Le Style Anglaise: Slipper Chairs

Slipper Chairs from Linda, Calling It Home

Really, what could be nicer than having a new friend?  And a new friend who "gets" you!  Nothing could be nicer~ and my new friend, and fellow design blogger, Linda, of Calling It Home, and creator of the One Room Challenge is a fabulous lady with a ton of style and California cool.  She just asked me if I'd like to have these beautiful, English style chairs, dressed in a sepia toned Robert Allen toile...aren't they great?  I think even Princess Pyne would agree! Oh, and Linda moved down here from New Jersey!  Small world.  Linda and I met through the blogosphere, and the rest is history.

DFID (C) 2015

As you can see, I've brought the fun ikat rug back into this small room, to break up the boring bourgeois darkness of the space.  I like the palette even better with these chairs added in to the mix.  They (Slipper chairs) look good anywhere you put them, and like Billy Baldwin, I love seeing them in a living room as opposed to a bedroom.  When Linda showed me the chairs, I was instantly reminded of Peter Hood, John Fowler's last assistant, and also of Albert and Sister, and Nancy "Princess" Pyne...even the Pyne chintz by Schumacher somewhat.

Slipper chair on ikat rug (Feizy)

Perhaps one day I'll get around to ordering the "Les Touches" from Brunschwig for these little jewels, although I would probably just slipcover them, since they look so handsome as they are.  Enjoy!  DF *****

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A Designer's Life

great new book !

I just picked up a copy of this fascinating new book, by Nicky Haslam~it contains some of my favorite iconic images, including those related to Oliver Messel and John Fowler...plus Sir Cecil Beaton.  Nicky worked for Diana Vreeland, and currently there is a show of photographs in Palm Beach, by her grandson Nicholas, who has been a Tibetan monk for the last 30 years...I was struck by the similarity between Nicky's new flat in London, and the stunning piano nobile salon I had been exposed to, in Bath, when I was introduced to Lord Fry, and experienced the elegance of his Royal Crescent townhouse...and how fortunate is Nicky, to call the Hunting Lodge his country place?  This book is worth buying, for many reasons, but if only for the images that would be reason enough!  A fascinating look at one man's journey into the endless world of interiors...one man who has counted none other than Minn Hogg as a friend! (The World of Interiors)  Enjoy!  DF *****

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"for nearly fifty years my lifeblood has been houses, buildings, rooms, gardens; what and who they contain; where and why people go into them, and how and when they are used; whether they are uplifting, surprising, calming, newly built or a ruin, modern or classic, charming muddles or staggering statements of style or power, or whispered, exemplary refinement."  NH

Blue is for Bunny

Manhattan dining room of the late Bunny Mellon

 

 

I was just reading about Bunny Mellon, the late socialite-philanthropist, on the Mark Sikes design blog- and this beautiful blue glazed room caught my attention.  (attributed to John Fowler)  I once had my bedroom glazed in a very similar cross hatch, in a dark brown, and it was sensational.  I hope that this image will inspire you- as it has me!  Enjoy!  Cheers!  DF *****

Nancy, Bunny, and John, Decorating World

Bunny Williams, aka Mrs. John Rosselli, sent this lovely picture of lamps she is coming out with- and I was again reminded of Nancy Lancaster, who was first Mrs. Field, then Mrs. Tree, and finally Mrs. Lancaster.

Nancy Lancaster's mother was a Langhorne, and I went to school with another nice girl from Virginia, Cary Langhorne Bond. Bunny, whose real name is Bruce Blackwell, is also from Charlottesville, and it almost seems as if one can draw a line comparing Mrs. Rosselli to Mrs. Lancaster, as they both have had important men named John in their lives, John Rosselli, the fabulous antiques dealer, and John Fowler, the important late English decorator and tastemaker, friend of Sister and Mario, and business partner of famous Sybil Colefax.

I found a table from Rosselli to place one of Bunny's new lamps on- it has "dolphin" legs. Love the bleached look, something dear Albert was very fond of. I also very much like these stunning decorative mirrors from Rosselli Antiques.

I very much admire the way Bunny Williams has built up her brand, through books, lectures, hard work, and product design. We should all be so brilliant and so successful! I have met her, years ago, when I was still living in Manhattan, and went to her office for a possible job, which unfortunately did not materialize for me. I very much enjoy following her BeeLine introductions, and wish her and John all the best as they continue their great work. Enjoy! DF *****

London To New York, Classic Style

The Olympics, in London, also have me thinking about favorite British rooms, and who wouldn't love the famous "buttah yellow" room created by the American decorator, Nancy Lancaster, who was associated with John Fowler.

Mario Buatta, in New York, was very much influenced by John Fowler, and has made his entire iconic career by re-creating the look, in a fresh and exciting manner. As for me, I've had the great pleasure of knowing Mario since the early 1980's, and have always been a huge fan of his.

My Fowler connection dates back to my association with The American Museum in Britain, in the late 1970's, where I was introduced to and got to know Peter Hood, an important English decorator, who worked with Mr. Fowler towards the end of his brilliant career. I feel strongly that the classic look of English decorating is "forever" and not subject to any current trends of fashion. Powerful people often can be found in these beautiful and aristocratic rooms, and the rooms at Blair House, in Washington, are still as valid today as they were 20 years ago. ENJOY! DF *****