If Only American History Class Had Focused on This

When I started my blog almost three years ago, I intended to write a great deal about design history. One reason was because I've long had an interest in it, but I also have always found inspiration in these rooms of the past. If you study the details, sometimes you might just get a few ideas for your own home. I was recently studying the American period rooms in the American Wing at the Met (all online if you'd like to take a look), and I was struck by how modern many of the colors and furnishings are. Actually, perhaps I shouldn't say it's modern because the rooms' details are historically accurate. Rather, they still seem to appeal to these modern eyes.


The Hewlett Room, c. 1740-60, Woodbury, Long Island. What immediately strikes me is the intense, gorgeous blue walls. It looks a lot like the blues being used by designers today. The blue paint color plus the orangey, coral shade of the china cabinet reminds me of that Kendall Wilkinson showhouse room from a few years back (see below). The other detail that I might keep in mind for future use? The nailshead trim on the baby's crib. Wouldn't that scroll design look great on a screen?


Kendall Wilkinson's showhouse room is somewhat similar in color scheme to that of the Hewlett Room.


The Alexandria Ballroom, 1793, Alexandria, Virginia. Again, it's all about that beautiful blue. Still so chic today, and doesn't it look like a color that Steven Gambrel would use?


A bright blue Greenwich living room by Steven Gambrel.


The Haverhill Room, c. 1805, Haverhill, Massachusetts. On first glance, it would be easy to dismiss this room as too old, too early American, and too fancy. But look closely. The trim on the bed curtains would look fantastic on curtains or pillows.




Samuel & Sons "Macadamia" trim looks similar


Samuel Hart Room, c. 1680, Ipswich, Massachusetts. To some, the focal point of this room might be the oak timbers. To me, it's the bed. (Interesting to see the somewhat diminutive scale of this bed; people were smaller back then.) I would use more feminine fabric and trim, but the lines of the bed curtains are still appropriate for today.


David Hicks designed a similar bed centuries later, though obviously the fabrics and the proportions were far different.

(Images of period rooms courtesy of the Met's website; Wilkinson room from her website; Gambrel room via his website; Hicks room from David Hicks: Designer)

Chinese Scenic Paper

As of late, some of the most popular handpainted wallpapers seem to be those bird, flower, and tree prints by de Gournay (see above) and Gracie. Certainly they are lovely, easy to live with, and quite elegant too. And if someone wanted to make a donation of this paper to my home, I would not refuse. However, what I wish to see more of is the colorful, exuberant scenic Chinese paper that once adorned some of America's finest homes.



Of course Winterthur's Chinese Parlor is one of the most famous rooms in America. The Chinese paper was painted between 1775 and 1800 is known as "Pastimes and Leisure Scenes of Chinese Life" because it depicts scenes of Chinese people strolling through gardens and studying. Henry Francis Du Pont obtained the paper from designer Nancy McClelland in 1928. Because the paper panels were 12 feet long, Du Pont had to create a room tall enough to accommodate the paper's length.


A detail of the Chinese Parlor's paper.


Henry Davis Sleeper purchased this scenic paper in the early 20th century for his summer home Beauport. In what is called The China Trade Room, the paper depicts both the rice and the porcelain trades. The paper dates back to late 18th century when it was originally imported from China by the Philadelphia banker Robert Morris, although Morris never used the panels. The paper remained crated until it was discovered in the early 1900s.


Even Billy Baldwin had an appreciation for this paper in this 1950s era room that he designed.

What I've also noticed is that gloriously unrestrained architectural details and valances seem to go hand in hand with this colorful Chinese paper. There is often fretwork molding, pagoda pediments over doorways and windows, and scrolled pelmets that decorate these Chinese themed rooms. Unfortunately, papering an entire room in scenic wallpaper can be rather expensive, and some people might be apprehensive about having that much color and pattern on one's walls. However, what about framing a panel or two to hang on the walls? At the very least, I might be tempted to copy some of those wonderful valances for my windows.


(Image at top courtesy of de Gournay. Chinese Parlor photo #1 from Winterthur's flickr photostream; Chinese Parlor photo #2 from HOUSE AND GARDEN'S NEW COMPLETE GUIDE TO INTERIOR DECORATION: FIFTH EDITION). Beauport photo from their website. Billy Baldwin photo from House & Garden's Complete Guide to Interior Decoration.)

Living with Louis

Decorating with luxury good logos is something that divides people into two camps. To some, it's quite chic, while to others it's nothing short of declassé. For the record, I tend to avoid logos in my rooms, but I also think that if surrounding yourself with "LV"s makes you happy, then by all means knock yourself out.


A few Hermès boxes tucked discreetly into a bookshelf provide a nice pop of rich orange. And for the record, I'm guilty of this decorating virtue or vice, depending on which side of the fence you're on.


Those trays painted to resemble the Hermès logo appeared in homes quite often over the last few years. (Available at Donna Parker Habitat Limited)

And of course we can't forget about Louis.


The market for vintage Vuitton trunks and suitcases is always hot, especially when decorators like Miles Redd incorporate them into interiors.


And let's not forget Vuitton leather wrapped lamps. (From Jon Vaccari Antiques)

But something the other day gave me pause....


Louis Vuitton bedecked dressing room doors courtesy of Nicky Haslam. Now let me just say that I'm a fan of both Haslam's interiors and his acerbic tongue. He really tells it like it is, and that's pretty refreshing. I'm just not sure that I could face living with Louis' initials on a daily basis. Now if those doors were covered with Hermès leather (no logo mind you, just plain leather), that would be divine.

(Image of Haslam doors from Sheer Opulence)

A Room That Cools Me Down

It's hot here. Oppressively hot. Oh, and humid too. So muggy that all I want to do is lie prostrate on the sofa. I can't get interested in design today, nor entertaining...nor really anything else. But in my humidity induced stupor I did muster the strength to look through my Horst: Interiors, and I found one photo that seemed to bring the temperature down a notch or two.

That's Marella Agnelli looking at Horst's camera with an air of sangfroid. The breezy Pucci chiffon gown would be perfect in the Atlanta heat, though I'd have to ditch the jacket as chic as it may be. But what I'm taken with is that pale pea green silk banquette. What a cool, crisp sofa on which to lounge in the stifling heat. And the colors are so soothing- greens, blues, and pale yellows. Of course, the rug is a little heavy to look at right now, but the rest of the room makes me feel cool as a cucumber.

Oh, and one more that has the same effect one me is this dining room by Celerie Kemble. Those bowls are begging for some chilled gazpacho:



And now it's time to go back to my nap.

(Agnelli photo from Horst: Interiors; Kemble photo from Celerie Kemble: To Your Taste)

No. 9 Thompson and the Orientaliste Collection

Last week I had the opportunity to visit the Jerry Pair Showroom and view No. 9 Thompson's new fabric collection, The Orientaliste Collection. For those of you who might not be familiar with No. 9 Thompson (and truth be told I really wasn't until last week), it's the more current, more relaxed, and moderately priced line offered by Jim Thompson.

Richard Smith, designer of the line, and Chad Holman,Vice President of Jim Thompson, walked me through the new collection, and I can't tell you how impressed I was. Inspired by the Far East, Smith took classic Chinoiserie patterns and motifs and transformed them into something so fresh and so unique. There is a classic toile, florals, abstracts, and stripes, but each print has a twist: a stripe is given subtly wavy lines; a peony has ever so slightly metallic leaves; and a traditional porcelain print is rendered in a graphic way. And many of the prints have a painterly quality to them, not surprising as Smith is an artist who paints many of his designs first before taking them to Thailand to be woven.

There are so many great things about this line. The colors are so rich, vibrant, and yummy. The fabrics mix well together- and with those from other lines too. And despite the fact that the fabric is well made and looks expensive, it's actually so affordable. (Many of these fabrics cost less than what you find at discount fabric stores.) Anyway, I could go on and on, but I won't. I'll let the photos do the talking for me.



"China Lilly" is a print of lilies and clouds conceived and painted by Smith.


"Fretwork" is the most beautiful printed linen. That golden yellow colorway almost made me faint- and I usually am not a fan of yellow.


"Hexastripe" was based on the shapes of Chinese paving stones. The colors are amazing. I'm crazy for this print.



The peonies of "Kesi" were inspired by those in an antique Chinese tapestry. Some of the leaves have a metallic overprinting to them- subtle but still so chic.


"Nanking" is a far cry from the traditional porcelain prints favored by Nancy Lancaster, but the fresh, graphic look of it just might win over a new audience.


"Puwen", the Chinese word for striped fabric, has a herringbone weave.




"Tea Party", a print that I think will have a lot of fans.


"Treillage" is a linen weave. The colors are so much more rich in person than in my amateur photograph.


"Yangtze" is the print with the undulating stripes.

Image at top: "Hexastripe" on the console and "China Lilly" on the shade. The professional photographs are courtesy of David Christensen. The photos with the bad lighting...courtesy of me.

Entertaining Tips from an Amateur

After Mitchell's post from yesterday, I thought I would share my thoughts of having people in for drinks- but not for a minute do I think I'm an authority on the subject. I do like having dinner parties, but many times casual drinks is an easier way of entertaining. That said, I'm guilty of getting so wrapped up in work, blogging, etc, that I don't always make time to have people over. Case in point, I'd love to have my kind neighbors over for drinks (that's you, Barry and Rory), but another week goes by and I haven't played hostess. Shame on me, because it's really so easy. Enough with the excuses.

So let's start with drinks. I do have a vintage bamboo bar cart that is always at the ready. I keep it stocked with the usual suspects: vodka, bourbon, gin, scotch, and vermouth. Mixers include tonic water, club soda, and Pellegrino. And of course wine for the wine drinkers. My double old fashioned glasses, bar pitcher, jigger, and cocktail napkins are also kept on the cart.

I don't do specialty cocktails at my apartment, not for any other reason than I'm not the world's best bartender. (My friends can attest to the fact that I have a heavy hand at pouring, something which has left more than a few guests feeling a little queasy at the end of the evening.) Although, if I was in a festive mood, I might serve kir royales. And Southsides or Margaritas are good at this time of year. But basically, I leave the drink pouring and mixing to my guests. That means I don't get any fingers pointed at me by the end of the night.



In terms of food, I keep it pretty basic. Basic does not mean that the food isn't tasty, though. Some nights it might be smoked almonds, Marcona almonds, or wasabi peas. Other times it's the block of cream cheese covered in pepper jelly or doused in Pickapeppa sauce. But the secret weapon in my cocktail food arsenal is Mamie's Cheese Wafers from Mobile, Alabama. Basically, it's slice and bake cheese wafers, and I can't tell you how good they are. Keep a few logs of dough in the freezer, and you've always got an easy and quick hors d'oeuvre. (I'm starting to sound like a commercial). While you bake them, your house smells divine too, as if you were actually baking cheese wafers from scratch.



Don't forget too to have clean hand towels in the guest bathroom, and fresh soap as well. (There is nothing worse than having to use a bar of soap that has cleaned three dozen different hands.) Those Claus Porto soap pastilles are great because of their small size and because they come in a box of 15.



And while we're on the subject of powder rooms, I think you should just bite the bullet and get everything whipped into shape so that you can't use that room as an excuse not to have people over. I don't mean you need to renovate it or paper it in some fabulous wallpaper. All you need to do is get a nice wastebasket and tissue cover, a decent soap dish, and linens, and you're good to go. I've been eyeing these wastebaskets and tissue covers from Dana Gibson lately.





See, prep work for cocktails is really quite easy. If you don't have a bar cart, set up a tray of drinks on a console table or chest top. The drinks tray at top (unfortunately, that's not mine) is so pretty and so welcoming. If you're having a larger cocktail party, get a folding table and drape some gorgeous fabric over it, one that can stand up to spills, though.

P.S.- On a recent episode of "Barefoot Contessa", Ina Garten demonstrated how to get those crisp, folded edges on a drinks table cloth. For the life of me, I just don't understand the procedure. I spent half an hour the other day trying to figure it out, but it's just not working. Can anyone tell me how the heck you're supposed to do it??

Image at top from an old, old issue of Southern Accents. Champagne photo from Park Avenue Potluck: Recipes from New York's Savviest Hostesses. Dana Gibson images courtesy of http://www.danagibson.com/