What am I Looking at Today: Old Master Paintings vs Mall 'ART'

Greetings All,

I get to visit a lot of people's homes and at times they have wonderful collections and a great eye. Other times the house is entirely empty, a clean open canvas that can be filled with beautiful objects. Yet other times, the prospective clients have a few costly items that they've spent a great deal of time acquiring, usually at the mall, usually a Thomas Kinked original. "Painter of Light". 

[hint: NEVER GONNA BE A GREAT PAINTING, save your money]

Now, I have no problem being a snob. It's what I'm paid for. People hire me to help them not only put together a house but to help them invest their money wisely. My heart sinks whenever anyone shows me a collection of objects, bought at top dollar that are entirely worthless. Not only monetarily, but visually, especially when they could buy some wonderful items for a fraction of what they've spent. Of course it's all very subjective, there's not much one can do if someone really doesn't like a certain style, but consider that one can still find lovely Old Master paintings for a fraction of what you'd pay for an assembly line 'masterpiece' or even a vintage poster.

Below are a few examples. Maybe a Madonna is not your cup of tea. A landscape is too quiet.  A poster of an old painting is so much more cool because you fear that paintings will look 'old', they ARE OLD and they'll make you're room look modern, remember it's a point of view', layered and very cultured. Be sure to scroll down to the bottom to see a few examples in rooms.

Below is a large 18th c Italian landscape painting.

Placed in it's room.

An 18th c English portrait of a lady in a Spanish frame.

Placed in it's room. Remember that not everything needs to be hung on the walls.

So when you have that urge to buy that painting with pretty little trees, or with that spray painted shadow, remember that you could instead buy something really lovely and  for lack of better word 'real' for the same, if not less. 

How? Knowing where to shop, what to buy and making a phone call.

That's all I have for today. Have a great weekend!

L

Fantasy: A Grand Classical Room

Greetings All,

Every once in a while I like to play at doing a 'period' style in a new way. 

I recently saw a post on Facebook, someone was 'building themselves a mansion from the gilded age", they'd bought columns and an urn and were well on their way to, in my opinion, creating Cesar's Palace. Well intentioned, but we've all seen those houses that are trying much too hard to be Downton Abby....Now there are many ways to put a room together and while there's no such thing as 'bad taste', there is such a thing as using elements and objects inappropriately, it's very easy to go over the top in a bad way.  For me I'd say that you never want to seem ostentatious. There are ways to, while  using even the most obvious pieces make them look unexpected and appropriate to how you want to live. Perhaps our fantasy client has a high-rise or as the person from that post,  lives in a simple suburban house. How do we go about making a fun, grand interior that doesn't look tacky.

My suggestion. ALWAYS GO BIG. What are hallmarks of ancient spaces? Columns, but let's don't use any, too grand and perhaps the space only has standard ceiling heights. Keep the background clean and simple. Let's get two life-size plaster casts of ancient statues [I just saw a these from Caprioni brothers, so they're on my mind], also a staple of classical interiors, they can live on either side of a door or the sofa. Place them on plain white plinths and they'll draw your eye up. They'll cost as much as those 7' columns once you factor in your contractor and give you a much grander feel.

If you're not up for statues maybe a pair of high stands could flank the sofas or the main door, perhaps they stand in front of your windows. Leave them bare or place simple terra-cotta pots with rosemary or orange trees on them, or perhaps cylinder lamps with big shades.

A large case piece will anchor a wall and you can fill it with books or if you don't have any, a collection of shells or perhaps just a few simple items. I don't hide TVs anymore, but maybe this houses one, you can always decide to use it as extra storage and have plain curtains made to hide the contents.

Add a couple of antique chairs or modern versions of Klismos chairs, it's always a good idea to use different types of seating. I prefer the antique versions as they're better quality and you won't see them anywhere else.

Keep the upholstery modern and clean lined and it won't look like you're living in a museum. Simple linen and solid colors keep you fresh. You want comfort above all else, there's nothing worse than an unsuable room. 

Long and simple lined cocktail table

A few terra-cotta pots and moss, maybe a small bowl and a candle, done.

Gueridon tables to chose from. These come in various shapes, sizes and price points depending on age and quality. No need to break the bank. A few nice things and it's easy to mix in lesser items as long as the lines are good and they're honestly made.

If the tables are wide enough we can use Argand lamps if not, simple standing lamps will do the trick. maybe the lamps live on the cocktail table for a warm glow. It's always nice to have different types of lamps in a room.

All you need is one large painting, it could be modern, but let's use a 16th c Italian scene of Persephone, it is a fantasy interior, let's say it's an inherited piece or a huge splurge.

Or maybe we take an image you like and have it made to cover the entire wall as was done in this handsome bed room.

Keep your floors simple, why not use rush matting. The more modest the material the better. 

....or use a faded old rug, almost threadbare. There's enough grandeur in the room and if we start piling on it will look like we're trying little too hard to look 'rich'.

So this, I think would be a good solution for a grand room in the classic style, even in a simple house. 

How? Knowing where to shop, what to buy and who to call for help......

That's all I have for today.

What am I Looking At Today: Fun and Decorative Items

Greetings All,

Today we're looking at antique decorative items that have a lot of style and will easily cary a space with minimum effort. People sometimes think that 'modern' is only contemporary furniture, while that is a style of furnishing a house,

 modern is in fact a point of view. By mixing items and elements from different eras and in different styles one can create a truly modern and cosmopolitan interior.

A console table like this can act as a center piece in an entry, a dining room or as a side table in a living room. Pair it with a modern painting and a small bowl and you're halfway there.

Delicate colors make this mirror perfect for a sitting room or better yet over a bed room fireplace.

Antique lighting can be seen as jewelry in a room. I don't care much for lampshades or high hats, but strategically placed uplights or pin lights and wall washers will give ambient light, while antique pieces can give a subtle glow thru candles or dimming.

Note the Argand lamp on stand and the simple stick lamp for reading. This was a room for Holiday House NY 2014. At first glance one would assume this was a period room, but on further inspection it  is a very modern space. Remember 'modern' is a point of view, not a 'style'.

Two disparate styles, baroque and Empire, unexpected and effective. This a room in house designed by Edward Durell Stone in North Salem. We did the decoration about 20 years ago and while this photograph is all that remains of the project, it shows how effective antiques can be in a modern room.

Faux columns can be placed strategically around a room

An unexpected color on an 18th c Italian table would look lovely in a modern room.

Garden ornaments can live anywhere, inside or out.

Aways remember that none of these items will break the bank, but they will add immeasurable glamour to your interiors.

How? All it takes is a little imagination, some trust and a phone call.

That's all I have for today.

Greetings All,

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Monday with an understated living room. 

On a Different Note: A Fantasy Interior

Greetings All,

I have a different type of project for you all to take a peek at, it's a fantasy apartment on Park Ave, it's an entire floor. Now as you all know I am rather a bit of a control freak when it comes to design. I like having things done a certain way, my way, but this time around I was asked to help only with the soft furnishings. All of the background decoration, the moldings and anything on the walls was handled by the architect on the job. The clients wanted a really elaborate backdrop, so my suggestion for the furniture was to keep it as quiet and elegant as possible. the centerpiece of the room is an 16' long sofa, back to back and side to side. There is only one color for the seating, crimson red, it's an updated version of what one might have found in 19thc France. The carpet is a huge 18th c Aubusson owned by the clients.

The sofa was so large that it had to be made in 9 pieces and assembled onsite. Here's Bill trying it out at the shop.

The clients wanted a pair of extreme wing chairs so we developed these from 18thc forms. The same velvet was gaufraged with a damask pattern and silk brush fring was used instead of cord. I painted the legs Farrow and Ball Ballet Slipper White so they wouldn't be too heavy looking. These were also made in pieces so we could maneuver them thru the service corridor.

This is a view of the Living room installed. The clients are very happy and I must say my furniture is lovely and remarkably comfortable.

That's all I have for today.

L

Working on a Budget : A Traditional Breakfast or Small Dining Room

Greetings All,

Let's continue our exercise in doing a budget interior, this time a breakfast or small dining room. The key with all decorating is to develop a point of view. This is a traditional room with classic elements that will be as relevant in twenty years,  as it would have been 200 years ago or as stylish as it is today. 

The trick with classic decorating is not to do anything too splashy, sure you want your room to be special and it will be, but don't try too hard. The most difficult thing to do in decoration is to make a room feel as if it's always been there. Grounded, simple, elegant and beautiful. 

The most expensive element in this room would be the wallcovering, but it is well worth it and if you happen to have lots of windows and doors you'll need less paper. there are also more affordable printed versions rather than the hand painted variety. If that is still undoable maybe instead of covering every surface we use only framed panels or if you happen to be artistic you could paint them yourself. 

The sideboard is a reproduction of one at Althrop House and very stylish.

Usually there would have been a wine cooler underneath, today you might decide to store linens rather than wine.

You'll be surprised how well this simple convex mirror will work over that sideboard. We'll paint the frame pink or black and it will look amazing. OR we could shop around for a 19thc version.

I often prefer arm chairs around a table, especially in a smaller room. While looking delicate these are extremely comfortable and sturdy.

Architectural elements add a sense of scale and break up the monotony of just having furniture and if you take off the lids the urns can hold branches or flowers on special occasions. These could easily flank a doorway, the sideboard or stand in front of your windows.

The centerpiece of every dining room is it's table,  this is a small Georgian example that will comfortably accommodate the six armchairs, if you happened to have an enormous room one could easily set up a separate areas for more intimate dining.

An old Greek key lantern is less formal than a crystal chandelier and not as expected, it's more sculptural form echoing the urns is also a bonus.

There are many ways to go about decorating a room, the important thing is to really be aware of what feeling you'd like to convey, easy elegance is never out of style and keeping it simple will really give much more in return than you'd have expected.

Our budget is again what a new high end reproduction dining table would cost [depending on the paper]. 

How is that possible? Knowing how to shop, where to shop and making a phone call!

That's All I've Got For now.

L