Trading Places

A friend recently gave me a copy of the December 2003 issue of House & Garden. While reading it, I found an article on the Jacques Grange designed New York pied à terre of Mathilde Agostinelli and family. When I saw the photo of the pink tufted guest beds (see the photo towards the bottom of the post), I immediately recognized them as those that also appeared in the Agostinelli's Paris apartment, featured in House & Garden, May 2006. After comparing the two articles, it seems that many of the pieces that once graced their New York apartment later ended up in their main Paris residence (also decorated by Grange.)

Of course, if I had that gorgeous Grange designed plaster mirror, the Lalanne side table, and those embroidered panels, I too would make sure that no matter where I lived, there would always be a place for those blue chip pieces. They look terrific on both sides of the pond.



In the New York apartment, the Jacques Grange designed mirror was placed in the foyer.




In Paris, it's in the living room.




To the left of the New York living room, a pair of 18th c. bénitiers (holy water vessels) stood against one wall. One holds a silver champagne bucket with flowers. A Lalanne side table holds a drink tray.




The Lalanne table was later used in the Paris master bedroom. Note the wooden chair and Murano chandelier in the bathroom. The same pieces graced the New York foyer, shown in the second photo.




The holy water vessels later appeared in the Paris dining room, this time holding enormous shells.




Embroidered wall panels by Ernest Boiceau figured prominently into the scheme of the New York dining room.




In Paris, they were hung in the living room.




The pink tufted beds were placed next to each other in the New York guest bedroom. I'm taken with those small duvets.




And then here they are in the daughter's bedroom in Paris.



New York apartment photos from House & Garden, December 2003, Thibault Jeanson photographer. Paris photos from House & Garden, May 2006, Francois Halard photographer.

The Pavilion of the Soaring Kingfisher Bird

I have a wonderful pen pal in Santa Barbara who has led the most fascinating life. Her name is Beverley Jackson, and she seems to have traveled everywhere and met everyone along the way. For years, Beverley was a columnist for the Santa Barbara News-Press, but what I find even more interesting is that she is an authority on 18th and 19th c. Chinese life, dress, and customs. She has a noted collection of Chinese robes, something that eventually led to her friendship with the late Rudolf Nureyev, also a collector of Chinese robes. She has written numerous books on Chinese culture, including Splendid Slippers: A Thousand Years of an Erotic Tradition, Ladder to the Clouds: Intrigue and Tradition in Chinese Rank, and the recently released The Beautiful Lady Was A Palace Eunuch. She is currently working on her next book, Living Like a Rothschild, which is based on her friendship with the late Baron and Baronne Philippe de Rothschild. And if that wasn't enough, she also writes an intriguing blog that chronicles the wonderful adventures that she's had in her life.

Beverley is noted for her stylish and effortless entertaining, but there is something unusual about where she hosts her seated dinners. She does so in bed...actually, a wonderfully elaborate 18th century Chinese alcove wedding bed! Beverley found the antique bed in a shop outside of Santa Barbara and had to have it. Because she already had a beautiful bed on which she sleeps (it's a copy of the bed that once belonged to Pauline de Rothschild), she decided to use the wedding bed as a dining chamber.

After having the bed restored, she placed it in a room whose walls were painted with 2/3 black and 1/3 burnt umber paint- a color that seems to cast a glow on the bed at night. She also added a wooden moon window on the inside of one of the room's picture windows to help integrate the bed into the space. (You can see the wooden window in the photo that immediately follows this text.) On the bed itself, the restorer added a false floor and banquettes that can be removed, leaving the bed's integrity intact. Four people can dine in the bed itself, while two additional guests can dine in the antechamber on two small 18th c. chairs and two small huanghuali 18th c. tables. If Beverley invites six guests to dinner, she simply sits outside of the bed and dines from a tray on her lap!

Beverley usually entertains in a casual fashion. Table linens are often made from fun cotton fabrics decorated with Chinese themes. When she does entertain with more formal dinners, she is assisted by Vicki and Fernando who don Chinese robes in keeping with the surroundings. One constant though is that Beverley makes sure to serve very good wines, some that are from the vineyards of her dear, late friend Philippe de Rothschild.

And in case you're wondering what the "Pavilion of the Soaring Kingfisher Bird" means, I'll explain. Beverley has a large collection of items made from Kingfisher feathers and has written a book on the subject, Kingfisher Blue: Treasures of an Ancient Chinese Art. In fact, she includes the room's name on her fill-invitations which you can see below.

I hope to make a trip to Santa Barbara soon so that I can see the dining bed for myself! In the meantime, I'm getting the lay of the land thanks to these photos that Beverley sent me. And by the way, that's Beverley in the top photo, standing in the alcove of the bed. Her miniature wirehair dachshund, Rennie Jackson, just had to be in the photo too.

For a complete list of Beverley's books, click here.



A detail photo of one corner of the alcove bed with the wooden moon window next to it. The peacock is a recent addition to the pavilion.




This is the way Beverley usually sets the table. Beverley believes that the paintings were not original to the bed but were added later.




An article which profiled Beverley's unique style of entertaining.




Her helper, Fernando, wearing a Chinese robe.




Beverley's Smythson fill-in invitations.





Kirk and Anne Douglas and Joanne Kendall supping in Beverley's bed. Even Julia Child dined in it!




Here you can really see the bed in all of its splendor. The giant fortune cookie was a prop from a film that was shot in the Soaring Kingfisher Bird Pavilion.




All photos courtesy of Beverley Jackson.

Decorating with Confidence

While perusing my bookshelves this past weekend, I found the book Decorating with Confidence by Jose Wilson and Arthur Leaman. I have no recollection of buying it and can't figure out from where it came. The book fairy, I suppose. Anyway, what was interesting about the book is that most of the interiors were done by designers with whom I'm not familiar. I have a feeling that when the book was published (1973), many of the featured designers were probably prominent names in the design industry...or perhaps they went on to become prominent names later in their careers.

I've written so many posts on the likes of Billy Baldwin and Dorothy Draper that I decided it was time to devote one to the talented designers whose names may not necessarily roll off of our tongues. It would be interesting to know what has become of these designers, don't you think?






A small tented dining room by designer Jane Victor



J. Neil Stevens of McMillen,Inc. fashioned a small library and games area out of a hallway leading to the master bedroom. The striped fabric, used on walls and furniture, was used horizontally to make the narrow space seem wider.




Crystal bibelots, displayed on the cocktail table, add some sparkle, as do those metal screens. Reg Adams, designer.




A trompe l'oeil Fornasetti secretary holds shells in this room by George Headly.




I wonder if this room designed by David Holcomb might have been a display room for a department store.




You have to admit that the projected image of the Sistine Chapel is kind of wacky, but rather clever too. Room by C. Ray Smith.




A masculine space with walls covered in herringbone fabric. Jerome Manashaw, designer.





This one room apartment epitomizes the early 1970s aesthetic. Allen Stuart was the designer.




A half-canopy was created using curtain rods and fabric. R. Holland Trull, designer.




Logan Brown found all of this sitting room's furniture, lighting, and accessories at Goodwill.




Portuguese tile wallpaper makes an interesting backdrop for copper cookware. Michael Brown, designer.

Photo at top: I'm crazy for the Bargello runner in this living room designed by Carl Steele of Kunzig & Steele.

All photos from Decorating with Confidence by Jose Wilson and Arthur Leaman

Know When to Fold 'Em

The first time a folding chair made a big impression on me was when I was a young student at the Atlanta Ballet. I remember that my rather stern ballet mistress, Miss Joanne, used to conduct class while sitting in a folding director's chair. I can't recall if the canvas back was emblazoned with her name, but considering the fact that the Atlanta Ballet was a serious ballet school, I'm assuming that it didn't. Truth be told, I have never thought that those oak directors chairs were much to look at, although I do understand the practicality of them. And for a while there, back in the 1970s and early 80s, canvas and wood directors chairs were used in quite a few homes.

While I was reading the 30th anniversary edition of World of Interiors, I was struck by the photo, above, of the tented room at Charlottenhof. Believe it or not, it wasn't so much the tented walls and ceiling that caught my attention, but rather the folding wood and metal campaign chairs that were covered in that jaunty striped canvas. It reminded me, in a way, of Miss Joanne's chair, although I find the example at Charlottenhof much more appealing.

I've rounded up some photos of metal folding chairs. Some appear to be campaign pieces, while others are slick metal versions of the modern director's chair. And the beauty of these chairs is that not only do they look great, they can also be folded up and stored away when not in use. If you live in a small space, these chairs can really be a godsend. That said, some of these chairs are so stylish, you might not want to stow them away.



Here, a folding metal chair finished with black leather was used as a desk chair. Interior by Charles Dear, c. late 1960s.



These dining chairs may not have actually been folding, but they have the look of old campaign chairs. In the Paris apartment of Mme Goldsmith, early 1960s.





A sleek take on the director's chair. The chrome and black leather chairs were used in a dining room, while a white leather version was used at a card table.



I couldn't resist showing this photo of the late Audrey Hepburn's director's chair in the home of Hubert de Givenchy.


Photo at top: World of Interiors, Dec 2011, Fritz von der Schulenburg photographer. Photo #3 from Nouvelles Reussites de La Decoration Francaise 1960-1966; Photos #2, #4, and #5 from House and Garden's Complete Guide to Interior Decoration.

Philip Johnson's Curtain Call

I was recently discussing the late Philip Johnson with my friend, Keith. He was fortunate enough to have visited Johnson's Glass House when it first opened to public, while I hope to make the pilgrimage this year. The conversation reminded me of a May, 1934 House & Garden article which profiled the Manhattan duplex of Johnson. According to the article, the duplex (which, by the way, he shared with his sister) was comprised of the two upper floors of a townhouse located on East 49th Street.

When Johnson bought the apartment, the lower floor was divided into a two story studio living room, a reception hall, another small room, and a kitchen. The bedrooms were located on the upper floor. Johnson tore out the walls between each room on the lower floor (with the exception of the kitchen), effectively creating one large room. Where the walls once stood, though, Johnson installed curtains that helped to delineate the spaces. What's interesting is that Johnson chose different colored fabric for each set of curtains. Johnson typically left the curtains half drawn so as to give "a vista the entire length of the apartment." If he were to entertain large groups, the curtains were left wide open. In the photo above, you can see how the apartment's lower floor looked when all of the curtains were open.

Pale ecru linoleum was used throughout the apartment to create a sense of continuity. Johnson chose a dull white plaster finish for all of the walls and ceilings so as to give the appearance of lightness. The furniture included now classic pieces like the Barcelona daybed, chairs, and ottoman by Mies van der Rohe.

On a Philip Johnson related note, Birch Cooper of Birch Books has recently written a book profiling Johnson's library at the Glass House. The book includes photographs of 100 different volumes found in Johnson's library as well as a complete inventory of the titles located at the Glass House. All proceeds from the book will go towards conservation efforts of Johnson's library at the Glass House. For more information on Cooper's book, please click here.




The two-story living area that was at one end of the open space.



When drawn, blue serge curtains between the reception hall and the living area created privacy for dining.



The view from the study, looking towards the reception hall and then to the living area beyond. Curtains were also hung along the exterior walls to cover the floor to ceiling windows.


All photos from House & Garden, May 1934.

My Entertaining Resolution

When I entertain, it usually amounts to cocktails and at times heavy hors d'oeuvres. But this year, I resolve to host a small dinner party on a monthly basis. And I'll continue to have people over for drinks as well because that's fun and easy. Alrighty then, I better start gearing up for all of this planned entertaining. Perhaps I should consult the designer Richard Nelson for advice. If you'll recall the post that I wrote about him in 2010, I mentioned that at one time, Richard hosted suppers for twelve people on average of four or five nights a week! Needless to say, I'm not that ambitious.

I do have a list of recipes that I want to try and things that I want to buy to help make my entertaining easier and more fun too. We'll see if this list helps me to achieve my goal.




1. I hope to finish out my place settings of my flatware, Tiffany & Co.'s Hampton. If I don't do it now, they'll probably discontinue it and then I'll be out of luck.




2. I want to learn more about buying wine. I'm tired of being at the mercy of others while shopping for it.




3. I resolve to start keeping a menu book. If you're wondering why, just read this article by Christopher Petkanas in T Magazine. Maureen Footer and Christopher Spitzmiller are doing it. Perhaps I should too.




4. I want to have custom fill-in invitations made. I have a few ideas floating around in my head. And fill-in invitations are great for informal dinners and drinks parties. Perhaps I'll see what Pickett's Press can do for me.




5. I plan to make a second attempt at Bill Blass' Meatloaf. I hate to be blasphemous, but the last time I prepared it, I wasn't so crazy about it. Maybe the second time will be the charm.




6. I must expand my hors d'oeuvres repertoire in hopes of giving Steven Stolman a run for his money. First up, James Beard's Onion Sandwiches. I'll be sure to have Altoids available for my guests too.




7. And finally, I want to host a party that is so fun and raucous that one of my guests ends up with a lampshade on his or her head! I think that the best way to encourage that to happen would be to serve some Hunch Punch.