Speed Lamkin at Home in Louisiana

One of my favorite Mark Hampton-designed houses has to be that of the late author and playwright, Speed Lamkin.  The Monroe, Louisiana house, in which the writer and his sister, socialite Marguerite Littman, were raised, was built in 1936 by Lamkin's parents. After many years spent in the whirl of New York City, Lamkin returned home to Monroe to refocus his energy on his writing career and to take up residence in his childhood house.

Although Lamkin was known for his refined taste and his passion for collecting, he had the good sense to hire some very talented designers during his lifetime.  While living in New York, Lamkin engaged Billy Baldwin to decorate two different apartments. But for his Louisiana house, the playwright hired Mark Hampton, who helped Lamkin redecorate the house's interiors.  Lamkin had long wanted a drawing room with mirrored paneled walls like those in Coco Chanel's salon, something which Hampton made a reality.  And in what had once been the house's porte cochere, Lamkin envisioned a winter garden room.  Hampton complied and layered the room in yards of a charming Brunschwig & Fils floral chintz.  What a chic collaboration.

The photos that you see here appeared in the September 1981 issue of Architectural Digest.  Although I had seen photos of the house before (such as in Duane Hampton's book on Mark Hampton,) there are a few- namely, the master bedroom- which are not familiar to me.  Take a look below and tell me that this house didn't strike just the right balance between high-style, big city flourishes and Southern comfort and graciousness.

In the house's entrance hall, family portraits are displayed.  The wallpaper is a David Hicks design.

Two photos of the Coco Chanel-inspired drawing room. The bureau plat (to the left in the first photo) once belonged to Empress Eugenie.

The crimson dining room. The draperies were designed in the Regency style.

The winter garden room was referred to as the "Edwardian Room". You can see the garden and pool beyond the glass door.

The master bedroom with its very inviting-looking velvet canopy.

All photos from Architectural Digest, September 1981; Horst, photographer.

Join Me at Hollyhock

I'm heading to California next week where I'll have book signing events in both Los Angeles and San Francisco.  More on the San Francisco event later, but first, I want to invite those of you in Los Angeles to join me for a booksigning and cocktail reception at Hollyhock next Wednesday, March 19 from 5:30 to 7:30pm.

Considering the style and entertaining prowess of both Suzanne Rheinstein and her Hollyhock staff, the event should be a very fun time.  If you do plan to attend, please RSVP to the number of email listed above.  I look forward to meeting some of you next week.

A Country House in the City

And so we end the week with a trip back in time to London, more specifically, a townhouse decorated by the late Tom Parr of Colefax and Fowler. Photographed by Derry Moore for the May 1978 issue of Architectural Digest, the townhouse was located at the end of a private lane, where it was surrounded by trees and a small garden, thus giving visitors a sense of being in the country. Because of the townhouse's bucolic surroundings, Parr decorated this city house in the manner of a English country house.

The article's author, Elizabeth Lambert, noted that "the English are exceedingly good with their country houses, be they city versions or truly in the country. They know how to live in them, and they know how to decorate them- the living and decorating so entwined that to mention either attribute separately is almost impossible." So true. And Tom Parr was quoted as saying, "The best country houses are always totally relaxed, cottony and simple. Above all, they are easy to live in." I think that both Lambert and Parr's statements sum up exactly why Americans are so enamored of the English country house style.

Parr filled the townhouse with furnishings that epitomized both comfort and elegance. Comfy-looking seating, warm light, easy-on-the-eyes colors, and pretty fabrics all add to the relaxed atmosphere of the house. Thirty-five years after being published, these interiors don't look the least bit dated, a testament to Parr's skills as a designer. As he noted, "Decorating must not be ephemeral. The idea of changing colors every year is absolute rubbish. It's too expensive, for a start. There should be a timelessness about every room, and if enough thought has been given to what makes a particular house livable, then a decorator will be very good friends with the owners when the work is finished."

Can you imagine a better spot in which to read? The drawing room was filled with books, comfortable seating, and the homeowners' collection of Liverpool transfer-printed cream ware jugs.

Another view of the drawing room with its 18th-century marble fireplace.

The yellow dining room.

Parr conceived this Print Room for the homeowners, who were avid collectors of North American prints and engravings. Parr added a brown felt-covered table to give the homeowners a place to spread out and study their prints.

The Master Bedroom featured an exuberant use of a Brunschwig & Fils French floral chintz, rendered in shades of blue and brown...

...while in the Dressing Room, a different colorway of the same chintz was chosen for use on the room's walls and sofa.


All photos from Architectural Digest May 1978, Derry Moore photographer.

At Home with Danny Taylor

I spent a few days last week in Raleigh, North Carolina, where I helped my friend, Danny Taylor, celebrate the opening of his new full-service design studio and retail shop, @home with DT. The bijou studio is located practically next door to Danny's other venture, DT and Co., which is a real-estate and development firm. To say that Danny is a busy person is an understatement.

The new studio is filled with all kinds of treasures that Danny has found, including antique chests and secretaries, vintage chairs and accessories, and new finds like candles and books.  (I signed books during Danny's party, which explains the stacks of my book in a few of the photos.)  So successful was Danny's party that most of what you see in these photos has been sold.  However, the shop's inventory will be replenished soon thanks to Danny's knack for shopping and antiquing.

And I really think that Danny should add the title "host" to his resume, because Danny certainly knows how to throw a party.  The opening was a good old-fashioned Southern drinks party replete with cocktails (the DT Champagne Cocktail), cheese straws and ham biscuits served on silver trays, and, most importantly, some of the most gracious and down to earth guests you'll ever meet.

Danny, good luck with your new venture!

Danny and me

All photos by Jennifer Boles for The Peak of Chic

My Sofa!

Isn't it funny how you can see something over and over again, but it doesn't really register in your mind? And then one day, pow! That something finally makes an impression on you. Such was the case with a pair of fabulous sofas.

Yesterday, while perusing my copy of The Anti-Minimalist House, I stopped my page-flipping when I came to the photo above.  In the middle of the photo was my sofa, bathed in a halo of light.  Well, it's not really my sofa, but it was the sofa that had struck my fancy a few months ago when I first saw it in British House & Garden.  Isn't its camel-back profile and beautiful floral and trellis fabric simply stunning?  I loved the sofa so much that I clipped and saved its photo when it appeared in House & Garden.

The photo above shows the drawing room of a London house, which had been decorated by the great Renzo Mongiardino.  You might recognize the room as it appears both inside and on the cover of Mongiardino's classic book, Rooms, although the sofa, or rather, the pair of sofas (you see the companion sofa's back in the photo at top) did not make that book's cover shot. Here is a photo of the room and the sofas in the Mongiardino book:

The sofas' fabric is appropriate for the room considering that its walls were painted with garden-vista murals.  But it's odd, really, because I have seen this particular photo numerous times as well as the version in The Anti-Minimalist House, but I had never paid much attention to those sofas.

So, after making this pleasant discovery of sorts, off I went to find the sofa photo from House & Garden that had made an impression on me months ago.  Here it is below:

This photo accompanied a brief article about another great designer, Robert Kime.  There is no mention of the sofa in the photo's caption, but it does appear to be the same sofa.  What the article does mention is that this room is located at South Wraxall Manor, Wiltshire.  While the sofa might have made an impression on me, the name South Wraxall Manor really meant nothing to me.  That is, until I started this blog post.  A little digging around jogged my memory that I was in fact familiar with this house.  This is the manor house that is owned by Gela Nash-Taylor (of Juicy Couture fame) and her husband, Duran Duran bass player John Taylor.  And, oh yes, that's right.  Robert Kime helped to decorate the house.  The results were so stunning that the house made the cover of World of Interiors back in March 2010.  Here is the WoI cover:

You can see the back of the sofa, which faces the drawing room's rather elaborate chimneypiece.

And here is the companion sofa, also located in the drawing room:

Fortunately, this photo's caption mentions that the 18th-century sofa wears its original needlework.  So, it's not a printed fabric after all, but rather embroidered fabric.  Stunning.  Had I only thought to design track suits with the word "Juicy" emblazoned on their backsides, I too might now be the proud owner of this fine pair of 18th-century sofas.

What's missing from this story is how the sofas migrated from the Mongiardino-decorated house to that of the Taylors.  That is, assuming that these are the same sofas, which I believe they are.  Were they purchased from a London dealer?  Or, perhaps at auction?  I can't find any past lots on the auction house sites that feature these sofas.  However, I'm still searching.  Any thoughts?

Photo at top: from The Anti-Minimalist House, Massimo Listri photographer; #2 from Rooms by Renzo Mongiardino; #3 from British House & Garden, August 2013, Christopher Simon Sykes photographer; #4 and #5 from World of Interiors March 2010, Christopher Simon Sykes photographer.

This and That

I have a lot of events to announce, so bear with me...

Next Saturday, March 8, I will be speaking at Historic Macon Foundation's inaugural Design, Wine, & Dine event.  The two-day event will feature talks and demonstrations related to design, wine, and food.  Other speakers include Susan Sully and Sara Foster.  My talk is slated for 1pm with a book-signing event to follow.  It should be a really interesting event, so I hope you'll consider visiting Macon that weekend to attend. For more information, please visit Historic Macon Foundation's website.

Now, for those of you who will be attending next week's Design Bloggers Conference, I hope you'll join me for a book-signing event at the Conference on Monday at 5:30pm.  I will be signing copies of my book alongside Jeffrey Alan Marks and Timothy Corrigan, who will be signing copies of their books too.  On Tuesday at 3pm, Tobi Fairley and I will be speaking about the future of blogging.  And then on Wednesday, I will be speaking on, yes, blogging at ADAC Digital Day at 9:30am.  (I'll be lucky if I can get through next week without losing my voice.)

I hope that you'll join me next Wednesday evening to celebrate the grand opening of Peacock Alley's new Atlanta design studio.  Atlantans are already buzzing about Peacock Alley's beautiful new showroom.  See below for details and RSVP information.

And finally, if you plan to be in Charleston, SC on March 12-16, you might be interested in attending the 17th annual Charleston Arts & Antiques Forum.  Although I am not participating in the event, I thought it might be of interest to many of you.  This year's theme is By George! and will focus on the houses, furnishings, and gardens from the Georgian period.  For more information, please visit their website.

Decorating in the Grand Manor

I am currently reading Carleton Varney's latest book, Decorating in the Grand Manor, and I must say that his book puts me in a very jovial mood. All of that color and vibrancy, which are hallmarks of Varney's style of decorating, is like a mood-lifter and pep pill rolled into one fun read.

The book is touted as a design memoir, one which chronicles Varney's adventures in decorating in the grand style.  That might sound a little pretentious, but it's really not.  Varney explains that he doesn't use "grand" in the sense of "something big and over the top."  Rather, he sees grand style as being "something different, spectacular, eye-catching- and exuding quality." At the beginning of the book, Varney shares a bit of his background, including his time spent working for the great Dorothy Draper. (Be sure to check out the photo of Draper and Salvador Dali dining together. It's a hoot.) Then it's on to a few pages devoted to his inspirations, which include Draper, Addison Mizner, Monticello, and Gone with the Wind. And scattered throughout the book are pages that feature the "Elements of Grand Style", such as mirrors, mantels, and flowers.

But the heart of the book lies in the chapters that profile Varney's work at such splashy resorts as The Grand Hotel and The Greenbrier as well as in private residences. Each chapter is chock full of photos that capture Mr. Color's exuberant use of color and pattern. Even if bright color and bold prints aren't really your thing, I think you'll find the photos visually stimulating.

Desmond Guinness, who penned the book's foreword, called Decorating in the Grand Manor "a virtual energizer to the senses," and it really is just that.  Take a look at Varney's book, and you just might find yourself rarin' to decorate.

*To order a copy of Carleton Varney's latest book, please visit Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

A black and white entrance to the Grand Pavilion at the Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island.

The Cottage Restaurant at the Grand Hotel

The entrance at The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

The Penthouse at the Stoneleigh hotel in Dallas.

Mirrors...one of the Elements of Grand Style

The book's endpapers feature reproductions of the charming murals in the Grand Hotel's lobby.


All photos courtesy of Decorating in the Grand Manor by Carleton Varney.

The Name Game

Have you ever noticed that many fabric and wallcovering lines feature the same names for some of their prints?  Take, for example, the name Pillement, which appears in a number of collections.  Named for the 18th-century artist, Jean-Baptiste Pillement, the Pillement prints of Brunschwig & Fils (see above), Waterhouse Wallhangings, Scalamandre, and Quadrille are all Chinoiserie in style, which refers to the artist Pillement's then-popular (and still popular) Chinoiserie engravings.  Although each Pillement print is unique, they are all quite charming.

Exotic locales, flowers, historical houses, and historical figures all seem to be popular choices for print names.  The Rhododendron of Carleton V and that of Scalamandre closely resemble both each other and their floral namesake, while Schumacher and Brunschwig's Samarkand also bear striking similarities to one another, with both presumably being named for the Uzbek city that inspired the fabrics' exotic Central Asian patterns.  On the other hand, there are the not-so-similar Calypsos.  The Manuel Canovas version is a fish print, while that of Pierre Frey is a jacquard.  I'm assuming that both fabrics were named for the Greek mythological sea nymph, Calypso, so the Canovas fabric's fish and the Frey fabric's blue tones probably allude to Calypso's ocean habitat.  At least, that's my guess.

Once I got started with comparing the names of prints between the many different lines, I realized that it was an endeavor that could go on for days.  I finally called it quits after two hours.  Below is just a sampling of what I came up with.

Pillement by Waterhouse Wallhangings

Pillement by Quadrille

Pillement Toile by Scalamandre

Tashkent by Quadrille

Tashkent by Robert Kime

Malabar by Lee Jofa

Malabar by Colefax and Fowler

Topkapi by Cowtan & Tout

Topkapi by Schumacher

Pondicherry by Schumacher

Pondicherry by Braquenie

Calypso by Manuel Canovas

Calypso by Pierre Frey

Samarkand by Schumacher

Samarkand by Brunschwig & Fils

Amalfi by Donghia

Amalfi by Cowtan & Tout

Rhododendron by Carleton V

Rhododendron by Scalamandre

Bagatelle by Manuel Canovas

Bagatelle by Schumacher