John Fowler: Prince of Decorators

I just got through reading the upcoming release, John Fowler: Prince of Decorators. If you're a student of interior design or design history, a lover of the English country look, or someone who is inspired by photos of beautiful interiors, then you truly must read this book. Written by author Martin Wood, this work is also the perfect companion piece to his previous book, Nancy Lancaster: English Country House Style.

Of course, Fowler is best known for creating the English country house look around the time of World War II (with some help from Lancaster, of course). This look, which has often been imitated to varying degrees of success, is one that is adored by some, admired by many, and dismissed by a few. What's important to remember, though, is that when Fowler developed this style, it was actually rather revolutionary. It was certainly in stark contrast to the modern look that was prevalent prior to WWII. It was also a novel way in which to decorate a stately British home, which tended to be the type of home on which Fowler worked.

The foundation of the English country look was beauty and comfort- two very noble design goals. Fowler achieved both by using comfortable and sometimes humble fabrics, charming prints, and painted furniture. This was truly a far cry from the stiff fabrics and mahogany furniture that had been the standard for these great homes. It was "good" design, not historical accuracy, that Fowler strove for.

I think that what makes this book a success is that Wood provides the reader with a thorough yet interesting account of Fowler's career. There is certainly enough information to satisfy those of us who love design history. For those who are more entertained by the photos- well, there are plenty of those too.


The drawing room of the Bruces at the Albany, London, designed by Fowler. Christopher Spitzmiller cites this home as the inspiration for his New York apartment.


Another celebrated Fowler room- the saloon at Daylesford, designed in the 1950s.


The drawing room at Hambleden. According to the author, this room has remained the same color for 40 years, proving how timeless Fowler's designs were.

Cecil Beaton Fabric

I've always admired Cecil Beaton. This creative force was a photographer, a diarist, a costume designer, and a set designer (have I left anything out???). He was also known for his amusing line drawings, some of which appeared in his books.

So, I was quite thrilled when a reader informed me about the Cecil Beaton Fabric Collection. According to the website, the prints, drawn by Beaton in 1948, were commissioned by Zika Ascher for his couture fabric line. Many of the prints are produced in linen, cotton, and silk fabrics as well as wallpaper (the prints also come in various colorways).

I'm crazy about "Ashcombe Stripe". This is not your everyday striped fabric, especially as you can see the drawn lines in the stripes. And what about "Beaton Rose"? If the color shown below is too graphic for you, then you must look at the Mink colorway on the website- it's very creamy and subtle. I'm also drawn to the "Beaton Pansy" (below). To me, it's a little reminiscent of a Porthault print. What do you think?


"Beaton Rose" and "Ashcombe Stripe"


"Beaton Rose" "Ashcombe Stripe" and "Pelham Check"


"Beaton Pansy"


"Beaton Bloom" "Ashcombe Stripe" "Pelham Check"



"Beaton Tic Tac Toe"



Image at top: Cecil Beaton at Reddish House

Dynamic Duo

A few weeks ago I came across a 1968 issue of House Beautiful. Now, to be totally honest, this era in design is not one of my favorites (I'm more of a 1930s gal myself). Flipping through the magazine I saw many photos of rooms that today look beyond dated. Well, when I came across this photo above I was floored. This room (minus the floral arrangement) is just as stylish today as it was almost 40 years ago.

The silver teapaper, the Serge Roche-esque plaster sconce, the geometric painted floor, the furniture- everything is just perfection. I could live in this room in a heartbeat. And just who was the designer? None other than my design idol- Albert Hadley. Of course! Hadley's work just doesn't seem to age, and he mixes antiques and contemporary pieces with aplomb.

Yesterday, I was looking through another 1968 issue of House Beautiful, and this home below caught my eye.







The dark glossy walls contrasting with the cream damask and chintz upholstered furniture is such a striking combination. I love the Chinese lacquered tables, the gilt mirror with sconces, and the beautiful antique painted wall panels in the dining room. Do I need to tell you whose home this is? That's right. Sister Parish.

Sis and Albert- a true design match made in heaven!

And Now for the Ladies...

Continuing with the article from yesterday, here are some solutions from design mavens Frances Elkins and Eleanor Brown.


Problem: Mrs. George Coleman Jr. wanted "gaiety" in her home using clear colors. She also wanted a durable rug that would withstand three daughters and their riding boots.
Solution: Frances Elkins mixed blue and white Chinese plates, Mexican pottery, and Delft tiles that would "please the eye"; she chose the blue and white color scheme as it worked in the clear, bright light of California. And of course, she chose a sturdy rug for those daughters!
Don't you love that hand-blocked linen fabric? Sixty years later and it still looks fantastic.


Problem: Mrs. Diego Suarez wanted to bring the outdoors inside her home on Shinnecock Bay. She also wanted a "background for flowers, fine books, and modern leather furniture."
Solution: Inspired by the view of the water, Mrs. Brown (of McMillen Inc.) chose soft blues for the walls, the oversized sofa, and the folding shutters. For the accent colors Brown used mustard and white.
Not necessarily the 21st century idea of a beach home, but I do like the mustard fabric on the chair in the foreground. And I'm curious about that modern leather furniture...

What Would Billy Do?

Sometimes when I'm faced with a decorating dilemma, I'll ask myself "What would Billy (Baldwin) or Albert (Hadley) do?". Silly, perhaps. But, by thinking about how these two design legends approached (or in Hadley's case still approaches) design, I'm usually able to think through my problem and find a suitable, and stylish, solution.

So, I was excited to come across a 1948 House & Garden article in which five of the top designers of the day (who are now considered legends) discussed their solutions to different design challenges presented by their clients. Today I'll profile the male designers featured, and tomorrow stay tuned for the women.

The master Billy Baldwin is photographed here with his client Mrs. Warren Pershing. The problem: Mrs. Pershing wanted to create a country house feeling in her Park Avenue duplex. She wanted the home to be rather informal but pretty as well.
The solution: Baldwin chose coral as the dominant color because it is a happy color (and one that would complement Mrs. Pershing's "dark beauty"). To achieve the country look, Baldwin used various chintzes for the upholstery and displayed vases with fresh flowers throughout.

What I find interesting is that though this room was a bit casual for the time (and for the Park Ave. setting), it is actually rather formal by today's standards. I think that what Baldwin achieved was a scheme that was fresh, comfortable, and elegant.

A living room designed by William Pahlmann for his client Mrs. Walter Hoving.
The problem: The living room was very large and rather long. Also, Mrs. Hoving wanted to create a room that was conducive to entertaining and an attractive background for evening clothes (aren't these fun problems to have?)
The solution: Palhmann created different seating groups allowing for conversation as well as better traffic flow. Also, he used two mirrored niches (visible on the far right) to create a sense of width. Pahlmann chose a green for the upholstery because he deemed it a flattering color for evening clothes (particularly against men's black and white evening attire).
All in all, a very elegant room in which to entertain! I especially love that Coromandel screen.


The problem: The client, Mrs. Vincent Astor, asked her designer George Stacey to create a cornflower blue room. She also wanted a room that was suitable for entertaining as well as relaxing with her family.
The solution: Because this shade of blue was a bit strong, Stacey chose white, crystal, and mirrored accents. He used a red fabric for the benches in front of the fireplace as well as a dark green for the sofa. In order to achieve the "comfortable" feel to the room, Stacey used a floral chintz for the armchairs (I think the use of floral chintz is a recurring theme in this particular article!).
I think Stacey's use of color is pretty smashing and bold. That said, what interested me most about this story is that one of the editors of H&G in 1948 was Brooke Marshall, later Brooke Astor (the third Mrs. Vincent Astor). And here is her predecessor Minnie Cushing Astor (the second Mrs. Vincent Astor).

Elsa Peretti

One designer whose work I've long admired is Elsa Peretti. Her jewelry and accessories were de rigeur in the 1970s and are still in demand today.

Inspired by nature, Peretti creates objects that are organic in shape and luxurious in material. Working predominately with sterling silver, terracotta, and glass, Peretti elevates such humble things as apples, bones, and even thumb prints into something completely chic and glamorous. Some of her iconic designs include the sterling bone cuff, the bone candlestick, the thumb print bowl, and the glass heart paperweight. While Peretti has designed mainly for Tiffany, she also is also known for her design of the Halston perfume bottle (she and Halston were very close friends).

The great thing about Peretti pieces is that they work in both modern and traditional settings. And while the designs may have been rather cutting edge when they were introduced over 30 years ago, their popularity proves that Peretti's work is truly timeless.



Silver thumbprint bowl, at Tiffany & Co.


Pair of Terracotta candlesticks available at Lost City Arts


Cobalt heart paperweight at Tiffany & Co.


The iconic sterling bone cuff, at Tiffany & Co.


A few Peretti objets in the home of Robert Rufino- mixed in with the Van Day Truex Bamboo flatware (House & Garden 11/04)


Halston perfume- the bottle was designed by Peretti

Image at top: A 1975 Helmut Newton photograph of Peretti

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)

An Iconoclastic Spirit

It seems to me that one trait that characterizes the legendary French designers is their confidence in their vision and style. I think that this is certainly true of famed French designer and shop owner Madeleine Castaing. Castaing's style could at the very least be described as eccentric. Inspired by 19th century antiques and interiors, Castaing strived for a romantic look (albeit a sophisticated one) that she achieved through vivid colors (blues, greens, and pinks in particular), mixing of prints, and a jumble of different styles of furniture and accessories. All together, this combination gave a room an unidentifiable style, but it was a look that seemed rather "weathered by time". Of course, Castaing's eccentricity was only heightened by her use of plastic flowers and her donning of a wig with a chin strap.

Although Castaing died in 1992, we are still able to purchase her favorite fabrics and rugs today. The rugs are manufactured by the French firm Catry and are available through Stark. The fabric is available through Edmond Petit. What I love about these prints is that although many of these designs are rather old, they still look fresh today.

"Castiglione" fabric


"Coppelia" fabric (one of my favorites)


"Rayure Fleurie" fabric (remember this from Mathilde Agostinelli's bedroom?)


"Leopard" carpet from Catry; this print was one of Castaing's favorites.


"Carrelage Castaing" carpet (this design is most of Castaing's most famous; Jacques Grange used it in a white colorway for Mathilde Agostinelli's apartment)


"Eglantines" carpet


"Feuilles de bananier" carpet


"Cachemire Castaing" carpet

Photo at top: The private bath of Castaing at her shop on Rue Jacob

Just Scandinavian

Josef Frank, the Austrian designer whose whimsical and brightly colored fabric and furniture designs have long been cult favorites, is poised for a major revival. Over the years, some of his most popular patterns such as "Hawaii" have been seen in chic interiors, usually used on pillows or the occasional chair. Now, however, a whole new audience is being introduced to Frank's fabric by Anthropologie, who is upholstering many of its chairs and sofas in Frank's fabric.

In the past, I remember being able to find some of Frank's fabrics at the Brunschwig and Fils showroom as well as online at Svenskt Tenn in Sweden. Fortunately, there is Just Scandinavian, a shop in New York that specializes in fabrics, furniture, and tabletop accessories created by Scandinavian designers. Of course, Frank's designs are well represented here (the Scandinavian connection is from Frank's work for Svenskt Tenn in Sweden). There are, however, works from other Scandinavian designers as well. Here are a few of my Frank picks from the site, including one of my favorite Frank fabrics, "Manhattan", seen above.

For other posts on Josef Frank, see my posts from February 5 and January 16. To learn more about Frank, you may want to read Josef Frank: Life and Work by Christopher Long and Josef Frank:Architect and Designer: An Alternative Vision of the Modern Home by Nina Stritzler-Levine.

(Update: After writing this post a few days ago, I was reading a copy of InStyle Home magazine last night and found an article about Josef Frank. I believe Frank's revival is here!)

"Anakreon" print on linen by Josef Frank


"Drinks" print, linen, by Josef Frank


Three-armed brass lamp by Josef Frank


"Rox & Fix", linen, by Josef Frank


Elmoot and walnut table by Josef Frank

(All photos courtesy of Just Scandinavian)