Walter Gay - Impressions of Interiors

In the midst of all of the blockbuster fall book releases, there is one book that I hope will not be overlooked. Titled Impressions of Interiors: Gilded Age Paintings by Walter Gay, the book is an informative, but more importantly interesting, overview of the work of the late, esteemed interior illustrator.

Written chiefly by Isabel Taube as a companion catalogue to The Frick Art & Historical Center's exhibition of the same name, the book provides an engaging overview of Gay's oil renderings of both European and American interiors. There is an entire chapter devoted to Gay's paintings of his own homes, including Château du Bréau, as well as other chapters that profile Gay's studies of the homes of friends and patrons.  Also included is an enlightening essay on the style of interior decoration that was most often seen in Gay's work, something that provides context for Gay's charming paintings.

I know that many of you collect (or hope to someday collect) interior illustrations, so I do hope that you'll visit The Frick's exhibition if you're in the Pittsburgh vicinity.  And by all means, get a copy of this book!  It will only help to fuel your passion for this exquisite form of illustration.

Symphonie en Blanc (Château du Bréau)

Interior of the Bedroom of the Château du Bréau, c. 1912

The Artist's Study, rue de l'Université, c. 1910

Antechamber of Marie-Antoinette, Château de Fontainebleau

The Green Lacquer Room, Museo Correr, Venice, 1912/22


All images courtesy of Impressions of Interiors: Gilded Age Paintings by Walter Gay, Isabel Taube author. D Giles Ltd, 2012

Mr. Adams Goes to Budapest

I've written about London based designer Richard Adams before.  His luxuriously appointed, bijou London flat is a favorite of mine thanks to what is, really, a heady mix of glimmer and glamour.  (Click here to see photos of it.)  Well, I'm back with more photos, but this time, they show Richard's luxuriously appointed, bijou Budapest pied à terre.

Richard now divides his time between London and Budapest, a city that, according to Richard, has a large and interesting expat community.  The designer's new home features the same elegance as that which we saw in his London flat, with some of that home's furnishings having made the move to Budapest.  But I'm not the only fan of Richard's new domicile.  It seems that the editors at Polgari Otthon, a Budapest design magazine, feel the same way.  They are featuring Richard's flat in their latest issue, the article photos which you see here.

All images from Polgari Otthon, September/October 2012.

Gil Schafer and The Great American House

The other book for which I can credit my speedy recovery is The Great American House: Tradition for the Way We Live Now by Gil Schafer. Before reading the book, I was pretty confident that I would enjoy it as I'm an avid fan of Gil's work, not to mention the fact that he is a very affable and interesting person. Still, I didn't anticipate just how much I would enjoy this book. I opened the book, and before I knew it, a few hours had passed.  And really, I can't imagine a better way to spend a few hours than to read Gil's engaging text and pore over the big, beautiful photos of his work. 

I think that what I enjoyed most about this book is that it isn't solely a book about architecture. It's just as much about decoration and landscape architecture, too. And what impresses me is that Gil is so knowledgeable about all three, something that might explain why his houses have such great appeal. There is a harmonious relationship between the bones of the house and what lies both inside and outdoors. This is no easy feat, and Gil makes it look so effortless, though I realize it isn't. That takes great skill, something which Gil obviously has in spades.

If you want a book that is filled with glorious homes, beautiful interiors, and lush grounds, then Gil's book won't disappoint you.  But if you also want a book that makes you think about what makes a home comfortable, modern, and timeless, then you've come to the right book.  My only complaint is that I don't have a piece of property upon which to build a home of Gil's design.

*Gil will be presenting what looks to be an interesting talk next Tuesday, October 16, 11 a.m., at ADAC Atlanta.  Titled Pink Clapboards and Tea Olive: What a Southern House Taught Me About Tradition, Memory, and Great Design, the presentation should be highly entertaining and informative, especially to those of us who call the South home.  For more information or to register, please click here.

All book photos from The Great American House: Tradition for the Way We Live Now by Gil Schafer III, Rizzoli Publishers, 2012. Photo of Schafer, Rebecca Greenfield photographer.

Bedford Antiques & Design Show

If you're looking for something to do this weekend, why not consider attending the Bedford Antiques & Design Show?  (That is, of course, if you live in the vicinity of Bedford, New York.)  Held at Historical Hall at the Village Green, Bedford, the show runs from Saturday, 10am to 6pm, through Sunday, 11am to 4pm.  Benefiting Bedford Historial Society's Properties Fund, tickets are $10. 

The highlight of the event is sure to be Saturday evening's cocktail party and presentation by designer Jeffrey Bilhuber, who will be discussing his recent book, The Way Home: Reflections on American Beauty. The introduction will be given by Martha Stewart.  And you won't go hungry, either, as cocktails and lavish hors d'oeuvres will be served, all under a tent on the Village Green.  Sounds like a festive evening indeed.

For more information, visit the Bedford Historical Society's website, or call (914) 234-9751.  For tickets to Saturday's cocktail party, click here. 

Chuck Williams and His Earthquake Shack

A week ago today, Williams-Sonoma founder Chuck Williams celebrated his 97th birthday.  Could an enthusiasm for good food and hard work be the secret to his longevity?

You might remember that I posted a few 1970s-era photos of Williams' San Francisco kitchen a few months ago.  (Click here to read that post.)  After that post was published, a reader, Robert Ruiz, very kindly emailed me a 1989 Architectural Digest article which featured this very same home.  I am showing the AD article photos here.

According to the article, Mr. Williams bought his "earthquake shack" in the early 1960s.  In the wake of the great 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the city built and situated small clapboard dwellings in Golden Gate Park for those left homeless by the disaster (twenty thousand people, in fact.)  A year later, with the city's residential district mostly rebuilt, the city offered to give those cabins to those who were living in them on the condition that they move them to permanent, residential sites.  Williams' shack was moved by horse and buggy to its current location on Nob Hill, near the intersection of Sacramento and Leavenworth. 

When Williams bought the shack, it was little more than four rooms with an outside bath.  No surprise that he embarked on a renovation, one that appears to have modernized his home without losing any of its historical charm.  Part of the renovation entailed going down into the ground into a primitive storage cellar, a space that eventually became Williams' small but efficient kitchen and dining room.

What you'll see in these photos is an abundance of country antiques, many of which Williams picked up during his European travels.  There are oak gate-leg tables, Luneville plates, faience, cooking accoutrements, and books.  What a delectable combination!  The article also mentions Williams' preferred style of entertaining.  Just as he exclaimed in the 1972 article about which I previously wrote, Williams kept the size of his dinners and lunches to around four to six guests.  In good weather, cocktails, after dinner coffee, and weekend lunches were (and perhaps still are?) held on the terrace just off of his kitchen and dining room.

On another note, Robert also mentioned that the recently published biography on Williams, Merchant of Sonoma: Pioneer of the American Kitchen, is an interesting read.  The book not only includes some of Williams' favorite recipes, but it also features pages devoted to some of the now-essential cooking equipment that Williams helped to popularize, including the Kitchen Aid mixer, Le Creuset cookware, and the Apilco cow creamer.

Sounds like hearty belated birthday greetings are in order.  A happy belated birthday, Mr. Williams!

The dining room that is located on the ground floor.

A sitting area on the ground floor where guests relaxed.

An oak dresser holds Luneville ceramics.

Two views of the kitchen. When this article was written (1989), the range was over thirty years old. Williams said that he was devoted to it and knew its quirks quite well.

An exterior view of the clapboard earthquake shack.

All photos from Architectural Digest, 1989, John Vaughan photographer.

English Decoration by Ben Pentreath

Last week was mostly a waste for me as I spent it either in bed or on the sofa, nursing a terrible cold. It wasn't a complete waste, though, thanks to my copious TV watching. I learned that Victor Newman had returned to Genoa City (Hallelujah! The Young and the Restless just isn't the same without Victor) and that every episode of Remington Steele included the name "Steele" in its title. Did you know that?

What perked me up immensely, though, was the receipt of two books that were both food for the soul and feasts for the eyes. (Bear with me and the spate of recent book reviews. Just two this week, but I promise that they're good!) First up is British architectural & interior designer Ben Pentreath's new book, English Decoration: Timeless Inspiration for the Contemporary Home.

I have been a fan of both Ben's work and his eponymous shop (or at least its online version) for a few years now. I have to say that after reading this book, I'm even more of a fan now. Although I don't know Ben, I do think that we are kindred spirits as we both find vast inspiration in the past, but we reinterpret it for today. At least, that's the way I view it.

English Decoration: Timeless Inspiration for the Contemporary Home profiles a range of English homes owned by the author himself as well as an assortment of creative types. What makes this book so interesting is that the homes, for the most part, have not been decorated by professional designers, but rather were concocted by the homeowners themselves. And personal looking is what these homes are. There are family portraits, children's artwork, treasures found at country house auctions, and the "accretion of decades." These homes are not decorated to perfection, and yet, a kind of perfection is found in these homes' loosely mannered appearances.

In addition to a very complimentary forward written by the great Nicky Haslam, the book is divided into chapters on Entry Halls, "Comfortable Rooms", Kitchen and Dining Rooms, and even Utility Rooms. Each chapter is filled with lush photographs as well as Pentreath's charming and sometimes humorous captions, all of which go a long way to explaining the essence of English Decoration. And after reading this book, I really do feel as though I have a better sense of what makes up the DNA of this style of decorating. As Ben writes in the book, one attribute of the English style is "the unstudied way in which we have in an instant achieved both comfort and cosiness, grandeur and simplicity, sense and sensibility: in short, a place the English can call home." Sounds like the best of all worlds, don't you think?

After reading this book, I felt both uplifted and inspired. I have a very strong feeling that this is a book that I will return to often, and in my opinion, that's the very best kind of book there is. I hope that you'll give this book consideration, because I really do think you'll enjoy it.

Book number two, Gil Schafer's The Great American House: Tradition for the Way We Live Now, will be featured in the next few days.

All photos from English Decoration: Timeless Inspiration for the Contemporary Home by Ben Pentreath, Jan Baldwin photographer. Ryland, Peters, & Small publishers.