Alexa Hampton in Atlanta

One of my regrets is that last fall's busy travel schedule did not allow me time to review all of the great fall design book releases. Perhaps I'll get around to writing my reviews soon, but I will say that one book that I have thoroughly enjoyed is Alexa Hampton's Decorating in Detail.  The book is filled with lots of attractive photos, informative and upbeat text, and good old-fashioned common sense.  What a winning combination!

Alexa will be visiting Atlanta's new Hickory Chair showroom tomorrow, January 14.  Although the Hickory Chair showroom is to the trade only, The Peak of Chic readers are invited to attend the event and meet Alexa, get a book signed, and enjoy a tour of the new showroom.  If you would like to attend, please RSVP to (404) 500-2074.

Kevin McNamara Masters the Neutral Palette

If you have some of the old Architectural Digest books, you have likely seen these photos of a circa 1975 Manhattan apartment, which had been decorated to perfection by Kevin McNamara. Originally published in the November/December 1975 issue of AD, these photos are worth taking a second look at because they capture decorating with a neutral palette at its very best.

The 1970s was a great time for decorating with colors akin to "a Carr's water biscuit." Neutral-minded decorators often injected their beige-y interiors with judicious doses of dark, and sometimes glossy, shades of black, chocolate brown, and dark green, which helped to add drama and body to otherwise subdued settings. These same decorators were also adept at mixing antiques and modern furnishings, a combination that infused these spaces with both patina and sparkle. And finally, the fabrics that were seen in these interiors tended to be a combination of rough-hewn linen, glazed cotton, leather, and velvet, all of which imparted either luster or texture to their surroundings. Basically, these 1970s interiors were the antithesis of those seen in the 1990s, when neutral spaces, which were then all the rage, were meant to exude serenity, calm, and tranquility.  Back in the 1970s, chic interiors were arranged as backdrops for sophisticated living, not as inducements for contemplation and self-reflection.

But back to the McNamara-decorated apartment: I don't see much here that is dated, except, perhaps the wall to wall carpet in the guest bedroom. But other than that, I'd say that this apartment is a pitch-perfect example of the richness and elegance that can be attained when decorating with mostly non-colors.

Image at top:  The dining room had black lacquered walls and those great Billy Baldwin-style brass bookcases.

Another view of the dining room.

The living room contained 18th-century French furniture and Oriental porcelain.

More views of the living room.

The walls of the master bedroom were painted in a dark dill-green shade.  The bed came from Rose Cumming's shop.

The guest bedroom with its French Empire desk and wall to wall carpet.


All photos from Architectural Digest, November/December 1975, Richard Champion photographer.

A Dash of Damask

Damask-style prints have long occupied neutral territory for me.  In the past, I haven't been wild about them, but then again, I haven't disliked them, either.  I suppose that I just never thought much about them.  That is, until last October when World of Interiors featured the London town house of decorator Veere Grenney and David Oliver, creative director of the Paint and Paper Library.  The whole town house is really quite fabulous, but it was the house's dining room and sitting room, above, that really captured my attention.  I found the pair's use of Louvres, a Fortuny-esque cotton made by Marialida for Tissus d'Hélène, quite striking.  Although the fabric's print is reminiscent of "Baroque foliate pattern found in flock wallpapers of the early 18th century," I consider it to be a damask print.  The dark brown and white coloration makes this traditional print appear cool and dignified rather than precious or ostentatious.  And, any of the damask print's long-associated fussiness has been banished thanks to the room's clean-lined, contemporary furnishings.

So, it seems that if you want to decorate with damask prints and maintain some sense of modernity, the key is to use neutral-toned damask prints (think caramel, chocolate brown, and even shades of grey) and to balance the print's inherent ornateness with simple upholstered seating, solid fabrics, and restrained-looking tables and case pieces.  Just look to the work of David Hicks, John Fowler, Tom Parr, and now Veere Grenney and David Oliver to help guide the way.

For this apartment in Paris, David Hicks created a wallcovering, made of white impasto on linen, that was inspired by 17th-century damasks.

Tom Parr chose "Double Damask" paper, which was based on an 18th-century design, for his Eaton Square, Belgravia drawing room.

John Fowler also used "Double Damask" paper in brown and cream at Nantclwyd Hall.

The fabric that covered the walls of this French study was a cut velvet, which featured a damask-type print.


Photo at top: World of Interiors, October 2013, Simon Upton photographer; Hicks photos from David Hicks: Designer and David Hicks: A Life in Design by Ashley Hicks; Parr photo from House & Garden Guide to Interior Decoration; Fowler photo from John Fowler by Martin Wood; last two photos from Architectural Digest- International Interiors

Thank You Flower

What an honor to open up the February issue of flower magazine and find Karen Carroll's kind article about my book.  It's always gratifying to be recognized by someone I have long admired, so my heartfelt thanks to Karen and the entire staff at flower.

Oh, and I can't forget to mention that the sublime floral creations of my friend, Atlanta floral and event designer Michal Evans, are also featured in this issue.  His arrangements were photographed in designer Suzanne Kasler's Atlanta house.  Makes me proud to be an Atlantan.

Discovering Michael Inchbald

I hate to admit this, but until I received the January issue of World of Interiors a few weeks ago, I was not familiar with the late British architect, Michael Inchbald.  Better late than never, I suppose, because now I'm completely enchanted by his house in Chelsea.

As the World of Interiors article noted, Inchbald concocted a home that was akin to a stage set.  The porch, with its mirrored walls, dramatic-looking obelisk pilasters, and coffered ceiling, looked as though Cedric Gibbons had a hand in its decoration.  Many of the house's snappy floors appear to be made of marble, although in reality, they were cut linoleum.  And then there were those burgundy velvet portieres and pelmets (Peter York, the article's author, refers to them as palanquins) which hung in the entrance hall, allowing one to make quite an entrance, I'm sure, as he proceeded into rooms beyond.  Although once I might have considered living in a stage set to be a horror, I don't anymore.  Well, as long as it looks like Michael Inchbald's house.

One thing that really struck me about the article was the author's statement that, "Inchbald's Chelsea drawing room has been rediscovered and rephotographed every decade since it was conceived in the late 1950s."  It seems that with the exception of the drawing room's walls (once covered in scarlet velvet and now upholstered in a neutral Ultrasuede,) much of the home's interiors have remained more or less the same.  I went through my old British design books, but unfortunately, I never did find any old photos of the drawing room.  However, I did find an early 1960s-era photo (alas, in black and white) of Inchbald's upstairs hall, which appeared much as it did upon Inchbald's death.  You can see that the fabric walls and portieres are the same as are the candle sconces.  And if you look into the sitting room beyond, you can see that the room is arranged just as it was when World of Interiors shot it last year.  I think the lesson learned here is that if you get it right the first time, then leave it alone and enjoy it.

If you want to learn more about Inchbald, you might want to visit the Christie's website.  The contents of Inchbald's house will be auctioned off on January 22 in London.

The Porch

The Wedgwood Blue Sitting Room

The Upstairs Hall as it appeared most recently...

...and the way it was back in 1962.  You can see the Sitting Room beyond.


All photos, with the exception of the last one, and quotation from World of Interiors, January 2013; Peter York author, Andreas von Einsiedel photographer.

Join Me at AmericasMart

I know that some of you plan to be in Atlanta this week for the Gift and Home Furnishings Market at AmericasMart.  If you're there this Wednesday, please stop by the Currey & Company showroom at 3pm to say hello.  I'll be chatting with readers and signing copies of my new book.

And lucky for all of us, the weather should be a little warmer by Wednesday.

Merry Christmas!

A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all! May Santa bring you camelback sofas, wing chairs, new refrigerators, and anything else your heart desires.

Thank you for your readership and your support in 2013.  It has been an exciting, busy, and exhausting year, and I couldn't have gotten through it without you.

Until we meet again in 2014, take care and Happy Holidays!

-Jennifer

Giving Thanks

In addition to my book signing events that I have mentioned on my blog, I have also been fortunate to be the guest of honor at a few private events, too.  What has impressed me about these events is how creative their hostesses are. 

There was an event in Birmingham last month, which was hosted by Margot Shaw, Karen Carroll, Mary Evelyn McKee, and flower magazine.  The event was held in Mary Evelyn's lovely house, and all of the party's details, from the beautiful letterpress invitations (by Key Circle Press) to the delicious Southern delicacies (catered by Doug Richey) and beautiful flowers (courtesy of Sybil Sylvester), were perfection.   I wish that I had taken photos, but as often happens, I got so swept up with chatting with guests that I forgot to do so!  And by the way, if you've never been to Birmingham, you should do so.  Between its restaurant and design scenes, there is much to see and do!

Another recent event was a luncheon at The Acorn Club in Philadelphia.  Like the Birmingham ladies, the luncheon's hostesses, Dottebob Andes, Alix Jacobs, and Karen Cunningham, outdid themselves.  Take, for example, the whimsical vignettes that Dottebob created for table gifts.  I do have photos of these (see below), and you'll see that Dottebob's whimsies feature various entries from my book.  Can you imagine the time, effort, and creativity that went into these creations?

Now that I'm home for the holidays and have had a little time to reflect on the past few months, I realize how lucky I am to have such kind, generous, and talented friends.  I have also accepted the fact that I have a long way to go before my hostessing skills are on par with these ladies.

Alix Jacobs is a talented decorative painter, who painted the charming little box in this vignette. She also was responsible for making the vases which featured my book's dust jacket. (See below.)

Photos courtesy of Dottebob Andes and Alix Jacobs.

Christmas 1967

I was looking for some holiday decorating inspiration in my old magazines, and I consulted the December 1967 issue of House & Garden.  The holiday look that the magazine's editors were pushing that year was, well, not quite my look.  I'll get to that in a minute.

But first, I did find one photo that I think is perfection.  I was enchanted by this photo, which you can see above, because it shows a crèche.  I love crèches, and in fact, I still display one every Christmas.  But you don't really see crèches too often anymore, do you?

This crèche's figures were designed to appear modern and were made of gilded, draped burlap. But what might be more enchanting than the figures themselves were their backdrop: a wrought-iron structure, made in the Gothic style, which held laurel branches and small white lights. Amazing!

If the room in the photograph looks familiar, it might be because it was the East Room at the White House. The photo had been taken the previous Christmas. The magazine attributes the iron and branch background to floral designer Stephen Barany.  But guess who conceived the crèche as a whole? According to H&G, it was Mrs. Henry Parish and Albert Hadley.  No wonder it looked so good.

But going back to this issue's featured article: the trendy decorations for Christmas 1967 were "fantasies in crystal and light", which "have all the look of loot from the Snow Queen's palace".  I think that the decorations look like explosions of stars and pointy things, but then again, I'm a traditionalist when it comes to Christmas.  However, the photos' room settings, which had been decorated by Ellen Lehman McCluskey, were quite nice, so that helped matters.  And the decorations do have a retro charm to them now that forty seven years have passed.

Who knows?  I just might warm up to the idea of decorating with loot from the Snow Queen's palace.

A Decorative Remedy

When I see baskets in use in luxe interiors, I am reminded of the (possibly apocryphal) story of the elegant international socialite who, when attending a party at the opulently-decorated Manhattan apartment of a nouvelle society figure, was said to have remarked, "It will take her a lifetime to understand baskets."

It could be said that baskets are decorative remedies that cure lofty interiors from looking too shiny and too rich. Whether they are used as cachepots or repositories for magazines or firewood, baskets add a down-to-earth touch in both grand and casual rooms alike. And the same could be said of baskets on dining tables, too.

Lately, I have been revisiting photos of elegant table settings which incorporate small baskets.  In most of these photos, the baskets have been put to use in their traditional role, which is to hold bread and crackers.  That's exactly what jeweler Jean Schlumberger did in the photo, above.  But there are also small, shallow baskets that have been employed in lieu of bread plates as well as basket-like sleeves, which cradle drinking glasses.  And then there is the elegant table setting, seen directly below, with its dramatic-looking silver candelabra and proper stemware.  Here, baskets were used as centerpieces to hold modest little mums.  Both help to tone down the formality of this table.

Considering that most of these photos were taken in France, I can only assume that the French must have good sources for such baskets.  Any thoughts on where we can get similar baskets here in the U.S.?

This majestic-looking dinner took place at l'hôtel Lambert and was hosted by Marie-Hélène de Rothschild. The table was set with "three Sèvres dinner services, Louis XIV glasses, eighteenth-century silverware, and vermeil dessert cutlery", all beneath a magnificent Le Brun ceiling. And still, there were baskets on the table.

The late Alberto Pinto certainly knew how to set a pretty table. Small baskets, which held bread, were placed at each place setting. Adding to the rustic charm were straw place mats.

I have shown this photo before, but it's worth showing again. For her working lunch table setting, Primrose Bordier used Philippine baskets for chargers and Japanese hot-towel baskets for bread plates.

In the South of France home of Dick Dumas. Note the small terracotta pots that hold cigarettes. Terracotta works just as baskets do by adding a casual note to one's table.

In the Paris home of Carole and François Rochas

Barbara Wirth set a charming, casual table that celebrated Summer's bounty. Baskets were filled with cherries, strawberries, and some delicious looking radishes.



Rochas photo from R.S.V.P. by Nan Kempner; Pinto photo from Table Settings by Alberto Pinto; the remaining photos from The Elegant Table by Barbara Wirth.