An Early Summer, Courtesy of Jim Thomspon and No. 9 Thompson

Last week, I attended a presentation of the Spring 2015 collections from Jim Thompson and No. 9 Thompson.  The temperature outdoors might have been hovering around the freezing mark, but it certainly didn't feel like winter inside the Jim Thompson showroom.  So vibrant and colorful are the new collections that I could have sworn warm weather had arrived.

Taking his inspiration from the textiles of Central Asia, Turkey, and Tangiers, No. 9 Thompson designer Richard Smith has created a collection that is the essence of summer.  Named "Anatolia", the new collection is abundant with juicy color, easy-going patterns, and breezy textures.  There is Karapinar, a multi-colored abstract print which is based on a 19th-century Caucasian carpet, and Zelig, whose pattern is reminiscent of North African ceramic tiles.  In addition to cottons and linens, there are a number of outdoor fabrics, including one, Fez, which is embroidered with a motif often found on flat-weave carpets.  And because a finished-look is welcome any time of year, two new border tapes have been introduced.  (See Casablanca, below.)

"Forbidden Colours" is the new Jim Thompson collection, and again, the story here is color.  Just look at the vibrant colors of Lamun, which is a beautiful handwoven silk.  Or what about Anais, a luxurious 6-ply silk ikat?  Jim Thompson is, of course, renowned for its silks, but cotton and linen have not been forgotten, with Cinnabar, Adler, and Balthazar striking casual-yet-sophisticated notes among those refined silks.   

I think that when you take a look at the new collections, you'll likely find yourself yearning for summer...and perhaps some new fabrics, too.

No. 9 Thompson Collection:

 Karapinar

 Torba

 Aisha

 Anatolia Stripe

Tan Tan

Casablanca

Zelig

Agadir

Fez

Tunis


Jim Thompson Collection:

 Lamun

 Ylang

 Chailai

 Eden

 Elixir

Anais

 Cinnabar

 Adler

 

 Balthazar

All photos courtesy of Jim Thompson

The Future of Antiques

I would like to invite you to join Olga Granda-Scott, John Lyle, Kerry Howard, and me next Friday, February 27 from 7 to 9pm for a conversation about the future of antiques and 21st-century Southern design.  Knowing my fellow panelists as I do, the conversation is guaranteed to be spirited, informative, and humorous, too.

The event, which is presented by The HighBoy, will take place at The Gables Antiques, one of Atlanta's preeminent antiques shops.  If you plan to attend (and I hope you will!), please click here to RSVP.

A Nifty Shade of Grey

Perhaps I ought not to admit this, but I saw Fifty Shades of Grey last week.  When I received an invitation to attend a preview of the movie, I accepted with alacrity because I wasn't about to miss an opportunity to see what the hoopla was about.  And what did I think about Fifty Shades?  Let's just say that there are two good things about this film, both of which are awfully nice to look at: the actor Jamie Dornan ("Christian Grey"), whose good looks made me forget the absurdity of the movie's premise; and the de Gournay wallpaper that hangs in one of Grey's bedrooms.  The movie redeemed itself immeasurably thanks to both.

As you can see in the photo above, the wallpaper, which is de Gournay's Askew pattern, is a wonderful bird and tree scene painted on a silver background.  This shimmery version works well with the film's chilly grey color palette (what a surprise!), striking a feminine note in a mostly flinty, hard-edged apartment.  Of course, there is that one room in Christian Grey's apartment that is red, but I won't get into that.

All of this leads me, in a very roundabout way, to the focus of this blog post, which isn't really about the movie of the moment, but rather Estee Lauder's former office.  I have been meaning to show photos of her office for some time now, and the uncanny similarities between de Gournay's Askew paper and the hand-painted rice paper on Lauder's office walls made now seem like a good time to discuss it.  The first thing you might notice is that her office resembled a formal living room, what with the wallpaper, that Louis XVI desk, and those dressy fabrics.  But the other story here is the room's color palette, which is comprised mostly of shades of taupe, oyster, cream, and champagne.  The one touch of grey can be found on the office's carpet, which provided an unimposing foundation for the room's furnishings.  It just goes to show that grey doesn't have to, ahem, dominate those softer, quieter colors surrounding it.

*With special thanks to Angela Patrick of Ainsworth-Noah for identifying which de Gournay pattern appeared in the movie.

Estee Lauder office photos from Executive Style by Judith Price

A Tribute to Carroll Petrie

Nan Kempner, Pat Buckley, Judy Peabody, and now Carroll Petrie. It seems that so many of the socialites whom I read about as a child are dead. Back in the '80s, these were the boldface names that graced both the party pages of Town & Country and W as well as "Suzy", the best gossip column ever.

Carroll Petrie, who died recently, was one of my favorite socialites for a number of reasons. First, she was a South Carolina native who moved to Manhattan as a young woman, became a model, married the 17th Marquis de Portago, and, after two subsequent marriages, married retail tycoon Milton Petrie. Second, she was really quite beautiful. And third, her signature red lipstick always looked chic and never contrived. 

Her Fifth Avenue apartment, which can be seen below, was equally as beautiful.  Decorated by David Easton, the apartment was, as one would expect, well-appointed.  But what some people might not have expected was that pink dining room.  It was certainly not a conventional dining room, but I can only imagine that Petrie and her dinner guests must have looked like a million bucks while surrounded by that flattering shade of pink.

As the saying goes, "They don't make 'em like they used to."            

Photo of Carroll Petrie, at top, courtesy of New York Social Diary; apartment photos from New York Apartments: Private Views by Jamee Gregory.

A Request for Information

I hope that one (or some) of you might be able to help me.  I am researching the Van Day Truex drawing that is shown above.  The drawing depicts what appear to be two stone bull heads perched atop a vine-covered wall.  Between the bulls is a uniformed man, who might be a gardener or perhaps an attendant of some sort.  This uniformed figure might indicate that the scene was painted in a public place.  Behind the bulls is a dense, darkly painted Cypress tree. 

Truex spent time in France, Italy, and Mexico, so it is possible that this scene is located in one of these countries.  Can any of you identify the location of this scene?  If so, please email me at Jennifer@thepeakofchic.com

Waterhouse Wallhangings and the Edward Zajac Collection

If only I had an abundance of rooms in which to hang wallpaper. That's how I felt when I saw the newest wallpaper collection from Waterhouse Wallhangings, which will be available in showrooms starting this month.  New designs include beefy stripes (Hyde Park Stripe), damask (Wheat Damask), Paris landmarks (Monuments of Paris), and Noah's animals (Noah's Ark), which is sure to delight both children and their parents. It's not often that I am tempted to decorate my home with such whimsical creatures, but I am completely charmed by these animals.  (By the way, Noah's Ark is based on a print found in one of Dorothy Waterhouse's old books.)

Waterhouse Wallhangings is also debuting the Edward Zajac Collection.  You have seen numerous posts about Zajac and his late partner, Richard Callahan, on this blog.  Zajac and Callahan were known for their enthusiastic use of pattern.  A Zajac and Callahan room typically had layer upon layer of pattern, but they were mixed in such a way so that the effect was sometimes daring, often ravishing, and never discordant. 

Zajac often designed custom fabrics and wallpapers for his clients, which was the impetus for this new collection.  The collection's prints include Regency Rope, Regency Rope Trellis, Regency Rope Panel, Charlotte Ruching, and Don't Fret.  Regency Rope Panel, which measures 12 feet long and 27 inches wide, was inspired by a set of folding screens in Zajac's apartment.  All three Regency Rope prints were designed so that they can be used together to spectacular effect.  And you'll notice that Charlotte Ruching has a border that runs down one side of the paper.  This border can be cut and applied as a border at the ceiling or along all four sides of a wall.  The line's versatility is very much in the spirit of Zajac's custom work.

For more information, please visit the Waterhouse Wallhangings website.  Coordinating fabrics for the Edward Zajac Collection wallpaper will be introduced in September.

Monuments of Paris

Hyde Park Stripe

Noah's Ark

Provincetown

Wheat Damask

Gingko



The Edward Zajac Collection:

Regency Rope

Regency Rope Trellis

Regency Rope Panel

Charlotte Ruching

Don't Fret


All images courtesy of Waterhouse Wallhangings