Regency Redux

"What is Hollywood Regency?" I can't tell you how many times I've been asked this question. And to be quite truthful, I'm able to give a vague description of this style, but an informed, detailed answer? No.

That is why I am very excited about the October 2008 release of Regency Redux written by design historian and writer Emily Eerdmans. The book not only describes the aesthetic of the Regency period in England (defined by a "penchant for clean lines and restrained ornament, directly inspired by ancient Greek and Roman architecture, combined with the swagger of the French Empire style"*), but it also explores the various modern interpretations of this style. Of course, I think it would be safe to say that Hollywood Regency is one of the most well-known variations of the Regency look. But the Regency period inspired many other designers outside of Hollywood, including Dorothy Draper, Syrie Maugham, Oliver Messel, Sybil Colefax, and others.

The Regency style continues to influence today's designers, namely Miles Redd, Geoffrey Bradfield, Jacques Grange, and most famously Kelly Wearstler (who has written the book's forward). Their work is featured in "Regency Redux" as well. With lavish photographs and informative text, this book will finally answer the question that has stumped many of us!

(* quotation taken from the book's website- Regency Redux)


This room is stunning! Painted by none other than Rex Whistler, the Painted Room was located in Port Lympne, the home of Sir Philip Sassoon.


Top right: a view of Eltham Palace, built by Stephen and Virginia Courtauld in 1936. Bottom left: A still from the 1936 film Wife vs. Secretary- a great example of Hollywood Regency. Bottom right: A photograph by the late Hoyningen-Huene.


A dressing room with a daybed by Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann and Classical modern lamps by Jean-Michel Frank.

Image at top: Cover of "Regency Redux" with an image of The Greenbrier, decorated by Dorothy Draper

Fantasy Room

The current issue of Vogue Living has a great article on a fantasy room created for actress Rachel Weisz. Inspired by the lives of 19th century Parisian courtesans, Weisz wanted a boudoir with a salon feel. The fantasy room, created in the empty apartment of the late Fernando Sanchez, was assembled with the help of Vera Wang and designer Jessie Carrier. And what fun that must have been! The room is dominated by a gorgeous bed dripping in fabric by Michael Smith and crowned by ostrich feathers!

So, I started to think about my kind of fantasy room. Now in reality, I'm a student of the "Albert Hadley/Billy Baldwin/ Van Day Truex with some Dorothy Draper mixed in" school of design. But we are talking fantasy here, so why not go for broke. I don't see myself creating a period piece- Regency England, Belle Epoque Paris, or Renaissance Italy are all very inspiring periods, but they're not striking my fancy at this moment. And I don't want a costume drama. Although Scarlett O'Hara is a heroine to us Southern gals, I'm just not seeing hoop skirts in my fantasy room (although allowances might be made for Scarlett's green velvet curtains; they just might come in handy!).

No, my room would be planted firmly in the 20th century; actually, the 1930s to be exact. I see satin, mirror, interesting plasterwork, a bit of Chinoiserie, and moody lighting. It would have to be shot in black and white for that extra touch of drama. Oh, and I see an ermine cape thrown on the ground for that touch of devil may care attitude.


If we're talking 1930s, we have to include a Syrie Maugham room. Perhaps a satin sofa like this might be nice, although the fringe is a bit hard to stomach.


I suppose this might be my fantasy bathroom, located next to my fantasy room. (Bathroom at Gayfere House, London)


What about these unusual ropes, wooden tassels, and porcelain hands on a wall in the fantasy room? (Images from House & Garden, Conde Nast Store)


You see, nothing like a little dramatic lighting to change the tone of a room. (Room designed by Thedlow; House & Garden, August 1936)


Oh look, there I am striking a pose in my fantasy room! (Photo of late actress Gail Patrick)

(Images at top from Vogue Living, Spring/Summer '08; Annie Leibovitz photographer)

Harrison Howard and his Fanciful World

If you've heard it from me once, you've heard it a million times.... I get weak in the knees for Chinoiserie ("good" Chinoiserie, mind you.). So it was with great excitement that I learned about artist and decorative painter Harrison Howard. Howard spent the early part of his career painting murals in private homes, working for such illustrious design firms as McMillen, Inc., Irvine and Fleming, and Pamela Banker. Fortunately for us, Howard now paints beautiful watercolors and wall panels that are reminiscent of a bygone era.

Inspired by the Chinoiserie illustrations of 18th c. French artist Jean Pillement, Howard paints colorful and charming scenes of Chinese men keeping butterflies, painting sea creatures, gazing at the stars through a telescope, and fishing (words don't do them justice; you must see them for yourself.) There is also a series of flower and shell people which reflect Howard's love of flowers, children's book illustrations, and fashion illustration. Believe me, while this series is whimsical, it is anything but sugary.

While Howard's watercolors are available for sale through his website, you might also be interested in one of his limited edition giclee prints. I just recently purchased one of these prints (in case you're wondering, it's "The Butterfly Keeper" featured at top), and if I didn't know better I would have thought it was the actual watercolor painting itself. It's colorful and amusing, and it brings a smile to my face everytime I see it. The print was also shipped from San Diego (Howard's home) to Atlanta with great care- no damage reported! So, here are a few samples below, but there are many more on his site. I'd love to hear what your favorites are.

From the "Chinoiseries" series:


"The Crab Painter"


"The Departure"

From the "Shell and Flower People" series:


"A Friendly Meeting"


"The Looking Glass"


"The Greeting"

Howard's "Shell" Series:


"The Green Angaria"


"Yellow Pecten with Red Seaweed"

Haute Couture for the Walls

I've long admired British designer Alidad's interiors. They're luxurious, opulent, and rather grand. You almost feel like you've stepped back in time- a Russian tsarina or a French nobleman might feel quite at home in these rooms. What strikes me most, though, is his treatment of a room's walls. Not one to be content with a little paint or some simple paper, Alidad adorns walls with stamped leather, bespoke wallpaper, and verre églomisé panels. The effect is one that is enchanting and hypnotizing.

There has been much discussion lately about whether luxury is dead. In fashion, the argument is debatable. But with artistry such as Alidad's haute couture wall coverings, I don't think the same could be said for interior design.


A dining room wtih verre églomisé panels (at top is another view of the dining room)


A detail shot of a verre églomisé panel by Alidad (based on an antique design)


"Opium" bespoke wallpaper


A library with "Opium" covered walls


A dining room with "Tree of Life" stamped leather panels


A close up of "Tree of Life"


"Pomegranate" leather wall panels

Hiding the Pot

Cachepots seem to be one of those accessories that gets lost in the shuffle of home decoration. While terra cotta pots are perfectly nice, isn't it a bit more fetching to sheath a plant in pretty porcelain or chic ceramic? And what better way to display your Spring Easter Lilies and azaleas.

Most cachepots tend to be more traditional in design although you can find more contemporary versions. (Tiffany & Co. used to sell some terrific Elsa Peretti orchid pots that have unfortunately been discontinued.) And you're not limited to delicate materials- Mecox Gardens has some great wooden cachepots, seen below. You can even use a wicker basket.

Now, if all of this seems like a lot of trouble for nothing, you could go the route of C.Z. Guest and display your plants in their ubiquitous plastic green pots. This act of defiance might be daring, but I don't think it's quite so elegant.


Magenta Knowle Cachepot by William Yeoward, available at Lux Bond & Green


"Jardin" cachepot from Tiffany & Co.


Turtle cachepot from Mecox Gardens



Lowestoft Rose Cachepot by Mottahedeh, available at Neiman Marcus


Larkbeare cachepots from William Yeoward


Elmwood cachepots from Mecox Gardens


C.Z. Guest said "To heck with it!"- so she displayed her ivy topiary in a green plastic pot!

(Image at top from House Beautiful, 12/02)

French Frothiness for a Friday

Seeing that my posts have been a bit Francocentric this week (with the exception of John Stefanidis, of course), I thought I would end the week with images of a charming Paris pied-à-terre. Designed by Jacques Garcia with antiques from Luc Bouveret, this home, particularly the bedroom, seems perfect for a modern day Marie Antoinette. N'est-ce pas?







Images from House & Garden, Oct. 2002; photographer François Halard

The Dessert Course

Happenstance (i.e.- a web search on "Rambouillet+Marie+Antoinette") led me to the most charming online retailer called The Dessert Course. The site focuses strictly on those items used for setting a proper dessert table, including sweetmeats, tea services, punch bowls, pôts de cremes, and copper molds (not necessarily for the dessert table, but important for making those bombes and baba au rhums). The merchandise is interspersed with dessert and cooking related quotes from Balzac, Proust, and Diderot as well as brief histories of these dessert accoutrements.

As I just stumbled upon this site, I can't vouch for the customer service. However, I always find it exciting to see retail shops that have such a narrow focus- it's usually an indication that the owner is quite passionate about what he is selling. And if you think that it seems silly to own items that some might find extraneous, guess again. In the words of Antonin Carême, one of history's greatest chefs, "I believe architecture to be the first amongst the arts... and the principal branch of architecture is confectionary."


Marie Antoinette footed bowl- a reproduction of the piece famously molded from the Queen's breast.


Green Dragon Punch Bowl, which I think has a multitude of uses


Pot de Crèmes by Mottahedeh


Rambouillet Dairy Service Etruscan Cup


Glass cake stands and a sweetmeat topper


Copper pudding molds by Ruffoni

Image at top: John Nash's engraving of the kitchen at Brighton Pavilion

Crazy for Castaing

Aah, the French and their love of Madeleine Castaing fabric. And really, who can blame them. The prints are colorful, romantic, bold, timeless, and a bit quirky- much like Castaing herself.

A few weeks ago I bought a book titled The French Touch, and I found that page after page was filled with French rooms that were bedecked with various Castaing prints- some homes featured not one but many. Who knew how well her prints worked together?

One designer who is quite skillful at mixing Castaing fabric is Bruno de Caumont. Although not featured in the above mentioned book, de Caumont's former Paris apartment garnered widespread acclaim a few years back because of his deft use of Castaing prints throughout his home. Of course, being the creative director of Edmond Petit (the company that produces the Castaing collection) may explain his enthusiastic use of her fabric, but I think he really did a smashing job.

What I find curious is that you don't see these prints used often in American interiors- only Carolina Irving's home comes to mind. Perhaps we need to remedy that. In the meantime, here are various French homes that show the beauty and range of Castaing's designs.

Evidently, I'm not the only one with Castaing on the brain. An Aesthete's Lament did a great and informative post on the design legend last week.)

"Coppelia"




In the stylish Parisian home of designer Bruno de Caumont


In this dining room of a chateau in the Bordeaux region, designer Jean-Louis Riccardi used "Coppelia" in this gorgeous blue colorway. This print, in this wonderful shade of blue, is one of my all-time favorite fabrics.

"Rayure Broderie"




Again, de Caumont chose a Castaing print to cover this daybed in his home in Paris.


Fashion designer Gilles Dufour chose "Rayure Broderie" in the blue colorway for his sofa in his Paris apartment.


In the same Bordeaux chateau as above, Riccardi, like Dufour, chose the blue version of "Rayure Broderie"

"Castiglione"




"Castiglione" on the walls of Gilles Dufour's Paris apartment.


de Caumont's apartment with "Castiglione" on both the walls and the chair seats.

"Rayure Cachemire"




This room, in the home of Alexandre Zouari, was actually designed by Castaing herself. Notice how she used "Rayure Cachemire" as bands that divide up the red felt wall into panels. She also used "Castiglione" for the Austrian chairs and settee.

"Rayure Fleurie"




Mathilde Agostinelli obviously loves Castaing prints as much as her uncle, Gilles Dufour. Not only does she have "Rayure Fleurie" in her bedroom, but she has a Castaing print rug throughout her Jacques Grange designed home (House & Garden, May '06; photography by Francois Halard)

Image at top: Castaing in a chair which appears to have "Coppelia" upholstered on the back. Photo by Derry Moore.