Doesn't the photo above look inviting? I love the way in which this drinks table was arranged with a gracious plenty of everything: liquor, glassware, ice, drink garnishes, and cocktail nibbles. I wish that I could remember from which issue of Veranda this image came. Regardless, I think that a drinks table as elaborate as this one is best suited for a party (or a magazine photograph!) But for everyday use, a smaller drinks table in a library or drawing room is always nice for impromptu gatherings or a solitary drink while reading. If the table is placed near a fireplace, even better.
In an Indian noblewoman's London flat designed by Nicky Haslam.
In a far corner of the living room in a Faubourg Saint-Germain house.
In Blenheim Palace underneath a 1963 portrait of the 11th Duke of Marlborough.
In a niche in Madeleine Castaing's salon at Maison de Lèves.
In the lush red salon of a home in Paris.
In the London living room of decorator Anthony Denney.
In a glamorous New Orleans salon decorated by Nicky Haslam.
In the library at Clandeboye, County Down, Ireland.
Image #1 from Veranda; #2 from Interiors
Thursday, September 08, 2011
Come for Drinks
Wednesday, September 07, 2011
In Memoriam: Tom Parr
Last Friday, I learned that the great English decorator, Tom Parr, had died in late July. My friend Will Merrill emailed me a link to Parr's obituary in The Telegraph. (Click here if you would like to read it.) A short time later, Toby Worthington also emailed me a link to The Telegraph article. What strange timing that many of us learned of his death a week after the obituary was published and more than a month after his death.
Parr was, to borrow Toby Worthington's description, "one of the last of the gentleman decorators." (According to his obituary, Parr preferred the term "decorator" to "interior designer.") After making a splash on the design scene with an early partnership with David Hicks, Parr went on to become Chairman of the venerable British design firm Colefax and Fowler.
I have featured Parr's work in past blog posts, but I think we should revisit it. His work possessed such finesse. His attention to detail, whether it be in the elaborate edging of a curtain or a decorative finish on a chair, lent polish to his interiors. And what is even more refreshing is that his design schemes don't appear to have been crafted for the sole purpose of publication. Rather, he worked to give his clients comfortable and refined environments in which to live with ease.
It seems too that Parr could be quite witty. When discussing suitability in design, he once said "What is maddening is when people want something that cannot be done in a particular space. Some people buy a cottage in the country and want it to look like a Hollywood villa. And there's that awful idea of putting double basins in a very small bathroom. Why? What is the point, unless the people are going to have a race to see who can do their teeth first." Good point and one that I had never considered before.
Below is a brief survey of his some of his interiors. Unfortunately, my library seems to be lacking in books featuring Parr's work. Thanks to Mr. Worthington's impressive design library, we were able to flesh this post out with some memorable examples.
The images above, including the photo at top, show Parr's flat in Eaton Square. Note that striking carpet in photos #3 and #4; named "Rocksavage", it's a replica of the carpet at Cholmondeley Castle.
A more recent photo of Parr in the famous Yellow Room at Colefax and Fowler. It was Parr who, in the early 1960s, recommended that the firm purchase the lease to their showroom at 39 Brook Street in Mayfair. The showroom remains at that location today.
A drawing room in a Swiss villa that was decorated by Parr. Again, "Rocksavage" carpet was used. According to Mr. Worthington, the velvet was stamped in Parr's favorite "Sans Gene" pattern.
Parr also designed a converted vicarage home for the Earl and Countess of Wilton.
Designed by Parr in the late 1960s, the decor of the drawing room at Easton Grey (an 18th century house owned by Didi and Peter Saunders) still looks fresh today.
A drawing room in a stone manor house near Bath that was decorated by Parr.
In this bedroom at Chicheley Hall in Buckinghamshire, Parr created a lighter look by painting the room's original c. 1720 paneling in tones of blue. "Charlotte" chintz was used throughout the room.
The dining room in "The Cottage" at Badminton. Parr decorated it for the Somersets before David Somerset became Duke of Beaufort, at which time the family moved into the grander Badminton House. The Duke and Duchess of Beaufort were long-time clients of Parr.
A Parr decorated drawing room at Albany, London.
A more exotic Parr scheme in the Turkish Room at a Mayfair flat. The chairs were Colefax copies of an 18th c. century chair bought by Parr at Sotheby's 25 years earlier.
The first four photos of Parr's Eaton Square flat are from Living in Vogue
Friday, September 02, 2011
A New Bohemian Vignette
Earlier this summer, I was asked by Lauren Ralph Lauren and Bloomingdale's to participate in a marketing campaign to celebrate the new Fall 2011 Lauren Home bedding collections. Michelle Adams, Marisa Marcantonio, Eddie Ross, and I were each assigned one of the new bedding ensembles and given the task of styling a room using the selected bedding along with furniture and accessories by both Ralph Lauren and Lauren Home. The results were photographed for a feature article that will be published in the upcoming Bloomingdale's September Home Book.
The bedding that Lauren Home chose for me was "New Bohemian", a collection that includes leopard print sheets, paisley duvet and pillow shams, and black and purple accent pieces. I was also assigned a Queen-size Brook Street Bed as well as the Brook Street Chest, a black piece with faux-croc drawer fronts and very cool antiqued silver pulls. (It looks terrific in person.) I also selected a few accessories from their line, including a lamp, crystal barware, and a jewelry box.
After I was told that I was to style the "New Bohemian" collection, I really debated about how far to take the eclectic look. As you have probably figured out by now, the words "bohemian" and "eclectic" have never been used to describe me. Ultimately, I decided to create a space that reflected my personal style. Of course, I also wanted the vignette to tell a story, so I decorated the room to look as though I was preparing for a formal night out on the town, hence my use of an evening dress, jacket, opera glasses, and a flute of champagne. I pulled in accent furniture from my home, artwork that hangs on my walls, and accessories that are usually scattered throughout my apartment. I think (or at least I hope) that the result is a refined sense of eclecticism.
The shoot took place in a private home here in Atlanta, and I had such fun decorating and styling my space. The people at Ralph Lauren even styled me with an outfit as well as a pair of amazing shoes from their Fall collection. I often wear heels as high as this pair, though I will admit that ballet flats were worn while styling the space.
The vintage toffee leather screen, the corkscrew drinks table, the ballroom chair, and the brass bench at the foot of the bed were all pieces that I brought to the shoot. The black velvet and red plaid evening gown hanging from the screen is an early 1990s Ralph Lauren gown that I wore to a Christmas formal. I also hung a vintage Chinese table screen above the bed for interest. Of course, I couldn't resist bringing in books from my library to display on the small bench.
I peppered the space with paintings done by my sister. In this shot, we switched out my lucite lamp that was featured in the previous photo for this crystal Ralph Lauren lamp. The cream ceramic compote was a wedding gift given to my parents, and Lush Life created a stunning arrangement of succulents for it.
What I would give for that gorgeous Ralph Lauren shagreen jewelry box! I added a few of my necklaces to it. The small silver plated pail was once a Ralph Lauren candle votive that I bought from Owen Lawrence. I usually keep it on my bar to hold swizzle sticks, but here I added dark purple Lilies and green Hydrangea to it.
The Broughton champagne flute and Niles nut bowl are both by Ralph Lauren Home and were borrowed for the shoot.
My Chinese Bird book about which I've written before was placed on the floor. A Ralph Lauren Home Warren standing magnifier rests on top.
Thursday, September 01, 2011
Jardin de Brécy
While I was on my quest for photos of silver orange tree tubs, I found a Veranda article on the gardens at Château de Brécy in Normandy. Unfortunately, I can't figure out from which issue I pulled this article, but I do know that the beautiful photos were taken by Jacques Dirand.
Barbara and Didier Wirth, the current owners of the château, were encouraged to purchase it in the early 1990s by Hubert de Givenchy. Givenchy had considered buying the property in the mid-1950s, but because he was a young man at the time, he found the amount of work needed to restore the property to be daunting. The gardens at Château de Brécy are some of the few remaining French gardens dating back to the first half of the seventeenth century. The main garden is made up of five parterres. There is also some beautiful ornamental stonework. Unfortunately, not much is known about original plantings as little documentation about the gardens' design survives.
As you can see in the photos, the Wirths have done a remarkable job restoring the garden. I'm now curious about what the interiors of the house look like.
All images from Veranda, Jacques Dirand photographer.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
A Sterling Specimen
The two photos above have become etched in my memory. You might think that the 18th c. Chinese wallpaper has something to do with it, but that's only a minor part of this story. It's those silver-plated orange tree tubs that I'm gaga for. Are they not beautiful? The tubs and the dining room housing them are located at Givenchy's château at Le Jonchet. (The photos above as well as many other images of Le Jonchet can be found in Christiane de Nicolay-Mazery's terrific book French Interiors: The Art of Elegance
According to de Nicolay-Mazery's book, Givenchy was inspired to commission the silver-plated tubs after similar ones owned by M. and Mme. Arturo Lopez-Willshaw. Unfortunately, I can find no photos of the Lopez-Willshaw tubs, although I wonder if photos of them ever appeared in any old auction catalogues. I even turned my library upside down trying to find images of other silver-plated tubs, but to no avail. I did, however, find a mention of Louis XIV's own silver orange tree tubs in Nancy Mitford's The Sun King
Since I'm only showing a scant two photos of silver tree tubs, I'm including photos below of the Orangery at Versailles as blog post filler. If any of you know of other examples of these beautiful tubs, please let me know.
The Orangery at Chateau de Versailles
French Interiors: The Art of Elegance
