Trompe l'oeil Then....

Trompe l'oeil is a French phrase which translates to "trick the eye", an apt term to describe this method of painting. The trompe l'oeil technique creates the illusion of three-dimensionality, thereby making an image look real. While there are a few examples of trompe l'oeil from Greek and Roman times, the technique did not gain popularity until the Renaissance when painters began to better understand perspective. Though it is most common to find trompe l'oeil employed by painters, this trick was also used by faience artisans to create lifelike fruits and vegetables. Even fashion designers found a place for trompe l'oeil in their designs. Elsa Schiaparelli, one of the 20th century's most innovative designers, created her iconic faux Bow Sweater, a look which designers still copy today.

(For some contemporary examples of trompe l'oeil, tune in for tomorrow's post.)


A "door" with a violin hanging from a knob. This 17th c. trompe l'oeil painting (oil on canvas) is attributed to Jan van der Vaart and is part of the collection at Chatsworth.


A Trompe l'oeil still life by Samuel van Hoogstraten, c. 1664 (collection of the Dordrechts Museum).


Asparagus faience platter, c. 1760-70. Part of the collection of the Musee des Arts Decoratifs.


Antique faience plate by J. Deutsch, circa 1774. Notice the trompe l'oeil piece of paper "resting on" a faux bois painted plate. (Plate is part of the collection of the Minneapolis Institue of Arts.)


Elsa Schiaparelli's iconic Bow Sweater from 1927.

Image at top: A trompe l'oeil painted gallery at Chateau de Tanlay, France. The architectural details are painted en grisaille and appear to be real.

Doris Duke's "Shangri La"

The July issue of Town & Country has a great spread on Doris Duke's exotic Hawaiian estate, Shangri La. Calling it her "Spanish-Moorish-Persian-Indian complex", Duke was inspired to build her Islamic-influenced home upon returning from her honeymoon in Asia and the Middle East. She commissioned architect Marion Sims Wyeth to design her retreat, and construction was completed in 1937. In addition to the Eastern architecture, Duke outfitted her home with treasures from her travels- furniture and accessories came from Syria, India, Morocco, and Iran. Duke continued to collect Islamic art and furniture throughout her life, and upon her death this collection became part of the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art. What I find most interesting is that Duke's fascination with Islamic art and culture began at such a young age and never waned throughout her life. And to think that the poufs and suzanis that adorned Duke's home are just as popular today!

(For a virtual tour of the property, visit the Shangri-La website)


Shangri-La, designed by Doris Duke and Marion Sims Wyeth



View of the living room with the amazing Moroccan carved ceiling, designed by Rene Martin


The doors are framed by glazed tile made in Iran in the 1930s.


The ornate dining room with an 1840s Baccarat chandelier, Iranian mosaics on the wall, and the family silver on the table.


The Turkish Room. Much of the interior is 19th c. Syrian, particularly the carved stonework.

Photo at top of Doris Duke in 1939, taken by famed photographer Martin Munkacsi.

(All photos from Town & Country)

The Lanvin Rooms

The Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris reopened last Fall after a massive renovation. One of the highlights of the newly renovated museum is the Lanvin suite of rooms, consisting of her boudoir, bedroom, and bathroom. Jeanne Lanvin, one of the most illustrious Paris couturiers of the twentieth century, hired Albert-Armand Rateau to create a feminine oasis of Art Deco design in her rue Barbey de Jouy apartment. Lanvin was prescient in capitalizing on the whole "lifestyle look"; although she began her career by opening her couture house, she expanded into interior design. Christening it "Lanvin Decoration", she hired Rateau to head this division.

Lanvin's favorite color was a cornflower shade of blue. In fact, she used it so often in her couture line that the shade became known as "Lanvin Blue". This blue is found everywhere in the bedroom: walls, upholstery, bed linens. I think one of my favorite designs in the room is that of the ornate baseboard with its voids that reveal the floral walls behind it. The Rateau designed furniture is also rather unusual, although today his designs are highly collectible.

The bathroom is a serenely chic mixture of cream and black tile and marble. The mosaic floors are quintessential Art Deco, but the pedestal sink almost looks like a relic from ancient Rome. The fixtures, again designed by Rateau, are uniquely ornate in a bit of a rough-hewn way. And notice the Lanvin perfume bottles on display in the bathroom; Rateau designed these too.

Debo's New Home

Chatsworth, located in Derbyshire, has long been the standard to which British estate owners aspire. When Andrew, the 11th Duke of Devonshire, inherited the property in the 1950s it was drowning in debt, a fate that unfortunately was and still is quite common for these large estates. Andrew's wife Deborah the Duchess of Devonshire (commonly known as Debo) was up to the challenge of running such an estate, and she instituted a variety of businesses such as a farm shop that brought in much needed revenue.

Andrew died recently, and Deborah has in turn become the Dowager Duchess. She has also moved out of the "big house", turning it over to her son and daughter in law, and is now living in a smaller house on the property known as the Old Vicarage. With some help from London decorator David Mlinaric, Deborah has created a comfortable and cozy house, much in contrast to her former grand residence. What I find interesting is that at age 87 she has made some rather daring choices- just look at the silver foil-papered powder room! The living room is a mixture of overstuffed upholstered pieces, so characteristic of the English country look, and sleek brass trim on the walls. Deborah's art collection is just as eclectic, with traditional oil paintings, modern pieces, and photos of Elvis, her idol, displayed. All in all, a slightly eccentric home for a singular personality. After all, she was one of the Mitford sisters.

(The Dowager Duchess has written numerous books on Chatsworth, including: The Duchess of Devonshire's Chatsworth Cookery Book, Round and About Chatsworth, and Counting My Chickens... And Other Home Thoughts )



Photos of her dining room and the stairwell


View of the living room


The silver powder room with Elvis, and Elvis again on the mantle


Photo of Chatsworth, circa 1985, by Derry Moore

(Photos of Old Vicarage from W Magazine, May 2007)

1936 Revisited

I love to look through old design magazines to see what the trends were for that time. My favorite era is the 1930s- such a glamorous era, at least in my mind! This past weekend I was looking through my vintage House & Garden magazines from 1936, and I was struck by how many of the styles and trends still work today. Mirror, bamboo, and chintz were popular then and are still popular today! Of course, there are some dead giveaways to the age of the rooms I'm showing below- namely the window treatments and the lampshades. I do hope that those frilly lampshades of yesteryear do not make a comeback. Excluding these, however, can anyone else see themselves living with these furnishings?

(If you're interested in purchasing vintage design magazines, Style Court just posted about Past Paper, which she says is a great source for vintage House & Garden issues).

Elsie de Wolfe and the Jose Iturbi House

The May issue of House and Garden features a fantastic house in Beverly Hills that had been decorated by Elsie de Wolfe in 1936. The home's owner, Countess Dorothy di Frasso, had hired de Wolfe to decorate the house and inject it with some glamour, something that de Wolfe most certainly achieved. In 1947, Jose Iturbi, a Spanish composer and pianist, bought the house from di Frasso and amazingly left de Wolfe's handiwork untouched. According to Iturbi's goddaughter, he never replaced anything, something that is so remarkable given today's mindset of everything having to be new, new, new!

The house is quintessential Elsie de Wolfe. Chinoiserie is prevalent throughout the house, especially in the living room with its' Chinese themed wallpaper and trompe l'oeil bamboo moulding. Mirror, another de Wolfe hallmark, is found everywhere: in the living room's fireplace surround; the dining room's magnificent verre-eglomise walls; and in the bedroom's clear and topaz mirrored headboard and paneling.

Iturbi died in 1980, and I'm unsure who has been residing in the house. The house is for sale, and hopefully the new buyer will appreciate the house and its' heritage. The contents of the house will be auctioned off by Neal Auction House sometime this Spring.


















(All photos courtesy of House and Garden)

Tony Duquette and Dawnridge

I just received my April issue of Harper's Bazaar yesterday, and all I can say is "Wow"! The cover is, in my opinion, one of the best fashion magazine covers that I have seen in a long time. I was so taken with the exotic setting in which Reese Witherspoon was photographed, and I realized upon closer inspection that the location was Tony Duquette's home "Dawnridge", located in Los Angeles.

Duquette, who died in 1999, was a true design Renaissance man. He was, during the course of his life, a set designer, interior decorator, artist, jewelry designer, and costume designer. Duquette got his start in Los Angeles during the 1930s, where he was fortunate enough to meet Elsie de Wolfe. de Wolfe would act as a mentor to Duquette, and she introduced him to all of the right people. Eventually, Duquette's client list grew to include J. Paul Getty and Elizabeth Arden.

In the late 1940s, Duquette and his wife built their home "Dawnridge". Duquette's love of the exotic and the eccentric is certainly evidenced by the interior decoration of the home. To me, the house is rather like an Orientalist fantasy mixed with a liberal sprinkling of the baroque. The house is now owned by Hutton Wilkinson, Duquette's business partner of many years. The drawing room, featured on the cover of Bazaar, was redecorated by Wilkinson in 2000 and is in the spirit of Duquette. The pictures below, however, were taken in the 1980s and show the house as Duquette had decorated it. If you would like to learn more about Duquette, you should visit his website (Wilkinson still runs the Duquette business) and view the wonderful photos of his work.









(Photos at top courtesy of Harper's Bazaar; photos at bottom courtesy of Tony Duquette)

Classic Room- Dorothy Draper

Dorothy Draper certainly enjoyed a resurgence in 2006. She was the focus of an exhibit, was the subject of a new book, and became a newly hip design icon. And while many people may be a little tired of reading about her, DD reigns supreme for me. From the time I first became familiar with her work many years ago, Draper's style has always inspired me.

While I love the drama and theatricality of her work at The Carlyle and The Greenbrier, I am most drawn to this room- her living room in her apartment at The Carlyle. Certainly Draper achieved a sense of drama here, but it was done in a more subtle way.

The rich aubergine-colored walls provided the perfect "Manhattan chic" backdrop to Draper's traditional furnishings. Draper was fortunate to have had many family heirlooms, including the portrait of her great-grandmother, the enormous china cabinet, and the Lowestoft china, all pictured here. What made this room so successful, though, is that she mixed these wonderful antiques with contemporary pieces, namely the low slung coffee table and the modern tufted rug. While this combination of traditional and modern is the norm today, it was rather revolutionary during Draper's time.

And in case you haven't yet noticed (although I'm sure you have!), there are two things in the room that truly scream Dorothy Draper- the floral chintz covered armchairs and the neo-baroque mantel. Can you imagine Draper living without both? I can't!

Chinoiserie Redux

After writing my post from yesterday on the Royal Pavilion at Brighton, I decided to search the web for contemporary Chinoiserie design. What I found was a profusion of fabric, wallcoverings, furniture, and tabletop items that incorporate this classic style. Here's a little of what I found, and hopefully it will inspire you to create your own Royal Pavilion!

Source Perrier is a great source of traditional and affordable furniture and accessories. They have many Chinese inspired items, but my two favorites are the Red Chinoiserie Mirror and the Chinese Porcelain Figures.

Clarence House has many Chinoiserie fabrics and wallcoverings. Why not make a few throw pillows in their "Fete d'Orient" pattern for a little Chinese chic?

For an authentic Royal Pavilion feel, why not wallpaper a foyer in Zuber's aptly named "Brighton" wallcovering?



Charles Edwards has a plethora of fabulous lights, lamps, and lanterns. Their pagoda lantern would be add just the right touch to that Zuber papered foyer!




And for a bit of casual Chinoiserie, Williams Sonoma Home has a great bamboo style chair that would be perfect in the oxblood finish.

Royal Pavilion at Brighton

On my recent trip to England, I was able to spend the day in Brighton visiting the Royal Pavilion. To be able to see this Chinoiserie fantasy up close was a dream come true.

Built by George IV, the Royal Pavilion was initially a smaller, neoclassical style structure designed by Henry Holland. About thirty years later (in 1815), John Nash was hired to expand the home into its current incarnation- an Indian style palace characterized by onion domes and minarets.

While the exterior is awe-inspiring, it is the interiors, in my opinion, that make the Pavilion most remarkable. The Banqueting Room is a mesmerizing mix of Chinese (or at least a British interpretation of) elements- fretwork wall covering, gilt dragons, and Chinese inspired murals. This ostentatious display is continued in the Music Room, which is also decorated in a similar style and is grandly topped by a gilt capiz shell dome.









What I was taken with is that many of the rooms seem so current. I could see taking certain elements of the decor- perhaps the Chinese style wallcoverings and the Regency furniture- and using them in a contemporary setting. I think this is why the Royal Pavilion continues to inspire and fascinate designers today.