A Fountain of Inspiration

Have you seen this week's Space of the Week on New York magazine's website? If not, you surely do not want to miss it. Wendy Goodman has made me very, very happy by posting photos of legendary magazine editor Mary Jane Pool's Manhattan apartment- one of my very favorite homes ever.

The apartment, you might remember, was featured in the March 2008 Domino along with photos of Pool's previous apartments. It's elegant, comfortable, and supremely stylish. This is the kind of home that I'm trying my hardest to create. I've borrowed a few images of Goodman's, but I really urge you to see the entire slideshow. My only complaint is that it's not three times as long.

And by the way, does anyone know where I can find tables similar to Pool's, as seen below? One or two would be perfect for my own Mary Jane Pool apartment in the making.

(For my own take on Pool's great style, click here.)





(Images taken by Wendy Goodman for New York magazine.)

Unforgettable Fabric

I have a mind like a steel trap. Or, the memory of an elephant, depending on how you'd like to say it. It's something that has vexed various boyfriends through the years. Because let me tell you, if they said something that didn't sit well with me, I never forgot it. And I never let them forget it either. Not that I endlessly nagged them about their lapses in decorum or chivalry. No, I filed it away in my mind and then brought it up when and only when it seemed appropriate...like in the heat of battle.

Well, the steel trap has come in handy again, though this time not in a romantic entanglement. This time, it helped me piece together photos of a really chic use of corduroy. I was flipping through Architectural Digest International Interiors yesterday and read the chapter on a London townhouse decorated by Billy McCarty, an American designer residing in England who, the book noted, had once worked for David Hicks. There was an accompanying photo of the home's entrance hall in which the walls were lined in beige wide-wale corduroy (fabulous.) The chapter's text also mentioned that McCarty used the same corduroy for matching draperies that boasted 14 inch wool fringe. My first thought was "Where is the photo of the curtains? I want to see the curtains! Why do articles and books mention something intriguing in a room, and then they don't include a photo of it!" But then it came to me. Hadn't I seen a photo of wide-wale corduroy draperies in one of David Hicks' books? I consulted David Hicks on Decoration--With Fabrics, and voilá, there they were. Too bad the photos aren't in color, but you still get the idea. And that 14-inch bullion trim? While I'm not so crazy about it, I know that I'll never forget it.

Mrs. Delany, Still Fashionable Centuries Later

So, I figured if everybody else in Atlanta was taking a few snow days, I'd do the same. Of course, there was absolutely no excuse for me not to compose a few posts or two. The power did stay on, after all. But sometimes it's a real treat to do absolutely nothing, and that nothing included spending an embarrassing amount of time on Neiman's website. It wasn't for naught, either, because I found an Etro skirt that I'm dying for as well as some YSL shoes. What really caught my eye, though, was this Carolina Herrera skirt, shown above. It's really unique and striking, right? I tend to avoid wearing anything floral on my person, something which I attribute to those Laura Ashley dresses from the 1980s. (They were cute, but a little went a long way.)

No, what really struck me about this skirt is how reminiscent it is of Mary Delany's botanical paper mosaics. Then I read that much of Herrera's Spring 2011 collection was inspired by 18th century botanical plates, so the connection makes sense. Of course, Mary Delany never used tape in her work (or at least not that I'm aware of), but other similarities are there. Here is a little side by side comparison:





"Phlox suaveolens", 1776





"Amygdalus Persica", 1778





"Cynoglossum omphalodes", 1776.





"Arctotis calendulacea", 1777.


Top images from Neiman Marcus; other Herrera photos courtesy of Style.com; Delany images from Mrs. Delany and Her Circle (Yale Centre for British Art)

New Year, Unfinished Needlework

I won't bore you with my New Year's resolutions because quite frankly I don't make them. But, if forced to make one, I might say it would be to make the time to do more needlepoint. I've been working on the same canvas now for three years- seriously. It's an Erica Wilson design called Erica's Diamonds, and the reason that I chose it was because it was surprisingly modern looking. Do you know how hard it is to find needlepoint designs that aren't cutesy nor overwrought traditional? My only hesitation about Erica's Diamonds is that it's a riot of color, and I haven't a clue where I'll eventually put it once it's been made into a cushion. But still, once I start something, I must finish it-even if it's three years later. So, I will finish this darn thing in 2011.

What I would absolutely love, and I really mean love, is to find canvases with designs that are chic or modern or unique. To me, the ultimate needlepoint designs must be those geometric masterpieces by the late Sol Kent:





Now this is my kind of needlepoint. It's sophisticated and the colors are subtle. But the important thing to note here is that Kent created his own graphic designs. I suppose that he couldn't find contemporary looking canvases either.





The late Birmingham designer Joe McKinnon took up needlework late in life. He worked on pillows, game table covers, and runners like those, above. I don't know if he designed these particular examples himself or not. That Chinese fretwork pillow would be perfect in my home.







The first time I came across Lou Gartner's book on needlepoint, Needlepoint Design, was about seven years ago. Well, I found it so inspiring that I just knew that I would run out and start stitching up a storm. But once again, I realized that I would have to paint my own canvases or something, so that deterred me. Still, aren't his designs absolutely amazing? Obviously, this man had sophisticated tastes and would not have settled for anything twee. In fact, he likened needlepoint pet portraits to bronzed baby shoes. I knew that I liked this man.


The conclusion that I have come to is that I simply don't have the time to create my own designs and put them down on a canvas. And then there's the actual process of stitching too which takes a lot of time- or at least, it does for me. So, I either need a Lou Gartner or Sol Kent in my life to whip something up for me at my request, or I'm going to have to wait until my retirement years to do it all. Unless, of course, any of you have any better ideas!

(Kent photos from Veranda, Fall 1994, Cameron Wood photographer; McKinnon photos from an old Southern Accents; Gartner photos from Needlepoint Design by Louis J. Gartner.)

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.)