It is ever more inspiring to give readers- A Room to Aspire To- Better Not having the LOOK of the Moment-only to find that LOOK is no longer. Give readers a room that sends them to an antique store in search of treasures that will move with them from their first home to last.
Simon Upton photograph WI Cover of Carolina Irving's home
A room that will inspire for years- the aesthetic of Pauline de Rothschild is the bar.
a Pauline de Rothschild Sanctuary-Paris, photographed by HorstMy mother scrapbooked rooms our family home for years; A large den with paneled walls, dark wood floors, classic oriental carpet, grand oversize wing chairs upholstered in a classic blue woven- slightly sampler style fabric, and a wide beamed 10' red ceiling. By the time my parents achieved this room the tear sheet was dog eared, a little tattered and etched into all of our minds. My father painted the entire house-that ceiling required according to my father 10 coats of paint to achieve the perfect effect. Our floor finisher moved before the job was complete and a new crew was brought in; our family of five- I was 9 years old. The floors turned out just like the ceiling- It was perfect. The room continued to evolve over the years.
de Rothschild's London flat
The recent buzz of bloggers and their readers has been the inspired posts of MRS. BLANDINGS. Her Enduring Style Series got me to thinking-
de Rothschild- London, photographed by Derry Moore
Here are some stellar examples of my
NEW RULES via
MRS BLANDINGS Enduring Style Series:
de Rothschild's Mouton Bedroon
An Aesthete's Lament selected ROSE TARLOW: She is truly- a master of design.
Rose Tarlow
"There are those who spend lifetimes in houses that have nothing to do with who they really are. They may be perfectly designed, yet if they fail to reflect the personalities of the people who live in them, the very essence of intimacy is missing and this absence is disturbingly visible."-Rose Tarlow
The All Knowing HOUSE OF BEAUTY AND CULTURE said "if one had to choose a legendary decorator I would choose Miles Redd-Given the right clients, he will be his generation's equivalent of Parish Hadley. Bloggers-Style Court and the Peak Of Chic dubbed Miles Redd too as the one to watch.
I love this room!
Miles Redd said to Mrs. B on the subject of-
Enduring Spaces "Pretty much everything the de la Rentas touch is masterful in its room arrangement, color palette and collection of objects and furniture."
the De la Rentas
image from Vogue
The prevailing pick from most of MRS BLANDINGS' Enduring Style- was Miles Redd. Miles Redd in turn cited Oscar and Annette de la Renta as one of his own enduring style picks, while
Emily Evans Eerdman tapped the de la Rentas as one of her picks.
A Trend?
Let Us Hope.
Genuinely beautiful classically appointed rooms.
I fall in line with these experts and for your preponderance suggest two designers and one
"style-setter*"-editor-textile-clothing designer-who for me- make the list.
Thomas Jayne
photgraphs from T&C, & Francois Dischinger, & Elle Decor
Classic Americana rooms that evoke the past, livable rooms with good eclectic pieces (a much overworked-misused word in design-used to describe a mixed miss. Eclectic-It is what Thomas Jayne does-and does well.
Nicholas Haslam 
photographs from Haslam's Sheer Opulence and Southern Accents 2001
I have always loved the rooms Nicky Haslam does- they have that monied Colefax and Fowler look. I savor his book Sheer Opulence and covet all his published work. Other than the overdressed windows in some of the rooms- He would be my personal decorator- great fun and glorious rooms.
&
Carolina Irving
photographs Simon Upton (WI)
The Carolina Irving home is what Rose Tarlow calls "the essence of intimacy." It is a space that exudes that certain intimacy that I admire and aspire to. We will be watching this room reappear over and over again in years to come. More about Carolina Irving in a future post.
*look for little augury's next book post on Friday* Mrs. Blandings builds a Summer Reading List*
*
from Emily Evans Eerdmans .
