The Kennedy Seal of Approval

By the time this blog post is published, "The Kennedys" will have debuted on Reelz channel. Based on what I've read, the miniseries isn't entirely accurate, but I admit that if I had Reelz, I would probably watch it. I think that more than anything, I'm curious how Katie Holmes portrays Jackie Kennedy.

And speaking of Jackie Kennedy, I found these two photos of her New York apartment c. 1971 when she was Mrs. Onassis. In a way, her home is what I would have expected. There are rows and rows of books and lovely antiques and bibelots. But what I might like best about these photos is the contemporary fabric used on both the sofa and the dining table. Now that is not what I expected. The fabric was designed by Design Works, a textile firm located in Bedford Stuyvesant that trained people in the craft of textile design and production. The company, created by an agency that was founded by Senator Robert Kennedy, was championed by Onassis who, in fact, recruited D.D. and Leslie Tillett to teach and mentor the Design Works employees.

The two fabrics shown here were part of a collection that Design Works created for Connaissance Fabrics. The sofa featured "Large Feather", a print evocative of African textiles that was printed on cotton duck. The colorway was black and "hot rust". The dining table was covered in "Fish Head Plaid", an exuberant geometric print of brown, white, and coral. Yes, the colors are evocative of the early 1970s, but regardless, the prints added some zing to the rooms' more traditional furnishings. As the House Beautiful article stated, they gave "an additional dimension" to the antiques and objects.

And look closely at the shot of the library. On the sofa's side table is a Coke bottle encrusted in cement and shells. It was made by John Kennedy, Jr. for his mother. A poignant piece that makes me kind of sad.





All images from House Beautiful, November 1971.

A Numbers Game

On the day that Elizabeth Taylor died, I tweeted that the actress was never more beautiful than in Butterfield 8. I stand by that statement, but I would like to add that she was also stunning in Ash Wednesday. I will never understand why that movie was so roundly panned. Here's the deal: the film is set in Cortina, Italy; Taylor drives a gorgeous Mercedes, as I recall; the producer was Dominick Dunne; and most importantly, her clothing was by Valentino. Oh, and she wears a bejeweled turban in the movie. Seriously, what more do people want? Talk about a heavy dose of glamour!

But this post isn't really about Taylor. I've just taken us down a very circuitous path to a discussion of telephone numbers, or more accurately, telephone exchanges. Butterfield 8, in case you're not aware, was the exchange that Taylor dialed to find out who her appointments were for the evening. Because as you know, Taylor played Gloria Wandrous, a call girl. A quite beautiful call girl, but a call girl nonetheless. Decades ago, telephone numbers were a little different than they are today. They were composed of seven numbers, but the first two numbers were designated by letters. So, Butterfield 8 was BU8 plus four additional numbers. You dialed the letters using the corresponding numbers on the dial. I may not be making myself clear, so you can click here to learn more about it.

So why am I writing about this? Because, don't you think that these exchanges had a lot of pizazz compared to the boring old numbers we have today? I'm sure that a lot of you remember when phone numbers were designated this way. If you watch an old movie set in London, you might hear characters referring to a phone number as WHItehall XXXX. That was a well-known exchange. If you lived in New York, your exchange might have been PLaza or GRamercy. Had I lived in my current Atlanta home back in the 1950s or 60s, my exchange might have been CHerokee.

I know this might seem like such a random post, but seriously, wouldn't you rather have calling cards printed up with KLondike, MUrray Hill, or HEmlock rather than all of the rigmarole we have to use today? I know that I would.


Parish Hadley's telephone number, as seen here in a detail of a rendering for Sister Parish's calling card, was RHinelander 45380.




One of the lady decorators, Elsie Sloan Farley set up shop on Park Avenue. Her number was PLaza 3-3516.




If you needed to reserve a room at The Carlyle back in 1936, you would have rung RHinelander 4-1600. You would still dial the same number today: 744-1600.




Syrie Maugham's London exchange was a posh sounding Mayfair. Her Chicago shop? That exchange was SUperior. That one sounds nice too.




W.E. Browne was an old decorating firm in Atlanta. This invoice, issued to my mother for the purchase of an antique cabinet, shows the firm's TRinity exchange. What's funny is that this invoice was dated 1990; I suppose they never saw any need to print new letterhead. I also admit that I like the use of "Decorators and Furnishers". It seems refreshing in a day and age where those terms are considered to be passé.


Image of Syrie Maugham stationery from Syrie Maugham by Pauline Metcalf.

Color Me Good

Last Fall, I had the opportunity to spend some time with designer Amanda Nisbet and discuss her then soon-to-be-released line of lighting for The Urban Electric Co. For those of you who know Amanda or who are familiar with her work, you know that she is a designer who has never shied away from using color. Perhaps it's a result of her colorful personality, one that is bubbly, exuberant, and just plain fun. This sense of playfulness comes through in her design work, and I'm sure it was a big influence in her now newly released lighting line.

What makes this line unique is, surprise, surprise... Amanda's use of color. All of UECo.'s lights are available in a variety of standard and premium finishes and glass options. And in the case of Amanda's new line, some of the lights also come in a choice of different vivid colors like Forest Moss and Million Dollar Red. (Color matching is also possible.) It's such a great way to perk up one's walls and ceilings. I admit that when choosing fixtures for my house, I stuck to the basics: chrome and antiqued brass. But now with this new line, I finally see, um, the light of day. Leave it to Amanda to show us that lighting can also be a lot of fun, too.

For more information on Amanda's line, visit The
Urban Electric Co.'s website.



Swank in polished nickel with navy shagreen and Deep Royal paint.




Sabina in polished nickel and Forest Moss paint.





Ben in ebony with polished nickel.




Travers in cherry and polished brass accents.




NYC wall fixture in polished nickel with Million Dollar Red accent stripe. This lamp is also available as a ceiling fixture.


Image at top: Poppy in hewn brass and Million Dollar Red paint. All images courtesy of The Urban Electric Co.

Easter at Ladurée

One of the beauties of being an adult is that you don't have to wait for Santa nor the Easter Bunny to bring you what you want. You can simply go out and buy it yourself. In my case, that would be Cadbury Creme Eggs, something which I know a lot of you find to be downright dreadful looking and tasting. I really and truly find them delicious. Now what I can't stand, though, are Peeps. Just the thought of them makes me queasy. Oh well, each to his own.

I think that one chocolate we might all be able to agree upon are Easter candy and pastries by Ladurée. I can't vouch for the taste, but the confections look beautiful, perhaps even too beautiful to eat.



Their Easter macaroons include Chocolate & Lime, Chocolate & Cherry, and Chocolate & Passion Fruit.



Moulded Chocolate Eggs are filled with sweets and pralines.



From left to right: The Bright Nest- strawberries, rhubarb, ladyfingers, and Marra Wild Strawberry cream; Colored Eggs; The Silk Nest- Coconut dacquoise biscuit and tropical fruits.



Teddy Bear Chocolates were created to celebrate Chocolate Day.


All images courtesy of Ladurée.

The Givenchy Style

You'll have to forgive me. I'm on a tear about The Finest Houses Of Paris. There is just so much in that book to look at and, well, talk about. Seeing that yesterday's post was about Walter Lees, it seemed fitting to include photos from the book's chapter about Hôtel d'Orrouer, the Paris home of Lees' great friend Hubert de Givenchy. As I mentioned yesterday, Givenchy lauded his late friend's "perfect taste", two words that I think also describe the Givenchy aesthetic. In fact, many interior designers credit Givenchy's homes as inspiration in their own work. I understand why. The couturier is able to achieve just the right balance of luxury and simplicity in his homes, and he does so effortlessly. Or at least, it seems that way.

I'm sure that most of you have already seen numerous photos of the interiors, so I'm not showing you anything new. What I liked about the photos featured here, though, is that they are vignette shots which give us the opportunity to study the Givenchy style in detail. Who better to learn from than a master himself?



A closer look at the sofa and lampshades that have inspired more than a few designers.





A simple table set for lunch. Simple, but certainly not ordinary. A white linen cloth and chair slipcovers serve as a backdrop for blue and white Compagnie des Indes plates, embroidered monogrammed napkins, and a beautiful 18th c. silver tureen.



A detail shot in the living room.




A basket of wood and a broom placed next to the fireplace add a rustic touch to a luxurious room.




Givenchy's dressing table with various implements laid out on red velvet.




Audrey Hepburn, Baroness Gabrielle van Zuylen, and a piebald horse also grace his dressing table.


All images from The Finest Houses Of Paris by Christiane de Nicolay-Mazery, Jean-Bernard Naudin photographer.

Flowers for the Table

Last Friday, I had to break down and turn on the air-conditioning. That's kind of obscene considering that it's only mid-March, but living on the eighth floor of a high-rise when it's 80 degrees outside (and surrounded by floor to ceiling windows mind you) equates to one HOT apartment. In addition to keeping me cool, the air conditioning made me excited about Spring and Summer and thoughts of white jeans, cold suppers, potted geraniums, and crisp Rosé. Oh, and floral table linens too.

When I was growing up, we used to dine out on our back patio during the Summer. What I remember vividly were the floral cloths and napkins with which my mother set the table. There was a Vera floral print quilted cloth similar to that above. (That's a Billy Baldwin room at top, by the way.) I also remember a violet print tablecloth and a floral Porthault cloth and matching napkins. I'm assuming that my mother also used solid cloths and napkins from time to time, but truth be told, I have no memory of them whatsoever. It's those cheery, colorful floral prints that have stuck with me through the years.

Looking through my linen closet, I realized that I have a lot of solid hemstitched linen. Yes, it's beautiful, timeless, and always appropriate. But you know what? It doesn't put a smile on my face the way that those exuberant Porthault tablecloths or vintage Vera napkins do. Seeing that Spring has sprung, I think that I need to remedy this situation by buying a floral cloth or two. I think, though, that Billy Baldwin's words sum up the allure of these floral prints best: "In the end, decorating is all about color. Think about colored flowers on bright white cotton and, in the same room, right next to this celebration of color, is more color- fresh flowers, lots of them. To each of you I send a huge bouquet of brightly colored cotton flowers."



How nice would it be to have Porthault's classic New York Mille Fleurs print fabric made into a cloth and napkins? Alternatively, I could just buy a sheet in the print and use it as a cloth.

I'm thinking of ordering these Botanical napkins from Sur la Table. They come with matching laminated placemats, and while I would prefer cloth ones, I'm not opposed to laminate. If you use them for everyday dining, they're certainly easy to clean.

Now this vintage Vera tablecloth and napkins on Etsy really make me smile. They remind me of my favorite geraniums. If I had a larger table, I would snap this set up in a heartbeat.



An equally charming vintage Vera tablecloth on Etsy, though this one is bit more subdued than the previous one.




In the vintage Tiffany Table Settings book, floral table linen seemed to be a favorite amongst the featured designers and socialites. As the book mentioned, "The magic of background color and pattern provides a whole new dimension in table setting design...The colored and patterned cloth makes an interesting background for the display of objects. It can establish an entire mood for the setting."


Image at top plus Billy Baldwin quote from Billy Baldwin: The Great American Decorator by Adam Lewis; last photo from Tiffany Table Settings.

Katherine Rally Textiles

If you've been out and about in the blogosphere, you've more than likely heard about Katherine Rally Textiles. The Bali-based textile company was started a few years ago by Katherine and Rally Dupps, a young American couple who sought adventure and settled down in Southeast Asia. The couple became fascinated by Indonesia's batik cloth, an indigenous method of textile printing that involves wax resistant dyeing. Katherine, an interior designer originally from Arizona, and Rally, an architect who hails from Nashville, decided to create their own line of batiks, albeit ones with a more Western aesthetic.

I recently met with Rally during his visit to Atlanta and got to see his fabrics in person. The linen prints are cheery without being giddy, meaning that they're tailored enough to work in a variety of rooms. And the colors are really rich as well. Quite a few of the prints even come in gray, a colorway that is not as easy to find as one might think. I'm trying to find a place to use either Roman or Turkish Eye in gray. Anyway, I encourage you to take a look for yourself. It's a really interesting line of fabrics produced by a very interesting (and gutsy!) couple.

Travis & Company in Atlanta carries the Katherine Rally Textiles line. For more information, contact Dolly Crafton at (404) 237-5079 or dolly@travisandcompany.com.





Back row, left to right: Roman in Terra Cotta; Pondicherry in Castle Grey. Second row: Roman in Castle Grey; Turkish Eye in Castle Grey; Mrs. Jones in Castle Grey. Bottom row: Monaco in Sahara Sand; Mrs. Jones in Sahara Sand.



Katherine Rally's interpretation of an animal print is called Madagascar, and it is printed on 100% lightweight linen. The various colorways, including Castle Grey, Bougainvillea, and Kelly Green, are printed on different colored linen backgrounds like cream, white, and mint. There is a color here for everybody.



Left to right: Turkish Eye in Chocolate Brown on Khaki linen; Pondicherry in Castle Grey on Khaki linen; Pondicherry in Sahara Sand on Khaki linen; Mrs. Jones in Midnight Blue on Khaki linen.


All photos by Jennifer Boles, The Peak of Chic.

Here Kitty, Kitty

A few weeks ago while reading through the Winter 1996 issue of Veranda, I found an article on Harry Hinson and Hinson & Company. That got me excited because Hinson fabrics and wallpapers have always been amongst my favorites. But then, I read the part where Harry mentioned that Van Day Truex once remarked that Kitty, a print introduced in 1972, was "the most stylish wallpaper I have ever seen." Needless to say, I absolutely had to see what Kitty looked like. If VDT said it was the most stylish he had ever seen, then I knew that it just had to be.

Harry was kind enough to send me scans of Kitty samples. As you can seen, it was a loose polka dot print that came in blue, brown, and green colorways. I use the past tense as unfortunately, the print has been discontinued. However, there is a similar print that is still available as part of the Albert Hadley collection for Hinson. Guess what it's called? Van. How appropriate.


PS- I can't write a post about Van Day Truex without mentioning Adam Lewis' terrific book Van Day Truex: The Man Who Defined Twentieth-Century Taste and Style . In my opinion, Truex' work is "the most stylish that I have ever seen."






Kitty in Green




Kitty in Brown




Kitty in Blue



Van in Brown



Image at top: Harry Hinson in Veranda, Winter 1996, Peter Vitale photographer; all other images courtesy of Hinson & Company.