There are some designers who say they have little to no time to devote to their own homes, and others who treat their abodes as opportunities to make statements. Just think about how Miles Redd's home (and most especially that David Adler bathroom) helped to build his glamorous reputation. Well, one could say that a design office is yet another opportunity to show potential clients that you know what you're doing and that you mean business.
Take, for example, Kelly Wearstler. That's the Kelly Wearstler Studio boardroom featured at top. Yes, the chandelier is glam, the painting bold, and the wallpaper striking. But for me it's all about the Kelly Wearstler folders arranged neatly on the boardroom table. The next time the Peak of Chic holds her annual meeting, she just might have to follow suit.
This yummy room is the Materials Library at Wearstler's Hillcrest Estate. OK, so technically it's not an office, but wouldn't you love to spend a few hours rifling through all of that fabric?
Back in 1934, the decorating firm Beverly & Valentine had "foyer trouble" in their Chicago office. They installed a niche and placed painted mirror within it; a basket of greenery was placed at the base. The chicest thing about this space are the walls painted to resemble venetian blinds. Love that detail!
The former office of Heather Hoyt and Alison Levasseur (photographed in 2002) makes me want to rethink my own office. And keep in mind that this was early on in the coral craze, so it looked really fresh at the time.
Sybil Colefax had a studio at 29 Bruton Street which was really more of a showroom rather than office. Still, it must have been heaven to have worked here on a daily basis. Be sure to check out the radiator covers, some of the most stylish I've seen. (Photo c. 1940)
(Top Wearstler photo from Hue
Monday, December 07, 2009
Working with Style
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
The Office Where Love Bloomed
Fess up. How many of you were Judith Krantz fans back in the 80s? There was that summer before my junior year in high school when I read the Brontë Sisters by day...and Judith Krantz by night. Let me tell you- you can get quite an education from Princess Daisy and Scruples, although I don't think it was the kind of education that my parents envisioned for me. When my father expressed his dismay over my choice of literature, I told him that at least I wasn't reading Jackie Collins. Now her stuff was really trashy. Or so I've heard.
I'm guessing that Judith's romance writing days are over as I haven't heard about her in a while. But back twenty years ago, she was huge. A 1992 House & Garden article featured Krantz's California home office, or what she called her workroom. And whether you like her type of fiction or not, I think her work space will be of interest to bloggers and writers. After all, don't the words flow a little more freely in a space that is both inspiring and comforting?
First, she made sure that her workroom looked out onto a garden because it comforted her to know that the outdoors were not far from her desk. She also noted that she didn't think she could write in a high rise. I can write in my high rise condo, but I get what she's saying. You do get a little stir crazy while writing with your head in the clouds.
Krantz said that other than her computer, you'd never know that this room was her office. The walls were covered in a Provençal print, and there were needlepoint rugs on the floor. Krantz accessorized her room with her collection of framed needlework as well as ivory jars and boxes. She surrounded herself with things that would serve as "food for my fidgets." Any of you who write can relate to this; how many times do you get up to rearrange bookshelves or tableaux while you're trying to crank out a post or an article?
While the room is a bit frou for me, what I do like is that it looks nothing like an office, and that's a breath of fresh air. I don't have the luxury of space, so I don't want to devote an entire room to a utilitarian looking office. Instead, it has to do double duty as a living space. But the beauty of being a writer or blogger is that you don't need much more than books, a laptop, a sharp mind, and an attractive workroom to get the creative juices flowing. Oh, and an active imagination with which to dream up the trials and tribulations of Princess Daisy and that evil half brother of hers Ram!
(All images from House & Garden, Aug 1992)
