tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34961211.post1129007941672553029..comments2024-03-28T01:39:53.154-04:00Comments on The Peak of ChicĀ®: What's Next?The Peak of Chichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02811933436075145329noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34961211.post-40415468137415947162014-05-12T06:52:57.493-04:002014-05-12T06:52:57.493-04:00I used to have this design book that most of the o...I used to have this design book that most of the old photographs are from. I lost it in a move and I have been trying to remember the title for such a long time. It would be great if you could pass on the publishing information to me. It has so many great rooms it it!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13227017936841125542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34961211.post-53156411064283099252014-05-06T05:52:54.455-04:002014-05-06T05:52:54.455-04:00Dear Jennifer,
Many thanks for your thoughtful rep...Dear Jennifer,<br />Many thanks for your thoughtful reply. It's interesting that you should say you would like to see more thought and more editing, because I am sure that are a great deal of thought is put into many of those deliberately clashing rooms (I have an example in mind, the designer of which I shall not divulge): How can you combine a Tree of Life chintz on a sofa with bright red cushions, a large zebra print and frilly green-and-white striped curtains? Ugh! And just one more comment on the scale of furniture - I believe the ideal combination is a mixture of scales - never all large or all small. Indeed, in my own very small apartment I have a large sofa, which in fact makes the space feel larger, as well as a large French commode in my tiny hallway, which has the same effect. So on reflection, perhaps it's not so much the scale of things that matters, but as Anonymous so rightly pointed out, the arrangement of furniture so that people are not at "shouting distance" from each other, but can converse in comfort. In my designs this is always an important feature. I would be very pleased for you to take a look at my site, which is linked to my name. <br /><br />I look forward to many more interesting discussions with you!<br /><br />TobyToby Alleyne-Geehttp://www.phoebus-interiors.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34961211.post-22890285366784582182014-05-05T16:58:27.861-04:002014-05-05T16:58:27.861-04:00Toby and Anonymous, Both of you have made very tho...Toby and Anonymous, Both of you have made very thought-provoking comments. First, I do love color, just as both of you do. In fact, I live with color in my home. If you look at the interior photos to which I have gravitated lately, you'll see that most of the rooms are dark brown, black, and other deep shades. Perhaps it is richer, more sophisticated uses of color to which am I drawn at the moment? Also, Anon, you hit the nail on the head with your use of the word "intimate". Everything about these rooms make them feel intimate. These are rooms that beckon one with subtlety, beauty, and elegance, not screaming colors and clashing pattern. (Toby, I agree with you completely about the trend towards clashing colors and pattern.) I guess that at the end of the day, what I would like to see is decoration that involves more thought and more editing. And whether that entails color or non-color, morning or nighttime rooms, and pattern or no pattern is solely up to the individual tastes of the homeowner. One last thing- a resounding "yes!" to smaller-scaled furniture!The Peak of Chichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02811933436075145329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34961211.post-8928018152139784712014-05-05T16:16:14.810-04:002014-05-05T16:16:14.810-04:00Dear Anonymous,
How I agree with you! As a designe...Dear Anonymous,<br />How I agree with you! As a designer myself, I am a keen observer of interior design on both sides of the Atlantic, and the work shown in the States is, by European standards at least, very rarely intimate. Perhaps it's because you have such huge amounts of space available, things can be done for effect rather than practicality. Call me old-fashioned, but I am a fierce champion of Nancy Lancaster and John Fowler - no piece of furniture should ever have to be moved when guests arrive. You must always have a light to read by and a table to set down your drink. If you follow English or French design, you will notice that the furniture is always much smaller and less heavily upholstered than American pieces, which to my eyes often look like buxom women bursting out of their clothes. The reason most rooms are shot in daylight is because daylight shows colours much more accurately than electric light, which usually gives a yellowish tinge. And: hurrah for colour, hurrah for pattern and light. However, in my view it should be quiet and harmonious, with no garish, clashing motifs. One trend I notice in the States, if I may say so, is deliberately clashing colours, patterns and historical styles. I think this is supposed to look effortlessly eclectic. There is something similar going on in the UK - washed out, faded fabrics and traditional furniture, but combined with bright red plastic table lamps or super-modern, metallic wallpaper. All very odd. So yes, I agree with you! The same rooms (some of them) with colour for happiness :-)Toby Alleyne-Geehttp://www.phoebus-interiors.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34961211.post-33513163803231130542014-05-04T21:30:33.105-04:002014-05-04T21:30:33.105-04:00I just re-read your post here (i commented a few d...I just re-read your post here (i commented a few days ago) and have to say the thing i realy like about all these rooms is the intimacy of the furniture placement. Look how closely chairs are placed together. Its as if the rooms were meant to have real people in them who actually look at each other and speak! In most, if not all, rooms in mags today the furniture is artfully arranged at safe shouting distances from each other. Has anyone else noticed this? There always are chairs that you can pull around in older rooms. Not really in todays rooms. This suggests to me our rooms are more for show and not really to be lived in. Was it billy baldwin or mario buatta who talked about watching how the furniture ends up in a room after a party? This shows how a room wants to be, or something like that. I think this is fascinating. Another feature i like is the scale of the furniture. Its smaller not this great big stuff we tend to see today giving todays rooms a movie set quality. These are the things i see in these pics. I dont think the next big trend is browns as the whole brown/beige/neutral/belgian/asian/zen thing has been running parallel to the jonathan adler/kelly wearstler look the whole time. I wonder if the next trend will be a return to the smallerr scale furniture and a more intimate placement? Another difference i see is that in the 70s plus or minus a decade in mags featured rooms that were shot at night. We never, ever see that anymore. It seems the most valuable commodity in todays world is light in a room and, accordingly, all photos seem to be shot at their brightest moment. I dont know why, especially, just an observation. Personally i am a morning person and so dont respond to nightime pics the way i do to the clean, crisp and bright rooms, however they are decorated. I do love these rooms but not for the browns or masculine features but rather the scale of the furniture (and style i do love each chair and sofa you featured!) and the intimate placement of things. Id do these same rooms with color for happiness.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34961211.post-46245675750510884322014-04-29T11:53:25.623-04:002014-04-29T11:53:25.623-04:00Thank you so much for today's inspiration! I h...Thank you so much for today's inspiration! I have enough mental fodder to plod through the rest of the day now. xoduchyDuchyhttp://www.dunesandduchess.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34961211.post-13562001558218739872014-04-27T10:54:47.987-04:002014-04-27T10:54:47.987-04:00I do think it is time for a change! In my opinion ...I do think it is time for a change! In my opinion browns and contemporary style furniture are coming back on trend. I really like the Manhattan apartment of Ferris Megarity! It has everything I love-hardwood furniture, animal prints, the vintage mirror frames and all the pictures! I recently wrote an article about designing your own house (https://medium.com/p/eea469fbdbb5). I would be really happy if you check it out. Thank you!Joanne Watsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34961211.post-15743300265758002312014-04-25T11:18:30.888-04:002014-04-25T11:18:30.888-04:00Of course! The photo in your book of Geometric pri...Of course! The photo in your book of Geometric prints is of curtains!<br />Ms.Telferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14698116064549007583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34961211.post-56673868587157181772014-04-25T10:12:24.405-04:002014-04-25T10:12:24.405-04:00Dear Jennifer,
For me, as a British designer based...Dear Jennifer,<br />For me, as a British designer based in Switzerland, this is a very interesting post for two reasons. Firstly, I agree with several commentators who point out that nothing is ever really new - most of us merely regurgitate and adapt styles from the past. Secondly, to my mind these spaces are still too brash (particularly Megarity and McNamara) to be considered "classic". I like Albert Hadley's living room best, as the brown is offset by the white furniture, but to European eyes it certainly doesn't look "classic". I associate dark brown walls either with High Victorian style or late 1960s/early 1970s, which of course was also a time when Victorian style was revived (combined with all that stripped pine furniture, ugh!), at least in the UK. I could imagine a study, bedroom or even dining room painted chocolate brown, but for a daytime living area I would find it positively claustrophobic. In my opinion, the contrast between the walls and the pale ceilings and woodwork in almost all these images is too hard. Of course, these are all deeply personal preferences. It's just interesting to see how our perceptions can differ so wildly! I am thinking of starting my own blog and admire yours very much. Many thanks, TobyToby Alleyne-Geehttp://www.phoebus-interiors.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34961211.post-34449128023537675472014-04-25T07:58:12.812-04:002014-04-25T07:58:12.812-04:00I love the rich traditional pieces that have been ...I love the rich traditional pieces that have been with us for hundreds of years - every new variation just pales in comparison to their elegance. But I live for color, and living in a brown environment would make me feel like I was missing body parts! The pictures are beautiful but seem masculine...I hope people will experience the joy of making an interior their own...assembling the pieces which make them feel happy and serene in their home and tell their stories. Karen of Fair Oakshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14611794275127909204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34961211.post-75290937910043728942014-04-24T10:58:54.994-04:002014-04-24T10:58:54.994-04:00I grew up in the 70s in a waterfront Frank Llyod W...I grew up in the 70s in a waterfront Frank Llyod Wright style house. It had wall to wall orange shag, a two story cork wall in the entry, and marbled metallic wallpaper in the bathrooms. Hard to see past that orange shag. I do love brown wood kitchens better that white ones.Ms.Telferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14698116064549007583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34961211.post-66499430571013360982014-04-24T10:44:15.603-04:002014-04-24T10:44:15.603-04:00This discussion is so interesting. I am alone in ...This discussion is so interesting. I am alone in this it seems but i adore all the color we now have available! I always say color is my drug of choice! I went nuts for the mario buatta houses for hilary and wilbur ross featured in architectural digest a couple of issues ago yet my faveorite decorator of all time is without question billy baldwin. In 1993 i moved back to beverly hills from nyc and decorated my apartment in lemon yellow sofas and white chinese chippendale chairs. I would tell my friends my apartment is "palm beach circa 1972" and people would roll their eyes in astonishment. This was before kelly wearstler and long, long before ruthie sommers. As coco chanel said, "fashion is in the air". So are trends. Now that im married with children my husband (totally Brooks Brothers) does not care how i decorate as long as it is "not dreary". We have chartreuse grasscloth walls, zebra prints, chinoiserie and all the late 1960s stuff i couldnt afford when i was single. And everyone who walks in says its the happiest house they have ever been in.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34961211.post-45651444878951270382014-04-24T08:52:59.782-04:002014-04-24T08:52:59.782-04:00Andrea, I agree that people should decorate their ...Andrea, I agree that people should decorate their homes to reflect their personalities and their interests. And, comfort is utmost importance! At the end of the day, we should all want to come home to a house that is comfortable and filled with our treasures.The Peak of Chichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02811933436075145329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34961211.post-65925756489819511812014-04-24T08:50:44.377-04:002014-04-24T08:50:44.377-04:00DT- Next time, for sure! :)DT- Next time, for sure! :)The Peak of Chichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02811933436075145329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34961211.post-71555823380549092712014-04-24T08:50:19.127-04:002014-04-24T08:50:19.127-04:00Pamela, You make an excellent point that the Georg...Pamela, You make an excellent point that the Georgian, Victorians, etc. unabashedly referred to the past. Also, I have seen a few episodes of Columbo (and loved them, by the way,) but I must watch more so that I can see these fabulous interiors. Thank you for the suggestion!The Peak of Chichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02811933436075145329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34961211.post-46412619600866676282014-04-24T08:48:19.659-04:002014-04-24T08:48:19.659-04:00Swan, You are right, I did overlook Michael Taylor...Swan, You are right, I did overlook Michael Taylor. He was quite the innovator! And I agree that there is never a future without the past.The Peak of Chichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02811933436075145329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34961211.post-40177353290400612742014-04-24T08:47:25.091-04:002014-04-24T08:47:25.091-04:00J, I have never really understood decorating for p...J, I have never really understood decorating for photographic effect. Some of the most charming or beautiful homes that I have visited would probably not look very photogenic if photographed. Of course, the opposite is true, too.The Peak of Chichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02811933436075145329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34961211.post-53524311576310956812014-04-24T08:45:02.048-04:002014-04-24T08:45:02.048-04:00I think that every decade has produced examples of...I think that every decade has produced examples of good design. There was some truly great and innovative design in the 1970s, as you mentioned. Just look at the work of Angelo Donghia, for example.The Peak of Chichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02811933436075145329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34961211.post-13034893556829373012014-04-24T08:42:22.417-04:002014-04-24T08:42:22.417-04:00Mary, Exactly! Taking elements of the past and tr...Mary, Exactly! Taking elements of the past and transforming them into something new and fresh. Well said!The Peak of Chichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02811933436075145329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34961211.post-9288370918148560832014-04-24T08:18:08.904-04:002014-04-24T08:18:08.904-04:00One more thought about todays blog.....most of the...One more thought about todays blog.....most of the rooms pictured have walls of mirror....I love it. Mirrors bring in the light and increase the visual space of the room. The mirrors are a major design element. Imagine these rooms without them!<br /><br />JudyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34961211.post-86573399181692909282014-04-24T00:03:10.135-04:002014-04-24T00:03:10.135-04:00Hi Jennifer, I just read Foodie's comment. I t...Hi Jennifer, I just read Foodie's comment. I think your point is that there is nothing truly new. The best design takes elements of the past. integrating them in new and fresh ways that are a reflection of current cultural and aesthetic points of view. I love that you embrace this incorporation of the past, which does not mean neglecting or denigrating the present. Go girl!<br />MaryMJH Design Artshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09752876154227590389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34961211.post-47745201652462474812014-04-23T22:48:11.889-04:002014-04-23T22:48:11.889-04:00This post really sums up some thoughts I've ha...This post really sums up some thoughts I've had about interior design for awhile. Thanks for expressing it better than I could. I've always loved some variation of this look, possibly with a slightly more modern twist. I've been saying all year that the cult of gray is going to end soon and beiges and browns are coming back-no one I know thinks that is possible!<br /><br />I think the 70's have really been unfairly stereotyped and there is so much good design that is overlooked from that period.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34961211.post-42677441106000476992014-04-23T21:46:57.577-04:002014-04-23T21:46:57.577-04:00Would you use a small print on curtains?Would you use a small print on curtains?Ms.Telferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14698116064549007583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34961211.post-55949532532049197632014-04-23T21:25:11.751-04:002014-04-23T21:25:11.751-04:00I know I am in the minority here, but Toby Worthin...I know I am in the minority here, but Toby Worthington is correct about decorating for photographic effect. I have been to Britt's apartment and seen that room pictured, without the white slipcovers. Although an attractive room architecturally, this room is a disaster in person based on good decorating philosophy. There is nothing gracious about it; the space is like a show window.Jnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34961211.post-69525946021167717482014-04-23T20:14:37.709-04:002014-04-23T20:14:37.709-04:00You forgot the POPE of all these CARDINALS...Micha...You forgot the POPE of all these CARDINALS...Michael Taylor! He was the ONLY one who bridged their look to our time...Dennis Leen is somewhat of a devotee, but no one used Terracotta color on walls with bleached Herringbone floors like driftwood, scattering Ancient Etruscan pots or Roman Glass vessels, while a Twig sculpture hung on a wall over a sofa shaped so Erotically topped with round ball pillows to simulate stone. This is Modern Ancient, a look I hope the SO MANY decorators/booksellers of today start to emulate and grow from! <br />There is NEVER a future without the past.The Swanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01159724663060240920noreply@blogger.com