Marian McEvoy Redux

I was excited to see an article about Marian McEvoy's charming Hudson Valley home in the October issue of British House & Garden (I'm a longtime McEvoy fan). Although McEvoy's house earned an entire chapter in "Rooms to Inspire", this article gives us glimpses of the home from different vantage points.

Of course, we all know that McEvoy is a master with the glue gun. She took pieces of antique suzanis and glued them on chairs, curtains, and pillows. In lesser hands the whole effect might look rather contrived, but here it looks fresh and fun. One can tell that McEvoy had fun experimenting, and what better laboratory than one's own home?

And the colors are very clear and vibrant. McEvoy decided that each floor would have a different color scheme with black and white accessories mixed in. I do like how she painted blocks of color on the walls: pinky coral in the living room and yellow in the bedroom. It rather reminds me of that great cerulean blue "bulletin board" that Albert Hadley used in his Manhttan apartment!

Fashionable Flowers

Of all of my posts, the ones that elicit the most heated debate have to do with flowers (and believe me, I'm not pointing fingers because I'm right there with you readers in expressing my opinions on the subject). Flowers seem to provoke a visceral response- both good and bad. Many of us have very defined views on what we like and don't like. Personally, I have a few varieties that I love, some that I like, and many that I just don't care for. And the debate does not end here. What about floral arrangements? Do you like big, blowsy arrangements, or tight little clusters of flowers? A few branches of forsythia or magnolia in a vase? What about those tall, elaborate displays of flowers?

One arrangement that I do like to create is clusters of carnations, all of the same color. Individually, carnations are nothing to write home about. However, when grouped en masse, they're like little mounds of strong, pure color. My two favorite colors are deep, blood red and bright, vivid pink. The reds are good for a little drama, while the bright pink provides some snappy cheerfulness. White can be nice too, but for me it's all about color. Another advantage of carnations? They're inexpensive and they can last for a few weeks.


Joe Nye used these vibrant pink carnations for some punch in this room at the 2006 House Beautiful Showhouse.


Clusters of white carnations are jaunty and crisp on this blue and white themed table by Carolyne Roehm


Miles Redd adds some dark, brooding glamour in this arrangement of deep red carnations.


What's more classic (and graphic) than white and black? This reminds me of the Ascot scene in "My Fair Lady" in which the costumes were black and white (and were designed by Cecil Beaton). Photo from "Martha Stewart Weddings"


A red and white tablesetting from Martha Stewart Living


Image at top: A great mass of red carnations via Carolyne Roehm's website

Fancy Doors

I have just found the latest thing that I want to try: an upholstered door like that designed above Suzanne Rheinstein (if you can make it out in the blurriness!). Rheinstein took red baize (the same type fabric as is usually found on pool tables) with some batting underneath, and then outlined the door's panels with nickel nail heads. How chic is that?

I know that this idea is nothing new. In fact, Rheinstein explains in the current issue of Domino that many grand English homes had baize backed doors in their kitchens as a way to keep sound and smells contained in the kitchen. Many times, the baize covered door (usually covered in green baize) was the dividing line between the servants' area and the main house.

Of course, one is not limited to baize (just look at the various fabrics below which Miles Redd used in his own home), but I think that Rheinstein's choice is just so snappy and English. And according to Rheinstein, her daughter is covering her own kitchen door in patent leather. I'd love to see that!


This satin tufted door in the bedroom of Miles Redd screams glamour- very 1930s!


A zebra print covered door with nails head trim outlining the door panels in the living room of Miles Redd. Is this typical Redd or what?


The Paris bedroom of the incomparable Helena Rubenstein, designed by Maison Jansen, 1937. Not only is the door covered in satin, but so is the entire bed and the niche. The diamond pattern tufting is rather different and really creates an interesting pattern to the room.

Joe Nye- Tradition with a Twist

For those of you who like the chic/ preppy/ feminine/ traditional look mixed with bold colors, then you must check out this Los Angeles apartment decorated by Joe Nye (and featured in the October issue of House Beautiful). Designed for a lucky young woman, the home features a turquoise and raspberry color scheme with a bit of brown thrown in for good measure. The homeowner had inherited some good antiques, and Nye added some fun and funky furniture to keep the home from looking too matronly. What I also thought was very clever was that Nye created a masculine office (painted in a rich brown) as a counterpoint to the femininity of the rest of the home. And the icing on the cake? All of those great accessories! Here are a couple of photos of this fun, feminine home.


A view of the bedroom with a French settee from Chapman Radcliff and window shade in Manuel Canovas's "Bragance".


The rich brown office with some fun animal prints.


The dining room. Don't you love that painted chair?

Image at top: A view of the living room where the turquoise/raspberry color scheme is most evident.

Too Much of a Good Thing?

Some designers feel that one of the best ways to create a cohesive look in a small space is to repeat the same print throughout. I recently found these photographs of the late designer Greg Jordan's apartment, and I think he certainly adhered to this tenet.

Jordan's apartment had a living room that was 13' X 16' and a bedroom which was 10' X 15'- rather small. Jordan's solution to making the space seem larger was to use the same fabric on everything- walls, windows, upholstery, bed. By employing this scheme, the boundaries of the room seem to disappear. The fabric he chose was of his own design: a chain-link fence print. Obviously done tongue-in-cheek, Jordan wanted to create an "urban version of those eighteenth-century English trellis patterns."

To me, the effect is not necessarily overwhelming. I think that the other objects in the room- books, antique furniture, and other bibelots- soften the severity of the chain-link pattern. They also seem to take center stage against this unified background. I actually find the whole look rather charming.

That said, I don't think this look is for everyone. You would have to make sure that the print you choose is one that you love (and one that you will love for a long time!). Also, might one feel claustrophobic being surrounded by one print everywhere? In a quest to "eliminate" borders might you feel a bit caged in?


Jordan's living room


Another view of the living room


The bedroom with more of the chain-link print

(All images and quotations taken from "House Beautiful- Decorating for Small Spaces")

Striking Tablescapes II

Aren't weekends a great time to rearrange your tchotchkes and bibelots? Of course, you could also rearrange the furniture, but that's an awful lot of heavy lifting! So, in honor of today being Friday, here are some terrific tablescapes that might inspire you to fluff away the weekend. (Does anyone else regret that the word "tablescape" has been adopted by Sandra Lee from the Food Network?)

(You may also be interested in Striking Tablescapes I)

A classical tablescape designed for a New York apartment by David Netto


A chic, steel gray tableau designed by Barclay Fryery


A bar is perfect for weekend tablescaping! Design by Joe Nye.

Image at top: No post on tablescapes would be complete without a vignette from the maestro himself David Hicks.

Sister Parish Does Yellow!

I recently purchased a 1967 edition of House Beautiful, and guess whose room made the cover? None other than everybody's favorite Sister Parish. I love the clear shade of yellow on the walls and the upholstered armchair. The striking rug with the black and yellow Greek key motif is an Edward Fields design. And check out that custom door hardware designed by Sis herself. I think I could live in that room today! Here are a few more rooms that were chic back then and still look pretty good in 2007.


A glamorous dinner party designed by Ellen Lehman McCluskey. I certainly wish my dinner parties looked like this. The blue damask fabric is Scalamandre, the china, crystal and silver was from Tiffany & Co., and those gorgeous chairs were from Yale R. Burge.


My favorite design trick- a tented room! This one was designed by Thomas Britt. The fabric is a Brunschwig & Fils print, and the towels are Porthault.


I was a bit surprised to find out that Tony Duquette was the designer behind this room. A bit tame for Duquette, although I'm more familiar with Duquette's over the top creations. The rugs are antique Arabian tent hangings- how exotic!


This 18th c. Venetian mirror is very much in vogue today. Design by Melvin Dwork.

(All images from the October 1967 issue of House Beautiful)

Bold Borders

According to son Ashley Hicks, one of David Hicks' favorite design tricks was to outline the edges and corners of a room with a contrasting braid or paper (Hicks also liked to apply similar borders on window treatments and upholstered furniture too). The effect is one that is bold and graphic- it visually reinforces the shape of the room. Ruthie Sommers used a similar idea in a room she designed for her husband (above). Wanting to make the room look like it was "tied up like a package", Sommers chose a Hicks style paper for the walls and painted a dark, wide border around the edges of the walls. What intrigued me most about this decorating "device" (to use the words of Ashley Hicks) is that it was used in the former royal palace Kew Palace (England) during the late 18th/ early 19th c. In Princess Elizabeth's room (below), the walls are covered in a green verditer wallpaper, and a Greek key border outlines each wall. How interesting to see this type of decoration used in a historical home, in a mod sixties room, and in a 21st c. California home.


A graphic room designed by David Hicks


Another Hicks designed room; the walls are covered in a blue woolen fabric and the outline is achieved using black braid.


Princess Elizabeth's bedroom at Kew Palace

(Photo at top of Ruthie Sommers' Santa Monica home; courtesy of Cottage Living)

Blue and White Bedrooms

Is it just me, or does blue and white seem to be one of the most popular color combinations for bedrooms? Certainly it makes sense- blue is soothing and serene (very important in a bedroom!) and white is clean and calming. On top of that, there are so many great blue and white prints that just seem so perfect for bedrooms. I think it's safe to say that a floral print for the bedroom is one of the most popular options. Soft blue and white is a very traditional and classic choice, but if you want to punch up your bedroom with some zing, why not try a turquoise shade like Betsy Burnham does below?



A mix of blue and white prints used with aplomb by Markham Roberts


A children's bedroom by designer Meg Braff


A snappy little bedroom in the home of Todd Romano


The use of turquoise in this bedroom gives this bedroom a little more energy than a paler shade would. (Design by Betsy Burnham.)

Photo at top: Bedroom designed by Charlotte Moss for the 2006 Kips Bay Show house

Inspiring Rooms of the Week

A few rooms that I find inspiring:


A living room designed by Ruthie Sommers. With Billy Haines as her inspiration, Sommers has struck a very luxe, glamorous tone here! (Photo courtesy of Domino).

Shocking pink room designed by Ralph Harvard. Now this is bold, updated traditional! (I think Schiaparelli might feel at home here.)


A sweet bedroom designed by Nancy Boszhardt. I really like the paisley fabric the designer used for the curtains, the border on the walls, and the headboard. Very feminine!


A chic tableau, again designed by Nancy Boszhardt. Does this scream "Manhattan" or what?


Jewel tones are making a comeback in fashion (how very 1980s!), so why not in interior design too? (A Kips Bay Showhouse room designed by Christopher Maya. Photo courtesy of House Beautiful)


Dining room in the home of Suzanne Rheinstein- so very elegant and sophisticated, and is that chandelier not to die for?? (Photo courtesy of Domino)

New York Social Diary House- Jeffrey Bilhuber

A few months ago I posted about the Manhattan apartment of designer Jeffrey Bilhuber. If you would like to see additional views and photos of this apartment, you should visit New York Social Diary today as there is an interesting interview with Bilhuber (part of their 'House' series). I think the apartment is an unusual but striking mix of glam and country. (To read my post on Bilhuber, click here.)













(All photos courtesy of New York Social Diary)