The Frenchwoman's Bedroom

Appearances can be deceiving.  I was reminded of that the other day while reading a friend's copy of The Frenchwoman's Bedroom by Mary-Sargent Ladd. During my initial flipping through, I saw a photo of Jacqueline de Ribes, a woman whose style I greatly admire.  Just look at her, above, wearing that fabulous silk caftan not to mention her perfectly made-up face and coiffed hair.  And yet, when I turned the page to see photos of her bedroom, I was a little surprised.  Not that there is anything wrong with her bedroom (see above), but it just wasn't what I was expecting.  I suppose that I assumed her bedroom would be brighter and layered with matching fabrics.  But it wasn't.  Well, as they say, you should never assume anything.

The entire book is really a gem with loads of photos showing chic French women in their homes.  (How refreshing that many of these women actually had wrinkles on their faces!  That's reassuring, don't you think?)  Their bedrooms are equally as chic and are filled with Porthault linen, Braquenié fabric, and all kinds of pretty things.  And while some bedrooms come as no surprise- the late Andrée Putman's bedroom was contemporary looking, as would be expected- there are still some like de Ribes' room that were unexpected.  Who would have guessed that the Marquise de Ravenel, photographed in her floral housecoat while holding her wire-haired dachshund, would have decorated her bedroom in such a crisp, orderly, and surprisingly modern-looking way!

Madame Sylvie Boutet de Monvel, daughter of famous aesthete Bernard Boutet de Monvel, lived in her father's home for her entire life. She maintained some of her father's decor, including the painted cupboards in her dressing room. Each cabinet was painted with women's clothing, including shoes, hats, and fans.

The bedroom of La Princesse Jeanne Marie de Broglie boasts sofa and curtain fabric from Geoffrey Bennison.

The elegant Mademoiselle Jacqueline Delubac had an equally elegant bedroom with furniture by Jansen. Paintings by Vuillard and Picasso stood alongside Porthault sheets.

You know that La Baronne Antoinette de Gunzbourg's bedroom would be cozy considering that she, like a few other women in the book, was photographed with her dog. Much of the bedroom was covered in a Chinoiserie print fabric from Lauer.

Madame Irith Landeau's bedroom is tranquil and warm.

The late Andrée Putman's bed was screened behind gray mosquito netting.

I adore La Marquise de Ravenel's bedroom which boasts a mixture of graphic prints. The Marquise needlepointed her bed, rug, and bed throw pillows.

La Baronne Edmond de Rothschild chose the famous Verrieres fabric for her bedroom.

La Baronne Gérard de Waldner hired her friend, designer François Catroux, to decorate her bedroom. Designer and client chose two floral prints from both Braquenié and Le Menach to create a flowery, feminine room.



All photos from The Frenchwoman's Bedroom by Mary-Sargent Ladd.

Dining by Design

I have written before about the homes of London-based designers Paolo Moschino and Philip Vergeylen .  What I enjoy about their work is that it is layered, a word that I realize has become ubiquitous.  But it really does describe their delectable interiors where each piece has flair and obviously been chosen with great care, and yet, no one piece appears conspicuous.  All of the room's elements create a lovely whole, with each piece only revealing itself upon a thorough inspection of the room.

Their Sussex farmhouse is featured in the March issue of House & Garden (UK), an issue which most of you have probably already read.  My neighborhood bookstore only just got the issue last week, so the article is current news to me.  Anyway, what really bowled me over was the farmhouse's dining room.  The room's blue and white mural (pictured above) was inspired the18th century French screen that hangs alongside it.  The effect is so pretty and elegant.  Is it typical of a farmhouse?  No, but that seems just the way the duo like it.  If this were my dining room, I would an especially happy person.

In fact, Moschino and Vergeylen seem especially talented when decorating dining rooms.  When bestowed with their handiwork, these rooms become positively magical.  Take a look below and see if you don't agree.

Three different views of the same dining room, above.

Moschino and Vergeylen's dining room in their London flat.

A slightly more casual yet not less polished dining room.


Photos #1 and #2 from House & Garden, March 2013, Simon Brown photographer. #6 from Architectural Digest, April 2012, Tim Beddow photographer.

A Paella Party

I so enjoy food and entertaining articles from the late 1960s and early 1970s because hosts and hostesses were then just starting to forgo elaborate dinner parties and numerous courses in favor of a simple style of entertaining. These bygone articles about one-pot dinners, make-ahead recipes, and stylish, comfortable table settings still inspire today, especially considering that most of us continue to prefer simplicity over fussiness when preparing our meals.

The photos featured in this post came from a 1971 House & Garden article. The fetching couple was Adriana and Dan Rowan, whose name some of you might recognize from the television show "Laugh-In". I admit that it was Mrs. Rowan's pink and black paisley hostess gown that initially caught my eye, but I also found the Rowans' dining room so attractive with its tile floor, the potted flowers placed everywhere, and that chic yet casually set table.  Terracotta potted tulips, Mexican tin chargers, brown earthenware plates, and plain crystal stemware were the proper accompaniments to a dinner in which paella was the main course.  (As Mrs. Rowan noted, "I like to cook in five languages- French, Italian, Spanish, German, and Mexican.")  And Mr. Rowan assisted in the preparations, too, by choosing wine from his well-stocked cellar.

Little about this dining room or the table looks dated, and I think the same can be said for that hostess gown too.  (The kitchen's linoleum floor and double ovens, on the other hand, scream 1970.) In fact, considering that paella, still a popular entertaining dish today, was on the menu, you might not know that this dinner party took place over forty years ago- until you see photos of the kitchen, of course.


Menu

Salted Soybean Nuts and Crudites

Paella

Green Salad with Raw Vegetables

Cheese Garlic Toast

Fruit Salad with Cointreau

Cheeses: Gourmandise, Blue, Swiss, Brie

Wine: Pouilly Fumé la Doucette 1964

Frescoes and Papal Conclaves

Much of the world will be following the upcoming Papal conclave including those of us who are not Catholic. Two aspects of the conclave especially intrigue me: the white smoke signaling the election of a new pope and the conclave's location in the Sistine Chapel. I have toured the Sistine Chapel on three separate occasions, and each visit was never long enough to soak in the Chapel's beauty. Although the term "awe-inspiring" is used with too much frequency today, I do believe that Michelangelo's frescoes are indeed just that. I can only imagine what it must be like to meet beneath such a masterpiece.

So, in honor of the Sistine Chapel, the Papal conclave, and all of the other activity swirling around the Vatican at the moment, I am posting some photos of Italian houses (and one Spanish house) that also boast breathtaking frescoes. For someone who lives in a late 1960's high-rise, I can only assume that it must be pretty glorious to cast one's eyes on these frescoes everyday.  I even managed to find the fresco featured above, which was conceived by designer Renzo Mongiardino.  Considering that it depicts a bishop, it seemed the appropriate photo to lead off this post.

The library in Villa Burlamacchi Rossi in Gattaiola.

The library in a home in Palma de Mallorca. (Yes, technically this home is located in Spain rather than Italy, but I do love that frescoed ceiling.)

In an old Venetian palazzo, a bedroom was once a reception room.

A room with 18th century decorations in Villa Malaspina near Carrara.

Restored frescoes from the 17th century grace the walls of this Renzo Mongiardino decorated space.

The two photos above were taken at a villa that overlooks Genoa. The villa was built at the end of the 16th century.


Photos #1 and #6 from Roomscapes: The Decorative Architecture of Renzo Mongiardino; #2-#5 from The Anti-Minimalist House (Archives of Decorative Arts); #7 and #8 from Living Well.

Something Old Looks New Again

Do you know what I miss seeing on tables? Hardboard place mats. Remember those? As the name suggests, these mats are literally hard boards that have a decal design on top and a felt underside.  Perhaps they are still used often in the UK where the hardboard mat was once commonplace, but these mats have become a little tough to find over here. I can't figure out why, especially considering that they require no ironing.

The most prominent and popular brand of hardboard mats is Lady Clare.  According to the Lady Clare website, Lady Clare Pigott invented these mats while living in Paris in 1932.  Required to entertain often with her British diplomat husband, Pigott sought to alleviate the high cost of laundering all of her white linen tablecloths.  The solution was a piece of hardboard upon which Lady Clare pasted antique prints and then lacquered the surface; the mat could then be placed directly on top of the table with no cloth underneath.  These mats became a huge hit amongst her friends, and thus Lady Clare the company was born.

My mother used to buy her Lady Clare mats from Tiffany, including a set bearing fox hunting scenes that I now own. And Lady Clare hardboard coasters, a later addition to the line, became my go-to hostess gift during college. (Unfortunately, Tiffany & Co. stopped carrying Lady Clare mats close to twenty years ago.) If scenes of fox hunting, horses, and birds- all typically found on these mats- sound way too traditional, well, that's the whole point. Although Lady Clare and other lines have attempted to updated these mats with more contemporary designs, I say stick to the classics. After all, what's wrong with dining with a throwback?

I say that if hardboard mats are good enough for Marcus the Spaniel, above, then they are certainly good enough for us!

"Hunting" by Lady Clare

"Shepherd's London" by Lady Clare

"Sporting Dogs" by Lady Clare

"Ming Polo" by Lady Clare

If you prefer something less decorative, you can buy solid colored mats and coasters.  These are made in England and are available through Scully & Scully.

A dining table set with hardboard mats at Eastnor Castle, Herefordshire

And this dining table at Birr Castle, Ireland, was also set with hardboard mats, which appear to have some type of fruit design on them.



Photo of Marcus from The English Dog at Home by Felicity Wigan; Eastnor Castle photo from The Regency Country House: From the Archives of Country Life by John Martin Robinson; Birr Castle photo from In an Irish House by Sybil Connolly.

Sweet Dreams

Look above and you'll see a photo of one of my all-time favorite bedrooms, which is located at Clos Fiorentina, couturier Hubert de Givenchy's home in the South of France. Named the "Bunny" bedroom in honor of Bunny Mellon, Givenchy's dear friend and frequent houseguest, the bedroom is a pitch-perfect blend of high style and casual chic, grounded- literally- by that crisp straw matting.  (Don't even get me started on that marvelous floral-print bed linen and Provençal quilt.)

What strikes me most about this room's bed canopy is that while it's cosseting, it is not smothering and heavy like many festooned and draped beds can be.  Givenchy's version is cool, casual, and comfortable thanks to the profusion of printed cotton, just the type of fabric one wants to lounge upon in the South of France.  And I have to say that this whole ensemble would look just as smashing here in America, too, where a more casually-dressed canopy bed would be right at home in this country's more casually-dressed interiors.

Although I have yet to find another canopy bed that appeals to me as much as that in the Bunny bedroom, I did manage to scare up some other examples that, while varying in degrees of frill and formality, are all beautiful in their own ways.  Some are quite architectural in shape while others look noble in their formal fabric swags and curtains.  And maybe one of these days, a canopy bed may just find itself in my own bedroom.  In the meantime, it's always fun to dream.

In the country house of Spanish designer Paco Munoz, two 19th c. Spanish beds are dressed in a Bennison fabric.

The two beds above can be found at Skogaholm manor, Sweden. The metal bed was designed to be collapsible.

An elaborate canopied bed at Château de Bagnols, Bagnols, France.

Yet another Swedish canopied bed, this one residing in a manor house near Uppsala, Sweden. The Gustavian tester bed is topped with baroque finials and boasts a c. 1750 silk-embroidered spread.

A charming bed canopy in a house on the Esplanade des Invalides, Paris.

A bed and bedroom covered in a Chinoiserie print chintz. This room is also located in, no surprise, Paris.


Givenchy photo from The Givenchy Style by Francoise Mohrt; photos #2-6 from House & Garden, 1985 and 1992. #7-8 from The Finest Houses Of Paris.