A few years ago, a kind reader gave me a stash of old magazines, one of which was the December 1975 issue of Family Circle. There were a few photos in this issue that bowled me over, because they were unlike anything I had ever seen before in Family Circle. When I opened up the magazine, I was expecting women in Mom jeans (or whatever the equivalent was back in 1975) and country quaint interiors. What I saw instead was disco-era fabulous.
The photos, which you can see here, accompanied an article on black and white clothing. It wasn't really the clothing that caught my eye, although I do think the black and white jersey sweater dress looks awfully chic. Rather, it was the photos' setting that had me gaga. This interior, which was located in Chicago (that was the only information that I could find in the photo credits,) was chock full of everything that I find to be luxurious. In some photos, you can see boiserie-covered walls, while in another shot, there is a mirrored wall. The floor is covered in a rough-textured carpet, which was then layered with some kind of stylish Asian rug. And then there is the sublime French furniture, all of which appears to be upholstered in cream and café au lait-colored silks, velvets, and damasks. And what about the accessories? Lacquered Chinese boxes, rock crystal, lacquered furniture, porcelain with gilt mounts, marble-topped cocktail tables, and animal prints. Yes, please! I'll take it all!
The great photographer, Victor Skrebneski, shot these images, so that might partially explain their high-style setting. But the person who decorated this Chicago interior certainly deserves credit, too, because this interior is the epitome of mid-1970s glamour. And to think that it appeared in Family Circle.
