Unantiquated Andirons

Back when I had a real fireplace (rather than the faux one that I now have), I had the hardest time finding andirons, screens, and tools that didn't look old-fashioned. The andirons that crossed my path were usually of the brass variety and seemed fitting for Ben Franklin. Not that early American-ish andirons are not lovely; quite the contrary. They just seemed a little incongruous with my affinity for high gloss and mirror.

Unfortunately, I'm no longer in the market for andirons and such, but I did see some last week that would have been perfect in my old house. Available through Parc Monceau, they were vintage brass versions that had the elegant and regal shape of traditional andirons, but they had been replated in silver. How, um, cool is that? Silver toned fire tools and accessories would work well in a bedroom- if you're lucky enough to have a fireplace in your bedroom, that is- especially one decorated in cool, icy colors. Or, what if you had a dining room replete with silver Fromental or de Gournay wallpaper and a fireplace with a mirrored surround? The silver plated andirons would look, oh, okay, hot.

But, if brass is your thing- and I do love brass too- I've included a few examples that look modern. Let's just say that these aren't your grandmother's andirons.

All are available through Parc Monceau and Parc Monceau on 1st dibs.


The silvered finish adds some glamour to these traditional faceted andirons with claw feet.


How many of you grew up with andirons like these? They look quite different in silver, don't they?




Anchors away. I love the novelty of these mid-century brass andirons.



Not too brassy, and the Neoclassical lines are quite dignified. This pair is early 20th century.





And, if you can't make up your mind, how about a pair with both silver and gilt?



All images courtesy of Parc Monceau.

(Yet Another) Hadley Homage

I had a very fun weekend for a number of reasons, one of which you can see above. My friend Barry Hutner of Parc Monceau gifted me with numerous House Beautifuls from the 1970s. I think that Christmas came very early this year!

I have found so many interesting articles and photographs in these issues, and I haven't even finished going through them yet. But what has excited me the most are photographs of "new" Albert Hadley images. Okay, so they're not really new, but I for one have never seen photographs of these rooms before. I even found one photo of Mr. Hadley's bedroom that was pleasantly surprising. Who knew that he used to sleep in a canopy bed?!




That bookcase is a dead giveaway that this bedroom belonged to Hadley. This bed is a bit more opulent than the spartan version that has been photographed over the last ten years. I also like that there isn't an explosion of pillows on the bed.






This Chicago duplex apartment was decorated by Hadley. He divided the living room into two separate seating areas, each defined by its own rug. The rug in the top photo was by Edward Fields. The tiles around the fireplace featured handpainted animals.

In this tablescape, Hadley chose to mix textures. He said "Style is achieved through contrasts, through manipulation of lights and shadows. These objects reflect whims of momentary interest- as well as a continuity of fantasy." Well said.



Bedroom photo from House Beautiful, August 1971; Chicago apartment photos from House Beautiful, January 1971. Vignette photo from HB, February 1971.

In His Own Words

It's always a nice surprise to find a note or an article tucked into the pages of an old book. I've come across photos, business cards, even Don't Forget notepaper in my vintage books. I recently bought some old issues of the French publication Connaissance des Arts, and the previous owner, a doctor in Beverly Hills, had made notations throughout the pages. (At least, I'm assuming the notes are his.) These were no ordinary notations either, having been typed on note cards and placed within the corresponding article. It makes my method of folding over the top corner of a magazine page seem downright primitive.

In the Christmas 1954 issue, a lavish article on Charles de Beistegui's Palazzo Labia appeared. The Venetian palace is noted for its elaborate baroque design, its frescoes by Tiepolo, and its impressive renovation in the late 1940s and early 1950s by the wealthy de Beistegui. But, not everybody seemed to have been impressed by Beistegui's handiwork. The Beverly Hills doctor included this observation about Palazzo Labia:

Le Palais Labia a Venise, one of the main residences of M. Charles de Beistegui. This little renovation reputedly set him back a c-o-o-l $10,000,000.00. He was really having one of his 'off' moments, and can do MUCH better.


Well, it's nice to see that someone wasn't afraid to express his opinion.




Le Salon des Indes at Palazzo Labia




The Tiepolo frescoes














The bedroom of de Beistegui


Palazzo Labia images from Connaissance des Arts, December 1954

Party in the Dark

Are you ready for a lawn party? Yes? Well, I'm afraid that we're going to have to hold our horses because it will be some time for most of us can take the party outside. But, there's no reason that we can't start making plans. While trolling through old House & Gardens this weekend in search of party ideas, I found this August 1966 article about a nighttime garden party- a Party in the Dark. The June party took place on a Long Island lawn, one which measured only 150 feet end to end.

Elegantly attired guests arrived at dusk to find cocktails and empanadas waiting for them at a small bar on the lawn. After a few drinks, a little chitchat, and a game of black-tie croquet, guests proceeded to a buffet of chicken adobo, green salad, rolls, and fresh fruit dessert. And what might be the best part is that after dinner, everyone took pierced tin lanterns that had been placed around the dining tables and walked to a wooded area in which a dance floor had been laid. Now, how fun does that sound?

I love this idea because first, I prefer an evening event to a daytime party- if only because it's much easier to relax and cut loose after a long day. Daytime parties can, at times, seem a little stiff. And, nighttime lighting can lend a real sense of drama to a party. Of course, other things can add to the drama of a party, but perhaps we ought not to go there.

The buffet table was covered in a black and white striped fabric, while dining tables were outfitted in black and white polka dot cloths. Tin lanterns were hung on stakes around the periphery of the dining area.



Individual tins kept the dessert cool and bug free.



Tin lanterns filled with candles and carnations were used as table centerpieces.



Love the bottle of Bertolli Chianti. Note too that each table was accented by a different color- orange, yellow, or blue.



Guests enjoying conversation and chicken adobo.



The procession from dinner to dancing. Each guest carried a lantern in order to light the way to the dance floor.



Dancing in the dark until dawn.

All images from House & Garden, August 1966.

Jim Thompson's Animal Menagerie

After a wild and woolly week, I needed something to put a smile on my face. Thanks to Jim Thompson, I found it. The fabric company enlisted Douglas Little to create fanciful windows for its Paris showroom. Using fabric from Jim Thompson's newest collections- The Rite of Spring, Curtain Calls, Opus, and Tony Duquette for Jim Thompson: Part II- Little conjured up exotic animals that appear to be making mischief. The damask lioness (don't you love her nailhead trim?) has made a mess of a down-filled pillow, while the colorful monkeys seem to be flitting around and are probably up to no good. Oh, and you know what? I really like the fabric too.














All images courtesy of Jim Thompson.

Fresh from Fromental

Leave it to Fromental to consistenly produce wallpaper that I just have to have. (And if I had more space in my home, I wouldn't have to resort to simply dreaming about the paper!) What first got me hooked was their stunning hand-painted silk Chinoiserie paper. Their rich colorways (check out Empire and Bubblegum Blue) and embroidered details make traditional Chinese paper seem exciting again. And I never knew that I liked monkeys until I saw their Singerie and Swinging Monkeys patterns. I'd love to use the latter in a closet or niche that has been converted to a bar.

So what's the latest Fromental innovation that has captured my fancy? This hand-embroidered Italian velvet wallpaper, above, that was introduced at last year's Decorex. Named Berard, the faux-paneled design was inspired by the work of artist Christian Bérard.

I'm so intrigued by the fact that the faux painted design is embroidered, and embroidered on velvet no less. It's so unexpected, and yet, that is exactly what I would expect from Fromental.

In this 1939 photo of the Institut Guerlain in Paris, you can see the inspiration behind Fromental's print. At the behest of Jean-Michel Frank, Christian Bérard painted trompe l'oeil architecture on yellow fabric.






Although these stage sets were not designed by Bérard, they reminded me of his work. Designed by Jean Hugo in 1925 for Jean Cocteau's play Orphee, the painted architectural features have a similar feel to the Fromental paper.


Fromental photos courtesy of the company. Guerlain photo from Jean-Michel Frank: The Strange and Subtle Luxury of the Parisian Haute-Monde in the Art Deco Period by Pierre-Emmanuel Martin-Vivier; Hugo photo from Chanel by Jean Leymarie.

Sherle-y You Jest!

I'm steeling myself for the comments on this post because a lot of you might think I've lost my marbles. Actually, I have lost my marbles over marble...Sherle Wagner marble and onyx that is. One of my secret likes- and it's not so secret anymore- are those old Sherle Wagner shell pedestal sinks. They bring to mind the champagne wishes and caviar dreams of the 1980s. But to me, they also are evocative of the 1930s; in fact, they look like something Cedric Gibbons might have used in a wildly glamorous film set.

If I bought a home with one of these sinks in it, I wouldn't dare get rid of it. Oh, no, no, no. I would embrace the Sherle Wagner shell and incorporate it into a really slick design scheme. The only catch is that you'd have to be careful about how you decorate the rest of the bathroom lest it end up looking like something out of the Carrington mansion. (You know, the Carringtons of Dynasty.)




A Sherle Wagner onyx shell pedestal sink with 24K gold plated hardware.






An ad from a September 1977 issue of Architectural Digest.







I found this black marble version on Ebay. This one just might be the best of the bunch.





A 1988 ad that I found on Ebay. And you know, nothing accompanies a Sherle Wagner shell sink better than marabou and Stubbs & Wootton.

Tantalizing Titles

I admit it. I judge my books by their covers...or at least I do when choosing the ones to place on top of cocktail and side tables. Why waste precious real estate with a banal book cover? But what about titles? Have you ever thought to display books with witty or naughty titles?

I admit that I never thought of doing so until I saw the above photo of London designer Richard Adams' bookcase. He very cleverly placed Snobs, Unsuitable Company, and Shocking! facing out on the ends of the glass shelves. I do have Shocking! in my home, and I really should place it on the top of a stack of books. Unfortunately, that might be the most Shocking! thing my home as seen.

After a quick search on the web, I found all kinds of books that would be perfect to display in a woman's home.




This Lonny photograph shows a stack of books in the home of New York designer Elizabeth Bauer. On top is the classic 1930s single gal primer Live Alone and Like It by Marjorie Hillis. I might have to get a copy for myself because I live alone, and guess what? I actually like it.




You could really be devilish and feature Maysie Greig's Men as Her Stepping Stones prominently in your home. (I have Nick Harvill to thank for introducing me to this book.) No, I'm not trying to make a statement nor a confession with this choice.





The feminist counterpoint to Greig's book might be Self Made Woman by Faith Baldwin. It might not be feminist, though, depending on how that woman became self made.




And last but not least, another Maysie Greig novel that is perfect for me: No Dowry for Jennifer. "His selfish love forced Jennifer into the arms of another man." And you thought all I did was write this blog!



Adams photo from English Eccentric Interiors by Miranda Harrison. Bauer photo from Lonny magazine, June/July 2010, Patrick Cline photographer.