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What's Next?

April 23, 2014, 4:35 am
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I spend a lot of my morning personal grooming time (i.e., makeup and hair) thinking about design trends. By "trends" I don't mean trendy, but rather, the dominant styles of the day. And the conclusion that I have come to is that over the last decade or so, not much has really changed.

We started the 21st-century with the Hollywood Regency revival and the David Hicks/Swinging Sixties style. Within a year or so, these trends morphed into the WASP-y, colorful, Palm Beach look. After that, it was the exotic, boho-chic look of ikats, poufs, and Indian prints. And today, all of these looks remain popular to varying degrees.

What all of these looks have in common is that they have maximalist DNA: bright, saturated colors; bold, overscaled pattern; and, at times, a rather free-wheeling, decorate-with-abandon sensibility. The other shared trait among these trends? Their last bouts of popularity were in the mid-to-late 1960s and early 1970s. In a way, it is as if we are stuck in the Johnson and Nixon administrations, only with the benefit of the internet and the iPhone.

As much as I admire these aforementioned styles, I am ready for something new. It's time for a change. But of course, the big question is, what's next for design? The look to which I have gravitated for the last few years is one that was fairly prevalent during the 1970s and early 1980s. It is defined by neutral-though-rich colors (such as chocolate brown, black, and caramel, all of which look fabulous at night,) smaller-scaled pattern, glimmering accents of chrome or brass, and the pairing of elegant antiques with contemporary upholstered furniture. It's a look that I believe evolved from the fabulous chocolate brown apartment of Billy Baldwin, although Van Day Truex certainly deserves some of the credit, too.

What I like most about this look is that it makes an impression without screaming for attention. Despite the restrained color palette and small-scaled, typically two-toned prints, there is no lack of glamour, drama, dazzle, or pizzazz. And to execute this look well, one has to practice self-discipline and self-editing. I think that one of the downsides to some recent design trends is that editing and restraint have been forgotten, something that has often resulted in "anything goes"-type rooms. (I think that the designer Joseph Braswell put it best when he said, "Very often a good room is ruined by too many stories." ) Finally, it's worth noting that although all of the examples featured here were decorated by male designers, women could just as easily live in such rooms. The overall aesthetic might be masculine, but it doesn't seem overtly so to me.

Will this classic 1970s-era sensibility make a comeback? I hope so, because I do think it's a worthy successor to today's current trends. If you're like me and you're ready for a change, please let me know what you think the next big look will be.


The Manhattan apartment of Van Day Truex




Albert Hadley's living room




The Manhattan apartment of Ferris Megarity




A room designed by Kevin McNamara




The living room of Thomas A. Morrow III


The East Hampton cottage of Harry Hinson



Dining room decorated by Angelo Donghia



In the Los Angeles home of Dennis Leen



In the Sutton Place apartment of designer Joseph Braswell




In the New York townhouse of Jay Crawford and Anthony Tortora


In the apartment of designer Tom Britt
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Beth Scanlon and Scanlon Apparati

May 6, 2014, 4:15 am
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I have a real weakness for interior illustrations, so much so that I gave them their own entry in my book. Whereas most interior photographs are meant to capture a room as it actually appears, interior illustrations are prone to a bit of artistic license.  It's not that illustrations don't accurately reflect a room's appearance.  It's that they do so with flair and personality.  Depending on the illustrator's artistic style, interior renderings can be lively, moody, exuberant, and, above all, charming.  Few rooms can't benefit from being immortalized on paper.

I recently discovered the interior illustrations of the immensely talented Beth Scanlon.  Beth is the artist behind the wonderful cartonnage, decoupage, and diorama creations that are sold at Hollyhock and via her website, Scanlon Apparati.  Beth has recently branched out into interior watercolors, trying her hand at painting rooms such as the Glass Beaded Salon at Oranienbaum as well as contemporary interiors by designers like Suzanne Rheinstein and Nina Campbell.  In fact, Beth was kind enough to paint a rendering of my living room, which she based on a photograph that appeared in The New York Times.  You can see the painting above. I mustn't forget to add that Beth's watercolors are presented in elegant Italian paper-covered folders, which are handmade by Beth.  My folder was made of Italian blue marbled paper, which seems to perfectly match my blue living room.

Beth's paintings are available by commission through Hollyhock. If you wish to commission a watercolor or make inquiries, you can contact Hollyhock.  And I urge you to view Beth's work both on her website and that of Hollyhock.  If you're anything like me, you will want to place a mighty large order.


One of Beth's very first watercolors captured the Glass Beaded Salon at Oranienbaum.






You might recognize the room above; it was decorated by Suzanne Rheinstein.  Beth based her illustration on Pieter Estersohn's photograph of the room.





This illustration was based on a photograph by A. Branca.







A watercolor of a room that was decorated by Nina Campbell.




It was another room by Suzanne Rheinstein (and another photograph by Pieter Estersohn) that inspired this rendering.




This charming watercolor was inspired by a photo that Beth saw in Cote Est.  The room was photographed by Christophe Dugied.


The photo at top by Jennifer Boles for The Peak of Chic;  all other photos used with permission from Beth Scanlon.
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Atelier d'Offard

May 8, 2014, 4:10 am
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The other day, I overheard someone declare that wallpaper is coming back. Coming back from where?  Ever since I was a child, I have loved wallpaper, and that love has yet to wane. In fact, one of my frustrations in life is that my apartment doesn't have enough rooms for me to paper. I guess that there could be worse frustrations to have.

Lucky for me, then, that a random internet search led me to the website of Atelier d'Offard, where I proceeded to spend upwards of an hour looking at all of their glorious papers. Atelier d'Offard is a French firm that is based in Tours and led by François-Xavier Richard, who is a painter, sculptor, and engraver. And, if I am comprehending the French text correctly, it seems that many of their designs are based on historic papers, while others are original designs.  One of their designs is the weird yet wonderful monkey and cotton print, which you can see above.  (I have seen plenty of cotton in my day and a few monkeys, too, but never together.)

I curated some of my favorite prints from the site, which you can see below, but if you have time to kill, do visit their website to see the entire collection.
















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The Philadelphia Antiques Show

May 9, 2014, 4:22 am
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A few weeks ago, I attended The Philadelphia Antiques Show, where I was one of the show's featured speakers. I was aware of the show's reputation as one of our country's premier antiques shows, but I don't think that I realized how good the event was until I spent a few hours wandering the show floor. The show was a treasure trove of Chinese Export porcelain, early American furniture, portrait paintings, scrimshaw, and textiles.

What kept going through my mind as I meandered from booth to booth was how rich our country's decorative arts tradition really is. I think that some of us (myself included) have a tendency to sometimes overlook American antiques in favor of French or British pieces.  And although both England and France have produced sublime furniture, textiles, and arts through the centuries, we shouldn't discount American decorative arts. We too have produced some truly remarkable furniture and objects.

Now that I got that off of my chest, I want to show you what I found to be the highlights of the show:



Dealer Arthur Liverant's booth was understandably a hotbed of activity.  His collection of children's chairs, which you can see in the photo at the very top, was a highlight of the show.  (This was also the booth where Arthur and I made our TV appearances on Good Day Philadelphia.  If you want to see my television debut, click here.)





A Palampore Tree of Life quilt that was made in the Northeastern U.S. in the early 19th century.  The Herrs Antiques of Lancaster, PA.










A child's Hepplewhite chair, New England, circa 1800.  Joan Brownstein, the dealer who is offering this chair, believes that the crewelwork fabric was probably taken from an earlier work.  The charming embroidered images, which include a dog on a pillow and a peacock, must have delighted the child who owned this chair.






Hyland Granby Antiques was offering a number of scrimshaw whale teeth, including this pair whose engravings depicted British maritime scenes.





This rather menacing looking piece is a c. 1780-90 clock made up of 400 blades.  Made by J Y Oliver of Cambridge, England.  This piece was featured in dealer Kelly Kinzle's booth.





I love dogs and porcelain, so this very rare famille rose hunting dog candlestick, one of a pair, naturally caught my eye.  Available through Polly Latham Asian Art.






Thanks to the San Francisco Antiques Show, I am familiar with frequent exhibitor Earle D. Vandekar, which deals mostly in porcelain, prints, and sailors' woolwork pictures.  However, this is the first time that I have seen one of their booths filled with Fornasetti plates alongside antique porcelain. I think it's an interesting combination.




This c. 1807 profile portrait of Simeon Baldwin intrigued me because of its pink background and black and gold star eglomise mat.  Christopher T. Rebollo Antiques.


P.S.- In case you think that antiques dealers aren't a fun-loving group of people, take a look at Arthur Liverant's 2014 calendar, in which he makes an appearance as Superman:



All photos are the copyright of Jennifer Boles for The Peak of Chic
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The Late J. Hyde Crawford

May 12, 2014, 4:36 am
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May 20 marks the one year anniversary of the death of J. Hyde Crawford, a truly talented man. As an illustrator, Crawford was responsible for updating Bonwit Teller's signature violet print, which was strewn across both the store's shopping bags as well as its charge cards.  And as a textile and wallcovering designer, Crawford was one of the founders of Quadrille, the textile and wallpaper line that remains popular today.

Photos of Crawford's Manhattan townhouse have appeared numerous times on this blog, as recently as a few weeks ago.  Some photos show the townhouse as it looked in the late 1970s, while others capture its early-1990s appearance.  Just last week, I was informed that the townhouse, which is located in the Turtle Bay neighborhood, was recently sold, having been listed with agent Clifford E. Katz of Sotheby's International Realty, East Side Manhattan brokerage.  A perusal of the listing's photos showed that although some tweaking had been done here and there, the townhome's interiors looked much as they did in the early 1990s.

I know that many of you, like me, are fans of Crawford's work, so I wanted to show you the home as it appeared before Crawford's death (Mr. Katz was kind enough to allow me to use his listing photos on my blog.)  I have also included both the late 1970s and early 1990s photos so that you can make a comparison.



2014:











Early 1990s:





Late 1970s:




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R.I.P. Betty Sherrill

May 13, 2014, 4:36 am
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Yesterday brought the sad news of designer Betty Sherrill's death.  For decades, the New Orleans-born Sherrill was the doyenne of American decorating.  Having joined McMillen Inc. as a young designer in 1952, Sherrill later became the firm's president, a role for which the talented designer seemed made.  Under Sherrill's tutelage, McMillen Inc. operated in the upper echelon of the design world and continued to maintain the high standards set by the firm's founder, Eleanor McMillen Brown.

Visit any of the marquee buildings of New York's Upper East Side, and you'll likely find a number of McMillen-designed apartments.  This is no coincidence.  Betty Sherrill moved in the same social circles as many of her clients, who have included members of society, industry, and royalty, and with her innate understanding of luxury, taste, tradition, and discretion, Sherrill and her staff became the go-to decorators for those seeking help with their manses and their maisonettes.  Betty Sherrill knew how her clients wanted to live, because she lived in a similar fashion.

Although her death marks the end of an era, it does not mark the end of McMillen Inc.  With Sherrill's daughter, Ann Pyne, now serving as President and her granddaughter, Elizabeth Pyne, working on staff as a designer, the firm is poised to remain one of this country's premier design firms.  With a legacy that includes Eleanor McMillen Brown and Betty Sherrill, it shouldn't be any other way.









Photos of Betty Sherrill's homes from The Decorator by Florence de Dampierre and The World of McMillen: Sixty Years of Interior Design by Erica Brown
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Not-So-Garden Variety Rooms

May 19, 2014, 4:13 am
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While I was wide awake at 2 a.m. the other night, the most random image popped into my head: a photo, seen above, which shows the garden room of architect Archibald Brown's River House apartment.  When I first saw the c. 1931 photo, which was taken by photographer Samuel H. Gottscho, I was intrigued by those sunken flower beds.  How clever and, perhaps, how messy those indoor beds were.  I would assume that the flowers were real, if the watering can placed alongside the bed was any indication.  I wonder if this garden room was the work of Brown or that of Eleanor McMillen, the McMillen Inc. founder who later married Mr. Brown in 1934?  I don't have the answer, but I did take this nocturnal ponderment as a sign that I needed to write a blog post about creative ways that homeowners have attempted to bring the outdoors inside.

The concept of creating an indoor garden space is one that I explore in my lecture on 20th-century design, which I have been giving to audiences around the country.  Specifically, I discuss orangeries and winter garden rooms, both of which typically housed citrus trees, palm trees, and ferns.  But if you look at interior photos from the 1920s and 1930s, you'll find all kinds of imaginative and, at times, theatrical ways that homeowners have introduced garden-like decorative elements to indoor spaces.  In some cases, windows or trellises were employed as part of a ruse to fool people into thinking that they were viewing a real garden when, in fact, they were looking at painted scenes.  Other homeowners took an easier route by simply using floor screens that had been painted with images of flowers or pastoral scenes.

One of the most enthusiastic champions of the indoor garden tableau was Dorothy Draper, who decorated quite a number of restaurants and hotels with elements typically seen outdoors: fountains; espalier; wrought-iron patio furniture; and topiaries.  But Draper did not limit these indoor garden fantasies to her commercial projects.  In her confidence-building, morale-boosting tome, Decorating is Fun!, Draper wrote a case history of "A Country Wren Who Turned into a City Sparrow".  Poor Mrs. White was bereft at having to leave her country garden behind when her husband's job transferred them to the city- and to an apartment.  After a time spent being "positively mopey", Mrs. White had a stroke of genius: she turned her living room's bay window, which was south-facing (hurray!), into a garden oasis by building a short door sill in front of the window, laying the floor with linoleum, scattering pebbles over the floor, and placing two tall rubber plants and an assortment of other potted plants onto the pebbles.  Further heightening the garden feel were red trellis, which was placed on the walls surrounding the window, and a "lovely old English bird cage with two happily married bullfinches in it." The result was such that, "Mrs. White likes her sunny little garden almost better than the one she left behind in the country."

So you see, no matter where you live, you too can create an indoor garden for yourself.  All it takes is a little creativity, some know-how, and perhaps a bullfinch or two.

A corner of William Paley's Beekman Place apartment was dedicated to a mini-garden, one which appears to be overflowing with ferns and sundry plants.  (Photo taken by Samuel H. Gottscho in 1936; from the collections of the Museum of the City of New York.)




A small fountain and lots of plants in the studio of interior decorator Emma Romeyn.  (1939; Gottscho-Schleisner, Inc.; from the collections of the Museum of the City of New York.)




A rendering of a dining room decorated by Diane Tate & Marian Hall.  The most conventional way of giving a room a garden feel is by displaying flowering plants in front of a window, as seen here.





In the Gallery of the Armour House, Lake Bluff, Illinois, a mass of potted plants and hand-painted palm fronds on the walls echo the view beyond the front door.  Frances Elkins was the decorator. 




In this 1920s-era room, a trellis and flower box were placed outside of the window.  Here, the garden element is not quite indoors, but almost.  Paula Robertson, decorator.



In this room by Wanamaker, outdoor garden scenes of Venice were created through the use of trellised arches and trompe l'oeil-painted roller blinds.  The roller blinds evidently covered up windows that displayed "unsightly city views."



In the Fifth Avenue residence of Walter Seligman, the dining room walls were hung with a floral-print fabric, while the backs of the double-doors, which are seen open, were painted with bucolic scenes that continued into the hall beyond the dining room.  It almost looks as if one could walk from the dining room straight into the outdoors. (C. 1930, Samuel H. Gottscho photographer. From the collections of the Museum of the City of New York.)


A far easier method of decorating with budding blooms was the painted screen.  This example was painted by Etienne Drian around 1938.




A dining room at the Carlyle Hotel, c. 1938.  I assume that Dorothy Draper was responsible for this considering that she decorated the hotel in 1930.  (Gottscho-Schleisner, Inc. From the collections of the Museum of the City of New York.)




The two photos seen above show the Garden Lounge at Hampshire House, which was also decorated by Draper.  The espaliered fruit trees are faux.



And yet another Draper creation: the Peacock Court at San Francisco's Mark Hopkins Hotel.

Photo at top and others as noted: Samuel H. Gottscho photographer, from the Collections of the Museum of the City of New York.  Tate & Hall, Robertson, and Wanamaker photos from "The Book of Colour Schemes"; Elkins photo from "Frances Elkins" by Stephen Salny; Draper photos from "In the Pink" by Carleton Varney; Drian screen photo from Martin Battersby's "The Decorative Thirties". 
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Cluttered

May 21, 2014, 4:16 am
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I was looking through my copy of Interiors by Minn Hogg and Wendy Harrop for what must have been the tenth time when it finally dawned on me that my favorite chapter of the book is titled "Cluttered".  That's rather strange considering that I have an aversion to clutter in my own home.  And yet, perhaps my appreciation for these so-called cluttered interiors is not so surprising when one reads the chapter's introduction, in which the late antiques dealer Stephen Long defined a cluttered room as such:

There is rarely a contrived scheme or method to such interior design, it is more often a combination of beautiful and idiosyncratic items- just as carefully selected as a single object in a minimal interior- which come together to create a highly personal and enchanting scenario which would be a nightmare to move. 

"Highly personal" and "enchanting".  Those must be the qualities that draw me to these particular interiors.  When I study rooms such as these, I am always left wondering who the homeowner is.  I just know that he or she has to be interesting, eccentric, erudite, or even squirrely.  But when I see a room that has been decorated in an affected manner, I don't wonder who owns the home, because truthfully, I don't really care.  The room no longer has personality; it is simply a congregation of furnishings that probably mean very little to the homeowner.  Long might have agreed with me on this point, as he also wrote in the introduction, "True clutter is very different from those artfully arranged tablescapes, piles of expensive books and endless buttons and bows aimed to give an instant lived-in look."

If you study these rooms, you'll notice that there is a method to the madness, so to speak.  Pairs of objects and collections arranged en masse, for example, do help to create some semblance of order. And although I often complain about the current fad for willy-nilly decorating, I can't pin that criticism on these interiors.  The rooms seen here were not decorated for effect, nor did they take shape quickly.  Rather, they developed their personalities, and enchanting ones at that, over time.

And Long was right about one more thing: these scenarios must have been murder to move.

Photo at top: Isn't it interesting that the house of Sir John Soane was the lead photo to the Clutter chapter?




A French drawing room.



The Manhattan studio apartment of Richard Lowell Neas.




The Long Island living room of Allen Murphy.




A collection of ivory-handled magnifying glasses and letter openers.




A grouping of blue and white porcelain, busts, and marble.



A collection of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century silhouettes, which are displayed in a house in Sussex.



A tomato-red room.



The Manhattan sitting room of the late Keith Irvine.  As much as I admired Mr. Irvine, I have to say that I would go bonkers living with so many piles of books on the floor.


A London drawing room.

All images from Interiors by Minn Hogg and Wendy Harrop.
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Memorial Day Entertaining

May 23, 2014, 4:32 am
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I'm sure that many of you are heading out of town today in order to spend your Memorial Day weekend at the beach, the lake, or in the country. No matter where you plan to spend the holiday weekend, chances are you'll do a little entertaining. After all, isn't that what three-day weekends are for?

With that in mind, here are a few photos that might get you in the mood for entertaining.  Who knows?  You might even be inspired to carve your own whale watermelon basket (see below.)  Then again, maybe not.












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The Way Dominick Dunne Lived Then

May 28, 2014, 4:35 am
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Boy, do I miss Dominick Dunne.

I thought of him the other day as I was planning my summer reading, because his books were really the best kind of reading for a lazy summer day. Murder, high-society, and scandal. I don't know about you, but those are exactly the kind of subjects about which I want to read while lounging by the pool. (Can't you just picture being on a sunny beach- slathered in Bain de Soleil Orange Gelèe, no less- with a copy of The Two Mrs. Grenvilles in one hand and an Evian Brumisateur in the other?) But salacious subject-matter aside, Dunne's books remain compelling because they were well-written.  Dominick Dunne was no hack writer.

This stroll down memory-lane prompted me to pull my copy of Dunne's memoir, The Way We Lived Then: Recollections of a Well-Known Name Dropper, down from the shelf. Of course, Dunne's reminiscences of his life in 1960s-era Hollywood are fascinating as are the many photos of the rich and famous who frequented the Beverly Hills home that Dunne shared with his wife and children. But what really captures my attention are the photos of Dunne's house, which was furbished in an elegant and rather formal style. This really doesn't come as a surprise considering that the Dunnes and their friends often dressed in formal attire to attend weeknight dinner parties.

When you look at these photos, you'll notice quite a bit of trellis, some of which had been installed especially for the Dunnes' Black and White Ball in 1964. When My Fair Lady was released, the Dunnes had been enchanted by the film's Cecil Beaton-designed Ascot scene, which was famously decorated entirely in black and white. This scene inspired the couple to host a Black and White Ball, which was attended by Hollywood's A-list crowd. The ball was also attended by Truman Capote, who by the looks of Dunne's photos appeared to have had a very good time. Capote, of course, went on to host his own Black and White Ball, to which the Dunnes were not invited. As Dunne once said of Capote, "he was duplicitous." But back to the trellis. The Dunnes chose to keep some of their trellised-party decorations in situ, a decision which is completely understandable.  That trellis looked too beautiful to dismantle.

And later this week, I'll take you on a brief tour of Dunne's Connecticut home, which might have lacked the beautiful trellis but which was no less striking.


The Dunnes house, which was located on Walden Drive in Beverly Hills.



The exterior of the house on the night of the Dunnes' Black and White Ball.




Dunne and his wife, Lenny, photographed as they awaited their guests.  Dunne referred to their Black and White Ball as the high point of their social life.



The Dunnes' daughter, Dominique, posed in front of a trellised-backdrop.  Sadly, Dominique was later murdered by her boyfriend, an event which impelled Dunne's career in journalism and his advocacy for victims' rights.


A glamorous shot of Dunne's wife, Lenny.


All photos from The Way We Lived Then by Dominick Dunne and the documentary, Dominick Dunne: After the Party.
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Dominick Dunne at Home in Connecticut

May 30, 2014, 4:09 am
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And now we're on to Dominick Dunne's Connecticut country house, which he owned at the time of his death in 2009. The photos that you see here are screen shots of the documentary, Dominick Dunne: After the Party, which was partially shot at Dunne's house. Despite the fuzziness of some of these shots, you can see that Dunne's living room was filled with lovely fabrics and antiques. I spy La Portugaise fabric by Brunschwig & Fils on a sofa and two chairs as well as damask-covered slipper chairs in front of the fireplace.  There were needlepoint pillows, antique porcelain and ceramicware, lots of pictures, lots of books, and a fireplace fender.  What could be cozier?

And if any of you watched Dunne's television show, Power, Privilege, and Justice, you will recognize the living room because it was here that Dunne filmed his commentary for the show.  I would say that the room's decor was fitting for a show about privilege, albeit the kind of privilege that leads to murder and mayhem.  The decor might be too traditional to some, while others might find it a little too chockablock.  However, the one thing that I think most of us could agree upon is that the house was comfortable, cozy, and personal.







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The Fresh Look of Fine Antiques

June 2, 2014, 4:25 am
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One question that I am asked time and again is, "How can you make antiques appealing to a younger generation?" My answer is always the same. You need to show people that antiques can look not only good, but great, when paired with modern furniture and accessories.

A fairly good example of how to mix antiques with contemporary furniture can be seen here in this c. 1974 Manhattan apartment, which was decorated by Michael de Santis. The apartment was built in the Tudor style, which explains the living room's ceiling beams. In an effort to neutralize the rather dark, heavy Tudor details, de Santis painted the living room's walls and ceiling (including those beams) in a shade of creamy white. This neutral, seamless backdrop allowed the room's furnishings, not its architecture, to take center stage.

The living room's color scheme was bisque and blue, a color combination which de Santis felt would show the home's antiques, especially the antique Chinese rugs and porcelain, to their best advantage. Regency furniture- one of the most versatile styles of antiques- was partnered successfully with contemporary tables and lighting, while most of the upholstered seating was covered in neutral fabrics, which didn't draw attention away from the antiques.  Mirrors added sparkle, geometric rugs introduced graphic impact, and antique pictures and contemporary paintings injected soul and personality into the entire apartment.  In fact, little about this apartment is dated, other than a few furnishings as well as the quality of these photos.

To hear the way many of us talk today about mixing antique and modern furnishings, one might think that this is a novel idea.  But in reality, it's a classic concept, a tried and true way of reconciling the old with the new.





All of the photos above show different angles of the bisque and blue living room.



The apartment's bedroom, in which a pair of antique portraits preside over a very contemporary-looking bed and carpet.



The study was painted chocolate brown so as to create a "secluded effect."


All photos from House Beautiful's Home Decorating, Winter 1974.
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Seconds Sale at Christopher Spitzmiller

June 4, 2014, 4:02 am
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Summer means different things to different people, but to me, it marks the event that most of have been waiting for all year: Christopher Spitzmiller's Seconds Sale.

I've said it before and I'll say it again- you can search every inch of your Christopher Spitzmiller seconds lamp, and you'll never find the minute imperfection that has rendered it a second.  Believe me, I have tried, but to no avail.

The sale starts next Tuesday, June 10 and runs through Thursday, June 12.  For those of us who prefer to shop online, Christopher will sell the seconds selection via his website in addition to his studio.  See above for more details.
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Dining Chez Kenneth Jay Lane

June 4, 2014, 4:03 am
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So many of the articles that I have read about Kenneth Jay Lane have touched upon his ardor, not to mention his flair, for entertaining.  In fact, photos from one of these articles appeared on my blog a few years ago.

And here we go again: yet more photos of Mr. Lane's apartment with his chic dining banquette.  The two photos, above, were featured in House Beautiful's Home Decorating in 1973, back when Mr. Lane's dining room was swathed in a rather exotic-looking fabric.  It was a space redolent of Scheherazade and One Thousand and One Nights.  The photo below the banquette shot, by the way, shows how Mr. Lane liked to serve after-dinner coffee and liqueurs in his living room.

According to one article, Lane preferred to serve his guests Moroccan food, a fitting cuisine for such an exotic surrounding.  However, any sumptuous dish, especially one with international flavor, would work well within these opulent confines.  Can't you just see Lane's guests' tucking into his famous Caspian Potato Salad, a decadent dish in which Osetra caviar plays the starring role?

In case you wish to try your hand at this rich potato salad, the recipe is below:

Caspian Potato Salad*
Serves 6 to 8

8 large new potatoes or Yukon Golds
4 cups dry white whine
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Osetra caviar

Place the potatoes in a large pot with water to cover and bring to a boil. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender but still firm.  Drain and set aside to cool.  Peel the potatoes and slice them into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place the slices in a large bowl and cover with the wine, and marinate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the vinaigrette. Place the lemon juice in a small bowl and slowly add the olive oil in a steady stream, whisking constantly until emulsified. Season with pepper.

Drain the potatoes and gently toss with the vinaigrette. Just before serving, gently fold in as much caviar as desired.




*Recipe and photo of Lane from R.S.V.P. by Nan Kempner

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Tea Time

June 9, 2014, 4:14 am
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Although I have never before hosted an afternoon tea at home, I do love the thought of doing so.  There is something about this type of entertaining that is so gracious and elegant, not to mention practical, too.  First, you don't have to be a cook nor employ a cook to host a tea.  Breads, scones, and cookies can be purchased at a bakery, while tea sandwiches require little more than spreading and cutting.  Second, afternoon entertaining means that your guests are out of your house by early evening, ensuring that you have plenty of time to clean up before bedtime.  And finally, because weekday jobs are often a hindrance to afternoon entertaining, there is always the option of hosting tea on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.

Someone else who appreciated tea was the late Jean Howard, still revered as one of old Hollywood's most accomplished hostesses.  Howard often hosted teas, once telling a House & Garden writer, "Tea is the most civilized way to talk to people.  You don't have to worry about who sits where or whether you have the right number of men and women.  Moreover, if two people who disagree would just sit down with a nice cup of tea instead of a martini, they could work out their differences without saying a lot of things they'd regret later." Good point.

Françoise de la Renta was also a fan of inviting guests to tea.  She once wrote, "Nothing is more welcoming than a delicious tea: The hour is perfect, after work, before theater, the ingredients are your choice, from simple bread and butter to the abundant tea of Nicolas Nabokov's childhood (Bagazh, The Memoirs of a Russian Cosmopolitan)." I have shown a photo of de la Renta's Nabokov-inspired tea on my blog before, but I'm showing it again because I think it is supremely elegant.

If you're still not convinced that afternoon teas are worth the fuss, then take a look at the photo at the top of this post, which shows Jean Howard presiding over her tea table.  The pretty china, the trays of delectables, the elegant background.  Can you imagine a more lovely way to entertain?


Françoise de la Renta set this tea table, which was inspired by the childhood memories of Nabokov.



In Fifth Avenue Style, Howard Slatkin wrote that "afternoon tea is perhaps my most favorite meal." With a tea trolley as lovely as this, I can understand why.




Tea set for the Comtesse de Paris.



A tea set in the kitchen at the château of the Duchesse de Sabran.



Tea with Sybil Connolly.


"The Uncluttered Tea Table" vignette at Tiffany & Co.
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John Richardson's Folly

June 13, 2014, 4:33 am
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Over the years, I would occasionally come across a photo or two of the homes of Picasso biographer and art historian, Sir John Richardson.  The few photos that I found were enough to intrigue me, such was the comfortable elegance of his homes.  One photo, which was taken in his country house, showed a table that was laden with books and objects. The wall behind it was a memorable shade of turquoise blue.  Another photo captured one room of his set at Albany, a room that was outfitted in refined antiques.  As appreciative as I was of the few photos that I had found, I was left wanting to see more of Richardson's handsome homes.

And then yesterday, while flipping through a twenty-year old issue of HG, I found an entire article that was devoted to Richardson's house in New England.  (Based on what I have read elsewhere, I believe that this house might be located in Connecticut, but I can't be sure.)  Actually, the article wasn't so much about the house itself as it was about his then-newly built folly library, which provided Richardson with a place to write, read, and relax close to the big house.

The folly was designed in the classical manner and was inspired by Karl Friedrich Schinkel's Neue Pavillon at Charlottenburg in Berlin.  The structure's classic architecture extends to its interior, whose walls are punctuated with pilasters, a beefy cornice, and pediments. And speaking of those walls, they are painted in the most beautiful, vivid shade of blue.  Richardson had wanted "the luminous verdigris tint of certain nineteenth-century Russian rooms", which unfortunately turned out to be difficult to replicate.  Instead, his talented painter came up with the solution of painting the walls an icy shade of blue and then treating them to a shagreen-colored glaze.

Richardson wrote that his folly proved so comfortable that he rarely spent time in the main house.  After studying these photos, I can understand why.













  All photos from HG, July 1993, Richard Felber photographer
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Carolina Irving in 1993

June 16, 2014, 4:40 am
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To most of you, Carolina Irving needs no introduction. The textile designer and recently-appointed Creative Director of Oscar de la Renta Home is featured often on blogs, and with good reason. She has style in spades, is a scholar of the decorative arts, and is a crack decorator to boot. And if you spend any time on Pinterest, Instagram, or any other social media site, then I don't have to tell you that her beguiling homes, which have been featured in an array of publications, have a tendency to elicit near-hysteria.

But what many of you may not have seen before are photos of Carolina Irving's Manhattan apartment, circa 1993.  Irving's notable melange of styles and pieces was very much in evidence here, a mix that reflected her wide-ranging interests.  Antique textiles bumped up against sterling silver, porcelain, and even a baseball.  Also, after having seen photos of Irving's most recent homes, she seems to be a champ at bringing large-scaled rooms down to size, making these rather behemoth spaces comfortable and livable.  But what I just might like best about this apartment was the book-lined entry hall.  Can you think of a better greeting?









All photos from HG, January 1993, Ivan Terestchenko photographer
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A Passion for Porcelain

June 19, 2014, 4:51 am
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While doing some online research yesterday, I stumbled upon these photos of Samuel Wittwer's Berlin apartment, which appeared in the Swedish publication, sköna hem. Wittwer is an art historian, the Director of the Foundation of Prussian Castles and Gardens- Berlin-Brandenburg, and a porcelain specialist.

It's Wittwer's passion for porcelain that is really the story here.  A bevy of blue and white pieces grace one room of Wittwer's apartment (alongside a blue and white painted commode, no less,) while blanc de chine figures make appearances in other rooms.  And although there are some lovely fabrics and furniture here, at the end of the day, it's all about the porcelain.  At a time when porcelain collecting isn't as fashionable as it used to be, it's refreshing to see a young man who has devoted his home to his porcelain.









All photos from sköna hem, Christian Burmeister photographer.
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A Lot of Pretty Things

June 23, 2014, 4:15 am
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One of the highest compliments that I can pay someone who has an attractively-decorated house is, "She (or he) has a lot of pretty things." It's not an especially deep or erudite compliment, but it does aptly describe someone who has a home filled with beautiful fabrics, collections, and furniture.

Take, for example, the homeowner whose Paris house is featured here. The anonymous woman converted a former garage into a house that was a repository for her pretty things. There were fetching fabrics (mostly Madeleine Castaing prints), dignified antique furniture, porcelain, and books, all of which lent an air of sophistication to the home's interiors. And yet, the prettiness of the rooms was tempered by Neoclassical-style pieces and motifs, which means that perhaps I should modify my compliment to read, "a lot of pretty and handsome things."

Finally, it's worth noting the year that these photos were shot: 1999. Now that's not ancient history or anything, but fifteen years is a long time in the world of interior design.  And fifteen years from now, this house will likely look just as chic as it did when first decorated in 1999.













All photos from House & Garden, October 1999, Pieter Estersohn photographer.
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Porcelain Kick #1

June 25, 2014, 4:31 am
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I almost started this post by writing, "Please forgive me, for I am on a porcelain kick this week." And then I realized that it was a stupid comment, because why does anyone need forgiveness for going on a porcelain jag?  I mean, what's so bad about it?

Two people whose porcelain kick resulted in something quite spectacular were Patrick and Josephine Frémontier, who owned both the Paris home featured here (originally featured in House & Garden, October 1999) as well as an antiques shop in the same building.  When I look at these photos, I can't stop marveling over the sheer volume of blue and white porcelain in the couple's salon.  The Chinese vases and medallions, which practically envelop the room's lacquered-panel walls, were salvaged from a 17th-century shipwreck and then sent off to auction, where M. Frémontier "bought a substantial amount." According to the homeowner, the porcelain had been ordered for the Dutch market, which explains the Dutch-style motifs that adorn the porcelain.  With their cache of Chinese porcelain in hand, the Frémontiers set about displaying the pieces in carved wall panels, a decorative arrangement that had originally developed in seventeenth-century Holland.  The decorative scheme is certainly cohesive-looking, and if you study the photo below, you'll notice that even the undersides of the wall brackets are embellished with what appear to be porcelain lids.

There is more porcelain to come in Friday's blog post, but in the meantime, savor what House & Garden referred to as a "rare blend."









All photos from House & Garden, October 1999; Pascal Chevallier photographer
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