The Hamptons and Hickory Chair

In my speech on "Timeless Interiors" that I presented a few weeks ago, I mentioned two designers whose work I believe will stand the test of time. Those two designers are Mario Buatta and Mark Hampton, two of the best decorators this business has ever seen. I have already written much about the two in the past and will continue to do so in the future.

But not until the day before I gave my lecture did I realize how appropriate it was to include Mark Hampton in a speech presented in Hickory, North Carolina. As you probably know, Mark Hampton created a wonderful line of furniture in collaboration with Hickory Chair. In fact, it was my friend Will Merrill who, while working at Hickory Chair as Design Director, was responsible for bringing Mark Hampton to the venerable furniture maker back in the 1980s. I was fortunate enough to have been given a fantastic tour of Hickory Chair while up in North Carolina, and while I certainly appreciated their furniture before the tour, I have even greater respect for it now. How impressive to learn that almost all of the furniture is still made in America! While on my Hickory Chair tour, I saw how furniture designed by the likes of Thomas O'Brien, Mariette Himes Gomez, Suzanne Kasler, Mark Hampton, and Alexa Hampton are made. While Mark Hampton's line has been edited down to a smaller number of items, Alexa's line is filled with all kinds of wonderful chairs, tables, and casegood pieces.

So, in the spirit of timeless interiors, the Hamptons, and Hickory, North Carolina's own Hickory Chair, I thought I would highlight a few pieces from the Hamptons' collections and also show a few of them in situ. While I had a heck of a time trying to find Mark Hampton designed interiors where his Hickory Chair line was used, I was able to find some great photos of Alexa's work where Hickory Chair furniture does make appearances, including a photo of a room in which she used a writing table that was part of her father's collection.

Mark Hampton Collection:




Regency Bamboo Writing Table, part of Mark Hampton's collection for Hickory Chair. According to Will, the table was part of the very first collection that Hampton did for Hickory Chair. Alexa used the table in one of her projects, seen above.



Faux Bamboo Bench, which I have always loved.



Tufted Victorian Pouff. Only Mark Hampton could make Victorian look good.



Alexa Hampton's Collection:



Ash Cocktail Table





Nadine Chairside Table






Chris Set of Four Trays



And I couldn't find an interior photo where the Susannah Side Table was used, but I'm showing it anyway because I absolutely love this piece:

Susannah Side Table


Alexa Hampton interior photos from Alexa Hampton: The Language of Interior Design.

More Zajac & Callahan

When I posted about the Edward Zajac auction week before last, a few of you requested that I share more photos of Zajac & Callahan interiors. It wasn't hard to find photos of their work as it was published quite frequently during the 1970s. In fact, all of the photos featured here came from just a few 1970 issues of House & Garden.

There really isn't much I need to add to the photos as they speak for themselves. However, I will say that it's important to keep in mind that such a heady mix of patterns and prints- a signature look of Zajac and Callahan- was really novel for the late 1960s and early 70s. And if the number of times their work appeared in shelter magazines is any indication, the look must have been quite a crowd pleaser as well.

Patmos Then and Now

Last week, I was attempting to organize my book collection when I came across my copy of An Island Sanctuary: A House in Greece by designer John Stefanidis. I had forgotten what a charming book it is. In case you haven't read it, the book profiles the Patmos home of Stefanidis, one that he shared for many years with the late Teddy Millington-Drake. The pair bought the centuries old island home in the 1960s and set out to respectfully renovate the old house. Over the years, Millington-Drake and Stefanidis created a home for themselves that was both comfortable and personal, a true island sanctuary.

What's funny is that while flipping through a 1970 House Beautiful, I found an article on the very same house. Although some of the furnishings and artwork seem to have changed over the years, the flavor and feel of the house seems to have remained much the same- and that is something that makes me admire the house that much more. Take a look at their Greek sanctuary as it appeared throughout the years, and I think that you too might long for an island home to call your own.


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Current photos from An Island Sanctuary: A House in Greece by John Stefanidis, Fritz Von Der Schulenburg photographer. 1970's photos from House Beautiful, Michael Boys photographer.

50 Shades of Grey

Ever hear of the book 50 Shades of Grey? Why, of course you have. It's all anyone seems to be talking about. I'm not going to add to the chatter about the book as bondage doesn't seem to be an appropriate topic for a design blog. (And the reason I know what it's about is not because I've read it. I learned about it from the New York Times. Really.)

I will pass along a funny story about the book, though. My good friend recently told me about her co-worker who bought the book for a retiring elementary school teacher because she thought it was a book about decorating! 50 Shades of Grey would be a great title for a book about color, so I don't think the co-worker was completely off her rocker!

The shades of grey in this post? Now these are some that we most definitely should discuss.



A Roman apartment



The home of Ramon Osuna, decorated by Antony Childs.



Tablesetting by Jean-François Daigre.




A room by Joseph D'Urso.




The home of Angelo Donghia.




The San Francisco home of John Dickinson.


Photo #1: Les Reussites De La Decoration Francaise: 1950-1960; #2: House & Garden Guide to Interior Decoration; #3: House and Garden's Best in Decoration; #4: Tiffany Taste; #5: Architectural Digest New York Interiors; #6 and #7: The New York Times Book of Interior Design and Decoration.