A Fashionable Fruit

The pineapple has gone glam! Long a symbol of hospitality, the pineapple motif has been part of the American decorative arts for centuries. And, for many years, the poor pineapple has been relegated to second rate design and Williamsburg inspired kitsch. But no more! This exotic fruit that hid its light under a bushel is stepping out and is ready to take up the mantle of chicness for the 21st century.


"Pineapple" wallpaper by Studio Printworks


"Isadora Silver" crystal pineapple by William Yeoward


"Harbour Court" fabric at Lewis & Sheron


Pair of Pineapple Lamps, circa 1950-60, attributed to Maison Charles; available at Tom Thomas


Pineapple basin set at P.E. Guerin

Photo at top: The Pineapple, an architectural folly in Dunmore Park, Scotland

Thank You Lockhart Steele and House Beautiful!

Many thanks to Lockhart Steele for his kind mention of The Peak of Chic in the July House Beautiful. Steele, who has created the popular blogs curbed.com, eater.com, and racked.com, has written an informative "Blogging 101" article for the "Technophobia" feature in HB. For all of you bloggers out there (and those who are thinking about blogging), check out the advice from blogmaster Steele- he knows what he's talking about!

Let's Talk Books!

Attention all you design bibliophiles: I hope you'll come visit my new blog "Biblio Style" (http://bibliostylebooks.blogspot.com/). Stylish books on design, decorative arts, style, entertaining, and cooking will all be featured. It will be all books, all the time. I hope to see you over there!

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)

Elegant Embellishments

Hand & Lock of London is one of the premier embroidery houses in the world. The company has quite a rich heritage. Both Hand and Lock had been two separate businesses, with Hand having been established in 1767 and Lock dating back to 1898. The two firms joined forces in 2001, and fortunately their handiwork is still with us today. Much of their business comes from military regalia- shoulder cords, sashes, sword knots. They do however have a thriving business supplying to couture houses and interior designers. Their customer list includes John Stefanidis, Nina Campbell, and Colefax & Fowler. The embroidery is so beautiful and intricate- can't you see using their designs on pillows, curtains, and table skirts?

Patriotic Decorating

Small spaces can be tricky to decorate, so keeping a cohesive color scheme is a must- too many disparate colors can look choppy. Designer T. Keller Donovan was faced with a challenge when he decorated his three room apartment, but in order to keep some continuity between the rooms, he chose a very tight color palette- red, white, and blue. If this all seems quite patriotic, it is- Donovan was born on the Fourth of July.

Everything in the living room is red and white. All of the major furniture, especially the upholstered pieces, are red. Even the accessories- the picture frames, fire screen, bowls, and vases- are red too. The kitchen with its soothing blue and white color scheme is a nice counterpoint to the snappy living room. Again, the kitchen accessories such as the Spode china are all blue and white. I'm quite taken with the blue and white African print fabric on the kitchen chairs- it looks rather Alan Campbell-ish, but if anyone knows what it is, please let me know.

Finally, the bedroom is blue and white, but in reverse from the kitchen. Calm white dominates here. And don't you love the books behind the bed? They definitely add a lot of visual interest to what would otherwise be a rather boring wall!

Classic Entertaining

Truly, who sets a more beautiful table (or produces a more beautiful book) than Carolyne Roehm? In her 2001 book At Home with Carolyne Roehm, Roehm created lavish settings for seasonal parties with a few recipes thrown in for good measure. In the section on Summer entertaining, Roehm's tablesettings are heavy on the blue and white color combination- a classic look that is so appropriate at this time of year (although it would definitely work during other seasons as well). Here are just a few of her sophisticated and gorgeous creations.

Bouillotte Lamps

My latest "have to have it" accessory is a bouillotte lamp. Yes, they are very traditional, but for some reason they seem rather fresh right now. Bouillotte lamps originated in late 18th c./ early 19th c. France for use during games of bouillotte, which was similar to modern Poker. Bouillotte lamps traditionally have dish type bases which were used to hold the game chips. Attached to the base is a shaft which holds two to four candleholders as well as a metal shade. At the top of the shaft is a screw type key, which allows one to move the shade down as the candles melt down. The idea was to avoid any type of glare in the eyes of the bouillotte players. Of course, if you have an electrified version, you won't need to move the shade, but the design is the same. What also makes this lamp so distinctive is the tole lampshade. On those lamps that have two candleholders, the shade is rather elongated, but on the three to four-arm lamps, the shade tends to be more conical.

A classic two-arm bouillotte lamp from Circa Lighting


A sophisticated version of the bouillotte- late 19th c./early 20th c. pair of French bronze lamps at Gray Morell


Elegant, polished silver four-arm lamp from Visual Comfort; at Neena's Lighting


The bouillotte design used for a hanging fixture. A 1930's two-arm fixture at Brunelli Designs.



Bouillotte lamp (on bookshelf) in the apartment of Christopher Spitzmiller

Photo at top: Bouillotte lamp in bedroom of Mary McDonald (House & Garden, Nov. 2001)

Noble Creatures

Elephants have long been a majestic symbol of power and strength in Asian culture and art (and later Western art) for many, many centuries. These noble and exotic creatures have captivated the fascination of many, so it is not surprising that the elephant motif has been incorporated into the decorative arts as well. It is interesting to see a Western representation of the elephant in the Meissen piece below, first designed back in 1745. At this time, most Europeans had only heard of vague descriptions of the animal, which explains the unusual form of this particular porcelain elephant. Of course, the most common depiction of the elephant in the decorative arts is of the animal attired in lavish and regal decoration, thus adding to the animal's mysticism and exoticism. And the reason that the elephant is usually portrayed with its trunk upturned? This is also symbolic as it is a sign of good luck.


Pair of early 20th c. wooden baby elephant sculptures, available at 1st dibs


Meissen porcelain elephant, based on an original design by Johann Joachim Kaendler from 1745. Available at Moss. According to the Moss website, Kaendler based his design on descriptions of elephants, thus the rather unusual appearance of this elephant.


"Elephant Safari" fabric at Lewis & Sheron


"Krishna Battles the Armies of the Demon Naraka", part of the Bhagavata Purana manuscript which depicts the life of Krishna. Ink and opaque watercolor. India, c. 1520-30. Part of the collection at the Metropolitan Museum

Photo at top: Pillow with embroidered elephants in the home of Kelly Wearstler. Image from "Domicilium Decoratus".

Bold Statements

Adding touches of red to a room is one of my favorite ways to add a little drama. I'm crazy for all shades of red, but the clear, bright tones of red are what really catch my eye. You can pick a few red accents to add to a room, like these items below, or you can go full steam ahead with red, a la Diana Vreeland's "Garden in Hell", above.


Sister Parish Chair at Hollyhock


Plastic Fantastic Rubber Lamp (the shades are rubber too!)


Blowing Rock Chair at Mecox Gardens


Red Lacquer Lamp from Gump's


Nesting tables at Benjamin Storck Ltd.


Red Albrizzi Box at Moss

Stylish Home- Mathilde Agostinelli

One of my favorite homes in recent years is the Paris apartment of Prada executive Mathilde Agostinelli. The home, which was a collaboration between Agostinelli and Jacques Grange, is a stylish mix of bold contemporary pieces tempered by traditional accents. Agostinelli calls herself a "shocking pink woman", and the color has been used to great success in the apartment- nothing saccharine here.

References to design great Madeleine Castaing, an old family friend, are found throughout the home: the Castaing designed rug that was laid throughout the apartment (thus unifying the various rooms), the greenery striped fabric (another Castaing print) that covers the master bedroom walls, and the tole Wedgwood style urns which were once owned by Castaing and which are on display on the mantle in the living room. Other blue chip pieces in the home include tables designed by Claude and Francois-Xavier Lalanne (whose designs are in great demand right now), Emilio Terry chairs, and a portrait of artist/designer Christian Berard.

Overall, a quirky and sophisticated home that is truly the essence of Parisian chic.


Living room with the Castaing rug as well as a Grange designed sofa


The shocking pink dining room- walls covered in Thorp of London's "Provence Stripe" in Cerise & Sand


The master bedroom with Castaing fabric covering the walls. A Lalanne table and stool are located in front of the window.


Agostinelli's daughter's room- another vision in pink.

Image at top: Another view of the living room with a mica mantel designed by Jacques Grange

(All photos from House & Garden, May 2006)