Tom Parr in the Early Days

You might recall the blog post that I wrote last fall about the career of the late, great decorator Tom Parr. Parr, who served for decades as the Chairman of Colefax and Fowler and was responsible for much of the firm's success, was one of the last of the gentleman decorators. His work possessed an English sensibility, appearing refined, elegant, and yet comfortable too.

Because so many of you are Tom Parr fans (and I include myself in this category,) I thought you might be interested in these c. 1967 photos of Parr's Eaton Square, Belgravia flat. (The flat, by the way, appears to be the same as that featured in a 2009 blog post of mine. Click here to compare the two versions.) Taken from the book House & Garden Guide to Interior Decoration, the photos are striking in that they capture a home that is quite a contrast to much of the zany, wacky, and colorful interiors that were typical of the era. It's obvious that even as a young man, Parr was confident in his sense of style, not falling for the popular trends of the day. In fact, the book's text says, "Study the pictures for further evidence of Mr. Parr's triumphant defiance of all the decorative dicta that have been uttered by the pundits."

So, to Toby Worthington, who has provided me with so much Tom Parr information in the past, and all of the other Tom Parr devotees out there, this post is for you.







The three photos above (including the one at top) show Parr's drawing room.





Parr's bedroom. Note the jib door as well as the Charles X period needlework rug.



The dining room had red walls, red curtains, and a red tablecloth.

For The Love of Corgis

"Elizabeth, Princess of York, the seven-year-old granddaughter of the King of England, has set her fancy on a corgi or Welsh cattle dog, one of a very ancient breed. But, strange to say, this old farm dog variety has come under the notice of the bench show public only during the last ten years. "
-House Beautiful, February 1934


We all know of Queen Elizabeth II's love of the Pembroke Welsh Corgi. For as long as most of us can remember, she has been surrounded by a coterie of beloved Corgis. In fact, it's the Queen who is often credited with popularizing the breed. According to a 2007 Telegraph article, the young Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret first fell in love with Corgis after seeing those owned by the Marquess of Bath. In 1933, both girls received their very own Corgis, Dookie and Jane. Dookie, who you can see above with Princess Elizabeth in 1936, was named as such because upon his birth, he was selected to be given to the Duke of York's household.

I recently stumbled across the brief, newsy paragraph that leads off this post in the February 1934 issue of House Beautiful. Back in the 1930s and 40s, most of the house and garden type magazines devoted a few pages in each issue to dog news, breeding, and shows. It seems quaint now, but at the time, dog breeding and showing was a rather aristocratic pursuit. It's remarkable, in a way, that after almost eighty years, Queen Elizabeth is still devoted to the same breed. I guess what they say is true: first loves never die.

Princess Elizabeth with Dookie, by Marcus Adams, 1938. The Royal Collection © 2011,Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.



Queen Elizabeth II with her corgi Susan. Studio Lisa, 1952.



Queen Elizabeth II welcoming her corgis on board, 1984.




A portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Michael Leonard, painted in 1985-86.

Condé Nast Prints

I was recently offered a free print from the Condé Nast Store and Art.com. As many of you know, the Condé Nast Store sells prints of photographs and illustrations that have appeared in their various publications including Vogue, The New Yorker, and House & Garden. I thought no more of the offer until I wrote my blog post a few weeks back on vintage illustrated advertisements, something that prompted me to visit the Condé Nast site. After taking a look at the store's website, I decided to take them up on their offer out of curiosity.

Trying to choose my print was difficult. The site offers thousands of prints featuring the work of Christian Bérard, Cecil Beaton, René Bouché, Horst, and others. Did I want an illustration from the 1930s? A Vogue cover from the 1950s? A 1960s table setting photo from House & Garden? I finally settled on a print of a Christian Bérard illustration that appeared in the October 1935 issue of Vogue. (That's it, above.)

I was a little skeptical about what the quality of the print might be. I'm usually not so keen on reproductions nor prints that are offered online. However, I have to say that when I received it, I was very pleasantly surprised. It appears to be good quality, and while it doesn't have the old patina that an original illustration from this era would possess, it's still a charming print. My only complaint is that beneath the illustration is a caption with the Condé Nast copyright. Just something to keep in mind should you order your print framed.

While you're probably not going to display these prints in places where important art should be hung, they would look terrific in powder rooms, bathrooms, dressing rooms, and offices. The gorgeous photos of food that appeared in Gourmet magazine might look great if hung on the backsplash in your kitchen. Just be forewarned: it's very easy to spend hours browsing through the Condé Nast Store website.



A Cecil Beaton illustration from the March 1933 issue of Vogue.




A Horst photograph from the September 1965 issue of Vogue.



A Sal Traina photo of Truman Capote and Gloria Vanderbilt from W, May 1972.



A House & Garden photo by Herbert Matter that appeared in the January 1950 issue.



A Romulo Yanes photo from Gourmet, January 2001.


All photos the copyright of Condé Nast and Art.com

The Joy of Decorating with Phoebe Howard

I was so excited to receive an advance copy of designer Phoebe Howard's new book, The Joy of Decorating, Southern Style with Mrs. Howard. Like so many of you, I'm a fan of Phoebe's work. I'm so admiring of how much she and her husband, Jim, have accomplished over the last few years. But I do admit that I'm a little biased. Phoebe and Jim live in my building, and I consider them to be fun neighbors and friends too.

Pardon the pun, but Phoebe's book is a real "joy" to read. The photos of Phoebe's timeless interiors are full of design inspiration, but more importantly to me, they're daydream-inducing as well. It's not hard to imagine oneself in one of Phoebe's pink bedrooms or Chinoiserie inspired living rooms. I've selected a few of the book's photos to show below including one of Phoebe and Jim's Galley Kitchen in their Atlanta pied-à-terre. (Let's just say that my galley kitchen is a far cry from theirs!) But please don't overlook the text. Writer Susan Sully has done a great job at conveying Phoebe's thoughts on the design process.

Phoebe has offered The Peak of Chic readers a 20% discount off the retail price if you purchase from her website. (Click here to be taken to the correct page.) Make sure to use coupon code POCJOD. And another bonus if you buy the book on her website: a paint chart that lists Phoebe's favorite paint colors will be included. I can already tell that this will be a valuable tool the next time I paint my home.

Click here to see a list of cities that Phoebe will be visiting on her book tour.

Pamela Tidwell and Vieuxtemps Porcelain

Last week, my friend Kappy hosted a lunch in honor of her dear friend Pamela Tidwell, a very talented porcelain artist based in Greenville, GA. Pamela's porcelain collection, Vieuxtemps Porcelain, is reminiscent of antique Chelsea and Meissen. I first became enchanted with her porcelain peapods, stalks of asparagus, heads of lettuce, and other fruits and vegetables after having seen them at the Atlanta shop B.D. Jeffries. But what I didn't realize until last week is that Pamela recently branched out into porcelain potted flowers which, I must say, are truly magnificent.

For our lunch, the table was set with an array of Pamela's porcelain flowers, all nestled within charming porcelain pots, plus a few heads of lettuce. It was the most lovely setting for a ladies lunch! Imagine dining amongst colorful and delicate Hydrangea, Roses, and Grape Hyacinth. The only thing missing was the floral fragrance, but the beauty of the pieces more than made up for it. Needless to say, I'm now absolutely smitten with her porcelain flowers and vegetables.

Pamela's porcelain pieces can be viewed on her website as well as at retail shops including B.D. Jeffries and Boxwood Gardens in Atlanta and Vieuxtemps in Charleston. But what's really exciting is that her collection is now available on Taigan. If you collect porcelain or if you are passionate about flowers, I urge you to take a look at Vieuxtemps Porcelain. You won't be sorry.



Hydrangea



English Roses



Lily of the Valley



Grape Hyacinth



Foxglove and Morning Glory



White Hydrangea



Foxglove



White Geranium



White Hydrangea and Yellow Auricula






Heads of Lettuce





All photos by Jennifer Boles for The Peak of Chic

Nourishing Decor

Before winter is over, I plan to do as Constance Spry once suggested and create an arrangement made entirely of kale. For dining, I'm more of a collard greens person myself, but collards just wouldn't have the same effect in an arrangement as kale. Kale has that wonderful texture thanks to its curly leaves.

Spry's kale arrangement reminded me of some beautiful table settings that I have seen in which vegetables and fruits were the main decoration. Now we're not talking about watermelons cut to resemble baskets holding fruit salad or hollowed out heads of cabbage doing duty as dip bowls. (Although I have to say that I am fond of those watermelon baskets.) Rather, I'm thinking of more organic, natural arrangements like those on the tables of designer Diane Burn (a photo of her dining room is above) and Julie Janklow (see below.) Don't those vegetable centerpieces remind you of Dutch still lifes? The Burn table looks like a vegetarian Lucullan feast.

And then last week, I saw the cover of the July 1935 issue of House & Garden in which a farm scene was created entirely of vegetables. Clever yes, but not quite as elegant as the Burn and Janklow tables. Still, it was in keeping with the fruit and vegetable theme that has been running through my head, so it seemed appropriate to include in this post.

Anyway, take a look below and you might be inspired to create your own vegetable tableaux. The beauty of these arrangements is that they can always be used later for stew or soup.




Spry considered kale to be "one of the most valuable of all plants for winter decorations." The arrangement at top included Purple Kale and Callicarpa Berries, Mauve Rhododendrons, and Grey Lichen. The second arrangement was far more simple, composed only of kale leaves.





Julie Janklow's dining table set with a large cut-crystal punch bowl holding carrots and another bowl containing large strips of cucumber.





The cover of the July 1935 issue of House & Garden. The cow appears to be made of a potato and parsnip body and legume ears. I especially like that cauliflower sheep.




Of course, no post on fruits and vegetables would be complete without mentioning Arcimboldo and his fanciful paintings. "Vertumnus" (c.1590-91), seen above, depicts the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II as the Roman god of the seasons.


Photo of Diane Burn's table from Architectural Digest California Interiors; Spry photos from Flowers in House and Garden by Constance Spry. Janklow photo from an old issue of Vogue.