The Mill, Part Two

For part two of my series on the Mill, I am leading off with a photo of the dining room, which is my favorite room in the house.  Originally slated to be embellished with bold colors, the Duchess decided instead to decorate it in subtle shades.  She employed John Fowler and Mrs. Claude Lancaster of Colefax and Fowler to assist her with this room.  Fowler painted the room's bulrush and shell mural, which provided a charming backdrop for the Duchess's collection of trompe l'oeil porcelain as well as her painted furniture, while the floor's rush matting was another nice, tasteful touch.  As you can see, the room is quite a contrast to the Mill's other rooms, something that the Duchess addressed in her article: "This room is a surprise to everyone- even to me- coming to it as one does from the brilliant colors and homey, chintzy atmosphere of the hall. Sometimes I think the very contrast of the world of one talented decorator like Stéphane Boudin (who worked with me on the rest of the mill) with that of an entirely different talent is more dramatic than anything you might deliberately plan."

Other excerpts from the article that you might find interesting:

"Every house as it is lived in seems to me to take on a personality of its own; the Duke and I have tried to foster for our mill one of serenity and relaxation- with just a touch of gaiety- for ourselves and for our guests."

"I enjoy my own parties but that's usually because everything has been planned down to the nth decimal place."

"Although I can never be casual about entertaining, or about anything in the house for that matter, yet when really terrible things happen, I'm completely calm."

"I am cursed- or blessed, I don't know which- with a photographic eye. I go into a room or a shop and I take in every detail, even without really trying, and can describe it all afterward."

And on that note, let's move on to the photos...


The Dining Room, above and below:

"Even for a small luncheon like this I plan the table setting as carefully as for an important dinner. I like the contrast of the simple Italian pottery, bamboo-handled tableware and basket cornucopias of flowers with the rather elegant French and Italian painted furniture and the taffeta draperies of the dining-room."

Guest Cottage:

"This little sitting-room between the two guest rooms is only about 10 by 12 feet but by using small-scale furniture and rubbing the boiserie with light color, we gave it an air of space. The guest cottage is just one room wide- you enter the small sitting-room from the main courtyard and the French doors you see directly across the room open on the upper garden."

"Trellis bedroom in our guest cottage- we call it this because of the motif in the wallpaper. The dresser and chairs are painted to pick up the pinky-mauves in the paper and the lacquer mirror-stand and Oriental dancing figurines by Tony Duquette give the room a Chinoiserie accent. And notice the wallpaper covered with butterflies in the bathroom- it's my favorite!"

"I love the vibrant red wallpaper in the other guest room. It's cooled off just enough by the tracery of white, the white rug and light blue curtains and bed cover. On the painted Venetian chest are two Lunéville trompe l'oeil dishes- part of my collection of old French faience."


Bachelor Guest Quarters:

"We remodeled the old stables to make the two small rooms you see for bachelor guests. The irregularly shaped room is hung with pictures of the coronation of George IV tying in with the Regency-flavored décor."

"In the other bedroom, woven tapes form the bedspread, cover the bed frame and lend a color accent to an otherwise black and white setting."



Outdoor Entertaining:

"After lunch we often have coffee on the upper terrace just outside the drawing-room. There we not only see and hear the waterfall but we have a wonderful view up the valley of the Merantaise. The Duke and I enjoy most entertaining our friends at the mill in small groups so that we can really talk with each one."

"In late afternoon the trees around the millpond cast shadows across the upper terrace. The wing in the background houses my bedroom and the large door to the right opens into the drawing-room. The stairway in the corner goes down to a little areaway with a door leading to the entrance hall of the mill."

"We turned a small building attached to the old barn into this outdoor dining-room- delightful for entertaining in warm weather. It overlooks a flagstone terrace and the garden; beyond the door in the back wall is a serving pantry. On bad days, the sailcloth curtains are drawn to protect the room's furnishings."

"Our chef, René Legros, who was with the Duke in England, thinks the mill's kitchen much too small as it is, compared to the one in Paris. Here he is preparing a buffet luncheon to be served on the terrace: cold lobster, chicken pie, mixed vegetables, asparagus salad, glacé bananas, little cakes and cheese. The 18 copper pots hanging above are new, but those copper molds under the window are very old ones- they came with the Duke's things from London, and are stamped with the coat of arms of Queen Victoria."


The Duke's Room:

"This big comfortable room, once the mill's barn, is more than forty feet long. Most of the things here came from Fort Belvedere, the Duke's home in England. You can step through French windows to the garden and the Duke's desk is placed so he can look out on it. The small bookcase in the far corner holds the American and British, as well as the many foreign-language editions, of his book, A King's Story."

"The huge map over the mantel is one the Duke had in London of the pre-World-War-II world- now appropriately antiqued. On the bookcase in the corner are folders containing addresses of welcome given to him as Prince of Wales on his world travels- also some more recent ones. The portrait head was done in the Bahamas."

"You enter the room from the main courtyard through the wide French window. On either side of it are Grenadier Guards drums and bugles; on the wall mounted on shields are shoes of the horses the Duke rode in steeplechases he won. The trompe l'oeil painting over the table hid the pipes of an organ in our former Paris house."

"The most historic piece in the room is the table at the left of the fireplace- the one at which the Duke signed the Instrument of Abdication. The map above the mantel shows off his official engagements as Prince of Wales. On the left wall hang three of his collection of ceremonial bagpipe banners; the coffee table is made from a drum of the Welsh Guards."



The Bahamian Bar:

"We call this tiny room off the drawing-room our Bahamian bar because of the map of the Islands over the sofa and the other souvenirs of our five years in Nassau. The ceiling is less than six feet- tall friends have to stoop- but everybody seems to love this room, crouch and all."


Outbuildings:

"By turning left, from the garden you also get this view of the barn with the flagged terrace and awning. Beyond the barn you see part of the guest cottage and upper garden. At the bottom of the slope too low to show here is another small branch of the river."

"Here you see the wing for bachelor guests from the garden. The tall trees behind it- some are weeping willows like that in the foreground- shade the millstream. Beyond the tool house is the old river gate and an old stone bridge over the Merantaise River."

The Mill, Part One

Over the holidays, I was tickled pink when a neighbor gave me a 1954 magazine clipping about the Mill, the French country house of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor (or, as the article referred to them, "the world's most romantic couple."). Titled Our First Real Home, the article was a two-part series written by the Duchess herself, who described at length the renovation and decoration of the couple's first purchased home.  (Their previous homes had all been leased.) 

Formerly owned by the artist Drian, the seventeenth-century mill, Moulin de la Tuilerie, consisted of a millhouse and three outbuildings located, naturally, along a stream.  According to the article, the Duchess chose a fruit and floral theme for the home because "every house should have a theme in its decoration." She also established a vibrant color-palette for most of the rooms because she "wanted to have a fling with bright colors."  The exceptions to this are the Duchess's pastel-colored bedroom and the lighter-toned dining room.  Assisted by her decorator, Stéphane Boudin of Maison Jansen, the Duchess filled her country home with newly-purchased objects as well as furnishings from their previous homes, including pieces from York House and Fort Belvedere.  (If, like me, you have spent hours pouring over the Duke and Duchess of Windsor auction catalogues, you'll likely recognize a number of the paintings and objects seen here.)

As I've said before, I don't consider the Mill to be on par with the Windsors' Paris home, which was really most attractive.  I find the colors of these interiors to be jarring to the eye, and some of the decorative combinations are rather odd.  (One such example, seen below, is the drawing-room banquette, which was accented with red satin cushions.  Alongside it was a corduroy-upholstered chair.  See what I mean?)  That being said, I relish these photos, because they provide a glimpse into the lives of a stylish couple who, rightly or wrongly, fascinate me.

You might recognize some of these photos, for they later appeared in Suzy Menkes's terrific book, The Windsor Style. Because the article featured so many photos, I'm dividing them up into two blog posts.  And I've also included the original photo captions, because they're too good to overlook.

So, now, the tour of the Mill...

"Our Moulin de la Tuilerie as it looks through the entrance gate."


The Big Hall:

"Sometimes I think the big hall is my favorite room- it's so cheery and comfortable. The overscaled chintz was chosen to heighten this effect. The low leather chair is the Duke's pet and the funny twisted-root stool on the hearth he used to sit on to rest while elephant hunting in East Africa. The stairs in the corner lead to our bedrooms and to the drawing room."

"This group in the hall just inside the front door is worked out around a red and gold Louis XV chest I had in my London apartment. The two still-lifes painted in 1839 were the first things we acquired especially for the mill- were originally intended for the dining-room. The big faience swan I bought from the people who most recently had been living in the mill- it seemed so right for the room. The high-backed chairs are old Irish ones."

"This view of the hall from the pantry side reveals the dining-room door across the room- not too convenient for serving, as you can see. The rug under the sofa group is of felt embroidered in floral squares- I bought it years ago hoping to have a place for it some day. Gravestones in the floor were stolen from cemeteries during the French revolution- fortunately nobody's under them."



The Drawing Room:

"You step up through that tiny door in the center of the picture to reach the drawing-room. The sloping shelves behind the door cover the main stairs to the hall below. To give this forty-foot room the height it needed we removed the floor of the old loft above it, thus exposing the beautiful cross beams and buttresses. The screen behind the piano- a map painted by Drian- carries the carpet design up several feet like a dado."

"To give you some idea of the size of the room- the baroque mirror over the fireplace is ten feet high. On either side are the two paintings by Lorjou which suggested the color scheme of the room. The carpet was especially designed and woven but most of the furnishings are things we had- done over. The small door by the fireplace leads to our Bahamian bar."

"The banquette around the corner to the right of the fireplace contrasts a Jacquard-textured cotton with shiny satin cushions- the chair is covered in corduroy.  On the wall is the almost life-size portrait Drian did of me at the time of my marriage. The tree-trunk pedestals holding geraniums were in Drian's old studio in the barn."

"The sofa group is dominated by the famous picture Sir Alfred J. Munnings painted of my husband on horseback when he was Prince of Wales. On each side hang old French hunting carvings. The coffee table, given us in Nassau, has a map of the Bahamas in black and antique bronze painted under the glass top."



The Duchess's Bedroom:

"This shows how my room looks as you first come in. The far window behind the dressing table opens over the millstream; at night its gentle murmur makes such a relaxing sound to go to sleep by! The clear pastel colors are those I've always been fond of- they also harmonize with the two painted chests (you can see a corner of one on the right) that I've had since we were first married. The little Victorian rocker in the foreground, painted to match the room, belonged to my grandmother in America."

"My bedroom is long and narrow with sloping beams, a little like a tent- so I decided to emphasize this by draping the old beams with striped antique taffeta. The colors in the curtains are repeated in the harlequin bedcover- a present from my husband on my last birthday. Its pieces are put together by hand like a patchwork quilt- I had decided it would be too expensive but the Duke ordered it for me anyway as a surprise. The door in the far wall opens to the bathroom; at the right next to it is the entrance door from the upper landing."

"My painted trompe l'oeil chest gave us the idea for decorating the bathroom. We painted the walls with the same wood grain, adding amusing trompe l'oeil symbols held up by red tape- things like the jacket of A King's Story, gloves, opera glasses, bouquets of flowers, butterflies, a dog leash."

"To me flowers are an important part of the decoration of a room and one of my hobbies is arranging them. I always like white flowers in my own room. Sometimes they're a low arrangement like the roses opposite; sometimes tall, like the one here of calla lilies and spiky eremurus."



The Duke's Bedroom and Bath:

"All the furniture here came from Fort Belvedere- the drum is one from the Grenadier Guards with the Duke's own cipher, ER VIII, used when he was king. The small clock on the mantel was a christening present from his maternal grandparents, the Duke and Duchess of Teck."

"The Duke's bedroom is also a quiet retreat. He has his favorite books and collections there- the old prints on the wall show the different uniforms of the Grenadier Guards from 1660 to modern times. A naval dress sword hangs there under prints of old navy uniforms."

"One of our planning problems was the Duke's dressing room and bath just across the landing from my room. We solved it by building fixtures into closets and cabinets and setting a stall shower in one corner (for he prefers a shower to a tub bath). Stairs at right lead to the bedroom."


To be continued....

A Merry Christmas to You and Yours

The look of Christmas may have changed through the decades, but the sentiment remains the same.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

 Wishing all of you a joyous Christmas and health and happiness in the New Year.

A Christmas Tradition

If, like me, you're enchanted by the Christmas tradition of the crèche, then this blog post is for you.   My friend, Jonathan Preece, recently sent me photos of a Neapolitan crèche that he staged in a Mill Neck, New York house. The homeowners, who are clients of Bunny Williams, Preece's employer, were inspired to start collecting antique Neapolitan crèche figures after learning of the impressive collections of both Williams and her husband, John Rosselli.

The tradition of the crèche, or nativity scene, can be traced back to 1223, when Saint Francis of Assisi created the first one using living figures.  Meant to represent the Nativity, or birth of Christ, a crèche includes the figures of baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Angels, the Magi (or Three Wise Men,) shepherds, animals, and, sometimes, townspeople.  According to Jonathan, these crèches reached a height of artistic excellence in eighteenth-century Naples, Italy, where this traditional craft is still being practiced today.  One of the more famous Neapolitan crèches is that at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which draws crowds every Christmas.

In the Mill Neck house, Jonathan has assembled the crèche on a table set in the bay window of the dining room.  The traditional stable, which, of course, holds baby Jesus and the manger, was made by Charles Dort, while artist Ron Genereux created the crumbling walls, fences, and Classical ruins out of foam and clay.  Placed against this landscape are the antique Neapolitan figures, whose heads, hands, and feet are made of painted terracotta and whose bodies are fabricated from wire wrapped in hemp.  The figures' clothing is mostly silk and linen, with many of them bearing delicate embroidery.  (Make sure to expand the images of the Magi, below, whose costumes are exquisite.)  And placed gingerly around the scene are small spot and up-lights, which provide "magical illumination," says Jonathan.  Finally, around the edges of the crèche are Columnar Cedars and Cypress, terracotta oil jars, urns, and mossy-clad pots filled with White Narcissus.

As a bonus, Jonathan also sent me photos of Bunny Williams' spectacular Neapolitan crèche, which Jonathan assembled on the Conservatory console in Bunny's Connecticut house.  Alongside her antique Neapolitan figures, Bunny has added pieces that are not so period, such as leather bulls and animals from India.  The effect is a delightful celebration of the Christmas season. You can see photos of Bunny's crèche at the bottom of this post.

And now, Bunny's Neapolitan crèche in her Connecticut house:

All photos courtesy of Jonathan Preece