The Classics: The Telescoping Table

Next month, I will celebrate nine years of blogging, and I can hardly believe it.  Back then, blogging was considered cutting-edge, but today, it's more like the éminence grise of the social media world.  So much has changed since 2006, and yet, in a way, much has stayed the same.  Nine years later and I'm still focusing my attention on those interiors and furnishings that have stood the test of time.

Some of you who have been with me for the long haul might remember "The Classics" series that I wrote a number of years ago.  Each of the series' blog posts featured furnishings that I considered to be classic.  Think Porthault linen, Brunschwig's "Les Touches" fabric, and Billy Baldwin's slipper chair.  (Little did I know back then that I would eventually develop this concept into a book, In with the Old.)  But it dawned on me last week that I had never written about a piece of furniture that is most definitely a classic: the telescoping table.

Look at the homes of Hubert de Givenchy, Howard Slatkin, and Alex Papachristidis, to name but a few, and you'll find at least one telescoping table, which is a small occasional table whose height can be adjusted thanks to a telescoping shaft.  You often see these tables constructed in brass, although they are made in others metals.  And although most owners seem drawn to round telescoping tables, you will find square versions in many a well-appointed home, too.  I have been told that those made by Maison Toulouse in the mid-twentieth-century are highly desirable, but also coveted is Matthews & Parker's nifty new version, which I recently saw in the Atlanta Brunschwig & Fils- Lee Jofa showroom.  Seriously, what's not to love about a table that is handy, adjustable, and, most important, classically chic?  And now, after having written this post, I covet a telescoping table even more than I did last week.  I'm moving this table to the top of my wish list.   

I always identify the brass telescoping table with Givenchy, who has quite a collection of them in his hôtel particulier in Paris.  The table in the top photo also belongs to Givenchy.

Howard Slatkin has a number of these tables in his home, including one that holds a candle and porcelain flowers and another that supports a stack of dinner plates.

Brian McCarthy must be a fan, as he used this round telescoping table in a client's home.

A square brass version in the former home of designer Alex Papachristidis.

And here, in Robert Couturier's living room, a telescoping table holds a cheery bouquet of pink flowers.


Photo #1: The Finest Houses Of Paris; #2: Private Houses of France: Living with History; #3 and #4: Fifth Avenue Style: A Designer's New York Apartment; #5: Luminous Interiors: The Houses of Brian McCarthy; #6: The Age of Elegance: Interiors by Alex Papachristidis; #7: Robert Couturier: Designing Paradises.

Cane and T-Abel

How could that photo above not capture one's attention, what with the Lichtenstein and the shocking red walls and bed. There's a lot going there ("there" being the New York bedroom of designer Arthur Smith, c. 1982), but what really made me sit up and take notice were the Bielecky Brothers side tables. This photo served as a (cruel) reminder that I have yet to get the Bielecky Brothers side table that I so covet. In fact, one of their cane wrapped tables would look perfect in my study with its Albert Hadley for Hinson "Trixie" wallpaper, its gray sisal carpet, and my black lacquered Parsons console. I like to think of the room as looking very Van Day Truex meets Albert Hadley with a dash of Jennifer Boles thrown in. At least, that's what I think.

According to Adam Lewis' Billy Baldwin: The Great American Decorator, we have Billy Baldwin and Van Day Truex to thank for the Bielecky Brothers' iconic cane wrapped chair, a design that was inspired by a Jean-Michel Frank piece. The two men commissioned Bielecky Brothers to make the chairs for use in various Tiffany & Co. salons, although I would venture to say that most of us probably associate the cane wrapped pieces with Baldwin's glossy chocolate brown studio apartment. Since that first chair, the line has evolved into cane wrapped tables, bookcases, and chests. One could say that these are investment pieces as they don't come cheap. But what's important to note is that they wear like iron. Atlanta designer Stan Topol has Bielecky Brothers' chairs and tables that are 30+ years old and they look good as new. You would think that he bought them yesterday!

I'm hoping that my table will look that good thirty years from now. I just need to get my hands on one first.



Van Day Truex used Bielecky Brothers chairs in his last apartment.




Mrs. Harding Lawrence (Mary Wells Lawrence) incorporated the chairs into this table setting for the book The New Tiffany Table Settings.




Angelo Donghia was an ardent fan of the line. Here, in his New York town house, he used two different styles of the Bielecky cane table.




I could have shown the Bielecky Brothers pieces in Billy Baldwin's Manhattan apartment, but I've featured those photos so many times before that I wanted to show something different. Here, in the games room of the S.I. Newhouse Jr. townhouse, Baldwin used both the chairs and the game table.




In this New York Social Diary photo of Adam Lewis' beautiful New York apartment, you can see that he too has the classic Bielecky Brothers' chairs. Fitting for the author of books on Van Day Truex and Billy Baldwin! Seeing that I admire all three men greatly (that is including Lewis), it's fitting that I want a cane wrapped piece too.




Stan Topol has Bielecky Brothers galore in his Atlanta office that recently appeared in the May issue of House Beautiful.

Top photo from House & Garden, January 1982; photo #2 from Van Day Truex: The Man Who Defined Twentieth-Century Taste and Style by Adam Lewis; #3 from The New Tiffany Table Settings; #4 from New York Interior Design, 1935-1985, Vol. 2: Masters of Modernism by Judith Gura; #5 from Billy Baldwin: The Great American Decorator; #6 from New York Social Diary, Jeff Hirsch photographer; #7 from House Beautiful, May 2011, Thomas Loof photographer.

The Classics II

A continuation of my series on classic design. See The Classics I for further reading.

The Saladino Lamp


Designed by John Saladino, this lamp is so simple and so perfect. And the fact that it has been in production for over 30 years just goes to show that many times it's the simple things, and the simple designs, that have staying power.


Le Creuset Dutch Oven


Not only is this Dutch (or French) oven stylish, it is the perfect vessel for beef bourguignonne and winter stews. And what's more timeless than the orange Flame color?


The Parsons Table


Legend has it that the Parsons table was conceived by students at the Parsons School of Design in Paris and their lecturer Jean-Michel Frank. Again, another simple design. This Parsons side table, available at Apsara Interior, was from the estate of saloon singer Bobby Short.


"Bowood" print


Discovered by John Fowler at Bowood House in the 1950s, this charming chintz is one of Colefax & Fowler's most popular and enduring prints.


"Blue Canton" China


This Mottahedeh pattern, inspired by blue and white Chinese Canton ware, is so versatile. The bonus? You can wash it in the dishwasher!

"Chou Chou" print


This classic Sister Parish design is available in both wallpaper and fabric. A tasteful way of injecting some pizzazz into a room.


"The House in Good Taste"

The Elsie de Wolfe book that has inspired generations of designers (and ghost written by Ruby Ross Wood).

The Classics

Trends may come and go, but there are certain "things" that never go out of style- and thank heavens for this! I have no issues with indulging in current fads- I'm guilty of having displayed the ubiquitous coral! But decorating your home entirely with trend-driven items is not the way to achieve a timeless look. Who wants to spend the time and money reupholstering a sofa a year from now because the chosen fabric is no longer stylish?

Fortunately for us there are many timeless pieces that have stood the test of time. Here are but a few classics that are always appropriate and always stylish.

(Stay tuned for future Classics posts...)

Classic Candle:

Yes, the heady scent of Rigaud candles is evocative of the go-go years of the 1980s, but there's no denying the allure of Rigaud. They were, after all, the preferred candles of Diana Vreeland.

Classic Lighting:

The swing-arm lamp was first introduced to the marketplace by George Hansen. Such a simple yet innovative idea. If you've ever used one, you know how handy (and stylish) these lamps truly are.

Classic Linen:

Alright, it seems a lot of people don't "get" Porthault prints. Some say they're too matronly and too old-school. Well, what's wrong with that? Jackie Onassis and Wallis Simpson certainly didn't have a problem with it. Trust me, once you get hooked on Porthault, there is no going back!

Classic Flatware:

"Bamboo" flatware by Tiffany & Co. First introduced in 1961, this legendary pattern was designed by Van Day Truex who, in my opinion, was a classic in his own right.

Classic Fabric:

"Les Touches" by Brunschwig & Fils. A graphic take on the animal print. I once read where Geoffrey Beene swathed an entire room in this fabric!

Classic Chair:

The slipper chair, seen often in interiors by the Billys (Baldwin and Haines).