Tag Archives: Designers

Read Em or Weep

May 9, 2010UncategorizedDesigners, Vintage DesignMrs. Blandings

I meant to do a Mother’s Day post. It had been bouncing around in my head even though I think Mother’s Day is something of a Hallmark holiday. (Not that I have anything against Hallmark; we are not a one-horse town around here, but if you come to look over our stables you’ll see that Hallmark is something of a Clydesdale. Now I’m mixing Missouri metaphors, as Clydesdales are associated with Busch which is headquartered on the Eastern side of the state.)

In any event (or holiday), I’ve had Mark Hampton, An American Decorator and The Great Lady Decorators, The Women Who Defined Interior Design, 1870 – 1955 (because every good book needs a nifty subtitle) sitting on my desk/bedside table for about a month.

I wanted to suggest, in the post that wasn’t, that you should buy both of these books for any design aficionado on your list or yourself if you are so inclined. As a pair they would make a mother of a gift, or at least I think so as one of the most interesting parts of this blog odyssey has been to learn more about design history.

I would hate for someone who is firmly entrenched in the designers of the day to think these books have no relevance. I think you will see the influence of these past decorators and perhaps be inspired as well.

As for aforementioned designers of the day, take note. Those names of decorators past which trip so easily from our tongues are likely to have tomes of their own. The book is the thing. Pity me who can enjoy volume upon volume of Dorothy Draper, but must make do with a few glimpses of Ruby Ross Wood, leaving me to toss and turn over what I must have missed. A page or two here, a page or two there (including 251 of Regency Redux, and if you don’t own that one, you need it as well – now I have spent your lunch money for the month) is not nearly enough.

You’ve been warned. Regardless of your talent – publish or perish.

Images from top, Mark Hampton by Duane Hampton, Rizzoli, photography by Scott Frances; Michael S. Smith, Houses, with Christine Pittel, Rizzoli, no photography given for this image; The Great Lady Decorators, design by Rose Cumming, photography by Wendy Hilty; Ruthie Sommers via her site, ruthiesommers.com; The Great Lady Decorators, Rizzoli, design by Madeleine Castaing, photography by Antoine Bootz; Miles Redd via milesredd.com.

I received The Great Lady Decorators and Mark Hampton from Rizzoli and maybe Regency Redux as well; I’m a little foggy.

Thoroughly Modern Tommy

May 4, 2010UncategorizedDesignersMrs. Blandings

Amidst the nuttiness of last week I packed up and headed to Chicago for twenty hours. Part of the fun of visiting Chicago from here is that the flight is an hour-and-a-half. That’s not even quite enough time for me to get hungry.

Thomas O’Brien is just as appealing in person as you would imagine him to be. It’s difficult to describe someone who is so passionate and so unassuming at the same time. There’s an energy there, but it’s easy.

O’Brien said a lot of things about design and collecting and living a thoughtful life. Every thing was modern once. Rather than collecting deeply, perhaps it is just as interesting to buy the one, one, piece that you admire the most. And, he likes laundry. Like, really, really likes laundry. He’d rather stay home and do laundry than go out. We may have to agree to disagree on this one.

But don’t take my word for it, hear him for yourself. O’Brien will be speaking about design and his new book, American Modern in the following cities:

May 17, Washington D.C., Corcoran Gallery of Art

May 20, New York, Rizzoli

June 3, Minneapolis, Gabberts

June 10, New York, Hickory Chair at the New York Design Center

And, for those of you who are bloggers or regular blog readers, Marija is a delight and Magnaverde is a prince. A genius prince. Also, just as you would expect.

The image, above, is from House Beautiful, February 1994. Photographer Laura Resen took the picture. Resen was the photographer for the houses in the book and also a damsel in distress whom O’Brien saved from the big bad wolf in line at art school. As for the title, O’Brien mentioned in his talk that his father called him Tommy; it is not meant to imply that I do.

Finish Line

April 29, 2010UncategorizedDesigners, Mrs. B DIYMrs. Blandings

The living room and dining room are back to order. Oh, yes, the dining room was piled and stacked and fairly buried as well.

The car is loaded and I am all ready for set up for Dining by Design. I will report back with pictures on Monday (see, only one more post), but if you are in town do pop in to see the tables. Table Hop Friday night 5 – 9, just $25 at the door or the sneak peek Saturday from 9 to noon for $10. All the info is here.

There is a silent auction both Friday and Saturday nights, and I tip my hat in grateful thanks to Margaret Russell who donated a signed copy of Elle Decor’s Style and Substance

and Thomas O’Brien who donated a signed copy of American Modern.

Wanda Allen Jewelry and Tom Tivol have made lovely donations as well and these are only a few of the treasures that will be up for grabs.

Hope to see you there.

My Kind of Town

April 27, 2010UncategorizedAntique Dealers, design books, DesignersMrs. Blandings

Right. Painting, packing, primping to get ready for DbD on Friday (really Thursday as Thursday is set up.) Oh! And. And I’m going to Chicago Friday morning. Chicago really came first. That is, the plan to go to Chicago came first, then I decided to do the table and turn my entire family’s week upside down. My friend who looks like a young Carolina Herrera said, “Yeah. Sometimes you have to do stuff like that.”

I’ve never had a bad time in Chicago and with my saying that you should know that I once was involved in an U Haul accident that took out a cash machine there on New Year’s Eve. This trip had a similar evolution. I had told Thomas O’Brien that I would come up and hear him speak when he was in Chicago, then my on-line friend Magnaverde emailed to say, “O’Brien is coming on the 30th,” and all of a sudden the entire design universe seemed to align.

Really, seeing O’Brien, meeting Magna, I couldn’t quite imagine anything better and then Rick Ege emailed to say that he would be exhibiting at the International Antique Fair (also in the Merchandise Mart) and I almost fell out of my chair. Ege’s shop is in St. Louis and I keep up on it on Rick’s blog. He’s friends with Christopher Filley just so you know we are all peas in a pod.

But wait, it gets better. As fortune would have it, I will also have the opportunity to meet Marija, who writes the blog Holding Court. If you haven’t checked it out, you should; Marija’s got a good thing going over there.

I’d say come out to hear O’Brien, but I fear his talk and book signing are full. Still, the Antique Fair should be great. I can’t wait. I just hope there aren’t police. With the cash machine thing there were police.

Images from top, Rick Ege’s wares at the Chicago Botanic Garden Antiques Fair last week. Don’t fall in love with those Saarinen chairs as they sold, but the terrific botanicals in the silver leaf frames could be yours. Marija’s stylish tablescape via Holding Court and Thomas O’Brien.

The Other Lunch Table

April 13, 2010UncategorizedDesignersMrs. Blandings

I know all the cool kids are a bunch of Town & Country haters, like Stephen Drucker got ding-dong-ditched or something, but I have to say I think this home issue is a pretty good one. Maybe not life altering, but some good stuff. Let’s see, we have a little Michael Smith,

and an incredibly lovely house by Gil Schafer (I really, really like Gil Schafer);

Katie Ridder, working for her family – that should bring kudos on its own –

and, while not very many pictures of the house, this confection of a desk. Pink shagreen for heaven’s sake, which I can’t get over and I don’t even like pink.

I’ll admit, I subscribe for the jewelry, but all these projects will eventually find a home in my files.

Man, oh man, I haven’t scanned this many images from a current magazine in so long it makes me feel naughty. And a little slackerish. Images from top, Katherine Chez’s house by Michael Smith, photos by William Abranowicz; Sarah and Ozrey Horton’s house by Gil Schafer, photos by Christopher Baker; Connie and Tony Ridder’s house by their daughter, Katie, photos by Luca Trovato, Nadja Swarovski’s folks’ house, which includes that lifestyles of the rich and famous Barbie desk that I am now asking Santa for, photos by John Huba.