Elaine Griffin and "Design Rules"

Elaine Griffin understands "The Rules", and fortunately for us, she's ready to share. When I say rules, I don't mean "The Rules" that women were told to follow a few years ago. Remember that book? Don't say yes to a date if the man asks two days in advance. Why pay for the milk when a man can get the cow for free. Etc. Etc. The rules that Elaine wants to talk about are Design Rules. Thank goodness!

I recently spent a weekend reading Elaine's new book, and I have to say that it is a very worthwhile guide to decorating. Elaine spells out in an easy to understand way how to place furniture in a room, how tall end tables and bedside tables should be, even how to transform the forgotten basement into a room in which people want to spend time. There are chapters on kitchens, dining rooms, window treatments, and such. And the great thing is that the book is never dry. I think what I found most helpful is that there were certain rules that I knew and that made sense to me, but I never knew why we did it that way. Elaine eliminates the mystery.

I attended a luncheon with Elaine last week, and her enthusiasm for design is infectious. She told us that she wanted the tone of her book to be like a best friend giving decorating advice to the reader. After meeting Elaine and reading the book, I think she accomplished this most successfully.

Sister Parish Design

Yesterday I stopped by Mrs. Howard to pick up a copy of the newly released Sister Parish Design: On Decorating and was lucky enough to meet the authors, Susan Bartlett Crater and Libby Cameron, as well as the illustrator of the book, Mita Corsini Bland. I'm sure most of you are familiar with Susan and Libby; Susan is Sister Parish's granddaughter, while Libby was a protégé of Mrs. Parish. The two joined forces a few years ago and founded Sister Parish Design, one of my favorite fabric and wallpaper lines (and I'm sure a favorite for many of you, too.) And Mita is recognized as a leading watercolorist and illustrator. All three are not only very talented, but immensely likable too.

I just started to read the book last night, and from what I've read thus far, I'm completely charmed. The text is engaging, and I am enjoying the interviews with prominent decorators as well (Miles Redd and Todd Romano, anyone?). And Bland's illustrations are simply perfection! I can already tell that this will be a favorite book in my library.

Crater and Cameron also brought a few samples of their line's new linen prints as well as a cotton print, "Bolero", which I'm absolutely taken with. Definitely check out the new prints on their website, or visit one of the showrooms which carries the line. Grizzel and Mann in Atlanta has a great selection of Sister Parish Design fabric and wallpaper. (I also want to note that the fabrics and wallpaper are hand screened in Great Barrington, Massachusetts and Westerly, Rhode Island, which only adds to their appeal.)


From bottom to top: "Desmond" linen; "Sunswick" linen; "Burmese" linen; "Dolly" linen.


"Bolero". I love the colors- brown, coral, shrimp, navy, and pale aqua.

(Images at top courtesy of Sister Parish Design; bottom two by me.)

Norman Parkinson: A Very British Glamour

Need testament to the glamour of the good old days? Then by all means, pick up a copy of Norman Parkinson: A Very British Glamour by Louise Baring. Parkinson, one of 20th century's most innovative photographers, captured the sophistication that was fashion during the 1930s through the 1980s. What was unique about his work was that Parkinson was one of the first photographers to shoot models outside of the studio, often posing them on the street or in some incongruous setting. (Look at the cover, above, which features a model in a butcher shop.) Much of Parkinson's work was featured in Vogue (both British and American) and Harper's Bazaar, magazines at which Parkinson worked with the likes of Alexander Lieberman and Diana Vreeland. In fact, it was Parkinson to whom Vreeland remarked "How clever of you, Mr. Parkinson, also to know that pink is the navy blue of India."- this in response to Parkinson's photo of a model posing in a pink coat in Jaipur.

While the text is quite interesting, it's the glorious photographs that make this book a must-have for you glamour pusses and fashion hounds. And if you're a fan of the legendary model Carmen, then you're in luck; there are lots of photographs of her posing for Parkinson through the years.


Celia Hammond photographed for a Wetherall advertisement, Paris, 1962


Carmen Dell'Orefice on a crane in front of Old Bailey, London; Queen magazine cover, September 1960.


"Young Velvets, Young Prices" photographed for Vogue, 1949, from the roof of the Conde Nast Building.

(All images copyrighted Norman Parkinson Ltd., provided courtesy of the Norman Parkinson Archive, London. Norman Parkinson: A Very British Glamour, by Louise Baring, Rizzoli New York, 2009)

Park Avenue Potluck Celebrations

I just finished reading my review copy of Park Avenue Potluck Celebrations: Entertaining at Home with New York's Savviest Hostesses. I love to curl up in bed and read cookbooks...and sometimes cook from them too. This one came along at a fortuitous time as the holidays are right around the corner.

Members of The Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center have contributed their favorite recipes that they rely on to celebrate holidays and the seasons. There are menus and recipes for Valentine's Day, Passover, Derby Day, and of course what I'm thinking about now: Christmas. I haven't tried any of the recipes, but I thought the Society's previous effort was a success so I'm anxious to try my hand at a few of these dishes. (Also, the fact that Florence Fabricant is associated with this book is like a seal of approval.)

I've included a dessert recipe below that I'd like to make, but if you're not someone who enjoys cooking or reading cookbooks, you should at least look at the photos of the gorgeous interiors and tablesettings. You just might be inspired to get into the kitchen and whip up something to celebrate.

Roaring Twenties Coffee Bavarian Cream (Makes 12 or more servings)

2 packets plain gelatin
1 cup whole milk
1 cup brewed espresso
1 cup sugar
2 large egg whites
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups heavy cream
Small chocolate truffles for decoration, chilled

Place the gelatin in a 4-cup glass measuring cup and stir in the milk. Bring the espresso to a boil and whisk it into the milk mixture. Stir in the sugar. Transfer the mixture to a metal bowl and place it in a large bowl filled with ice and water. Stir from time to time as the mixture cools. When the mixture starts to thicken, transfer it to the bowl of an electric mixer.

Beat the mixture at high speed until it is smooth and fairly thick and lightens in colors. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt until they hold peaks but are not dry. Fold the egg whites into the gelatin mixture.

Whip the cream until stiff and fold it into the gelatin mixture. Transfer the mixture to an 8-cup metal ring mold or another fancy mold. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

To serve, unmold the mousse and decorate it with chocolate truffles, if you like, which can also be piled into the center of the unmolded dessert.








(Recipe and photographs from Park Avenue Potluck Celebrations: Entertaining at Home with New York's Savviest Hostesses, Rizzoli New York, 2009, photographer Ben Fink.)

Spellbound by Color

I love color in my home, but not so much in my wardrobe. (Look through my closet and you'll see a sea of black, gray, and bit of greige thrown in for good measure.) But a panoply of bright colors is usually not something to which I gravitate. Lots and lots of shocking, wild color in one room feels like getting hit in the head with an anvil. But if an array of vivid color is limited to one piece or a confined area, and if the colors are arranged in a tight, linear way, well, that's an entirely different story. An angular composition of color seems to give a semblance of order to what otherwise might be chaos; it adds a severity and an edginess to the colors which I like.

Take, for example, the fabric I've shown at top. I don't know who made this fabric, but I'm absolutely in love with it. I realize it's not for everyone, but think about this geometric print being used in a controlled way- perhaps on a seat cushion, pillow, tablecloth. It could very well bump a room from great up to fabulous. And it has the Brooke Astor seal of approval.




Think something like Harran II, Frank Stella, 1967; the Guggenheim Collection.


I think this quilt, Bittersweet XII by Nancy Crow, 1980, would be magnificent hung on the wall as artwork, especially if housed in a very minimal, contemporary space.


This Donald Brooks coat from the 1960s/70s is fabulous. The colorful bands read sophisticated, not cutesy. It's that wow piece that would make the rest of your neutral wardrobe sing.


There's a reason that this book makes appearances so often in chic interiors, and it's just not because it's about Christian Liaigre. I think it might also have to do with that cover.


Even better than the Liaigre cover is this one, American Painting by Barbara Rose.

(Unfortunately, I can't remember from which publication the photo at top was taken.)

Update on "More is More"

A few people have inquired about the limited edition sets of Tony Duquette and More is More. Boxed sets (covered in that wonderful Jim Thompson "Gemstone" fabric) are available at both Saks Fifth Avenue, NYC and via tonyduquette.com. Each set retails for $550 plus shipping.

More is More: Tony Duquette

Last week I attended a party for Hutton Wilkinson, his beautiful jewelry line, and his new book More Is More: Tony Duquette. More is more, and during the party I kept thinking "I want more!" Like this:



Sadly, that wasn't going to happen so I ended up buying this:



But don't think that the book was a consolation prize. I haven't yet finished the book, but so far I'm thoroughly enjoying it. More than one person has said that "More is More" is even better than the first Tony Duquette book. I'll let you know when I finish it. The photos are absolutely gorgeous. Want to take a look?





There is also a limited edition set of both books in a slipcover case finished in "Gemstone", the malachite fabric from the Tony Duquette collection for Jim Thompson.



That's also "Gemstone" on the table as well. The hostess' beautiful house featured other Jim Thompson/ Tony Duquette fabrics, including "Gemstone" in the beige colorway as well as:


"Golden Sunburst". In fact, one smart guest had a skirt made of this print in the silvery color. She said it doesn't wrinkle!

And now for the gratuitous vanity shot of Hutton and me. Naughty Hutton made sure we had our picture taken in the bedroom. I think he said something very funny, which explains the enormous grin on my face.

Alessandra Branca's New Classic Interiors

Alessandra Branca is a designer who marches to the tune of her own drummer, and the results are always stunning. She's not a designer who embraces every trend, nor does she change her "look" every few years. A Branca interior of today looks much like those from twenty years ago- warm, inviting, comfortable, and spirited. These attributes can also describe Alessandra herself. I had the opportunity to speak with her a while back, and she's truly as warm and charismatic as her interiors. But you don't have to take my word for it. Alessandra's new book New Classic Interiors is testament to her zest for life- and for decorating.

The most important part of a designer monograph are the photos, and trust me, there are plenty of gorgeous shots of Alessandra's work. Truly, I could pore over them for hours. Oh wait... I have! But I was also charmed by the text. Alessandra describes her varied sources of inspiration, including Rome, the city in which she was raised. After reading about what a typical day is like for Alessandra in her hometown, you will want to move there pronto. And, you'll want to start decorating your home with some Italian flair. Alessandra also gives the reader little design tidbits, such as why bouillon fringe came into being (I won't spoil the surprise. I call it a surprise because I get excited about such things). And, you get an inside peek at all of Alessandra's gorgeous homes too.

I've included some images from the book below. We're all familiar with Alessandra's rooms with her trademark use of red and yellow, but her work extends beyond that. Just take a look:






(All images from New Classic Interiors by Alessandra Branca; Stewart, Tabori, & Chang. All sales proceeds will benefit inner-city educational programs.)

Laura Ashley- I Hardly Knew Ya

Today's book reviews involve two designers- one who I thought I knew well, and the other who I knew not at all.





I loved Martin Wood's book on Nancy Lancaster and devoured his follow-up on John Fowler (who didn't?!). So when I heard that his next subject was Laura Ashley, I was intrigued. Intrigued because Wood was writing it, and curious about what made Laura Ashley a compelling subject. Well, let's just say that the last time I was taken with anything Laura Ashley was back in the 1980s- but I'm enchanted by her, her story, and the look once again.

Welsh born Laura Ashley and her husband Bernard got their start in the apparel and textile business in the early 1950s when they began to print fabric in their home. The business took off with a line of small neck scarves that became all the rage. Tea towels followed, but it was their garment line that took the company to an entirely new level- and made Laura Ashley a household name in Britain and beyond.

Of course many of us fondly remember those Laura Ashley dresses that we wore as children (they were a little Laura Ingalls Wilder-ish, but hey, it's better than some of the clothes little girls are wearing today), but did you know that Laura and her husband were innovators? Bernard insisted on selling their fabrics alongside the garments, something which people felt would never work... but it did and quite successfully. And many of their prints were actually a bit edgy looking, a far cry from the traditional florals that many of us associate with the house. Who knew? I certainly didn't.

The book is chock full of photos of various clothing collections (the Venetian Collection was pretty fabulous) as well as color photos of their prints. But for me, the best part are the photos of the Ashley homes. If you swoon for very British interiors, trust me, you'll have a ball reading this book.


Remember this photo? Diana was wearing a Laura Ashley skirt.


Laura Ashley fabrics c. 1972.


The Ashley dining room in their home in England.


And for you Francophiles, a guest bedroom in the Ashley's French chateau

And the designer who I wasn't familiar with? John Minshaw. And what a nice surprise this book was. John Minshaw Designs is a wonderful introduction to a designer whose work is classical with a twist. There is a brief biography of Minshaw- important for those of us who are new to the designer- but the monograph is mainly a compilation of project photos. No need for me to write anything else because I think the photos will do Minshaw more justice than my writing will.