Lady Mendl's Invention

I was flipping through my copy of The Twenties in Vogue the other day, and I was reminded of how much I enjoy the book. (The Thirties in Vogue is also quite good.) It's fun to pore over the old photos of socialites wearing chic fashion as well as to read about the hijinks, the frivolity, and the trends of the day.

One of my favorite sections of the book is that which covers the food and cocktail crazes of the era. Back in the 1920s, of course, most people were cocktail mad, drinking such libations as the Corpse Reviver, the Between the Sheets, and, of all the crazy names, the Bosom Caresser. At least, this was what Vogue was reporting at the time.  And canapes were also starting to come into fashion, something that was also, evidently, covered by the magazine in great detail.  A canape that got an honorable mention in Vogue was one served at Somerset Maugham's home on the Riviera.  His canape consisted of "a green olive stuffed with a nut dipped into Gentlemen's Relish, wrapped in a strip of bacon." That sounds tasty to me, but finding Gentlemen's Relish in Atlanta isn't the easiest endeavor.

Of the five or six cocktail recipes that appear in this book, one in particular caught my eye: Lady Mendl's Invention. The book fails to mention the origin of this recipe, but a Google search identified this cocktail by another name, Pink Lady.  Did Elsie de Wolfe invent this cocktail? Or, did she adopt it as her own? I can't say, but I mixed one up over the weekend to see what the fuss was about.  The cocktail isn't really bad, but it did remind me of the pink penicillin I had to take when I was sick with strep throat as a child. If you liked that taste (and I didn't), you might enjoy this cocktail.

And if any of you know what exactly Lady Mendl's connection was to this cocktail, do tell!

Lady Mendl's Invention
*Recipe is based on a 1 1/2 ounce measure. Shake well with broken ice and serve while frothy.

3/4 gin
1/4 grenadine
juice of half a lemon
1 white of egg

This Hoyningen-Huene photo shows the Cubist bar that was designed for home of the Vicomte de Noailles, c. 1928. How dashing was that?


Hoyningen-Huene photo and Fish illustration from The Twenties in Vogue

No. 9 Thompson Grand Vizier Collection

Recently, I got a peek at the new No. 9 Thompson Grand Vizier collection while the fabric was being photographed for their "official" portraits. All of the fabric looked snappy yet soft and eye-catching without being eye-popping. One print in particular stood out to me: Grand Paisley. The splashy print features exuberantly sized paisley framed by bands of leopard print. That combination might sound unusual at first, but it's really not.  In fact, Grand Paisley reminds me of some of those great old prints like Brunschwig & Fils' Chinese Leopard Toile in which leopard print is combined with an unexpected pattern to create a very striking fabric.

Grand Paisley comes in a red colorway that is rather bold and daring.  I could see using the red version in a small nighttime room like a study or library where it could be used for curtains, upholstery, and, perhaps, on the walls, too.  For those more inclined to live with softer or more neutral colors, the print does come in other colorways including a pretty blue version.

In addition to Grand Paisley, there are many other prints in the collection that were recently introduced at Paris Deco Off.  Take a look below to see the range of the collection, or visit the Jim Thompson/No. 9 Thompson website.

Fabrics in photo at top: Sofa and curtains, Papave; Roman shades and sofa cushion, Agiasos; rectangular pillow, Zabadani; pillows, Tea Party; Chair, Plain Rong; Ottoman, Topkapi.

Sofa in Grand Paisley.  No. 9 Thompson's Design Director, Richard Smith, was inspired to create Grand Paisley after finding a small document of a paisley fabric that lined an old Uzbekistani robe.  Smith blew up the scale of the paisley, something which makes it seem modern.

Pillows covered in Grand Paisley and Zabadani, at right.

Curtains in Grand Paisley and chair cushions in Tesserae.

No. 9 Thompson's Design Director, Richard Smith, attended Paris Deco Off to present his collection. In the photos above, Smith is seen with Agiasos and Grand Paisley, at the bottom.

All photos used with express permission of No. 9 Thompson.

Spotlight on Art

Before the week gets away from me, I want to mention that the Trinity School Spotlight on Art Artists Market is now open through February 9.  One of Atlanta's favorite winter events, the Artists Market features the work of both prominent and soon-to-be prominent Southern artists-and it's all for sale, too.  Work includes paintings, drawings, sculpture, and jewelry, ranging in price from $5 to $5000.

Held at the Trinity School, the event helps to raise funds for the school's teacher education fund as well as a scholarship fund.  For more information, please visit the event's website.  And take a look below to get an idea of the type of work that is found at the Market.

Andrea Costa, artist

Huff Harrington Gallery

Denny Holmes, artist

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.

Entertaining with Charlotte Ford

I love to read old articles on hostesses and their styles of entertaining. Sometimes, I glean practical tips, while other times, the sheer elaborateness of their dinners and parties provides me with moments of escapism. Try as we might, duplicating some of these old parties often requires the patience of Job and a bank account worthy of Croesus.

One hostess who seems refreshingly practical is Charlotte Ford. I found this article about her in a 1977 issue of House Beautiful, and at the time the article was published, Ford was a busy working woman designing a line of clothing. With her hectic workday schedule, Ford admitted that she was only able to entertain about once a month.  Taking a more casual (for that time) approach to entertaining, Ford eschewed long, laborious dinner parties of numerous courses.  Instead, she said that she preferred to serve an appetizer, an entree of turkey (according to Ford, men particularly seemed to love turkey) and a vegetable, and, to end the meal, either a salad and cheese or dessert.

What especially caught my eye were Ford's lovely dining tables.  Preferring to set two round tables for six, Ford laid her table with French-made china designed especially for the Ford family, Baccarat crystal, and those lovely Porthault embroidered mats and napkins.  I think Ford's table linens are my favorite part of the entire article.  You'll also notice the little cigarette holders, an accessory that, at that time, were practically a requirement on well-set tables.

Times may have changed, but a beautifully set table never goes out of style!

All photos from House Beautiful, June 1977

A Reminder

I do hope that my Georgia readers will have the opportunity to attend Miles Redd's lecture this Thursday, 11 a.m., at the Cathedral of Saint Philip. Just one of the many highlights of this year's Cathedral Antiques Show, Miles' lecture is sure to be entertaining. The bonus of attending the lecture is that Miles' book, The Big Book of Chic, will be available for purchase at a discount: $55 per book, a $20 savings.

For more information, please visit the Cathedral Antiques Show website. And don't forget to visit the Inspiration House as well!


Image at top courtesy of Assouline Publishing

The Felix Harbord Dining Room

Every time I flip through my copy of Robert Harling's House & Garden Guide to Interior Decoration, I stop and stare at the photo above. According to the book's text, the photo shows "the dining room of the lodge of Ockham Park in Surrey, decorated by Felix Harbord for himself." Unfortunately, there is not much information on the internet about the late Harbord, a British decorator and theater designer. What I did learn, though, was that Harbord was hired by a late owner of Ockham Park, a 17th century house designed by architect Nicholas Hawksmoor, to decorate and renovate the house in 1961. Perhaps some of you can shed additional light on Harbord's work at Ockham Park.

Anyway, I find Harbord's dining room so fanciful.  Both the dining table and console table were covered in Delft blue and white tiles, while Harbord's plates were Meissen.  And despite the fact that the room only measured 9 feet by twelve feet, Harbord's table measured 6 feet long.  He certainly packed a lot of punch into one room. 

It's a shame that the room was photographed in black and white as I suspect the effect of the blue and white tile and tulipiere was really quite dazzling.  But for a taste of what the room might have looked like in color, take a look at the Harbord-inspired pieces that I found on the internet:

If it were slightly taller, this c. 1940s Frits Henningsen Mahogany and Delft Tile cocktail table would be a charming substitute for Harbord's dining table.

Or, you could simply tile the top of a table with some of the beautiful tile from Solar Antique Tiles. The two photos show Dutch patterned tile, but there are many other patterns from which to choose.

Harbord's Meissen plates look similar to these 18th century Meissen Marcolini dinner plates, available at Stillwell House Antiques.

I love Harbord's cabbageware crescent salad plates.  Bordallo Pinheiro made a similar plate, seen above, that can be found from time to time on Replacements.

Although the plate above isn't crescent shaped, this seemed an opportune time to slip in a photo of a cabbageware starter plate that looks adorable.  This and other cabbageware pieces are available through Pigott's Store in Australia.

Mottahedeh's Chatsworth Tulipiere would make a smashing centerpiece, especially against a tiled-top table.

And to watch over the table, this portrait of lady, available from Parc Monceau Antiques, is reminiscent of the paintings in Harbord's room.

Miles Redd at the Cathedral Antiques Show & Tour of Homes

To those who live in Atlanta and environs, I invite you to attend next week's Cathedral Antiques Show & Tour of Homes. While the main event is the antiques show itself, which runs January 31st through February 2nd, there will also be a tour of homes, the Inspiration House show house, and a talk and book signing by Miles Redd. Miles' lecture will take place next Thursday, January 31st at 11:00 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. Philip. Yours truly will be introducing him.  I hope to see you there!

For more information, please visit the Cathedral Antiques Show & Tour of Homes website.

Dining with the Maharajas

I recently received a review copy of a very interesting new book, Dining with the Maharajas: A Thousand Years of Culinary Tradition. Written by Neha Prasad and with photographs by Ashima Narain, this book delves into the rich culinary history of India, specifically the cuisine and feasts that were prepared by royal Indian kitchens. Each chapter profiles a different royal family (of Indian states such as Udaipur and Jammu and Kashmir, amongst others) and explores not only the history of their family's royal banquets but their style of entertaining today, too.

Although it seems that many of these royal families still live quite well today, there was a time not so very long ago when maharajas and their families lived most extravagantly.  The book's introduction includes a quotation from the late Dowager Maharani of Gwalior Vijayaraje Scindia that sums up this extraordinary lifestyle quite nicely: "It was a fantasy world, Byzantine in its splendour with more in common with the French kings of the grand Siecle than with the world of today. Who after all can count his servants in thousands, or the tigers in their hunting preserves in their hundreds, maintain half a dozen enormous palaces and a dozen or so hunting lodges or country houses, give sit-down dinners for a hundred and fifty guests on special family plates that had been used for the banquets in honour of at least three British monarchs and one Czar?"  A fantasy world, indeed, but one which has provided the author with a wealth of anecdotes pertaining to the maharajas' lavish way with food.

Not only is it fascinating to learn of these families' culinary traditions, but it's also interesting to see the way in which they live today.  There are numerous photos (quite beautiful, I might add) that show their magnificent palaces, the antiques and relics with which they live, and the style in which they entertain today.  Although there is still emphasis on a well-set table (much of the china and table accoutrement are stunning), their entertaining seems to be far more relaxed than that of their ancestors.  The bonus to each chapter are recipes that are enjoyed by current members of these royal families.  As much as I love Indian food, I don't cook it at home because many of the ingredients are hard to find in my area, something which might dissuade me from attempting many of the book's recipes.  However, if you enjoy cooking Indian food at home, then I think you'll be very tempted to prepare some of these delicious looking dishes in your kitchen.

And I must say that this is one of the prettiest books that I've seen in a while.  The book, completely covered in purple velvet, is a tri-fold book that, when open, boasts end papers that depict an antique Indian textile.  And not to worry about getting the velvet cover dirty in the kitchen should you attempt one of the dishes as the book contains a soft-cover kitchen copy of recipes. Very clever.

The book includes a charming replica of a fill-in invitation as well as a soft-cover book of recipes.

Esra Jah and Shekyar Jah of the royal family of Hyderabad, sitting at their famous dining table which can seat up to 101 people. Tsar Nicholas II, King George V, and Franz Ferdinand all dined at this table.

The Jammu and Kashmir royal monogram.

Guchchi Pualo (Mushroom rice)

Maharaja Gaj Singh II at the Umaid Bhawan Palace.

Kundan Kaliya (Rich lamb curry with wholemilk fudge balls)


Book photos from Dining with the Maharajas: Thousand Years of Culinary Tradition by Neha Prasad, Ashima Narain photographer.

Damask Impressions

Damask was always lurking somewhere on my fabric radar, although truthfully it didn't hold a very prominent place.  It's not that I don't find damask to be attractive.  I do.  I suppose that I have always thought it seemed more appropriate for homes that were exceedingly traditional or European in feel.  Damask just didn't seem to fit my city apartment, one that is a mix of antiques and modern-looking fabrics.

But, my opinion completely changed when I saw the recent World of Interiors article on KK Auchincloss' Paris apartment.  How many of you thought you had died and gone to heaven when you saw those photos?  Not a week goes by that I don't look at that article, dreaming about how well I could live in such a home.  Anyway, it's Auchincloss' damask covered walls that got me thinking about how damask doesn't have to look so traditional.  What makes this particular damask so fresh looking, to me anyway, is its unusual color.  It's a slightly weird yellowish-green, a shade that is a little off-kilter when compared to the more common shades of pale or golden yellow, vivid red, or pale blue.

Although damask covered walls would look completely out of place in my apartment, I am thinking of adding just a touch of it somewhere.  I am inspired by the 1960s-era photo below which shows a dark blue velvet sofa with pale blue damask pillows.  My sofa is covered in teal velvet, so perhaps damask throw pillows, especially in a shade similar to Auchincloss' walls, might look nice, a way to bridge the gap between a modern sofa and the antique furniture that stands close by. 

Who knows?  This dash of damask just might be the precursor to bigger and better things, maybe even a big girl apartment in Paris.

A 1960s-era living room with velvet sofa and damask pillows.

A damask covered bed in a home decorated by Alidad. (House & Garden, Simon Upton photographer.)

A silk damask Regency-style sofa in the drawing room of Chateau de Fleury. (Elle Decor, Miguel Flores-Vianna, photographer.)

A very pretty blue damask in the home of the late designer, Duarte Pinto Coehlo. (Manolo Yllera, photographer.)

Just a touch of damask on this small chair in the home of Fernanda Kellogg and Kirk Henckels, decorated by the talented Brockschmidt & Coleman. (Architectural Digest, Roger Davies, photographer.)

A profusion of red damask in the home of Carolina Herrera. (Residence magazine, photographer not attributed.)


Image at top: Photo of the Paris apartment of KK Auchincloss, World of Interiors, November 2012, Fritz von der Schulenburg photographer.