Paul Rudolph and the Wallace House

Watching the coverage of last week's devastating tornadoes has been very difficult. To see the destruction and suffering that the storms left behind is absolutely heart-wrenching. One area that was hard hit was that around Athens, Alabama, a small city located in the northern part of the state. For a while now, I had been planning to write a post about a house located in Athens, one that was designed in the 1960s by the late architect Paul Rudolph. The house, striking in its resemblance to a modern Greek temple, seemed unusual for a region known more for its more traditional architecture.

I debated about whether I should publish this post in light of what happened in Alabama and throughout the South. Discussing architecture might seem a little callous under the circumstances. But if you think about it, a post on a Southern house is important right now. Some Southerners might prefer traditional houses while others favor contemporary, but what almost all Southerners have in common is our love of home, that cherished place where we spend time with family and friends laughing, celebrating, eating, and often reminiscing about the good old days. For many people right now, the days are not good and won't be for some time. Perhaps if we do our part- in a big or small way- these people will once again have places to call home.

Click here to see a list of charitable organizations that are providing relief for the victims of the tornadoes.


About the house:

When I first learned about the Wallace House in Athens, I thought it odd that Paul Rudolph, former chairman of Yale's School of Architecture and architect of such noted modernist houses as the legendary townhouse of Halston, would have been called upon to design a house situated amongst the Loblolly pines of Alabama. It makes sense, though, seeing that Rudolph spent his childhood years there. It was during his high-school years in Athens that he met Frances Garth Wallace who, with her husband John, later commissioned this house in the early 1960s.

The house's architecture is based on Greek Revival architecture (so prevalent throughout the South), though Rudolph later compared it to Corbusier's Villa Savoye. Noted for its double row of 32 simple columns (faced in brick, no less, and built more for decorative purposes), the U shaped house has a central courtyard that is flanked by an open porch on its fourth side. Because Rudolph was raised in the South and was familiar with the oppressive summertime heat, he chose to paint everything white so as to reflect sunlight. It's open to the outdoors, yet it also provides sheltered spaces to escape the heat.

All photos from House & Garden, April 1966.

T. Gordon Little and the Decorator Dorm

Decorator Dorm...that's what some people call the building in which I live. It makes sense as we have many designers, showroom owners, antiques dealers, a lighting expert, and a few design bloggers who call Plaza Towers home. I guess you could say safety in numbers. This isn't a recent phenomenon, either. Designers have long gravitated to Plaza Towers because of the location (so convenient to ADAC) and the "blank canvas" appeal of the apartments. You can make them contemporary, midcentury modern, traditional, or, to use a term that I'm not crazy about, transitional.

The apartment that I'm showing here is what we non-New Yorkers might call a "New York apartment." That's a compliment that many of us bestow upon chic apartments that have that Manhattan look to them. You know, a sophisticated apartment that comes to life at night thanks to a clever use of mirror, reflective finishes, and luxe objects. This particular apartment was the home of the late, well-known Atlanta decorator T. Gordon Little, a man known for his great style. Like so many designers of his era, he had a very fine collection of antique furniture and porcelain and artwork. But what gives his home snap is the way in which he mixed in contemporary pieces like a glass and chrome cocktail table and a Mies van der Rohe Barcelona stool. While most of the furniture and accessories might be deemed traditional, there was a sophistication to everything that made his home seem quite cosmopolitan rather than stuffy.

Keep in mind that these photos are over thirty years old (they appeared in the first issue of Southern Accents in 1977), so the colors might seem a little drab. Still, I think the photos prove that traditional antiques don't have to be as old-fashioned looking as some people might think.

One more thing- I couldn't resist including Little's thoughts on "eclectic", a look that many of today's designers strive for and a term for which Little did not care. He said, "I believe that the truly eclectic interior contains pieces that seem unrelated yet, in fact, are related, either intentionally through scale or connotation (historic, literary, romantic or intellectual) or simply by the personality and idiosyncrasies of the person who assembled them. I feel that so many rooms professing to be eclectic are merely a mishmash of totally unrelated objects thrown together cavalierly in the hope that, by some miracle, or just because they are unrelated and therefore fashionable, they will look wonderful." Just some food for thought.




A very good antique Chippendale card table stood amongst a mirrored wall and bookshelves in the home's entryway.




A daytime view of the living room, a space in which Little managed to include a fair amount of furniture. Thank goodness for these photos because furniture placement in my living room has, at times, given me fits.




And the living room at night.




A William Kent console holds an antique terracotta figure, porcelain cachepots, and antique French candelabra.




A glass top dining table was supported by an old stripped pine Corinthian capital. The chairs were Irish Chippendale. I think that my favorite part of the dining room was Little's porcelain collection displayed amongst the bookshelves.




Remember, it was 1977, so the Mylar paper on the kitchen walls was quite chic at the time. My kitchen still has the original lights like that seen here.




The chocolate brown study was the most modern looking room of the apartment. The closet's louvered doors were covered in panel wallpaper (new at the time), making the doors look like a screen. Now that was clever.


Photography by Sutlive/Warren.

A Deep Purple Medley

The Baton Rouge house featured here is quite attractive, don't you think? It's light and airy, and yet the layering of antiques and objects gives the home substance. Those white walls and upholstery certainly help to bring the homeowner's artwork, books, and bibelots into sharp focus. So much so, in fact, that in almost every photo, my eyes immediately zoomed in on the cut Hydrangea. How stunning are those mopheads in that rich, blue tinged shade of purple? Hydrangea in shades of white and green seem dignified and even a tad matronly (I mean that as a compliment), while periwinkle and pink show off Hydrangea's fun-loving side. But the deep purple seen here? Va-va-voom!













All images from Southern Accents, May/June 2009, Antoine Bootz photographer. Interior design by Jeff Woosley.

A Springtime Fête

As noted in yesterday's post, Halston's home begged for a slick and spartan style of entertaining. Acid greens or hot pinks would have looked ridiculous in his contemporary townhouse, and ornate china on that lucite table would have absolutely been out of place. But if you're hosting a dinner in the Southern outdoors, color and layered accessories are apropos. After all, your table should reflect the party's setting.

Over the weekend, I found the May/June 2009 issue of Southern Accents, and there was a great article about a Charlotte dinner party hosted by Erin Vorhoff and John Bossard. I sat up and took notice for two reasons. First, John has got to be one of the most fun and exuberant people around. Every time I see him at an event, I know that I'm going to have a good time. The other reason this article intrigued me were the colorful table settings.

John is a die hard maximalist, while Erin's taste is "eclectic with clean lines." But somehow, these two different aesthetics seemed to have mixed beautifully at this party. Erin and John first settled on a color theme for the party: royal blue and apple green, an appropriate choice as the dinner took place outside of Erin's cottage. Tables were covered in lime green skirts and topped with a suzani print of greens and blues. In the center of the tables were tall blue and white ceramic vases filled with bright green Bells of Ireland. I need to remember to use a tall vase like this because while I do love this flower, its height can make it tricky to arrange. Pretty cream and gold Wedgwood china placed on gold chargers added a note of elegance to the tables as did the silver flatware. And finally, hanging over each table were Moroccan paper lanterns.

The Springtime menu, prepared by Charlotte caterer Porcupine Provisions, consisted of split pea soup, pan-seared salmon, and strawberry trifle, while the house cocktail that evening was a Lemon Drop. All in all, it sounds like a delightful and delicious evening. Just something to think about when you take the party outdoors. That is, after the pollen subsides. Otherwise, you'll just have to incorporate yellow into your color scheme.



Hostess Erin Vorhoff applies the finishing touch.



A detail of the table setting.



I'm not sure which I like more: the well appointed table...or host John Bossard's pants.


All images from Southern Accents, May/June 2009, Brie Williams photographer.

Dan Carithers Redux

I'm sure that most of you are familiar with Dan Carithers, the Atlanta decorator who has achieved éminence grise status in the design world. (It's well deserved too, I might add.) And I'm also sure that many of you admire the various hallmarks of the Carithers' look. It tends to be traditional but oftentimes mixed with contemporary accents and furniture. The color schemes lean toward neutrals. And for me, I always think of creamware when I think of a Carithers' interior, but I know that not all of his work included it. I guess this is all why I was rather surprised that this contemporary Atlanta apartment, featured in a 1981 Southern Accents, was decorated by none other than Mr. Carithers himself. This Carithers project is almost the reverse of what he usually does; this time it was mostly contemporary but with a dash of antiques. Would you have guessed it?

At the time, Dan Carithers was the Corporate Director of Home Fashion Merchandising for Rich's department store (how I miss old Rich's!), and the clients were the CEO of Rich's and his wife. We must remember that this was the early 1980s, so it's inevitable that certain rooms look dated...like that bathroom. But the kitchen? To me, it still looks good, but that might be because my own kitchen is stuck in 1968. A 1981 kitchen would seem downright au courant to me right now!

What I don't know is if this project was a wild card in a career dedicated to a more traditional look. Does anyone know of other predominately contemporary projects of his?



I believe that a built-in bed module and vertical blinds were considered chic at this time.



Louis XIV gilt chairs act as a traditional foil to the more modern elements in this space such as the Bauhaus staircase.



A modern upholstered banquette and Louis XVI opera chairs provided seating.




Mies van der Rohe chairs surrounded a glass and acrylic dining table.



The kitchen was quite state of the art for the time. And no, we don't grow pears that big down here. Those are ceramic ones by artist Paul Nelson.



I'd probably take my evening cocktail and sit in that Regency chair every evening in order to gaze out at that view!



The bathroom and what looks like a John Dickinson stool.


(All images from Southern Accents, Spring 1981, Paul G. Beswick photographer.)

Southern Comfort

I spent the weekend going through a trove of twenty and thirty year old Southern Accents, something which was akin to a trip down memory lane. You see, these were the homes- and the style of decorating-with which I grew up. Color, proper and sometimes fancy curtains, antiques, collections that were amassed over time, and beautifully set tables. In my mind, all of these things embodied Southern design from the 1980s. And while it might sound a tad formal (and it was), there was certainly nothing uptight about the decor. In these homes, one could just as easily spend a Saturday afternoon watching SEC football as seated at a formal Christmas Eve dinner. It was really about creating a beautiful environment for not only yourself, but more importantly for family and friends. Or at least, that's the way I remember things.

The Atlanta home featured here really captures a sophisticated side to Southern design. Photographed in 1982, the home was decorated by Jane Marsden, a designer and antiques dealer well-known to Atlantans. Of course, it helps when one starts with a Philip Shutze Regency style house noted for its restrained elegance and pleasing sense of symmetry. Still, the collaboration between the homeowner, Mrs. Bean, and Marsden imbued the house with additional style, substance, and some Southern charm too.



The elegant entryway with a George I mirror over a pine eagle table.





The living room with its lady-like draperies. Note the use of tassel trim and ball fringe throughout the room. Remember when we weren't afraid to use that trim? The Coromandel screen and the X-base, leopard covered bench strike a sophisticated note.




Most Southerners can't grasp the idea of not having a formal dining room in one's house. After all, your Royal Crown Derby "Old Imari" china needs a proper backdrop. As beautiful as the china is (it's a favorite on mine), it's the draperies that make me swoon. One more thing- see those floor to ceiling windows? They raise into the ceiling to allow guests to move between the room's interior and the outdoors during parties.




So nice to see a porcelain collection, this one with pieces decorated in the "Money Tree" pattern.





The library appears to be pink, although it was really a warm red. I'm not finding much in this room that screams 1982. In fact, if it's still installed this way, I bet it's held up pretty well. It's chic enough to host nighttime cocktails...and comfortable enough to relax and watch football.




The playroom. I'm assuming that's a playroom for adults. Again, a little tweaking here and there and you still have a room fitting for 2010. Imagine it without the wall to wall carpet and the acoustic tile ceiling, and you'll see what I mean.


(All images from Southern Accents, Fall 1982. Max Eckert, photographer.)