A MIN!

.

 "some old HOGG-I don't know who."

along with other paper treasures, pear shaped objects

and African lacquer boxes.

don't we all have our heroes? mine tend to be less caped and masked- and more well draped, swagged or spoken. One, greatly admired, is MIN HOGG. Her WORLD OF INTERIORS  magazine is coveted by designers and design aficionados. Though she is no longer editor-WOI will always be hers. Imagine, when I went through The English Woman's Bedroom by Elizabeth Dickson, with beautiful photographs by Lucinda Lambton, and found MIN's 1985 flat. Yes, it was 25 years ago- and no doubt things have changed,( WOI published her London flat in 1996-i think, but have yet to get my hands on a copy), but still, it is MIN & the chapter on her flat is a treasure. She airs her original ideas about home, House Freaks (her words) and her craft.

What did MIN have to say? Amusingly ,MIN, as she writes about her flat- admits the cozy decorations Lambton photographed are now under major renovations. Sadly she sat in a rented one-pinning  away for home, longing for the beautiful bedroom-that was being sacrificed- in hopes of building improvements. Since the inception of WORLD OF INTERIORS in 1981, travel was mandatory for MIN HOGG. She, like many, found herself longing for the comforts of home-"pictures, sheets and above all bed-springs."

 MIN - a quick change artist with the headboard fabric,

switching it out often. Collecting textiles-an addiction-

Not to mention talking on the phone (2 phones sit to the right

of the bed) Dinner, staying at home nights find MIN
tucked IN &  command central is bed.

She goes on to "confess a chronic capacity to clutter things up," a habit starting in art school. She carried her clutter with her to "a secluded garden square within spitting distance of Harrods." Here she indulged in making her bedroom the centre of her living space. One potential inspiration for her digs was F.W. Elwell's The First Born- a painting she considers the definitive cottage bedroom.

for your own inspiration-
The First Born

(image from here), Elwell's painting is tucked into

bottom right(center) of some old HOGG"S frame in the
1st picture of this post

MIN also confesses to being a procrastinator-(we are sounding more and more alike ), but lacking a "half tester bed, no rose chintz, no suitable ottoman or rush seated chair-let alone a fresh faced young father by my side," the lady moved on!  

"The walls were painted one shade, the ceiling another, woodwork and doors a combination of all three. Although in no time the subtleties of my three toned room had merged into what looked like a single colour, I have never regretted that pink. Good by day and, with shiny pink card lampshades, good by night."


The dressing table is a long wallpaperer's trestle with shortened legs a gathered skirt in red and white striped sari cotton, made by MIN's Mom.

Clever, simple beautifully laid out bordered dressing table

MIN holds court, as it were, in her robe- television, telephones, a drink, newspapers, magazines and books are right at her fingertips- her writing of articles is done in bed too. She entertains here too-there are complaints-"but on the whole it is rather a lark. When the present building work is finished  and I can return home, far from branching out into a spanking new kind of decoration, I expect I shall put it all back exactly as it was."

  

today's MIN HOGG
image from here

From th Independent uk (1997)

With the exception of Min Hogg, grande dame of Conde Naste's The World of Interiors, I known of no confirmed cases where editors have put their own homes on display to their readers. The writer commissioned to do the job (he was "honoured", he said, "but wary") fawned his way through the piece - describing Min as "kind and crusty in almost equal measure" and her "dec" home as a "riot of high-class clutter" - while trotting out a disclaimer of sorts. "This is a desperate measure to get more colour into the April issue."

Ms Hogg was quoted as saying that, "it's bloody hard to find exciting new houses in Britain." Yes, but magazine editors, all of them bloody fussy, are not easily turned on. "Oh dear, what a pity about those dreadful lampshades," they might say, when presented with snapshots of a proud home owner's sterling efforts in the interior design department. "Mmm, we might just get away with it with a bit of styling .
from a 2007 Telegraph uk story: "Given her reputation and noted expertise, it came as a shock to the interior design world when Hogg announced last November that she was resigning as editor of the magazine that she launched from these very rooms in 1981. Although the upmarket publication sells a modest 65,000 each month, its influence is enormous and its ideas and concepts are much copied."..."A visionary editor of the old school, Hogg always refused to have anything to do with focus groups or marketing ideas and her abrupt voluntary departure seemed as unlikely as the Queen Mother suddenly announcing she didn't want to be royal any more. Despite protestations from her Conde Nast bosses Si Newhouse and Nicholas Coleridge, Hogg - who says that she is in excellent health - was still determined to leave."
& just a note on World of Interiors, 2001 here
I find wonderful articles in CORNUCOPIA written by MIN HOGG, one of her favourite magazines
her Canary Islands house was published in WOI as well as that elusive flat-

India by way of High Point

.

blanket I, face and reverse

No-it's not glamorous sounding-India by way of High Point, but we seize our opportunities where we can.
And so it is with these vintage blankets-each one unique- No ordering-No repros. Vagabond Vintage is a whimsical company where I can always find something I like. I confess to doing some personal shopping while at the Market. I indulged that hankering at Vagabond.

Last year I found some pewter Milagro hearts there-Gave some and kept some. This market, I found a perfect overnite sort of tote bag made from a heave cotton stripe rug. It's good looking. I can't wait to get it.

The little treasure trove at Vagabond was in a corner of the showroom-piles of vintage saris, cut, patched, finely stitched all over, making a cozy blanket. My friend & business partner honed in on the stacks & stacks- pulling possibles- Possibly for Me, Possibly for Her. Right now we have similar ideas of what we are looking.
Stacks became piles. Piles became our picks-& then it is down to who gets what! Both sides of the blanket are cotton prints from the sari, some have the palluv portion of the sari intact & there are some pieces with small patchwork mendings.

We had a great time sitting in the floor-claiming our lot.

Here are my blankets, along with some of my inspirations- Vuillard, Liotard, de la Falaise.

Blanket II, face

I've written about my desire to some day live in one glorious room- Here is one vision, from Loulou de la Falaise.

Blanket II, reverse

Vuillard

Liotard

Blanket III

Blanket IV, face & reverse-shown just along edge of pic

Liotard

en masse

Vuillard

de la Falaise

Blanket V, face

Vuillard

Blanket V, reverse

Liotard

Vuillard

Blanket IV, face and reverse

Blanket IV belongs to the cozy (now cozier) sitting room/den. Zetta already loves it.
Blanket I has landed on top of the french daybed in the upstairs hall.
Blanket III adds another layer to my bed- They are very, very warm.

oh, & I got pillows too.

No, I haven't been to India, But I plan to some day.


de la Falaise images from HG June 2004, photographs Alexandre Bailhache
.

corner Castaing

.

Sometimes our decorating plans just don't work out, & then they work out for the best. After moving into my little Tudor, I was determined to use one of my all time favorite fabrics (mine & hordes of other Madeleine Castaing devotees) Clarence House's Coppelia. I did! There is a small-once said to be a housekeeper's room-I say-poor house keeper- it is if nothing else an oddity. Small-very small.

This little oddity- became a dressing room- I always wanted one. One enters the room by going up a small step into a low ceiling space about 4' x 6', then just beyond a step down (a deep one) into a 5' x 7' space. On the bright side- there was a window. Envisioning a Madeleine Castaing dressing room- I choose the ONE & only Coppelia. The window- Coppelia. The two chairs- Coppelia. In the dressing room I added a freestanding dressmaker's rack, 1920's satinwood chest, a black Empire cabinet & a favorite piece - a black Japanned dressing table. Strange little walls-very LOW, then HIGH- but it all worked. It was lovely-but It was never used. Visitors stuck their heads in, occasionally taking the step up-rarely the step down. Comments of Oh!- I love this!, my favorite room, etc. etc. The room displayed scads of jewelry on the satinwood chest, a few prized textiles- a late 18th c. French blue silk lampas with leopard beribboned tendrils floating about-Yes- they were doing leopard even then-So, nothing new. Some favorite Indian saris pre-independence India made in France-much sought after- were hanging along the walls tossed over iron rods. The dressing table- under the window (Coppelia) held some old perfume vials on a silver tray along with perfumes of all sorts.

Madeleine Castaing
(Coppelia is tacked to the back of the tufted muslin covered chair)

I had my vintage kimonos and Chinese coats hanging and some pretty gorgeous jackets- favorites too, Richard Tyler (black wool-pale pink velvet collar, cuffs-full of floral embroidery), two Chanel jackets (black- is there any other?), Issac Mizrahi-before he was targeted & Mark Jacobs, along with the others. Great clothes- but rarely ever worn now- they might as well be in the closet- and that is where they went.



The little room was converted into a closet. I needed more storage. Though I have resolved my clothes issues-I have yet to resolve some of my issues with letting go of- furniture & the like. A decorator never knows when she could sell a piece of furniture, or a mirror, or a lamp, or a-Well you know. So now I have a walk in, step down, turn around, step up Closet. Everything is pretty much still right there in the tortured maid's chamber- the clothes, the satinwood chest, the fabrics (now folded & put away) , along with lots of other stuff. I did move the dressing table to my bedroom, it is-as I said- a favorite.



...and Madame Castaing? She went off to a cozy corner in the breakfasting area (that's the portion of the kitchen with (see pics) & a long handmade cherry dining table and chairs-my Mother's). The curtains, the chair it all went- the other Madame Castaing chair is in the sitting room (that's the tv room) at a very cluttered desk.
Everything is being used- well, practically.

Much better.

wax fruit my grandMa made in the 1960's
(I said I still had some issues about letting go-this fruit Never!)

want more Coppelia & Castaing visit Emily Evans Eerdmans here . She is writing the book! Literally-& I can't wait.
or stop by the Peak of Chic here.

Bunny love, An Affair with a Room

"A classic is classic not because it conforms to certain structural rules,
or fits certain definitions..
It is classic because of a certain eternal and irrepressible freshness."

Edith Wharton

Hands down, the BUNNY WILLIAMS KIPS BAY SHOW HOUSE LIVING ROOM has been THE most talked about room at the 2009 Kips Bay Charity Event-& likely for years past and years to come. From all the wonderful press I have read about Bunny Williams- I'm not sure if she would adhere to the old saying " I don't care what the newspapers say about me as long as they spell my name right"- but she definitely is the talk of the world of design and style blogs. Months after the room IS no longer, the photographs are taken-
the words "talk" on.


I hope to one day live in one perfect room. If it's perfect I only need one. This one could be a contender- I just need to decide where to put the bed.

THE ROOM

No doubt Bunny Williams is THE quintessential American Designer right now.

Yes, I admire her- in fact- in a blog story about Designer Dogs I said " I feel I know Bunny Williams." Maybe it is because of her own intense love for dogs and her perfectly designed interiors- custom built for style, comfort and intimacy-and for her client's eyes only. It doesn't matter that the entire design world wants to watch.

I love this little spot in Bunny's own home- it says everything I need to know-I already know about her love of dogs:

Books- Look at all those Books!
Flowers
Beloved Art
Color- that inspires, Mellow Wood that gleams
Knowledge of the Legendary Designers

photograph from New York Social Diary

All of these ELEMENTS are repeated in the KIPS BAY ROOM

If I could sit down and chat with anyone about the Bunny Williams room other than the designer or her mentor- is my favorite writer at ELLE DECOR- Mitchell Owens. Luckily I could- Well practically. Lucky for everyone, Mitchell Owens writes a blog for the magazine (go here to read his take on Bunny Williams room.)
From my take on his views- I'd say He loved it.

Her Latest Book- POINT OF VIEW

Three Decades of Decorating Elegant and Comfortable Houses

(take a look at the color palate here- familiar?)



A book from Bunny Williams that I refer back to again and again.

I asked Heather Clawson of the blog Habitually Chic about the scale of the room. Unfortunately- I did not have the thrill of standing there and seeing it- and that can make all the difference. Heather said " I don't know the exact dimensions of the room but it was quite large." Heather wrote an enlightening post with details and photographs that are must reads. I went back and did it too- using some of her photographs in this post. The intimate shots of the room; notepads and pencils, flower presses, books, magazines, all- further show the room's scale, proportions, color and the light and shadow in the space.

photograph from NYSD

Judging from the photographs of Bunny Williams and Albert Hadley (above) that seems to be very much the case. In fact- though the two seem to me a bit larger than life- in proportion to the furniture-Not so. All the more extraordinary that the room feels down to earth!

SKY- EARTH- SUN
color

photograph from Habitually Chic's Heather Clawson

Another wonderful photograph of Bunny Williams from a beautifully written article from NYSD. You will want to read it- great insights into Bunny Williams- really so down to earth.

from NYSD

What's great about this photograph in terms of the Kips Bay room, is the COLOR. Check out the BLUE, OLIVE, BROWNS, GOLDS. Though the colors do not appear in the same strengths or surfaces -they are SKY, EARTH, SUN.

HOW TO LIVE

another photograph from Habitually Chic

Sometimes when looking at published rooms- try one out- imagine your things in the room. Where would I put this OR How could I use this space? It might help you understand your own needs in a room and also help you begin understanding how the design of your favourite magazine room works.

I love- the Dining Area in the Bunny Williams room. I can see all of my design books spread about, laptop and an occasional pile of work on it and the tele tuned in to the cable news or an old movie running- sound down- but flashing inspiring visuals. For my use-I would consider this the Library. Though I don't have children- I could see them with studies on the table and laptops that could easily be monitored in the heart of a house.

& Yes- I think, importantly, the room is child friendly. A huge desire of many clients, " Kids" children, young adults, grandchildren are highly considered when it comes to practicality and performance in a room.

photograph from Habitually Chic

The large sofas, comfortable, and the JACOBSEN chair would be favourites of the young and the young at heart. In this case is not a CLIENT- but I am sure Ms. Williams would have learned a thing or two about what a room must be in order to be livable- and that RED chair- in a reality setting -could be THE thing the client insisted on- but more about that later!

photograph from House Beautiful

Voila! a perfect setting for dinner parties- an Indian sari draping the table.

photograph from HB

Now I know the room is one I could happily live in when Mitchell Owens sums up the room's "end result" as "fresh but a little funky, bohemian but well-bred." from his Elle Decor stylemonger blog.

another View of the Room-

Essentials, note pads, pencils, great lighting,
umbrella stand, drink table

photograph from Habitually Chic

One of the most wonderful things about this room is the thought that went in to it- A Bunny Williams signature? No- It is the mark of many great designers. Each client tells a different story, has a different set of requirements, wants something uniquely them. The art of "A Bunny Williams" is that her clients get the room they've imagined - with her unique brand -without stamping it ROOM BY BUNNY WILLIAMS. The SAME advice she generously shared with the readers of "bunny's beat" in the Elle Decor" November 2002 issue-"the greatest rooms" - are the same rules she applies to this Show House room or any room she creates.

BUNNY RULES
or
"GOOD BONES"

from the Elle Decor article by Bunny Williams entitled "the greatest rooms"

"4 simple rules to remember when creating a great room of your own:
1
Play with scale.
Do not be timid.
Dramatic, oversize furnishings can amplify a room's exuberance.
Tall pieces visually expand a room whose ceiling height is less that ideal.
2
Create excitement. Combine different periods of furniture.
Mix unusual colors, textures, and moods.
Juxtapose grand and simple.
3
Cultivate a sense of place.
You should know where you are -
city address, urban attitude;
country house, bucolic decor.
4

Maintain and update your space.

A room must sparkle, shine,
and smell delicious
(subtle lighting helps,too.)

the RULES are written right from this room-it would appear- 7 years later.

I am so glad I archived this article- below is the photograph that accompanied the piece about memorable rooms. All with" the perfect alchemy of scale, color, comfort, individuality. (BW)

Her FIRST:

Nancy Lancaster's Drawing Room-London

Bunny recalls in the article having tea with Nancy Lancaster in the room in her 20's.
She said of the room- "Everything was big.
The color, considered shocking in England in the 1950's, was a bold lemon yellow.
Most notable was the room's soul-elegant and warm, feminine yet strong willed." (BW)

Elle Decor photograph accompanying the Bunny Williams article
and an Elle Decor cover below of Albert Hadley's home.

Bunny Williams room has echos of the Hadley room above. All of THE RULES apply. Williams studied with Hadley- master of fusion with modern furniture, antiques and interior design. The wall color- shades of BUNNY? or HADLEY?

Speaking to this idea of good bones in a room: This from "Toby Worthington", a favourite with blog writers- bringing his adroit comments to the world of design and style blogs.

"There is an extensive interview with Bunny Williams in an issue of The Classicist where she discusses her work for Peter and Leni May. (see Point of View frontispiece, etc) That was in 1995 and I recall being bowled over by the depth of her comments, the intelligence and the plain good sense, the careful thought that went into her designs and her innate feeling for the mood of a place."

ELEMENTS OF A ROOM

A gorgeous Sofa

(from The BeeLine facebook page-become a fan!)

about the sofa...

"Based on one of my favorites...I enhanced the depth of the seat to accommodate a pair of decorative throw pillows. The apron boasts a whimsical curve and is trimmed in French nailheads."- description from the BeeLine Home website (here)

A Leather Ottoman with inset tray-in production for BeeLine Home
(according to the BeeLine Home facebook page
advance orders are being taken (this posted July 15)

Sisal Rug with painted details

Mitchell Owens said " I want to copy the sisal carpet, which Williams had painted with a boldly graphic border of white squares enclosing a field of dark brown stars."

Textiles

Though there is no great photograph of the curtains in the room, they are made from Indian bedspreads. I always like bringing "found textiles" into a room. Their presence gives a less studied, over thought, over wrought appearance. I adore this wonderful "hand embroidered and knotted Indian-style throw on pale, Dupioni Silk ground with olive ribbon technique encasing ottoman silk appliqué reserves and openwork."
It is a limited edition item from Williams BEELINE HOME Collection. The painted chairs in the room had their backs covered in a vintage silk Ikat. I will never tire of Textiles in rooms, be they suzani- as this one is reminiscent of- or the Indian Sari (see the dining table in the room). I will always want to live with them and they are no passing fad. Think about the wonderful Renzo Mongiardino rooms that are swathed in textiles and a recent Elle Decor feature story about designer Lisa Fine's rooms in Paris.

These pillows are from the line too.
"the designs derive from Italian, Indian and French inspiration"

(quote and photograph from the BeeLine Home site)

One of the pieces in the line that I would love to have is the "Naughty Miss Bunny" throw made of French Tissavel faux rabbit fur with choice of "decorative crimson or black grosgrain box pleated trim border." The box pleated border detail one rarely gets in pieces made on the market today. Leave it to "Miss Bunny" not to compromise on the touches that make an accessory standout. The throw appears on the red Jacobsen chair by the fireplace.

The Walls

A Garden Panel
60 x 60

"Hand-carved Javanese mango wood, applied in a little village outside of Semarang, near the Java Sea. This bas relief mural depicts a stylized garden reminiscent of the plaster work of the 1930’s. Available in an antique white chalky finish over gesso ground." (description from the BeeLine Home website (here)

A favorite photograph in my Bunny Williams archives:

( photograph from the BW office space from the pages of HG.)

I immediately noticed this same mirror over the mantel in the Kips Bay room and I'm hoping the mirror is to be a part of the BeeLine Home Collection-though it is not on the Home website yet. Will have to wait and see.

to Albert,

from Bunny

This year's Kips Bay Show House was a tribute to Albert Hadley. Bunny Williams worked with and learned from Hadley and the late Sister Parish.

Albert Hadley

(from NYSD)

Bunny Williams imparted subtle yet suitable touches that pay " homage" to her mentor Albert Hadley in the room. Again, Toby Worthington said " Bunny's room was the only one that honored the theme to any great extent. The stars in the carpet, the note de rouge of the egg chair, etc, were subtle quotes from Albert Hadley's repertoire." Heather Clawson," habitually chic" blogger, said the red Egg Chair eludes to Hadley's beloved red signatures in many rooms and is also a part of his own personal fashion sense. "The chair is also an unexpected design element in the room that his interiors are known for. He has a modern red zigzag table in his own apartment that is also unexpected. The design on the area rug are stars that are the same that he has used in his wallpaper designs."

Hadley Home

(Photograph from Habitually Chic)

& DV talks about red:

"I can't imagine becoming bored with RED-

It would be like becoming bored with the person you love."

Peaking out of the corner is the revved up red ARNE JACOBSEN EGG CHAIR.

(Habitually Chic photograph)

Hadley and his trademark RED, He's gotta love this Room!

additional articles to read about Bunny Williams

the NYTIMES

" Can Taste Be Taught?" READ THIS by Joyce Walder hilarious and delightful
"The Inner Sactum" by Carol Vogel

the first photograph of the Arne Jacobsen chair is from Design Within Reach here