Some Serious Curtains

See that photo above? A little grand, don't you think? And perhaps not the way we decorate today. But what amazes me is the skill and artistry that went into that bed's draperies. Those swags...stunning. The tassels and trim...terrific. Check out the printed lining of the bed curtain, the swags around the bottom of the bed, even the red table to the left that is upholstered in a red damask with a small tassel trim. Oh, and what about the bolsters on either end of the bed? All of the above took an amazing amount of skill and talent. Never mind the fact that you probably won't be decorating your bedroom with those swags and fringe trim. I understand that, and my home certainly doesn't have any of it either. But let's give credit where credit is due, and in this case it goes to Renzo Mongiardino. Only a deeply talented decorator could execute curtains like that, and I think most of us agree that Mongiardino was one of the best. In lesser hands, this room could have been ended up looking like Belle Watling's salon. Or perhaps that should be saloon.

What I find a little sad is that because the room above really isn't our aesthetic anymore, many designers never learn how to make Curtains- that's curtains with a capital "C". I'm not a designer, but I'm guilty of it as well. It's plain panels in my home. But just think of those wonderful creations by John Fowler. Now Fowler got curtains, but how many designers know how to design and fabricate curtains like his? I'm willing to bet not many.

This post certainly isn't an indictment of today's style of decorating nor today's designers. All I'm saying is that it's kind of a shame that curtain-making like what you see above is becoming a lost art. Perhaps we shouldn't be so quick to say no to the swag!


Blue taffeta and passementerie in the home of Princess Chavchavadze



At Waddesdon Manor, David Mlinaric used a Louis XVI engraving as inspiration for the silk taffeta draperies.




John Fowler was the genius behind these curtains in the drawing room at Cornbury Park. Look at the workmanship in the detail shot.



Keith Irvine...he knows curtains.

(Mongiardino photo from The Best in European Decoration; image #2 from Les Reussites De La Decoration Francaise 1950 1960: L'Interpretation Moderne Des Styles Traditionnels; #3 from Mlinaric on Decorating; Fowler photos from John Fowler: Prince of Decorators; Irvine photo from Keith Irvine: A Life in Decoration)

A Most Stylish Burgoo

I got my first taste of fall last week while in Napa. I can't tell you how nice it was to wear a lightweight sweater at night! Of course, the hot, muggy weather was waiting for me upon my return to Atlanta. But fall truly is around the corner, and while my "back to school" wardrobe adds to the excitement, it's thoughts of fall and winter food that give me great pleasure. I can't wait to make the season's first pot of Barefoot Contessa's Boeuf Bourguignon, not to mention my mother's beef tenderloin. There are hams to be baked, cheese grits to souffle, and butternut squash to roast.

If I could equate this comfort food to a particular room, it just might look something like this: the tiny but totally charming Manhattan apartment of Kentucky native Charles Patteson. There may not be many ingredients to this room, but it's a recipe on how to create the well-edited room.

*In case you're wondering what's up with the title, burgoo is a Kentucky dish that's similar to Brunswick stew. It's a melange of ingredients, much like this apartment. Although, I doubt in the early days of burgoo making they used the word "melange."










(Images from The Table by Diane von Furstenberg, Stewart O'Shields photographer.)

Alberto Pinto Table Settings

You know how I have lamented on more than one occasion that very few books on table settings come close to my much loved Tiffany books? Well, enough of the doom and gloom, because I have found a book that I believe rivals those by John Loring. (Sacrilege, I know.) If, like me, you are transported by images of beautiful tables, then buy, borrow, or even steal Alberto Pinto's new book, Alberto Pinto: Table Settings (Rizzoli). I kid you not- the photos of Pinto's table creations will positively enchant you.

My favorite Pinto table settings are those in his super stylish and somewhat opulent Paris home. This is where he uses his enviable collection of antique china, linen (including a tablecloth embroidered with the Bonaparte monogram), and crystal. His stash seems limitless, so it's no wonder that he has an amazing china closet filled to the brim with plates, tureens, and tea services. But, if you prefer a more casual approach to decorating your table, then you will probably be inspired by his tables in more laid-back settings like Morocco or various seaside locales.

I really think that you'll be as wowed as I was while reading the book. While you're mulling over your decision to buy it or waiting on your copy to arrive, here are a few images to whet your appetite.


Dinner is served in Pinto's sepia toned dining room.



A collection of rock-crystal pieces hold court with Baccarat stemware.



Teatime in Paris includes an 18th century faux-bois tea service and a porcelain macaw.



A more casual setting, this time overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.



Back to Paris and Pinto's porcelain collection including famille rose china and 17th c. Compagnie des Indes porcelain magots. The moss covered orchids were designed by Bruno Roy whose floral work is featured prominently in the book.

(Photo credits: Photo #1 by Giorgio Baroni; #2 by Jean Pierre Peersman; #3, #4, and #5 by Jacques Pepion. All images courtesy of Alberto Pinto: Table Settings by Alberto Pinto with text by Dane McDowell; Rizzoli, 2010.)

On A Tangent

In the Boles family, my mother and I are known for beating a dead horse. Years after an event or situation, we're still talking and debating about it. (And usually, that's when my father picks up the newspaper and stays out of the conversation.) Sometimes, we're just not able to let something go. And over the last few weeks, the something- or rather, the someone- that I can't let go of is Michael Greer. I've written about him from time to time through the years, but lately I've been on a Michael Greer roll. His work was incredibly chic and elegant. There was a dramatic flourish to many of his rooms- and you know how drama never ceases to fascinate me. I wonder if Greer was the Miles Redd of his day? Take a look at Greer's Manhattan apartment. What do you think?




A view of his terrace at night. The awning with the wooden tassels is right up my alley.




His unbelievable bedroom. The walls were covered in beige silk and framed in black painted half-round molding that was supposed to mimic iron supports. The ceiling was also covered in fabric and trimmed with a Roman motif braid in order to look like a tent.



A desk vignette in Greer's bedroom.



The Salon with Louis XVI and Directoire antiques. Those triple arches led to the dining alcove.





Additional views of the Salon.




Trompe l'oeil paper lined the walls of the foyer. Greer employed trompe l'oeil effects often in his work.



The foyer stair. The carpet, designed by Greer, was pale gray.



The bathroom. That fabric on the walls? Trompe l'oeil painted against gray walls. I'm completely taken with that floor. Those faux iron supports look to be painted.



(Greer photo from Inside Design by Michael Greer; all other photos from America's Small Houses: The Personal Homes of Designers and Collectors by Henry Lionel Williams and Ottalie K. Williams.)

A Scent That Sends Me Back

I'm in the market for a new fragrance, and I'm anxious to try Gucci's new Gucci Guilty. Of course, the most important thing about perfume is the scent (pink pepper, lilac, patchouli, and amber), but I have yet to take a sniff. What has totally intrigued me is the bottle. It's sexy looking in a 1970s way. Kind of edgy, kind of sleek. A little bit like these:





Check out this bedroom decorated by Jay Spectre in 1977. Being the traditionalist that I am, my eye is immediately drawn to the 18th c. French desk and chair. But look at the bed. The bedposts are wrapped in suede with slivers of lucite punctuating them. The underside of the canopy is mirrored as are the window shutters. I'm not advising anyone to decorate their bedroom as such, but I do admire Spectre's work, and you have to admit that this room is quintessential 1970s contemporary design.




If you follow The Peak of Chic Facebook page, you've seen this image before. How stunning is this? A fountain and water channel maze in Ibiza designed by Javier de Olaso, c. 1977. I could see Ridley Scott directing a Chanel no. 5 commercial here. Share the fantasy....





How about this chair from Charles Hollis Jones? You've got a brass frame with lucite back, seat, and legs. OK, so in the right environment, I think this could work. Do you?






I have to say that I find this room stunning (it too is from the 70s), even though I couldn't live in it. Look at the wall with black mirror- love that. And yes, the table is low, but it's awfully stunning. It's wood that has been painted and lacquered so that it resembles granite.





There are elements to this 1970s-era interior that still look good today- but not those vertical blinds. Glossy surfaces, neutral colors-it makes me think of Calvin Klein



and this Helmut Newton shot of model Lisa Taylor dressed in Calvin. (Hey, this was hot stuff for the 1970s. In a way, it still is today.)


...and I think of Halston


like this fabulous hammered silk satin dress by Halston (1976) in this classic photo by Scavullo.

And to think that a bottle of perfume started this entire stream of consciousness.

(Spectre photo from Architectural Digest, September 1977, Jaime Ardiles-Arce photographer; water maze photo from Architectural Digest, September 1977,Georges Palot photographer; chair ad from AD, October 1977; two living room photos from Contemporary apartments (The Worlds of Architectural Digest))

For Your Consideration, v. 1

I have to, um, hand it to Cecil Beaton. He was awfully creative. The walls of his guest bathroom were adorned with outlines of his guests' hands (painted by Beaton, of course) that were signed by the respective hand's owner as well. Not for everyone, but it is a humorous take on the ubiquitous guest book.

(Image from The Thirties in Vogue by Carolyn Hall)

Snug Sleeping Quarters

Today's theme is...beds placed in alcoves. Sound a little claustrophobic? Perhaps, but it also seems cozy too. Obviously, a bed like this would only work for a single person. Imagine the person who is wedged against the wall trying to get out of the bed for a midnight trip to the loo? Way too complicated if you ask me. But for one person? Well, I think it's kind of an intriguing idea. And, as with many things, the French seem to do it best. At least, they did back in the 1950s when all of these photos were shot.

The photo at top is a bedroom in the country home of Jean Marais. I love the color combo and the slight bordello feel to that red velvet lined niche.



A niche that doesn't seem so confining. The lectern looking table is a clever addition with its bronze somno on it (Latin for sleep.)

One of my favorites. This one was slept in by designer Emilio Terry. Those sheets, however, might just be my favorite thing in the photo.



Tucked away in Toile du Jouy.



So French looking and so perfect. The bedroom of Mme Billotte as decorated by Henri Samuel.



I don't show children's rooms often, but I couldn't resist this one.


(All images from Les Reussites De La Decoration Francaise: 1950-1960)