Decorating Enhanced by Personality

Nancy Lancaster once said, "I can't bear anything that looks like it's been decorated."  I wholeheartedly agree, which is why I prefer interiors where the decorating plays the supporting, although significant, role of creating a cohesive foundation for a room, while intriguing objects, collections, and personal effects bring the room to life.  If a room lacks this layer of all-important personality, the decorating becomes too prominent, something which renders a room- no matter how beautiful it might be- sterile and uninviting.

An example of decorating enhanced by personality can be seen in Casa degli Atellani, the Milan home of architect Piero Catellini Baldissera.  The 15th-century palazzo was purchased by Baldissera's grandfather, who was also an architect, in 1920.  Having spent much of his childhood visiting his grandfather's apartment in Atellani, Baldissera eventually had the opportunity to inhabit it.  As you can see in these 1999 photos, the rooms possessed a sense of order and calm that was a result of Baldissera's well-tuned decorating.  And yet, a lively tempo resonated throughout the home thanks to the homeowner's pleasing mix of antiques, books, and collections.

It's certainly a home that I can bear, and I assume that Nancy Lancaster would have agreed with me.


Image at top:  The home's trompe l'oeil winter-garden foyer.  The Directoire settee came from Napoleon's sister's house in Parma.

The Salon is richly appointed with curious objects and fabrics from C&C Milano, the textile company which was co-founded by Baldissera.

The dining room is outfitted with grand and humble antiques alike.

Baldissera's collection of historic marble samples.

The homeowner's bedroom.

A guest bath.

The courtyard garden of Atellani.


All photos from House Beautiful, December 1999, Jacques Dirand photographer.

Have You Noticed?

Have you noticed that geraniums seem to bloom profusely inside many a charming English country house? They certainly did at Daylesford, the John Fowler-decorated house of Lord Rothermere, seen above.

And at Deene Park, Northamptonshire.

Nancy Lancaster had some scraggly ones at the Coach House.

More lush were those at Bentley in Sussex.

There were some tucked away near the bookshelves at Wellingham House.

Nicky Haslam has a basket full of them at his Hunting Lodge...

...while Lady Caroline Somerset chose a terracotta pot for her fiery crimson specimen.

David Hicks supercharged his Britwell House dining room with bold crimson walls and curtains and bright pink geraniums placed directly on the floor.

But what has to be one of the most charming displays of geraniums is seen in this bedroom, which was decorated by David Mlinaric.  The chintz? Colefax & Fowler's " Climbing Geranium", sadly discontinued.

Feeling Daft about Delft

I was looking through my copy of Nancy Lancaster: English Country House Style a few days ago, and I was reminded of how much I admire Lancaster's blue and white plates that hung above her fireplace at the Coach House, her last home.  You can see a detail shot of the plates, above.  I wonder if Lancaster's plates were antique Delft plates that depicted the months?  I can't confirm this; it's only a hunch.  But I also have a hunch that quite a few of you do know something more about these plates, and if so, feel free to drop me an email or comment below.

In the meantime, I did find a few plates that have a similar look to Lancaster's plates.  Certainly these examples are all charming, but they would be even more beguiling in a home decorated like that of Lancaster.

A set of seven Dutch Delft month plates, 18th c.

A pair of Delft plates that are currently being auctioned off on ebay.

A set of reproduction 18th c. Delft plates that depict each month.

An 18th c. antique Delft plate available on ebay.

A New Favorite Color

I've had orange on the brain lately. Not a vibrant, clear shade of orange. Something a little more like chestnut.


I think that if you took some of that brown and mixed it with Hermès orange, you might get the color I'm taken with.


Maybe it's close to the warm, rich tones of the Amber Room minus the gilt.


Rita Hayworth was known for her auburn hair, but the color I'm taken with is lighter and has more orange.


The shade is close to the paneling in the dining room of Radburne Hall, decorated by John Fowler.


Or maybe a bit like the walls in Nancy Lancaster's Gothic Bedroom at Haseley Court.

So why have I been thinking of this color so much lately? I blame it squarely on him:


Alfred "Alfie" Boles, the new arrival to my household. The actual shade that I'm taken with? Blenheim.

(Image of Radburne Hall dining room: John Fowler: Prince of Decorators. Lancaster bedroom from Nancy Lancaster: English Country House Style)

English Exuberance

The English are masters of the eccentric look (I'm referring specifically to interiors, but many Brits have proven to be eccentric dressers too). And despite the notion of the British "stiff upper lip", they can also be an exuberant people. British history is filled with grand homes and estates that displayed a vibrancy and an enthusiasm that was uniquely their own.

Whereas our American ancestors might have been tempered by their Puritan roots, many members of the British upper class did not seem constrained by such humility. To me, one of the most exuberant British houses was Brighton Pavilion, that wild and lavish fantasy commissioned by George IV while he was Prince Regent. While many of the Prince Regent's contemporaries ridiculed the Pavilion (and let's face it- many of the rooms are a bit, well, should we say tacky?), perhaps old George had the last laugh. The Pavilion is still standing, still beckoning visitors, and continues to influence interiors, albeit on a smaller scale, around the world.

And while the British were ardent fans of Chinoiserie, they also displayed an eagerness to embrace other styles as well. Here are a few colorful examples:


The Peacock Bedroom at Sezincote, the early 19th century home designed by Samuel Pepys Cockerell in the Mughal style.


The Gallery at Syon House, home of the Duke of Northumberland. Robert Adam was responsible for the glorious interiors of the house.


A bed designed by Robert Adam as a Temple of Venus, c. 1775-76. Located in the State Bedchamber at Osterley


The State Bedchamber at Kedleston Hall. The bed was built in the late 1760s.


Recognize this room? It's the Gothic bedroom at Haseley Court, Nancy Lancaster's country home. The bedroom was a collaborative effort between Lancaster and John Fowler.

Image at top: The Banqueting Room at Brighton Pavilion

Nancy Lancaster - The Doyenne of Timeless Design

Do you ever look at some of today's interiors and think "Will this hold up in twenty years"?

One designer who was a master at creating a timeless, undecorated look was Nancy Lancaster. Her interiors were elegant yet comfortable, a bit timeworn but never shabby. I recently purchased a copy of Architectural Digest Country Homes and found these images of Lancaster's cottage, called the Coach House, on the grounds of Haseley Court (Lancaster once owned the main house at Haseley Court). To think that these photographs were taken twenty-six years ago! While the English Country House look may not appeal to everyone, one has to admit that the rooms don't look dated. They're rather like the Dorian Gray of interior design- the rooms don't seem to age. But what I think is most important about Lancaster's work is the appropriateness of it. The design is a perfect fit for the surroundings. And this was very much on the mind of Lancaster as she decorated her home. In describing the sitting room of her cottage, the inimitable Lancaster quipped "I won't put Chippendale mirrors in this room with no cornice. That would be like having pearls in a pigsty." You can't argue with the master.


The Sitting Room, sans Chippendale mirrors


Another view of the Sitting Room



The Dining Room with trompe l'oeil painted molding


The Master Bedroom


The Guest Room with a sweet floral print

Image of Nancy Lancaster at top by Cecil Beaton

Rooms

For those of you looking for another book to add to your design library, you may want to consider "Rooms". With minimal text by Carl Skoggard, the book is a compilation of interior photographs by famed Irish photographer Derry Moore. Moore has had a thirty year career photographing prominent interiors for publications like Architectural Digest. To me, his photos have a rather faded and ethereal look to them.

Below are some of my favorite rooms from the book; in fact, there were so many that it was hard to choose.


The private bath of Madeleine Castaing at her shop on the Rue Jacob

Chatsworth- home of the Duchess of Devonshire

London home of Lady Diane Cooper

Portrait of Lady Diana Cooper (I included this photo not just because of Cooper's peculiar choice of hats, but also because of the trompe l'oeil panels behind her that were painted by Rex Whistler).

Bedroom of Nancy Lancaster, located in her private quarters at Colefax and Fowler in Mayfair


Villa Trianon, home of Elsie de Wolfe