Tom Britt the Mix Master

One thing that I admire about designer Tom Britt's work is that it is usually loaded with personality. No where is this more true than in this Long Island home that Britt decorated back in the late 1960s, a house that in fact possessed many different personalities. Ignoring the generally held belief that a house should be a sum of like-minded rooms, Britt gave each room its own arresting color palette. Bright yellows, pinks, blues, and greens were used throughout. What unified the home and kept it from seeming schizophrenic were the red painted floors and white walls that were found throughout the house.

The most interesting twist to this house, though, is that Britt employed the same three fabrics throughout the house, though he used them in different colorways for each room: in the living room, a palm tree and animal motif print appears in both a pink and white colorway as well as in a stronger pink and yellow version; in the master bedroom, a punchy floral print was used in what appears to be a warm orange color, while in the guest bedroom, it shows up in yellow; in two guest rooms, the same plaid fabric was used in both a green and a blue colorway.

If you want to do as Britt did and use the same fabrics multiple times but in different colors, you might want to consider using some of Quadrille's prints for a similar effect. But, I do think that giving each room its own unique look is something that should be done with caution. I personally think it's easier to decorate your home's rooms so that they're all on the same page, but then, I'm not Tom Britt.





The Master Bedroom




A Guest Bedroom which had the same fabric as that in the master bedroom, though here it was used in the yellow version.




A Guest Bedroom with a green and white plaid print...




...and another Guest Bedroom with the blue and white version.



All photos from House Beautiful, July 1968, Faulconer-Fenn photographers.

High Style High Rise Tour

Atlantans, mark your calendars. Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles High Style High Rise Tour kicks off this Thursday, March 8. Taking place at The Residences at W Atlanta-Downtown, the tour (which, by the way, benefits the High Museum of Art) features six apartments that have been decorated by a talented pool of Atlanta designers: Amy Morris; Susan Ferrier; Bill Peace; Barbara Westbrook; Kerry Howard; and Michel Boyd. And to make the tour even more interesting, each designer collaborated with a particular retailer to help furnish their respective apartments. Retail partners include R Hughes, The Mercantile, Redefined Home Boutique, Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, Bradley-Hughes, and Room and Board.

I got a preview of the apartments yesterday, and I must commend all of the designers for their efforts. Both the designers and retailers made each apartment feel warm and comfortable, not always an easy task in a contemporary high rise building. Go see it for yourself and I don't think you'll be disappointed.

The tour runs through April 1. For more information, visit the tour's website or that of Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles.



The bedroom above plus the living room banquette at the top are part of Amy Morris' show house apartment, designed in conjunction with The Mercantile.





Susan Ferrier and her retail collaborator R Hughes are responsible for this chic unit.



Designer Michel Boyd, working with Bradley-Hughes, gave his unit an eclectic yet sleek look.




Bill Peace worked with Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams on this masculine, contemporary unit that is filled with amazing art. You can see two works by Louise Nevelson above the credenza. (Art from Alan Avery Art.)




Being a good Southern boy, Kerry Howard designed his apartment for a modern day Scarlett O'Hara- hence the pink accents. Redefined Home Boutique was Howard's design partner.


Not pictured: the unit designed by Barbara Westbrook and Room & Board.

All photos by Jennifer Boles for The Peak of Chic

Thomas Hamel Residence

Even before seeing the work of designer Thomas Hamel, I was intrigued by his background. Both a Virginia native and a Parish-Hadley alum, Hamel moved around the world to Australia in 1990 where he started his own design firm. Twenty some odd years later, Hamel is still entrenched in Australia and doing quite well. I find that not just impressive, but brave too.

I recently finished reading a monograph of Hamel's work titled Residence. It's an interesting book that captures the range of the designer's work. In the introduction, Hamel writes that "In America, for example, where the market is huge, interior designers tend to be known for one look, and offer up that one particular style of design or point of view." It's something that Hamel believes doesn't work in Australia where the market is much smaller. And based on the book's photos, it seems that his Australian clients have given him free rein to work in a multitude of styles. (You can see for yourself in the photos below.)

While I can see the influence that Hamel's adopted country has had on him, his Southern roots are still very much in evidence. Even in the most contemporary of his interiors, there is a comfort and a graciousness to the homes that I suspect can be traced back to his Virginia upbringing. And one more thing that I think is worth noting: Hamel mentions in the book that his favorite book as a child was one about the Thorne miniature rooms at the Art Institute of Chicago. I'm sure there are those people who might find that a strange choice for a child, but if anyone can understand his childhood fascination with that book, it is definitely you and me!























All photos from "Residence", Hardie Grant Books publisher, 2011, Matt Lowden photographer.

Kitchen Wisdom from James Beard

One of my favorite vintage cookbooks is James Beard's Menus for Entertaining. I love Mr. Beard's no-nonsense advice on entertaining, including this admonition about the cocktail party, what Beard considered to be an "inferior form of entertaining":

"By all means have your house looking its best, use your best crystal and china, and have the food impeccably turned out, but don't be chi-chi. The results may be silly."

While many of Beard's recipes have aged quite nicely, others seem more like relics. Case in point- Lihamurekepiiras, otherwise known as Swedish Pâté en Croute. What doesn't seem dated, though, is Beard's kitchen wisdom. I found a few tips of his that I think many of you cooks might appreciate. While some seem a little obvious, others are really rather clever. Call me clueless, but I had no idea that cooking curry in oil for a few minutes helps to develop the flavor. Did you?




"Chopping blocks are always kept clean with a pastry scraper and damp cloth, or after preparing fish, rubbed with a half lemon, then rinsed."






In Beard's kitchen, "Vegetables and pasta are kept on the floor in large earthenware crocks, eggs at room temperature in a wire basket, oils in splendid cologne bottles with ground glass stopped. A French marmite holds spoons and ladles; and a pewter beer mug, pastry brushes."





"Mr. Beard puts 6 to 8 vanilla beans to steep in a small bottle of cognac- the result, vanilla flavoring with a beautiful aroma, superior taste."





"Black Italian or Greek olives are pitted quickly, simply by squeezing them."





"Curry powder, even if it is to be used in a salad or other cold dish or sauce, is first cooked in a little butter or oil over very low heat for about 2 minutes to develop the flavor."




"The bottom of a cooked pastry shell for quiche is glazed with egg yolk and baked 2 minutes more to keep the pastry from becoming soggy later."





"If raisins and currants are called for, Mr. Beard plumps them up first with a drop of Madeira. 'Much better than adding water,' he says."

Tips from House & Garden, April 1970.

Very Honored

I found out late Monday night that I won the Design Bloggers Hall of Fame award for Best Writing. The awards were handed out as part of the Design Bloggers Conference presented by Design Sherpa. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend this year's conference, but based on what I've seen on Twitter, a great time was had by all. I can't begin to tell you how honored I am to have received this award, especially considering the caliber of the other nominees including Style Court, Mrs. Blandings, Emily Evans Eerdmans, and Quintessence. Other Hall of Fame award winners include Tobi Fairley, Cassandra LaValle, and Meredith Heron.

A big thanks to all of you for your readership and your support over the last six years. Blogging wouldn't be nearly as much fun without such interesting, lively, and intelligent readers. And a special thank you to my pal Scot Meacham Wood for accepting the award on my behalf. Scot, you're the best!

A Kitchen Lunch in Paris

There are only two rooms in my home in which I'd have no problem going modern, and those would be the kitchen and the bathroom. I actually like kitchens that look clinical and a little antiseptic. Those 1930s kitchens that were white and chrome and spartan looking? I especially love those. But I'm starting to change my mind just a bit thanks to the photo above. It's a kitchen in Paris that was photographed in 1970. I think it's the most charming looking kitchen. This photo made me realize that I miss traditional, decorated kitchens.

The photo above, which showed the Paris kitchen of American-born Beatrice Howell Dabney, accompanied a magazine article on lunches served in one's kitchen. Dabney was quoted as saying, "I'm one of those who believe you must not take the food to the dining room but the dining room to the kitchen." While I personally don't think it's appropriate to host formal dinners or lunches in the kitchen, it's perfectly acceptable to serve a casual lunch or dinner there, especially if one's kitchen looks like that of Mrs. Dabney. That said, if you live in warm climates, you might want to nix dining in the kitchen unless you're serving a cold lunch or supper. The heat that the oven throws off might make kitchen dining a tad bit uncomfortable during the summer.

Mrs. Dabney liked to serve simple yet tasty meals, and she created the menu below for her kitchen lunch in Paris. This being the 1970s, her lunches were preceded by preprandial drinks including Champagne Cocktail (recipe below), Pernod on the rocks, or Dubonnet served either straight up or mixed with dry vermouth. I must say that the drinks also sound quite tasty, but if I were to indulge, a postprandial nap would be in order for me.

Mrs. Beatrice Dabney's Lunch in Paris

Finnan Haddie Souffle
Grilled Chicken Diable
Wine: Château du Nozet
Green Salad
Fromage Coulommiers
Coffee


Grilled Chicken Diable
2 lb broiling chicken
4 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 cups fresh white bread crumbs

Split chicken in half lengthwise. Spread both sides with Dijon mustard, then pat bread crumbs into both sides. Preheat broiler. Place chicken, skin side up, on a grill over a roasting pan about 8 inches below the heat. Broil about 15 minutes, until skin side is fairly brown, turn, and broil 10-15 minutes longer, until chicken is cooked. Serves 2.


Champagne Cocktail
Soak 2 small sugar cubes, one in Benedictine, one in crème de cacao. Place them in the bottom of a champagne flute and fill with chilled Bollinger Brut or Extra Dry Champagne.


Recipes and photo from House & Garden, March 1970

R Hughes Showroom

I recently spent a morning at R Hughes, a boutique furniture, lighting, and fabric showroom located on Atlanta's West Side. Representing lines such as Ochre, Jiun Ho Collection, Helene Aumont, Chip and Company, and Jean de Merry, R Hughes provides a well-edited selection of furnishings that blur the line between contemporary and traditional. There are a lot of updated, clean-lined pieces that would make any die hard modernist happy, and yet the traditionalists like me have not been overlooked. Just look at that green leather wing chair above, part of the Coup Studio Collection by Coup d'Etat. I'm absolutely gaga for that chair.

There were three lines in particular that stood out to me. One was the aforementioned Coup Studio Collection that was recently introduced by San Francisco based Coup d'Etat. What struck me about the collection in particular was the seating. The sofas, chairs, and benches look more like custom pieces to me and are far more unique that much of the seating that is on the market today. Also catching my eye were two Southern lines: Avrett and Coleman Taylor Textiles. Take a look at all three collections below, but be sure to visit R Hughes as well. There is so much more than what my camera captured.

For more information on these lines, contact R Hughes at 404.607.8807 or steven@r-hughes.com



Coup Studio Collection's tufted Victorian Conversational is actually two separate pieces. Put them back to back or place each half against a wall.



A pair of Coup Collection's pony hair benches.



This version of Coup Collection's tufted sofa is covered in a pickle green velvet.



Coup's Regency style sofa is really sumptuous looking.









Based in Montgomery, Alabama, the Coleman Taylor Textiles line features neutral colored linen fabrics whose prints are hand painted in metallic paints. You can see the pattern colors that are available in the photo which shows the fabric swatch with painted birds. There are around 8 different patterns available which can be ordered as all over prints or as borders. Custom designs are also possible.






And finally, we have Avrett, a hand-crafted furniture, lighting, and accessories line out of Charleston. Avrett is especially noted for its metalwork. Just take a look at that Gothic style firescreen. If only I had a working fireplace!

A Ruthie Sommers Project For Sale

Although I have no plans to abandon Atlanta anytime soon, I do like to peruse Manhattan real estate listings from time to time. The other night while visiting the Stribling website, I found a listing for a townhouse that I recognized as having been decorated by Ruthie Sommers. You might remember it as the bachelor apartment that was featured in the November 2010 issue of Lonny.

As I recall, the Lonny article got a lot of positive coverage in the blogosphere as it was more masculine than many of Sommers' projects, a look that was obviously appropriate for her bachelor client. It was certainly no less attractive than Ruthie's other work, just different. You can see the interior photos below, some of which were featured in the Lonny article and some that I had not yet seen.

For more information on the listing, please click here.



























All photos from the Stribling website.