Adventurous spirit
Doris Duke has been mentioned a lot on this blog. I think everyone already knows that she was an inveterate traveler, but the recent
illustrated talk by
Shangri La's Scholar-in-Residence, Dr. Thalia Kennedy (plus material now available at
Duke University Libraries) shows that it's not entirely off base to compare her to the ever-popular Keith Johnson (
Man Shops Globe).
She wasn't visiting artisans to source unusual wares for a retail shop, but Duke was passionate about craft, she had access, she was curious, and she incorporated less expected finds into her houses back in the States.
For the past few weeks, lavishly produced books have given me a different kind of access to extraordinary places, designers and craftspeople.
With British architectural historian Jeremy Musson's
English Country House Interiors, I've toured fourteen Western wonders (as Sir Roy Strong describes the houses in the book's forward).
This close view of embroidered flame-stitch bed hangings in the Grand Chamber at
Parham House, along with the 1580s French or Italian coverlet, headboard, and tester, shows how the book's style departs radically from standard text book or tour guide fare. There's a sense of intimacy and life, and we're able to better appreciate the museum-quality textiles, paintings, and furniture found in these remarkable houses. (Right off the bat, I was struck by the abundance of fresh flowers in the rooms.) Although open to the public, most of the houses are still lived in by descendants of the original owners.
Another intimate peek: Green Bedchamber (green was associated with the goddess Venus) at Houghton Hall with bed and overmantel designed by William Kent.
As grand as the rooms are, I tend to find details that I want to translate for smaller spaces -- whether it's a certain mossy shade, a crewelwork vine, or a cluster of Chinese export porcelain.
Musson covers all the major periods of English country house decoration, encompassing Jacobean, Georgian, and Gothic Revival, and he spends a great deal of time on each house. Anglophiles will be happy to know that Chatsworth, Castle Howard, and Wilton are included. And I have to add, after reading
Emile de Bruijn's post about
The East India Company at Home, 1757 to 1857, I'm looking at all the interiors with an eye for specific objects. Bonus feature: a very comprehensive bibliography and index.
Laura Sartori Rimini and Roberto Peregalli (of Milan-based interior design and architectural firm,
Studio Peregalli) channel the past in their projects. Through their new book, written in their own words and aptly titled
The Invention of the Past, I've been able to snoop around sites ranging from a Moorish-style pavilion in Tangier to an austere 1920s house in Munich.
The way Rimini and Peregalli see things, we are living in confusing times. They like to create protective shells with precise forms and functions -- nuanced spaces that won't inspire boredom or become unfashionable down the line.
Their interiors relate closely to the architecture. In many cases they work on a project from the ground up; other times the duo renovates an existing space. Both cut their teeth working for
Renzo Mongiardino, so it's no surprise that their projects also include museum installations and opera stage sets. Because the Studio often makes use of exceptional trompe l'oeil finishes by master craftsmen, I think decorative painters will really appreciate this expansive volume.
Personally, I'm drawn to the warm and rich (yet also somehow mellow) layering of color and pattern.
Vogue's Hamish Bowles describes Rimini and Peregalli as the alchemists of contemporary decorating and architecture. The room above has decoration that suggests 18th-century leatherwork of Cordoba.
And more flowering branches: perennial favorite
Flowering Quince by Clarence House as seen in another new release,
Clarence House: The Art of the Textile, by the firm's longtime design director, Kazumi Yoshida. This book is transporting me to the 1960s, when the theatrical American, Robin Roberts, founded the firm, and opening my eyes (more widely, at least) to the East-meets-West influence of Yoshida -- particularly in recent years.
Designed in 2000, it's said that
Flowering Quince encapsulates Yoshida's signature brushwork and his marriage of the spare Japanese aesthetic with a "fuller" American style. It's not completely abstract but it's also not pictorial.
Yoshida says Roberts was an amazing teacher who provided inspiration and opened his eyes to new things -- museum exhibitions, antique textiles -- so that Yoshida could hone his eye. But the fabrics we know today as Clarence House aren't stylized or updated takes on old document prints, they are free-wheeling Yoshida originals. His hand is clearly evident.
Because the spirit of the book centers on Yoshida as artist, I think students contemplating a career in textile design will find it interesting and inspiring. (Although Yoshida is quick to point out that he had the opportunity to learn and evolve on the job -- a chance everyone doesn't get.) Apart from
Francois Halard's stunning pictures of fabric, there are also many images of Clarence House's trademark ads, which should appeal to a variety of creative professionals as well as decorators.
Hector Lloyd's terrific illustrations for the iconic British luggage maker Globe-Trotter may be downloaded as desktop wallpaper. Learn more here.
Book reviews and sneak peeks are based on books in my own library as well review copies -- sometimes digital, sometimes hardcopy -- provided by the respective publishers. In this case Rizzoli gave written permission to share preview images.
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