Shopping at Ainsworth-Noah

A few weeks ago, I spent a blissful hour wandering through the Ainsworth-Noah showroom at ADAC while pining over most of what I saw. (In case you're not familiar with them, Hal Ainsworth and Winton Noah founded their ADAC showroom years ago.) You see, I have never visited their showroom without finding something that I couldn't live without. I believe that what I'm most drawn to is the way in which they mix the new "stuff" with the old. They carry lines like Nancy Corzine, Jasper/Michael S. Smith, Ironies, Cameron Collection, and Vaughan, as well as fabric and wallpaper collections including Bennison, de Gournay, Victoria Hagan, Rose Tarlow, and Robert Kime, just to name a few. But amongst these collections you'll find a great antique lamp, old porcelain, or some other interesting piece that Hal and Winton have purchased during their travels abroad.

What's funny is that as I started writing this post, I realized that all of my photos summarize everything that I love in design: Chinoiserie; Greek Key; tortoise; painted furniture; blue and white porcelain; and the arrow motif. It seems that Hal and Winton are just as enthusiastic about these things as I!


I did not take photos of all of the amazing fabrics and wallcoverings that Ainsworth-Noah carry because that is a post in and of itself. Visit their showroom or website to see the full range of lines that they represent. Or, you can telephone them at (800) 669-3512.




A Chinese figure by John Rosselli. His female companion sits on the opposite side of the doorway.




These antique doors have graced the entryway of the showroom for years. The faux deer head is a nice touch.




Not just any obelisk, but one with decorative painting. This one is part of a pair.




This Ironies fixture is quite stunning.





An unusual quatrefoil mirror by Mclain Wiesand.






I have been visiting these Bagues sconces at Ainsworth-Noah for a few years now. I think they are some of the most beautiful sconces that I have ever seen.





I never met a faux tortoise that I didn't like. I'm crazy for this faux tortoise drinks table by Mclain Wiesand as well as their tortoise mirror.




Yet another crystal lamp that I want! I need! for my home.




What a charming antique painted bench. I think that more people should use painted furniture in their homes.






This stool caught my eye, perhaps because of those brass paw feet.




I couldn't resist taking a photo of this vintage table with arrow legs.




We all recognize this lemon basin set by P.E. Guerin. Inspired by a set once owned by Pauline de Rothschild, Charlotte Moss had Guerin reproduce the lemon set for use in the powder room at the late, great Townhouse.




You know I love a Greek Key, especially this Greek Key basin by P.E. Guerin.




An antique faux-marbre painted column cabinet. The door handle is a small metal hand holding a bar.





One of my very favorite things at Ainsworth-Noah: this de Gournay wallpaper. Is this stunning or is this stunning?!



Blue and white is always right.

All photos copyright The Peak of Chic/Jennifer Boles

Evans-Cucich House, Peachtree Battle Avenue

There is one house in Atlanta that I have coveted ever since I was a child. Located on Peachtree Battle Avenue, the Evans-Cucich house is one of the very few Art Deco houses in Atlanta. Before I even knew what Art Deco was, I could tell that this house was unique. It certainly didn't look like the other the 1920s and 30s-era homes in my neighborhood. Built in 1935 and designed by Atlanta architect A.F.N. Everett, the limestone house has a rather dark past. The original owner of the home, Hiram Evans, was an Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. Many of us who are native Atlantans grew up hearing rumors that a tunnel was built underneath Peachtree Battle connecting the Evans house to a fellow Klansman's house across the street. Then, sometime in the 1980s, I believe, the house was purchased by a man by the name of Cucich. I remember driving by the house in the 1980s and 90s and thinking "Someday, that house will be mine."

Fast forward to a few months ago. My friend Clary Bosbyshell (she and her mother Margaret are the talented design duo behind Margaux Interiors) emailed me late one night to ask me about a house with which she was fascinated. She wrote that she walked by it often, that it was the most interesting looking house, and that it looked like it had been foreclosed on. Before I even opened the attachment with a photo of the house, I knew that it was my house! A flurry of emails went back and forth. Clary, who also grew up in Atlanta, had long been intrigued by the house as well. We both did a little research on it and discussed the rumor of the underground tunnel. When Clary found out that the house was about to go on the market, she orchestrated a tour of the house with an agent. One dreary afternoon in March, Clary, Margaret, and I showed up with cameras in hand to see and document the interiors of the house.

What is sad is that the house is really in a state of disrepair. The limestone exterior still looks decent, but the inside...well...let's just say that it needs a lot of work. There are rotten floorboards, holes in ceilings, and a general foul odor. I even wonder about the condition of the flat roof. I'm not sure what happened to the previous homeowners nor if and how long the house has been vacant, so I suppose that I shouldn't belabor the condition of the interiors. But, I did take a lot of photos of the house for my own records. I wanted to share a few of them with you today. There are some interesting Art Deco architectural details both in the interior and the exterior of the house. You can tell that once it had been a most dazzling house. Fortunately for the house and for those of us who love it, the Evans-Cucich house is on the National Register of Historic Places. This is a godsend because it can't be torn down to make way for some horror of a new home. It's shocking how few Atlantans seem to have any respect for old homes anymore. I just hope that the new homeowners, whoever they might be, will restore and gently modernize it in a way that is suitable for both the home and the neighborhood. And no bad Art Deco flourishes, please!

And about that tunnel? We went down in the basement and found a padlocked door that we couldn't open. We wondered if it led to the tunnel, but I just don't know. Others who have inspected the house say that they found no tunnel. I guess that the rumor and mystery will remain for the next generation of Atlantans.


Apologies for the dark photos. It was dark both inside the house and outside as well, so taking decent photos was a bit of challenge!









Architectural detail shots of the limestone exterior





The entryway with Deco-style molding and detail.



The guest room had an interesting ceiling with those stepped insets. (Wish that I knew what the proper architectural term for this ceiling is!)




The home's original stair railing and newel post.



A Deco shaped doorway.




The kitchen's original refrigerator.




I'm assuming that the blue lavatory and toilet are original? What a great shade of blue.





There was an upstairs balcony that had been painted with a tropical mural by the most recent homeowner.




A Deco style telephone niche.




The Butler's Pantry.




The rear of the house.




The National Register plaque in front of the house.

All photographs copyright of The Peak of Chic/ Jennifer Boles

Carter & Company Historic Wallpapers

I've had wallpaper on the brain lately for two reasons. First, I keep reading that wallpaper is a trend that is over. So done that you can stick a fork in it. Well, that seems really silly to me. It's like saying you're over fabric. I think that people either like wallpaper or they don't. And if you do like it, how can you ever be over it? Certain wallpaper prints and patterns perhaps, but wallpaper as a whole? Never.

The other reason for my wallpaper ruminations is because I've been working through a design problem. My bedroom walls have no crown molding. When I had my room papered, I unwisely took the paper all the way up to the ceiling. I'd like to make the excuse that I had a month to get my condo completely "done" before I moved in so I was rushed, but really it was because I just didn't think about it. After the paper was hung, though, I realized that it just doesn't look finished. I had been toying with the idea of adding crown molding, but then I reread Michael Greer's Inside Design and am now reconsidering my options. In his book, Greer mentions that in the absence of crown molding, a wallpaper border is a suitable option for finishing off the wall. Lord knows that there are lots of bad wallpaper borders out there, but if I can find a decent looking one, perhaps I'll go with this option.

So anyway, while searching for wallpaper borders, I found the website of Carter & Co. Historic Wallpapers based in Richmond, VA. The firm specializes in handprinted reproductions of historic wallpapers from the early 19th century to the early 20th. I was not familiar with Carter & Co. when I found their site, but I thought I would share some of their papers with you. For other options for historic wallpaper reproductions, don't forget about Adelphi Paper Hangings and Waterhouse Wallhangings.



A reproduction of an 1880s paper found at the James A. Garfield National Memorial Site in Mentor, OH.



Harvey Ashlar Wall based on a c. 1860s paper found in The Harvey House, Salinas, California.




Oriental Lattice Wallpaper, a reproduction of an 1880s paper used in the Cohen-Bray House, Oakland, CA.



Shooting Stars Ceiling Paper, c. 1880-1900, The Knight House, Silver Plume, Colorado.



Prowers House Border, 1860s, Prowers House, Boggsville, CO.



Etruscan Mosaic Frieze, 1880s-1900s, The Fallon Hotel, Columbia, CA.

Paper at top: A French Scenic wallpaper from the 1850s-60s from the Whitehall State Historic Site, Richmond, Kentucky.

Thyme at Southrop

I admit it. I am one of those Americans who considers herself to be an Anglophile, though perhaps not as ardent an Anglophile as some people I know. England is one of my very favorite countries to visit. I'm captivated by the history, the architecture, the traditions and customs, the clothing (does anyone make better looking sporting clothes than the British?), and that British love of the country. (OK, U.K. readers, you can stop laughing and/or rolling your eyes now!) So perhaps all of the above is why I was completely charmed by this photo that I found in the May issue of House & Garden. Just look at those outbuildings, the overcast sky, the clothing, and those pigs. It's all very Country Life, don't you think?

Upon reading the article, I learned that the woman in the photograph, Caryn Hibbert, owns a cooking school called Thyme at Southrop, located in the village of Southrop in the Cotswolds. Hibbert and her husband bought Southrop Manor in 2001. A few years later, a complex of old barns and outbuildings, once part of Southrop Manor, went on the market. Rather than let the land fall into the hands of real estate developers, Hibbert purchased the complex and incorporated it back into Southrop Manor. Because she needed to do something with these old barns, Hibbert decided to open the cooking school on the property. The central building of the school is the renovated tithe barn which is used for demonstrations, lectures, and private events, while a new state of the art kitchen was built next to the tithe barn. It is here where the hands-on cooking classes actually take place.

I took a look at the school's website, and I can't imagine anything that I would rather do than to spend some time there attending their one-day cooking classes. One could learn about preparing a Middle Eastern feast, foraging for mushrooms, cultivating edible flowers, or making charcuterie. And, you could stay in one of the cottages on the property and dine at the pub which is also owned by the Hibberts. Doesn't it all sound...delicious???



The renovated tithe barn where demonstrations and private events are held.



A view of Southrop Manor.



The kitchen garden features a bronze hare sculpture by Sophie Ryder.


All images from House & Garden, May 2011, Rory Carnegie photographer.