The Peak of Chic®

I am currently reading Carleton Varney's latest book, Decorating in the Grand Manor, and I must say that his book puts me in a very jovial mood. All of that color and vibrancy, which are hallmarks of Varney's style of decorating, is like a mood-lifter and pep pill rolled into one fun read.

The book is touted as a design memoir, one which chronicles Varney's adventures in decorating in the grand style. That might sound a little pretentious, but it's really not. Varney explains that he doesn't use "grand" in the sense of "something big and over the top." Rather, he sees grand style as being "something different, spectacular, eye-catching- and exuding quality." At the beginning of the book, Varney shares a bit of his background, including his time spent working for the great Dorothy Draper. (Be sure to check out the photo of Draper and Salvador Dali dining together. It's a hoot.) Then it's on to a few pages devoted to his inspirations, which include Draper, Addison Mizner, Monticello, and Gone with the Wind. And scattered throughout the book are pages that feature the "Elements of Grand Style", such as mirrors, mantels, and flowers.

But the heart of the book lies in the chapters that profile Varney's work at such splashy resorts as The Grand Hotel and The Greenbrier as well as in private residences. Each chapter is chock full of photos that capture Mr. Color's exuberant use of color and pattern. Even if bright color and bold prints aren't really your thing, I think you'll find the photos visually stimulating.

Desmond Guinness, who penned the book's foreword, called Decorating in the Grand Manor"a virtual energizer to the senses," and it really is just that. Take a look at Varney's book, and you just might find yourself rarin' to decorate.

*To order a copy of Carleton Varney's latest book, please visit Amazon

or Barnes & Noble.

A black and white entrance to the Grand Pavilion at the Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island.

The Cottage Restaurant at the Grand Hotel

The entrance at The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

The Penthouse at the Stoneleigh hotel in Dallas.

Mirrors...one of the Elements of Grand Style

The book's endpapers feature reproductions of the charming murals in the Grand Hotel's lobby.

All photos courtesy of Decorating in the Grand Manor by Carleton Varney.

I have a lot of events to announce, so bear with me...

Next Saturday, March 8, I will be speaking at Historic Macon Foundation's inaugural Design, Wine, & Dine event. The two-day event will feature talks and demonstrations related to design, wine, and food. Other speakers include Susan Sully and Sara Foster. My talk is slated for 1pm with a book-signing event to follow. It should be a really interesting event, so I hope you'll consider visiting Macon that weekend to attend. For more information, please visit Historic Macon Foundation's website.

Now, for those of you who will be attending next week's Design Bloggers Conference, I hope you'll join me for a book-signing event at the Conference on Monday at 5:30pm. I will be signing copies of my book alongside Jeffrey Alan Marks and Timothy Corrigan, who will be signing copies of their books too. On Tuesday at 3pm, Tobi Fairley and I will be speaking about the future of blogging. And then on Wednesday, I will be speaking on, yes, blogging at ADAC Digital Day at 9:30am. (I'll be lucky if I can get through next week without losing my voice.)

I hope that you'll join me next Wednesday evening to celebrate the grand opening of Peacock Alley's new Atlanta design studio. Atlantans are already buzzing about Peacock Alley's beautiful new showroom. See below for details and RSVP information.

And finally, if you plan to be in Charleston, SC on March 12-16, you might be interested in attending the 17th annual Charleston Arts & Antiques Forum. Although I am not participating in the event, I thought it might be of interest to many of you. This year's theme is By George! and will focus on the houses, furnishings, and gardens from the Georgian period. For more information, please visit their website.

Isn't it funny how you can see something over and over again, but it doesn't really register in your mind? And then one day, pow! That something finally makes an impression on you. Such was the case with a pair of fabulous sofas.

Yesterday, while perusing my copy of The Anti-Minimalist House, I stopped my page-flipping when I came to the photo above. In the middle of the photo was my sofa, bathed in a halo of light. Well, it's not really my sofa, but it was the sofa that had struck my fancy a few months ago when I first saw it in British House & Garden. Isn't its camel-back profile and beautiful floral and trellis fabric simply stunning? I loved the sofa so much that I clipped and saved its photo when it appeared in House & Garden.

The photo above shows the drawing room of a London house, which had been decorated by the great Renzo Mongiardino. You might recognize the room as it appears both inside and on the cover of Mongiardino's classic book, Rooms, although the sofa, or rather, the pair of sofas (you see the companion sofa's back in the photo at top) did not make that book's cover shot. Here is a photo of the room and the sofas in the Mongiardino book:

The sofas' fabric is appropriate for the room considering that its walls were painted with garden-vista murals. But it's odd, really, because I have seen this particular photo numerous times as well as the version in The Anti-Minimalist House, but I had never paid much attention to those sofas.

So, after making this pleasant discovery of sorts, off I went to find the sofa photo from House & Garden that had made an impression on me months ago. Here it is below:

This photo accompanied a brief article about another great designer, Robert Kime. There is no mention of the sofa in the photo's caption, but it does appear to be the same sofa. What the article does mention is that this room is located at South Wraxall Manor, Wiltshire. While the sofa might have made an impression on me, the name South Wraxall Manor really meant nothing to me. That is, until I started this blog post. A little digging around jogged my memory that I was in fact familiar with this house. This is the manor house that is owned by Gela Nash-Taylor (of Juicy Couture fame) and her husband, Duran Duran bass player John Taylor. And, oh yes, that's right. Robert Kime helped to decorate the house. The results were so stunning that the house made the cover of World of Interiors back in March 2010. Here is the WoI cover:

You can see the back of the sofa, which faces the drawing room's rather elaborate chimneypiece.

And here is the companion sofa, also located in the drawing room:

Fortunately, this photo's caption mentions that the 18th-century sofa wears its original needlework. So, it's not a printed fabric after all, but rather embroidered fabric. Stunning. Had I only thought to design track suits with the word "Juicy" emblazoned on their backsides, I too might now be the proud owner of this fine pair of 18th-century sofas.

What's missing from this story is how the sofas migrated from the Mongiardino-decorated house to that of the Taylors. That is, assuming that these are the same sofas, which I believe they are. Were they purchased from a London dealer? Or, perhaps at auction? I can't find any past lots on the auction house sites that feature these sofas. However, I'm still searching. Any thoughts?

Photo at top: from The Anti-Minimalist House, Massimo Listri photographer; #2 from Rooms by Renzo Mongiardino; #3 from British House & Garden, August 2013, Christopher Simon Sykes photographer; #4 and #5 from World of Interiors March 2010, Christopher Simon Sykes photographer.

I spent a few days last week in Raleigh, North Carolina, where I helped my friend, Danny Taylor, celebrate the opening of his new full-service design studio and retail shop, @home with DT. The bijou studio is located practically next door to Danny's other venture, DT and Co., which is a real-estate and development firm. To say that Danny is a busy person is an understatement.

The new studio is filled with all kinds of treasures that Danny has found, including antique chests and secretaries, vintage chairs and accessories, and new finds like candles and books. (I signed books during Danny's party, which explains the stacks of my book in a few of the photos.) So successful was Danny's party that most of what you see in these photos has been sold. However, the shop's inventory will be replenished soon thanks to Danny's knack for shopping and antiquing.

And I really think that Danny should add the title "host" to his resume, because Danny certainly knows how to throw a party. The opening was a good old-fashioned Southern drinks party replete with cocktails (the DT Champagne Cocktail), cheese straws and ham biscuits served on silver trays, and, most importantly, some of the most gracious and down to earth guests you'll ever meet.

Danny, good luck with your new venture!

Danny and me

All photos by Jennifer Boles for The Peak of Chic

I don't believe that I have ever dedicated a blog post to anyone before, but I guess there is a first time for everything. So, today's post is dedicated to Christopher Spitzmiller.

I recently bought a stash of old issues of Architectural Digest, and one of the first articles that I read was on the Washington, D.C. Federal-style townhouse of Evangeline Bruce and her late diplomat husband, David. Christopher is an admirer of Evangeline Bruce, so I immediately thought of him when I saw these photos.

Photos of Evangeline and David Bruce's set at Albany in London have appeared in numerous publications, not to mention all over the internet, thanks in large part to its Colefax and Fowler-designed interiors. But the Bruces' Washington D.C. townhome hasn't received quite as much coverage on the internet, which is surprising considering how beautiful and stylish it was. Although much of the decor is credited to Evangeline, there were some holdovers from their past residences in London and Brussels, where David Bruce was posted at different times during his career. The entry hall's curtains, for example, were made by John Fowler for the Bruces' former residence in Brussels. You'll also notice that Evangeline hung many of her paintings just as she did at Albany: with a ribbon sash, which was just one hallmark of John Fowler's style of decorating.

And for others reading this who might be admirers of Evangeline Bruce as well, I dedicate this post to you, too.

Image at top: A small hall off of the drawing room; the curtains were made by John Fowler and once hung in the Bruces' residence in Brussels.

The townhouse's drawing room.

Another view of the drawing room. The curtains in this room were made by Fowler for this room.

The pair of English Gothick chairs once belonged to Nancy Lancaster.

A better view of the drawing room's curtains.

The couple's sitting room.

Two views of Evangeline Bruce's feminine bedroom.

All photos from Architectural Digest, September 1978, Horst photographer.

And so we end the week with a trip back in time to London, more specifically, a townhouse decorated by the late Tom Parr of Colefax and Fowler. Photographed by Derry Moore for the May 1978 issue of Architectural Digest, the townhouse was located at the end of a private lane, where it was surrounded by trees and a small garden, thus giving visitors a sense of being in the country. Because of the townhouse's bucolic surroundings, Parr decorated this city house in the manner of a English country house.

The article's author, Elizabeth Lambert, noted that "the English are exceedingly good with their country houses, be they city versions or truly in the country. They know how to live in them, and they know how to decorate them- the living and decorating so entwined that to mention either attribute separately is almost impossible." So true. And Tom Parr was quoted as saying, "The best country houses are always totally relaxed, cottony and simple. Above all, they are easy to live in." I think that both Lambert and Parr's statements sum up exactly why Americans are so enamored of the English country house style.

Parr filled the townhouse with furnishings that epitomized both comfort and elegance. Comfy-looking seating, warm light, easy-on-the-eyes colors, and pretty fabrics all add to the relaxed atmosphere of the house. Thirty-five years after being published, these interiors don't look the least bit dated, a testament to Parr's skills as a designer. As he noted, "Decorating must not be ephemeral. The idea of changing colors every year is absolute rubbish. It's too expensive, for a start. There should be a timelessness about every room, and if enough thought has been given to what makes a particular house livable, then a decorator will be very good friends with the owners when the work is finished."

Can you imagine a better spot in which to read? The drawing room was filled with books, comfortable seating, and the homeowners' collection of Liverpool transfer-printed cream ware jugs.

Another view of the drawing room with its 18th-century marble fireplace.

The yellow dining room.

Parr conceived this Print Room for the homeowners, who were avid collectors of North American prints and engravings. Parr added a brown felt-covered table to give the homeowners a place to spread out and study their prints.

The Master Bedroom featured an exuberant use of a Brunschwig & Fils French floral chintz, rendered in shades of blue and brown...

...while in the Dressing Room, a different colorway of the same chintz was chosen for use on the room's walls and sofa.

All photos from Architectural Digest May 1978, Derry Moore photographer.

I'm heading to California next week where I'll have book signing events in both Los Angeles and San Francisco. More on the San Francisco event later, but first, I want to invite those of you in Los Angeles to join me for a booksigning and cocktail reception at Hollyhock next Wednesday, March 19 from 5:30 to 7:30pm.

Considering the style and entertaining prowess of both Suzanne Rheinstein and her Hollyhock staff, the event should be a very fun time. If you do plan to attend, please RSVP to the number of email listed above. I look forward to meeting some of you next week.

One of my favorite Mark Hampton-designed houses has to be that of the late author and playwright, Speed Lamkin. The Monroe, Louisiana house, in which the writer and his sister, socialite Marguerite Littman, were raised, was built in 1936 by Lamkin's parents. After many years spent in the whirl of New York City, Lamkin returned home to Monroe to refocus his energy on his writing career and to take up residence in his childhood house.

Although Lamkin was known for his refined taste and his passion for collecting, he had the good sense to hire some very talented designers during his lifetime. While living in New York, Lamkin engaged Billy Baldwin to decorate two different apartments. But for his Louisiana house, the playwright hired Mark Hampton, who helped Lamkin redecorate the house's interiors. Lamkin had long wanted a drawing room with mirrored paneled walls like those in Coco Chanel's salon, something which Hampton made a reality. And in what had once been the house's porte cochere, Lamkin envisioned a winter garden room. Hampton complied and layered the room in yards of a charming Brunschwig & Fils floral chintz. What a chic collaboration.

The photos that you see here appeared in the September 1981 issue of Architectural Digest. Although I had seen photos of the house before (such as in Duane Hampton's book on Mark Hampton,) there are a few- namely, the master bedroom- which are not familiar to me. Take a look below and tell me that this house didn't strike just the right balance between high-style, big city flourishes and Southern comfort and graciousness.

In the house's entrance hall, family portraits are displayed. The wallpaper is a David Hicks design.

Two photos of the Coco Chanel-inspired drawing room. The bureau plat (to the left in the first photo) once belonged to Empress Eugenie.

The crimson dining room. The draperies were designed in the Regency style.

The winter garden room was referred to as the "Edwardian Room". You can see the garden and pool beyond the glass door.

The master bedroom with its very inviting-looking velvet canopy.

All photos from Architectural Digest, September 1981; Horst, photographer.

After four months of a grueling travel schedule and a whirlwind (but fun!) book tour, my immune system is shot. Last week, I became sick for the third time in three months, and to say that I was ready to cry over the situation is an understatement. However, in an effort to be positive about the situation, I will say that the silver lining of being sick was that it gave me an opportunity to spend an afternoon reading my friend Michael Devine's fabulous new book, An Invitation to the Garden. Simply put, the book was tonic for my soul.

Michael's book documents the entertaining that he and his partner, Thomas, do in their lovely Kinderhook, New York garden. Michael is an avid gardener who has brought to life the most lovely and lush garden, which is a bounty of roses, lilacs, bachelor's buttons, tomatoes, green beans, and other vegetal delicacies. But Michael doesn't treat his garden merely as a backdrop for entertaining. An avid cook, too, Michael uses both the produce and the flowers that grow in his garden to create simple but elegant dishes that are inspired by his time spent living in France.

The book is comprised of chapters that are devoted to seasonal dinners and soirees, all of which are held in the garden or in the couple's charming tool shed cum bagatelle. There is a Lilac Brunch, a Butterfly Luncheon, a Harvest Lunch, and an Elegant Christmas Eve Dinner, just to name a few. Each chapter features a menu, photographs of the garden, the tablesetting, and the food served, and finally, recipes, which include Strawberries with Rose Water Syrup, Tomato Tartare with Parmesan Tuiles, Poulet Pot-au-Feu, Tomato Soup, and many more.

Among the many published tomes on entertaining, Michael's book is unique in that his style of entertaining is elegant yet completely doable, too. You won't find any contrived or over the top dos in this book. Much like Michael, his book is hospitable, one that those of us who love food, flowers, gardening, tablesettings, and, yes, entertaining will find most welcoming.

To purchase a copy of the book, please visit Amazon

, Barnes & Noble, or Indiebound.

All photos from An Invitation to the Garden by Michael Devine; Michael Devine and John Gruen photographers.

I'm off today for a ten day trip to California, and I decided that this would be a good time to take a few weeks off from blogging to recharge my battery. But before I sign off, I want to remind you that I will be signing books at Hollyhock in Los Angeles this Wednesday, March 19 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. If you plan to attend (and I hope that you do!), please RSVP to the email address or phone number listed above.

Then, on Wednesday, March 26, Hudson Grace in San Francisco will be hosting a book signing event for me from 5 to 8pm. The party will be just one of the retail-oriented events held as part of House Beautiful's Shop America night on Sacramento Street. Many of the shops on Sacramento Street will be participating. For more information, please see the invitation below.

And to those who plan to attend either event, I look forward to seeing you very soon.

I recently read Darling Monster: The Letters of Lady Diana Cooper to Her Son John Julius Norwich 1939-1952. (The book has not yet been released in the U.S., but you can do as I did and order it from the U.K.) At 465 pages, the book might seem like it would be a bit of a slog, but it really isn't. It's a brisk read that is delightful and entertaining. In fact, I'm now anxious to read Diana Cooper's autobiography, although that will have to wait until I plow through the waist-high stack of books next to my bed.

Darling Monster prompted me to revisit the 2006 publication, Rooms, which featured Derry Moore's 1984 photos of Cooper's London flat. I showed these photos on my blog many years ago, but it seems worthwhile to take another look as they capture the mementos- and attractive ones at that- of a life lived to the hilt. Although I appreciated these photos when I first saw them a number of years ago, I now have a greater understanding of some of the photos' details thanks to Darling Monster. For example, that seemingly incongruous yachting cap that Cooper is wearing in one of the photos? It seems that this wasn't a one-time occurrence; she referred to wearing just such a cap in a number of her letters to her son. And now I know that she wrote much of her correspondence from her bed, just as she seems to be doing in a different Moore photo.

While Diana Cooper's home might reflect her personality, it is her letters and written remembrances that truly capture it. If Diana Cooper's home piques your interest, then by all means consider reading Darling Monster.

To purchase a copy of Darling Monster, visit Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

*The caption that accompanied this photo mentioned that Cooper's trompe l'oeil panels had been painted by Rex Whistler. As John Julius Norwich noted in Darling Monster, the panels were in fact painted by Martin Battersby for the Coopers' Chateau de Chantilly. The panels were later moved to Cooper's London residence.

All photos from Rooms by Carl Skoggard, Derry Moore photographer.

A big thank you to Southern Living and Lindsay Bierman for inviting me to write about chintz (are you listening, Mario Buatta?) for their April issue. In Chintz- Back in Bloom!, you'll not only read about what makes this fabric so timeless and special, but you'll also learn how Barrie Benson, Lauren Liess, Ruthie Sommers, and Celerie Kemble have used chintz to stylish effect.

Visit your newsstand or the Southern Livingwebsite, where you can read the bonus Chintz in the South timeline. You just might find a mention of Designing Women in it.

About a month ago, I was searching for something on the internet- for what I can't remember- when I stumbled upon the website of architectural sculptor Geoffrey Preston. Based in the U.K., Preston's specialty is decorative plasterwork and stucco. Having previously founded two different conservation practices (it was Preston who restored much of the masterpiece plasterwork at Uppark House,) Preston now runs his own workshop, where he and his band of artists create new plaster and stucco masterpieces for some of England's leading architects and decorators.

Looking through Preston's online portfolio, I was understandably struck by the large examples of his work, such as intricate ceilings and massive wall panels. But I was equally as taken with his smaller projects, which, despite the fact that they are scaled-down flourishes, make just as much of an impression as their large-scaled brethren do. A stucco overmantle or a small wall panel doesn't require a large house, only a homeowner who thinks big.

So, for more big inspiration, please visit Preston's website. His work is truly magnificent.

All photos courtesy of Geoffrey Preston

I do hope that some of you will be able to join me on Sunday, April 27 at The Philadelphia Antiques Show. I will be speaking about classic design and antiques starting at 11:30, with a book signing event to follow. The show's organizers are determined to prevent me from feeling any homesickness for the South by serving Mint Juleps and Southern snacks at the event. I'd say that antiques and Mint Juleps are a match made in heaven.

For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit The Philadelphia Antiques Show website. The show is considered to be one of the best in the nation, and I am honored to be a part of it.

In my cache of 1950s and 60s-era French design books, there is a designer whose work crops up again and again: Gérard Mille. In the mid-twentieth century, Mille was one of France's most prominent designers, something that I attribute not just to his high-profile clients but to his elegant and rarefied style as well. I guess that it's appropriate that two French phrases come to my mind when I see photos of a Mille-designed interior: recherché and comme il faut, the latter because Mille's style is what one might expect of a French sophisticate of the day.

Photographer-turned-antiquaire Roger Prigent was also impressed by Mille, having photographed Dior-clad models for French Vogue in Mille's Paris apartment. As Prigent told the New York Observer in 2002, "It was a beautiful apartment. I didn't even know that people could live that way." But live that way Gérard did, alongside his brother, Hervé, who was the editor of Paris Match. The Mille brothers often held court in their rue de Varennes apartment, entertaining friends like Coco Chanel and Louise de Vilmorin.

The photos that you see here, which were published in L'ŒIL magazine and later in The Best in European Decoration, show Mille's apartment circa early 1960s. Whether this is the same apartment that made such an impression on Prigent, I'm not sure. But the photos do convey Mille's preference for fine antiques (which included a Boulle desk and a Jacob console) and formal fabrics. The title that accompanied these photos seems to sum up the home quite well: "Small appartment [sic], great taste". How's that for being concise? Too bad only one of the photos is in color.

An aside: while researching Mille, I discovered a very chic, early-1930s smoking room that was credited to both Jean Dunand and Gérard Mille. The room, which was originally installed in the Paris apartment of Colette Aboucaya, was a collaboration between Dunand and Mille, who was Aboucaya's decorator. Could this be the same Gérard Mille whose apartment is seen here? I'm assuming so, but I'm still trying to confirm this. Regardless, I included a photo of the Dunand-Mille smoking room, which was called "Les Palmiers", at the end of this post because it is so incredibly fabulous. The room's walls and doors were lined in Dunand-designed lacquered-wood panels, which were embellished with Cubist-style palm tree motifs that gave the room its name. After Aboucaya's death in 1997, the room was dismantled and sold through Drouot. The new owners then installed it at Château de Gourdon. In 2011, the room was auctioned off yet again, this time by Christie's, on whose website the smoking room photo appeared.

In case you're interested in buying a copy of the out-of-print The Best in European Decoration, there seem to be a few copies available on Amazon as well as well as Abebooks.

The Smoking Room:

Mille apartment photos from The Best in European Decoration; the smoking room photo from Christie's

Actually, make that one night at ADAC, although it certainly felt like Bangkok. Jim Thompson recently celebrated the grand opening of their fabulous new Atlanta showroom, which is their first in North America. And in keeping with the company's Thai roots, the folks of Jim Thompson made sure to give the party Thai flair. There was Thai silk, Thai food, and even a Thai tuk-tuk, into which my friend Barry and I crammed our too-tall bodies.

I had hoped to take some photos of the showroom, but it was jam-packed with guests having a really good time. So instead, I'll show you official images of Jim Thompson's new Spring collections. The Temple of Dawn collection, which is named for a Bangkok landmark, includes some beautiful silks and breezy cottons and linens. Their new outdoor collection, aptly named Singing in the Rain, is made up of acrylic fabrics that can withstand the rigors of outdoor living.

If you're planning a trip to ADAC anytime soon, please stop by the new Jim Thompson showroom. The tuk-tuk may no longer be there, but beautiful fabrics await you.

Temple of Dawn collection:

Deva- linen, Lurex, viscose

Ampawan- linen, cotton, viscose

Benja- linen

Screen and curtains: Arun-linen

Chair: Pathum- silk, linen, viscose

Singing in the Rain Collection:

Deluge- acryliic

Stream- acrylic

Torrent- acrylic

Fabric photos courtesy of Jim Thompson Fabrics

A few weeks ago, I visited one of my favorite shops, Hollyhock, where Suzanne Rheinstein and the Hollyhock gang hosted a book signing party for me. It was such a treat to see old friends, meet new ones, and peruse- no, make that swoon over- all of Hollyhock's treasures. The work of Vladimir, Christopher Spitzmiller, Frances Palmer, Livia Cetti, and Scanlon Apparati caught my eye, as did all of the beautiful antiques that look anything but old-fashioned. (Stay tuned for a future blog post about Scanlon Apparti, a line with which I'm currently obsessed.) To say that Hollyhock carries the best of the best is an understatement.

I took a few photos to show you what is currently in stock at Hollyhock. To see more of what Hollyhock carries, or to inquire about anything you see here, please visit its website.

Book signing party invitations displayed amongst pieces made by Frances Palmer.

A bookcase filled with decorative paper objects made by the talented Beth Scanlon of Scanlon Apparati

A Scanlon Apparati diorama letter holder with notepads by The Printery

I marveled over these diorama wall hangings by Scanlon Apparti.

Porcelain flowers by the famous Vladimir

A shell pot with mussel lid, one of a pair

This piece has a very interesting provenance. Frances Elkins refashioned a George III japanned dressing mirror (c. 1770) by adding a silvered, carved wood stand and crest to it. The addition dates to the 1930s. This piece once resided in the Ladies Powder Room at the Kersey Coates Reed house, which was one of David Adler's best known houses.

A bevy of blue and white ceramicware

Detail of a charming trompe l'oeil-style table

Yet another charming vignette

A black paper Hollyhock planted in a vintage pot, which was made by artist Livia Cetti

Photos are the copyright of Jennifer Boles for The Peak of Chic

The Spring book release season is in full swing, and two recent publications have captured my attention: One Man's Folly: The Exceptional Houses of Furlow Gatewood by Julia Reed and Linens by Jane Scott Hodges. I am sure that most of you are at the very least familiar with these two books, but for those who might not be aware of them, let me give you an introduction to both.

One Man's Folly is a photographic tour of the Americus, Georgia compound of designer Furlow Gatewood. I use the word "compound" as Gatewood has peppered his spacious property with houses and outbuildings that are decorated in Gatewood's inimitable style. Each room is filled with comfortable fabrics and furnishings mixed with interesting objects and inherited treasures. The result are interiors that are well-mannered and genteel yet carefree and easy-going, all attributes which speak to Gatewood's Southern upbringing as well as the property's South Georgia location. With text written by Julia Reed, one of my favorite Southern writers, One Man's Folly is a worthy addition to one's library.

Then there is Linens by Jane Scott Hodges, who is the founder and owner of Leontine Linens. Hodges's book is also a photographic tour, one that captures Leontine's famous linens in use in some very swell interiors. Alongside copious interior photos are designer tips on decorating and living with linen as well as information on linen basics. If you have a passion for linen, then this book should be right up your alley.

*To purchase a copy of One Man's Folly, visit Amazon or Barnes & Noble. For Linens, visit Barnes & Noble or Amazon.

One Man's Folly:

Linens:

All photos used with permission of Rizzoli. One Man's Folly by Julia Reed, Rizzoli publisher; Linens by Jane Scott Hodges, Rizzoli publisher.

I long admired the style of fashion editor Carrie Donovan, whose Gobstopper-sized pearls, exaggerated eyeglasses, and Old Navy commercials helped to elevate the fashion maven to legend-status. So I was especially excited when I found these photos of Donovan's Manhattan apartment, circa 1975. Yes, her apartment might look a little wild and wacky today, but these photographs were published in the mid-1970s, a time when flamboyance and colorful personalities were the norm rather than the exception in fashionable society. And remember, this was also the era when Donovan wore modish turbans, and anyone who wears a turban must have a flair-filled home to match.

What is most notable about this apartment is Donovan's highly-enthusiastic use of one fabric throughout her apartment: a tulip-print cotton by Gloria Vanderbilt. The fabric covered most of Donovan's living room furniture, including banquettes, slipper chairs, and tables. In fact, Donovan was so enamored of this tulip print that she is shown wearing it in her portrait by artist Ben Morris. (You can see the portrait in the photo directly below the text.) The splashy red fabric must have served as a snappy backdrop for some very fashionable entertaining.

And then, in a design move reminiscent of Donovan's mentor, Diana Vreeland, Donovan chose the same tulip-print cotton for her bedroom, although there, the fabric's vivid red coloration gave way to a white background. (If you'll recall, Vreeland also used a single fabric, a floral chintz, in both her "Garden in Hell" living room and her bedroom, although in her boudoir, she chose the blue colorway rather than the red version used in her living room.) The effect is much sweeter and more soothing than the living room's zesty shade of red.

Did Donovan borrow this design idea from Vreeland? I'm not certain. But what I do know is that Donovan lived in an apartment whose style was almost as big as her persona- and those ubiquitous eyeglasses and pearls, of course.

All photos from Home Decorating by House Beautiful, Spring 1975.

I recently spent a rainy afternoon watching the 1968 movie, Petulia. Starring Julie Christie, George C. Scott, and Richard Chamberlain, the movie takes place in the swinging and psychedelic San Francisco of the late 1960s. Christie played Petulia Danner, a young, glamorous wife who is, to borrow her phrase, a kook. ("Kook" is really putting it mildly.) Recently married to a wealthy, handsome, and violently abusive man (portrayed by Chamberlain,) Petulia embarks on an affair with Scott's character, a doctor going through a mid-life crisis. The film's story unfolds in scattered rather than linear fashion, with flash-backs and flash-forwards (supposedly a novelty at the time) interjecting themselves throughout the movie. Adding to the slightly chaotic film sequences are the acid-like, psychedelic images that flash up on the screen every now and then, set to the accompaniment of music by Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead, all of whom make cameo appearances.

In a 2006 New York Times article about Petulia's release on DVD, Dave Kehr wrote that the movie was originally "released to largely uncomprehending audiences." Had I been an adult watching Petulia in 1968, I would have been one of those uncomprehending viewers, and in fact, I'm uncomprehending in 2014. The movie is too weird and, well, too kooky for me. And the Janis Joplin/ Grateful Dead soundtrack does absolutely nothing for me. But I really didn't watch this movie for its plot or to see a young Richard Chamberlain. Rather, I watched it because David Hicks served as design consultant on the movie.

I had once read that Hicks was responsible for two rooms on the film's set, and I believe that both rooms were set in the home of Petulia and her husband. The first Hicks room that makes an appearance is the Danners' living room. You can see a glimpse of it in the photo below:

By the way, just what are those blue flowers? They look like blue carnations or mums.

In the three photos above, you can see a number of Hicks hallmarks, including bergères covered in bright blue, solid-colored fabric (which, along with the room's contemporary painting, cobalt glass collection, and shelves of blue books, punctuates the room with the color,) skirted, triangular-shaped sidetables, and a number of tablescapes.

But perhaps even more "Hicks-like" than the living room is the Danners' bedroom, in which one of Hicks's wonderful canopied beds plays a starring role. (According to Ashley Hicks's most recent book, his father was not happy with the way the Petulia canopy was built, noting that the valance was too shallow. He was right.) Such an intense color combination of canary yellow and hot pink is not quite what I would expect in a house in San Francisco, and yet, it's really very striking. Christie's bright yellow robe only adds to the intensity of color. And I'm crazy for the pink fabric that lines the bed hangings. Do you think it is a highly-glazed cotton? It looks too shiny to be silk.

Who knew that one could be so pensive while serving orange juice?

Although I wouldn't rate Petulia a movie classic, it is a rather interesting film. If you love the swinging sixties and the music that went along with it, then you might well enjoy this movie. And for those of us who don't, let's just appreciate the beauty and vitality of these David Hicks-designed rooms...and the beauty and vitality of a young Richard Chamberlain, too.

Decorating in the Grand Manor

This and That

My Sofa!

At Home with Danny Taylor

Evangeline Bruce

A Country House in the City

Join Me at Hollyhock

Speed Lamkin at Home in Louisiana

Michael Devine and An Invitation to the Garden

West Coast Bound

Revisiting Diana Cooper

Think Chintz!

Geoffrey Preston Sculpture and Design

In with the Old at the Philadelphia Antiques Show

An Introduction to Gérard Mille

One Night in Bangkok

What's in Store at Hollyhock

Spring Book Releases

Carrie Donovan's Fashionable Lair

David Hicks and Petulia