Ladies in Red

Kelly and Hepburn were the epitome of elegance, grace, and style. They gained presence and stature though their work on screen and off screen with their involvement with children’s charities. Their beauty was inside and out.

Hepburn and Kelly waiting for the announcement of the winner of the best actress at the Academy Awards 1956

Do you know who won the Oscar that year?

Photo 1 Remembering Grace, photography courtesy of Life, Howell Conant
Photo 2 Audrey Hepburn, photography courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Photo 3 Audrey Hepburn, photography courtesy of Time and Life

Red Power

Since Valentine’s Day is approaching, I started to think more about the color red. Red in interiors can evoke your senses, and can be very striking. I have used red around my house sparingly, mostly in paintings and accessories.

Red is a primary color that is associated with passion, love, fire, danger, and blood. Historically it represents triumph and royalty. Red is found in earth, berries, plants, and flowers. Imagine a garden that is full with red flowers- how exciting and powerful, it will certainly get your attention.

In designing interiors, red has been mostly used in dining areas to stimulate appetite, and in rooms with a northern exposure, to give the feeling of warmth.

Do you have a red room in your house?

Photo 1 Southern Accents on Color, photography Pieter Estersohn
Photo 2 photography Ivan Terestchenko
Photo 3 courtesy of House&Garden, designer Keith Irvine, photography Michael Mundy
Photo 4 courtesy of House&Garden, photography Michael Mundy
Photo 5 designer Kelly Wearstler, photography Grey Crawford
Photo 6 courtesy of House Beautiful, photography Colleen Duffley
Photo 7 designer Alessandra Branca, photography Thibault Jeanson
Photo 8 designer Kelly Wearstler, photography Grey Crawford
Photo 9 courtesy of House Beautiful, designer Alessandra Branca, photography John Gould Bessler
Photo 10 designer Charles Faudree, photography Jenifer Jordan
Photo 11 courtesy of Elle Décor, photography Pieter Estersohn

The Jewel in Her Crown

The Greenbrier is a luxury, award-winning resort located in the town of White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. The resort was built between 1858-1913 in the classical revival style, under the direction of the architect John H.B. Latrobe.

Dorothy Draper’s career truly shined when she was chosen to redecorate The Greenbrier Hotel after World War II. It was her last big project. In redesigning The Greenbrier, Draper introduced positive distractions to the interiors with her use of strong, bright colors. With its contrast, it provided an uplifting atmosphere for guests. Draper understood the people’s need for hope and optimism at that time, so she created an escape through theatrical interiors and cheerful colors. Draper described The Greenbrier as “the jewel in her crown.”

The Lobby (before)

The Lobby (after)

As is standard after the completion of the design process, a reopening party was held in 1948. It was considered one of the most lavish parties of the century. Prominent citizens from American industry, government, and social circles attended the party.

Below: Princess Grace and Prince Rainier of Monaco with their children at the Greenbrier

Below: Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher During their honeymoon

Nowadays, The Greenbrier is considered a national historic landmark. Unfortunately, it is facing financial problems, as you can read in this article. Through renovations, the goal is always to create an inviting place for people, to maintain the architectural integrity of the resort, and to preserve and protect an important historic cultural resource.

Photo 1 courtesy of Architectural Digest's site, photography Gordon Beall 
Photo 2, 3, 4, 5 The history of the Greenbrier: America’s resort
Photos are from the Greenbrier archives or PR dept.

Rich Velvet

Velvet is a woven fabric that is luxurious in appearance- particularly when it’s made of silk. Aside from its insulating qualities, velvet can absorb noise and, when used for drapery, or to cover walls and furniture, can catch light and add interest with its texture.

Think beyond the Victorian era when heavyweight velvet was used to drape windows in hotels and mansions for the elaborate look. Velvet now is cutting edge, just like other fabrics, especially with a wide variety of velvet collections. Designers have always used this fabric in both the traditional and modern style to add an extra dimension to the interior space.

Mario Buatta's exquisite sitting room at Kips Bay Show House where he used velvet on walls

This gorgeous boudoir at Kips Bay Show House was designed by Charlotte Moss who loves to add velvet in her interiors

Rich and luxurious by Jeffrey Bilhuber

Sofa covered with new velvet that looks slightly old

Velvet was used to cover the chairs, tables, and also used as a drapery and wall trim

Scalamandré silk velvet was used to cover the bergére chair

Photo 1 courtesy of World of Interiors
Photo 2 courtesy of De Le Cuona’s site
Photo 3 courtesy of NYSD
Photo 4 courtesy of NYSDPhoto 5 designer Jeffrey Bilhuber, photography Trel Brock
Photo 6 designer Kristen Van Riel, photography Alexandre Bailhache
Photo 7 courtesy of Veranda, designer Luis Bustamante- photography Peter Vitale
Photo 8 courtesy of Veranda, designer Nancy Boszhardt photography Tria Giovan

The Old Master

Young Woman with a Water Pitcher

Woman with a Lute

These paintings were among Vermeer's exhibition at the MET

While studying interior design, you’re always encouraged to visit museums to cultivate your eyes and study the old masters’ work- how they use color to hold their paintings together. I have been a long time admirer of the seventeenth century Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer. By examining Vermeer’s paintings, you see that his paintings mostly tell a story of people in an interior space. Just like interior design, Vermeer was creating an atmosphere by his genius use of light and color. His brilliance in perspective and his use of vertical and horizontal lines in his paintings gives us the sense of stability and calmness.

Girl with a Pearl Earring

The latest issue of Veranda magazine featured the interiors of John Saladino at the Veranda Cinema Style: Designer Visions show house in Manhattan’s Soho neighborhood. Saladino was inspired by the movie Girl with a Pearl Earring, based on a novel by Tracy Chevalier. The novel tells a story about one of Vermeer’s famous paintings.

This Tuesday, January 26 you can watch Cinema Style: Designer Visions on FLN at 9 pm eastern time. Saladino will share his process of recreating Vermeer’s interiors.

It’s All in the Presentation

Every design project, whether it is a thousand-dollar or a million-dollar job, needs the designer’s ability to accurately estimate for costs, materials and time in order to adapt to the client’s needs, and adjust the project’s budget as needed.

Building a good relationship between the designer and client requires perfecting the art of diplomacy, especially when dealing with difficult clients. The designer always has to think about how to present him or herself from the beginning until the end of the project.

Recently, the famous designers Bunny Williams and Bill Stubbs discussed the business of design at the D&D building in New York City. I came across this interesting article written by Joyce Wadler in The New York Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/21/garden/21seen.html
 

Photo courtesy of Bunny Williams's site

A Greek Splendor

Geometric design is associated with straight lines, squares, rectangles, cubes, and other specific shapes. The Greeks are credited for perfecting this approach in their architecture, art, and ornamental motifs. The Greek key pattern falls under this category.

The Greek key is an ornamental repeated pattern of straight vertical and horizontal lines that are linked continuously to symbolize infinity and oneness. Although ancient Greece played a big role in highlighting this symbol, its roots stem from ancient Egyptian civilization.

This motif has been often used as a classic accent in architecture, pottery, interior design, fashion and jewelry design. I’ve always gravitated toward the Greek key symbol. Maybe it’s the rhythm, the order, and the symmetrical balance that it portrays. Adding this pattern in the right proportions in an interior space certainly adds character, and maybe a Greek drama…

Photo 1 the gilded table is from a Danish mansion,the gilded Greek key chair in the back is designed by Steven Volpe

Photo 2 designer Victoria Neale, photography by Gordon Beall courtesy of House Beautiful
Photo 3 designer Palmer Weiss courtesy of Weiss’s site
Photo 4 The Home Book (House beautiful) , designer ken Fulk, photography Karyn R. Millet
Photo 5 Guinevere courtesy of 1st Dibs
Photo 6 designer Barry Dixon courtesy of Dixon’s site

A Shop of Their Own

Few days ago it started to warm up here in the Washington D.C. area. After the blizzard of 2009, and the bitter cold weather that we’ve been experiencing lately, having a day full of sunshine was wonderful.

I decided to go out for a walk just to soak up the sun. My destination: the historic Georgetown in DC. Georgetown is an old and dynamic neighborhood filled with diverse shops and restaurants. Just walking down the streets and discovering the architectural elements of the city is always thrilling. I stopped by one of my favorite antique shops called Moss & Co.

Moss & Co. is a romantic shop filled with unique pieces of furniture, lighting, and accessories. The shop is located in upper Georgetown near Book Hill Park. Moss & Co. opened about ten years ago, it has three creative owners (designers Jackie Oliver Dunn, Moki Heston, and Catharine Roberts) who all share the same design aesthetics.

Every time I visit, the sense of discovery prompts me to study and observe their unique finds, whether it’s their soft matte finishes or the gentle colors of their antiques. Their collection consists of pieces that had been carefully selected and displayed with love. It is a reflection of the soft, opulent look that is warm and inviting.

A vintage metal lamp

A little nook featuring Oly leather chairs and Madame X console
A painted secretary with green painted interiors (Sweden)

An adorable cement deer on a zink garden chair

Photography by Amal for Picture of Elegance Blog

A Glimpse into the Life of a Legend

The Greenbrier Resort

Recently, I wrote a post about the design star Dorothy Draper. One of my readers was curious to know more about Draper, so today I’m going to take a closer look at the life of the legend in interior design.

Dorothy Draper was born a Tuckerman on Nov 22, 1889 in Tuxedo Park, New York. TuxedoPark was one of the most privileged communities in American history. Draper’s parents were Mr. And Mrs. Paul Tuckerman, who were among the elite in New York society. Her roots go back to the first Americans who came to the country on the Mayflower.

In 1912, Dorothy Tuckerman married a doctor, Dr. George Draper, who specialized in polio treatment. Dr. Draper served as the personal doctor and a childhood friend of President Franklin Roosevelt, a renowned sufferer of polio. After seventeen years of marriage, Draper and her husband divorced just when her design career started to take off.

Dorothy Draper’s wealth and social credentials helped her career tremendously. She used her connections to find appropriate architects for the specific projects she worked on, which were generally commercial work, as she favored them over residential work. Through her contacts, she was able to land large projects. The Carlyle Hotel lobby in New York was one of her first commissions. The decoration of the Carlyle Hotel helped her to drive her style over the next thirty years.

The Carlyle's Hotel lobby, imagine green walls, yellow leather furniture, black,white and grey marble floors

As for other projects, among them were the interiors of The Drake Hotel in Chicago, The Fairmont and Mark Hopkins Hotels in San Francisco. In New York, she designed The Hampshire House, Sutton Place, the dining room of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as The Greenbrier Hotel in West Virginia. Draper also wrote many columns and published books on decorating.

In 1960, Dorothy Draper sold her business to Carleton Varney, who had been her protégé. She passed away nine years later at the age of eighty.

Metropolitan Museum of Art restaurant

Below: The Hampshire House with the white plaster motifs

Photos 1, 2, 3,4 In The Pink: Dorothy Draper- America’s Most Fabulous Decorator

Glamour at the Elysée Palace

The Elysée Palace was built in Paris in 1720 to present an image of opulence and power. The palace was designed by the architect Armand Mollet, who had designed houses that were both functional and graceful. He was the first to arrange dining rooms to be near kitchens, and bathrooms to be near bedrooms.

The grand palace, with its extensive gardens, was used by Louis XV as a guest residence for his foreign visitors. Madame de Pompadour (Louis XV’s mistress), Napoleon, Queen Victoria, and Duke of Wellington all at one point stayed at the palace. The Elysée went through many transformations over the centuries, and it has served as the official residence for the president of France since 1849. It is now the current official residence of the French president Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni Sarkozy.

In the early eighties Philippe Starck worked as an interior designer and refurbished the private apartments in the Elysée Palace for President Mitterrand of France.

I have attached a link that will take you on a tour of the panoramic views of the Palace’s interiors and the exteriors. Be sure to keep moving your mouse so you will get the whole picture. Enjoy.

http://www.elysee.fr/panoramic/index.php

Carla Bruni Sarkozy brought her own glamour to the palace

Link via Elysée 's site
Photo courtesy of Vanity Fair, Photography Annie Leibovitz