beene's dining room swathed in "Les Touches".




The blooming flowers of this Yves Saint Laurent gown (c. 1987) made me think of these flowers:


All over the walls and sofas in the London flat of Michael Szell.





That green and blue color combination in this Lanvin couture gown? Awfully close to:


Those green walls and blue sofa in Rose Cumming's drawing room.




The ruffles of this late 1960s Lanvin evening dress made me think not of a room so much, but rather...


...Miles Redd's couture-like curtains.



(Warhol photo and dress images from Paris a la Mode, Haute Couture: Auction October 29, 1997 - Sale 7036; Beene photo from House Beautiful Entertaining. Szell photo from Architectural Digest International Interiors, Derry Moore photographer. Cumming image from The Great Lady Decorators: The Women Who Defined Interior Design, 1870-1955 by Adam Lewis. Redd photo from W, Martyn Thompson.)

This Lady Sings the Blues

There are some people who can't stand blue. I know- each to his own, and if we all liked the same things, wouldn't the world be a boring place in which to live? But still, I just can't imagine living in a world without the blues. (Yes, I sound like a broken record.) But for blues to be interesting, they have to have something interesting to say. They have to be sophisticated and have that "traveled the world" air to them. Really mild blues are too timid for me; they don't look like they've lived. I want a bold, full-bodied blue. Blues that have some maturity. Such as... that blue above. The walls in this Atlanta living room are covered in Brunschwig & Fils silk satin in the most beautiful shade of blue. The homeowner, Danielle Rollins, and her decorator, Miles Redd, are both drawn to blue, so it's only natural that in their hands, the result is something magical. I've seen the walls at night, and they positively shimmer! And, it serves as a smashing backdrop for those chocolate colored velvet sofas.


Yes, there is much going on here. But look at those greeny blue walls. And look at how the purples and reds of the room sing against that blue. Maybe they're singing "My Blue Heaven".


And Madeleine Castaing was a master of blue. That carpet is the most gorgeous shade of blue. The walls aren't too bad, either.


The windows wore blue velvet.


If all of this blue is too bold for you, you can use it as an accent. Traditional fabric yes, timeless shade of blue absolutely.


A little blue, just for you.


(Image at top from Town & Country, August 2010, Francesco Lagnese photographer. #2, #3, and #4 from Decoration (Vol II); #5 and #6 from The Finest Rooms in France)