Dan Carithers Redux

I'm sure that most of you are familiar with Dan Carithers, the Atlanta decorator who has achieved éminence grise status in the design world. (It's well deserved too, I might add.) And I'm also sure that many of you admire the various hallmarks of the Carithers' look. It tends to be traditional but oftentimes mixed with contemporary accents and furniture. The color schemes lean toward neutrals. And for me, I always think of creamware when I think of a Carithers' interior, but I know that not all of his work included it. I guess this is all why I was rather surprised that this contemporary Atlanta apartment, featured in a 1981 Southern Accents, was decorated by none other than Mr. Carithers himself. This Carithers project is almost the reverse of what he usually does; this time it was mostly contemporary but with a dash of antiques. Would you have guessed it?

At the time, Dan Carithers was the Corporate Director of Home Fashion Merchandising for Rich's department store (how I miss old Rich's!), and the clients were the CEO of Rich's and his wife. We must remember that this was the early 1980s, so it's inevitable that certain rooms look dated...like that bathroom. But the kitchen? To me, it still looks good, but that might be because my own kitchen is stuck in 1968. A 1981 kitchen would seem downright au courant to me right now!

What I don't know is if this project was a wild card in a career dedicated to a more traditional look. Does anyone know of other predominately contemporary projects of his?



I believe that a built-in bed module and vertical blinds were considered chic at this time.



Louis XIV gilt chairs act as a traditional foil to the more modern elements in this space such as the Bauhaus staircase.



A modern upholstered banquette and Louis XVI opera chairs provided seating.




Mies van der Rohe chairs surrounded a glass and acrylic dining table.



The kitchen was quite state of the art for the time. And no, we don't grow pears that big down here. Those are ceramic ones by artist Paul Nelson.



I'd probably take my evening cocktail and sit in that Regency chair every evening in order to gaze out at that view!



The bathroom and what looks like a John Dickinson stool.


(All images from Southern Accents, Spring 1981, Paul G. Beswick photographer.)

Bedspread for Two

There is dinner for two...




...and cards and caviar for two.




And more caviar for two.




You have coffee and dessert for two...




...and breakfast for two. (Wouldn't you like to start the morning like this?)


But what about a bedspread for two? No, it's not for twin beds...





Nor even a double.

It involves eggs and oysters. And before you let your imaginations get away with you (this is not 9 1/2 Weeks, people), I'll tell you that it was a favorite recipe of Mr. Hermann Oelrichs and was included in the 1940 cookbook Specialites de la Maison (American Friends of France).

Random? Yes, and I couldn't think of any other way to tie in such an oddly titled recipe!

Bedspread for Two
6 eggs
1 dozen medium oysters
Anchovy paste
Butter

Stir eggs in a soup plate. Cut up oysters moderately fine in a second soup plate. Rub bottom of blazer (chafing dish) with anchovy paste. Put in good sized piece of butter, and proceed to do eggs into a creamy scramble. Just as they are turning, throw in oysters, and stir until well blended and cooked through. Serve on toast slightly spread with anchovy paste.


(B&W table photos from Tiffany Table Settings; color table photos from The New Tiffany Table Settings. Bedroom photo #1 from House & garden's complete guide to interior decoration,; bedroom photo #2 from House & Garden's Complete Guide to Interior Decoration / By the Editors of House & Garden. Recipe from Specialites de la Maison (American Friends of France).)

O Tannenbaum

What better way to sign off for the holidays than with photos of some truly beautiful Christmas trees, both of which were decorated by designer Richard Nelson. The photo at top, taken in 1966, shows the ceiling scraping tree that graced the music room in Richard's former New York apartment. This tree stood watch over Richard's much lauded Christmas party of which I wrote a few weeks back. And the one below that is this year's tree in Richard's Newport home.

I want to wish all of you best wishes for a truly happy holiday and a healthy and joyous New Year. I'll be spending the holidays in Atlanta with a New Year's trip to Ireland. I'll see you in 2011!


(Photo at top by Fredrick Walstrom; bottom photo by Michael Eudenbach. Both shown courtesy of Richard Nelson.)

It's My Obsession

I'm a woman possessed. Or maybe that's obsessed. I absolutely can't get any work done because I'm still going through the Museum of the City of New York's online collection portal. This is becoming a problem, I can tell. But, I wouldn't say it's for naught because I did find photos of Billy Baldwin's former apartment at Sutton Place. I first saw photos of this apartment a few years ago while reading an old magazine from the 1930s. Then, Adam Lewis included additional photos in Billy Baldwin: The Great American Decorator. And now, the MCNY website has even more. I'm starting to feel like I like I know Baldwin's apartment better than I do my own. I guess that's what happens when you become design obsessed. Or maybe that's design possessed.




According to Lewis' book, the sofa and club chair were upholstered in pale blue leather. The curtains were white satin handpainted with dancing figures.




Have you noticed that in today's quest for perfection, we no longer see visible cords and electrical outlets in interior photos? This photo is a breath of fresh air. That, and it makes me feel better about the cords and outlets that are rather prominent looking in my own home.




I believe that this might be a bedroom.




Billy Baldwin's bathroom. Does that swag look like it's painted on the wall? A little odd, but kind of charming at the same time.



All photos: Gottscho-Schleisner, Inc., Residence of Wm. W. Baldwin, 2 Sutton Place. 1939. From the Collections of the Museum of the City of New York.

A Great Way to Spend a Weekend

Well, the weekend absolutely flew by thanks to two straight days of being completely engrossed online. No, not on Facebook which, in the words of Betty White, can be a "huge waste of time." Instead, I got wrapped up in the Museum of the City of New York's website. Thanks to Curbed National, I learned last week that the museum had recently uploaded about 50,000 New York related photographs to its website- just part of the museum's amazing collection. Of course what I got sucked into were the photographs of interiors, especially those by noted photographer Samuel H. Gottscho. The photographs are a real treat for those of us interested in 1930s design, old New York apartments, and the homes of William Odom, Elsie de Wolfe, and others. There is just so much to look at! I've downloaded a few images that caught my eye, but trust me, there is a lot more where these came from. If you have time over the holidays, you should visit the MCNY collection portal. Just be prepared not to come up for air anytime soon.



Samuel H. Gottscho, " Herbert Sondheim [residence]. Bar. Located at 146 Central Park West, NYC." 1930. From the Collections of the Museum of the City of New York.



Samuel H. Gottscho, "Bruce Price Post [residence]. Hall. Apartment of Bruce Price Post, 39 East 79th St." 1927. From the Collections of the Museum of the City of New York.




Samuel H. Gottscho, "Benjamin Wood (residence). Linen closet." 1925. From the Collections of the Museum of the City of New York.




Samuel H. Gottscho, "Mrs. G. Fuller [residence], 41 Park Avenue, NYC. Nursery panel." 1930. From the Collections of the Museum of the City of New York.





Samuel H. Gottscho, "Faris R. Russell [residence]. Terrace from door." 1931. From the Collections of the Museum of the City of New York.


Image at top: Samuel H. Gottscho, "Mrs. Radcliffe Romeyn [residence], 25 East End Avenue. Living room mantel detail, 2.". 1935. From the Collections of the Museum of the City of New York.

Park Avenue Princess

It's funny how you can look through a book a million times and still find something new each time you leaf through it. I was going through my favorite Tiffany Table Settings book for about the thirtieth time when a name that I had never really noticed before popped out in two different chapters: Princess Gourielli. OK, Princess Gourielli, Princess Gourielli...where had I heard that name before? And then it dawned on me- the Princess was cosmetics pioneer Helena Rubinstein. I guess the reason that I finally made this connection was because I had recently seen a documentary on the rivalry between Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden. I remembered hearing that Rubinstein had married a Georgian prince (the lineage was a little murky), enticed by the title. In fact, Arden, a fierce rival of Rubinstein, was also married to a Russian prince for a short time. Perhaps it was a game of tit for tat?

Anyway, in the Tiffany book, Princess Gourielli's terrace was decorated for a birthday buffet luncheon. A buffet table was set with all kinds of dishes as well as a wrought-iron plant holder that held presents and bowls of melon balls. (I might have used something other than melon balls, but each to his own.) A champagne fruit punch was served from one table, while the birthday cake and dessert plates held court on another.

In another vignette shot, a "Silver Anniversary Party in Shades of Gray", Princess Gourielli's paneled dining room plays host to a "chiaroscuro" table setting. This make-believe dinner could not have been to honor Rubinstein's marriage to the Prince as he died in 1955 and this book was published in 1960.

I found additional images of Rubinstein's Park Avenue terrace and dining room in the terrific book Helena Rubinstein: Over the Top by Suzanne Slesin. In these photos, you can see what her home looked like when it was not decked out for silver anniversaries and the like.



The birthday cake.




The Silver Anniversary party.




You've got to hand it to Princess Giourelli. She sure knew how to set a table...and how to decorate a home.




A view of Rubinstein's terrace.


(Party shots from Tiffany Table Settings; other images from Helena Rubinstein: Over the Top by Suzanne Slesin.)

Give Me Fever

I'll never forget it. I was 12 years old, and my father had just picked my friends and me up from a birthday party. As we drove past a library, we saw an ambulance out front. Want to know what dear old Dad said? "Uh oh. Looks like someone had a book attack!" Well, you know, I died. Seriously died. Wanted to crawl underneath the front seat of the car. I think that I lost all street cred right then and there. Thanks a lot, Dad! As we say in my family, "It's another one of Dad's jokes."

Well, I'm having a book attack right now. Actually, more like book withdrawals thanks to my One Kings Lane sale a few weeks ago. (And by the way, a big thank you to everyone who bought my books. I just know that they have found very good homes.) The problem is that there are holes in my bookshelves now, and I'm jonesing for more books. As Bruce Dickinson- yes, the Bruce Dickinson- might say, "I gotta fever, and the only prescription is...more books!" (Click here if you have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about.)

So where am I going with this random post? Straight to photos of libraries where it's obvious that the owners gotta fever for books- just like me.




In his Chicago loft, designer Mark Radcliff has created the perfect spot to luxuriate amongst his books. I feel a book attack coming on.




Admit it. You stopped and stared at this photo in the January issue of Architectural Digest. I want to raid Friederike Kemp Biggs' bookshelves.




Booze and books...always a good combination. Gets your mind off of your worries. That and the outrageous number of books in your home.





Manuel Canovas has quite the library, from decoys to design. After all, variety is the spice of life.




The studio apartment of Sam Watters. All of those books and a fur throw on the sofa? I'd never leave.


(Top image: a stack of my books. Image #2 courtesy of Mark Radcliff. #3 from January 2011 issue of Architectural Digest, Derry Moore photographer . #4 from Southern Accents. #6 from Living Well.)