The Future of Antiques

I would like to invite you to join Olga Granda-Scott, John Lyle, Kerry Howard, and me next Friday, February 27 from 7 to 9pm for a conversation about the future of antiques and 21st-century Southern design.  Knowing my fellow panelists as I do, the conversation is guaranteed to be spirited, informative, and humorous, too.

The event, which is presented by The HighBoy, will take place at The Gables Antiques, one of Atlanta's preeminent antiques shops.  If you plan to attend (and I hope you will!), please click here to RSVP.

A Nifty Shade of Grey

Perhaps I ought not to admit this, but I saw Fifty Shades of Grey last week.  When I received an invitation to attend a preview of the movie, I accepted with alacrity because I wasn't about to miss an opportunity to see what the hoopla was about.  And what did I think about Fifty Shades?  Let's just say that there are two good things about this film, both of which are awfully nice to look at: the actor Jamie Dornan ("Christian Grey"), whose good looks made me forget the absurdity of the movie's premise; and the de Gournay wallpaper that hangs in one of Grey's bedrooms.  The movie redeemed itself immeasurably thanks to both.

As you can see in the photo above, the wallpaper, which is de Gournay's Askew pattern, is a wonderful bird and tree scene painted on a silver background.  This shimmery version works well with the film's chilly grey color palette (what a surprise!), striking a feminine note in a mostly flinty, hard-edged apartment.  Of course, there is that one room in Christian Grey's apartment that is red, but I won't get into that.

All of this leads me, in a very roundabout way, to the focus of this blog post, which isn't really about the movie of the moment, but rather Estee Lauder's former office.  I have been meaning to show photos of her office for some time now, and the uncanny similarities between de Gournay's Askew paper and the hand-painted rice paper on Lauder's office walls made now seem like a good time to discuss it.  The first thing you might notice is that her office resembled a formal living room, what with the wallpaper, that Louis XVI desk, and those dressy fabrics.  But the other story here is the room's color palette, which is comprised mostly of shades of taupe, oyster, cream, and champagne.  The one touch of grey can be found on the office's carpet, which provided an unimposing foundation for the room's furnishings.  It just goes to show that grey doesn't have to, ahem, dominate those softer, quieter colors surrounding it.

*With special thanks to Angela Patrick of Ainsworth-Noah for identifying which de Gournay pattern appeared in the movie.

Estee Lauder office photos from Executive Style by Judith Price

A Tribute to Carroll Petrie

Nan Kempner, Pat Buckley, Judy Peabody, and now Carroll Petrie. It seems that so many of the socialites whom I read about as a child are dead. Back in the '80s, these were the boldface names that graced both the party pages of Town & Country and W as well as "Suzy", the best gossip column ever.

Carroll Petrie, who died recently, was one of my favorite socialites for a number of reasons. First, she was a South Carolina native who moved to Manhattan as a young woman, became a model, married the 17th Marquis de Portago, and, after two subsequent marriages, married retail tycoon Milton Petrie. Second, she was really quite beautiful. And third, her signature red lipstick always looked chic and never contrived. 

Her Fifth Avenue apartment, which can be seen below, was equally as beautiful.  Decorated by David Easton, the apartment was, as one would expect, well-appointed.  But what some people might not have expected was that pink dining room.  It was certainly not a conventional dining room, but I can only imagine that Petrie and her dinner guests must have looked like a million bucks while surrounded by that flattering shade of pink.

As the saying goes, "They don't make 'em like they used to."            

Photo of Carroll Petrie, at top, courtesy of New York Social Diary; apartment photos from New York Apartments: Private Views by Jamee Gregory.

A Request for Information

I hope that one (or some) of you might be able to help me.  I am researching the Van Day Truex drawing that is shown above.  The drawing depicts what appear to be two stone bull heads perched atop a vine-covered wall.  Between the bulls is a uniformed man, who might be a gardener or perhaps an attendant of some sort.  This uniformed figure might indicate that the scene was painted in a public place.  Behind the bulls is a dense, darkly painted Cypress tree. 

Truex spent time in France, Italy, and Mexico, so it is possible that this scene is located in one of these countries.  Can any of you identify the location of this scene?  If so, please email me at Jennifer@thepeakofchic.com

Waterhouse Wallhangings and the Edward Zajac Collection

If only I had an abundance of rooms in which to hang wallpaper. That's how I felt when I saw the newest wallpaper collection from Waterhouse Wallhangings, which will be available in showrooms starting this month.  New designs include beefy stripes (Hyde Park Stripe), damask (Wheat Damask), Paris landmarks (Monuments of Paris), and Noah's animals (Noah's Ark), which is sure to delight both children and their parents. It's not often that I am tempted to decorate my home with such whimsical creatures, but I am completely charmed by these animals.  (By the way, Noah's Ark is based on a print found in one of Dorothy Waterhouse's old books.)

Waterhouse Wallhangings is also debuting the Edward Zajac Collection.  You have seen numerous posts about Zajac and his late partner, Richard Callahan, on this blog.  Zajac and Callahan were known for their enthusiastic use of pattern.  A Zajac and Callahan room typically had layer upon layer of pattern, but they were mixed in such a way so that the effect was sometimes daring, often ravishing, and never discordant. 

Zajac often designed custom fabrics and wallpapers for his clients, which was the impetus for this new collection.  The collection's prints include Regency Rope, Regency Rope Trellis, Regency Rope Panel, Charlotte Ruching, and Don't Fret.  Regency Rope Panel, which measures 12 feet long and 27 inches wide, was inspired by a set of folding screens in Zajac's apartment.  All three Regency Rope prints were designed so that they can be used together to spectacular effect.  And you'll notice that Charlotte Ruching has a border that runs down one side of the paper.  This border can be cut and applied as a border at the ceiling or along all four sides of a wall.  The line's versatility is very much in the spirit of Zajac's custom work.

For more information, please visit the Waterhouse Wallhangings website.  Coordinating fabrics for the Edward Zajac Collection wallpaper will be introduced in September.

Monuments of Paris

Hyde Park Stripe

Noah's Ark

Provincetown

Wheat Damask

Gingko



The Edward Zajac Collection:

Regency Rope

Regency Rope Trellis

Regency Rope Panel

Charlotte Ruching

Don't Fret


All images courtesy of Waterhouse Wallhangings

Lady Diana Cooper in Little Venice

If you have read Rooms, the compilation book of photographer Derry Moore's interior photos, then you likely remember the London home of Lady Diana Cooper. Moore's photos of the Cooper residence, which was located in the Little Venice section of London, were memorable to me for me two reasons: Cooper's Martin Battersby-painted trompe l'oeil panels, which graced her dining room walls, and her jaunty yachting cap, which Cooper wore as she posed for the famed photographer.

Thanks to a kind reader of mine, I recently found these c. 1970 photos of Cooper's Little Venice home.  As you can see, her living room and dining room formed one large space, which was divided by a painted floor screen.  Further delineating the dining area were the Battersby trompe l'oeil panels, which created a rather striking setting for dining.  The living room appeared to be more relaxed than the dining room and, well, more British thanks to the chintz-covered chairs and sofa.

It's worth studying Cooper's myriad objects and art.  To the right of the living room fireplace was a J.J. Shannon portrait of Cooper as a child.  Other displayed Shannon portraits included those of Cooper's mother, Violet, Duchess of Rutland, and an infant Cooper.  A gold doré miniature of the Vendôme Column, which could be found in the dining room, was a gift to Cooper from Louise de Vilmorin.  (Their complicated relationship is a story for another day.)  And the unicorn, which was a symbol of sorts to Cooper, appeared as a dining table centerpiece as well as in a Jean Cocteau illustration.

These photos might be forty years old, but isn't it refreshing to see a home whose interiors don't seek to impress through impertinence, flamboyance, or ill-advised efforts at originality?  

Cooper's living room.

The two photos, above, show Cooper's dining room.  Situated in the center of the red fabric-draped table is the gold column that was given to Cooper by Vilmorin.

J.J. Shannon's portrait of an infant Diana.

Cocteau's unicorn illustration.  The inscription reads, "A Diana, souvenir des licornes.  Jean 1946."

Shannon's painting of Violet, Duchess of Rutland, who was Diana's mother.

A close-up of the Vendôme Column that was surrounded by tiny unicorns.

An illustration of Diana's mother.

The Pirch Effect

Back in December, I attended the launch party for the Atlanta opening of Pirch. In case you are not familiar with it, Pirch is a national kitchen, bath, and lifestyle retailer with showrooms around the country.  (Look for new showrooms to open in Paramus, New Jersey this year and in New York City next year.)  Before I toured the Atlanta store, I had heard of the Pirch brand but knew little more than the name.  What I wasn't prepared for was the excitement I felt as I looked at ranges, faucets, vent hoods, and bathroom sinks.  Who knew that I could get so giddy over the prospect of scrambling eggs on an outdoor flattop grill?

Pirch carries an impressive range of high-end kitchen appliances and bath fixtures, with such brands as La Cornue, Bertazzoni, American Range, and Gessi making appearances.  But what makes Pirch unique is that the customer is encouraged to test out the products before purchasing them.  If you're curious about what kind of water stream will emanate from a shower head, simply turn it on as most of the showroom's faucets and shower heads actually work.  Are you leaning towards purchasing a La Cornue range but are unsure of its capabilities?  No problem.  Pirch will connect that range in their test kitchen and have their in-house chef instruct you on how it works.  It's like taking a car on a test drive before buying it.  Now do you see why I found my tour so inspiring?

As someone who cooks on a 1968 cooktop (I swear) and whose bathroom still has its original plumbing fixtures, I wasn't really aware of all of the recent innovations in kitchen and bath technology.  There are now so many options in terms of color, materials, and finishes, not to mention all of the bells and whistles that help to make cooking and bathing more efficient and luxurious, too.  After I finished my tour, I came to the conclusion that it is high time for me to liberate my kitchen and baths from their 1968 shackles and outfit them in Pirch-style.  If you're in the same boat as me, or if you simply wish to see and test out the latest in bath fixtures and kitchen appliances, then I encourage you to visit a Pirch store soon.  Trust me.  You'll walk away feeling inspired.

  

Cookbook author and Atlanta native Alex Hitz was the featured chef at the launch party, hence the sterling silver and crystal epergne and the scrumptious food.

The reflective finish of these cabinets caught my eye because it has a slightly 1930s-look.

Colorful ranges.

"The Patio" is Pirch's showcase for outdoor cooking equipment, including the flattop cooking grill upon which one can fry eggs and bacon.

See what I mean about bells and whistles?

Some of the ways with which you can turn your bathroom into a spa.

All photos taken by Jennifer Boles with the exception of #2, 3, and 8, which were taken by Kim Simons.