Abstract Art in Traditional Interiors, Part 1

<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"></h3><div class="post-header"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNKYfIbiFy6WQBgLG8rniNsvThc2nIVlIZjenWTnOfY7rNFKHpKB5sbXzMyrUVDF26Gb0Z1ZfVjx-ORyJmzWtHup7XY-b-dQCznUgD19GKFc8KmbRKUk5qZUfv7EdBVof8N2Rh-_DvpBYv/s1600/167196204885956400_8k18DE47_f.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNKYfIbiFy6WQBgLG8rniNsvThc2nIVlIZjenWTnOfY7rNFKHpKB5sbXzMyrUVDF26Gb0Z1ZfVjx-ORyJmzWtHup7XY-b-dQCznUgD19GKFc8KmbRKUk5qZUfv7EdBVof8N2Rh-_DvpBYv/s400/167196204885956400_8k18DE47_f.jpg" width="308" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I designed the living room of the 2007 ASO Show House in Lafayette, Louisiana, I was still living in New York full-time and only occasionally in Louisiana. When the show house opened and ladies would come through the room, no one knew who I was or what I looked like. I was often engaged in conversation with someone so those just entering the space assumed I was another person touring the house. I would hear ooh's and aaah's over the beautiful antiques (on loan from Au Vieux Paris Antiques, one of Louisiana's finest antique dealers) and "isn't that a nice sofa?" ( a classic Bridgewater Arm Hickory Chair sofa on loan from Albarado's it was, in fact, a very nice sofa), but then I would hear, "I can't stand all of this abstract art", and "well, this is all very nice but the art is awful." It was <i>unbearable</i> for me! When I, a New York interior designer, accepted the task of designing the living room, the focal point of the house, I decided that I would furnish the room locally so as to make folks feel the room was attainable, within reach, and possible for them to have similar style and beauty in their own Louisiana homes. In addition to Au Vieux Paris Antiques and Albarado's, I was fortunate to have Grand Contemporary Gallery (now closed) as a resource for art. At the time, Yvette Owens, George Marks, and Helaine Moyse were some of my favorite Louisiana artists and Jennifer Grand represented all three. I was thrilled and very excited to be able to pull together a space using the elements of design that I had always used, what I had learned in my employment with Eric Cohler, Edwin Jackson, and Hinson & Company, what I knew to be true: juxtaposition is what gives energy to a room, excitement to a space, and is always necessary for any room to "sing".</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfZvXOuiVsJubJ6ZqL8p2eNA4lqBqu67ctttApICXpxs6QECOGkv3h2nY_9Z3tSrALxmB3XKepK9eOvZXxQtcy3b3klCmG2bUlyXI_ILW7yNdKSDFN02E5E4ViSTizGn1Qgk6x-5uhqbYi/s1600/167196204885956402_wTD1TqOl_f.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfZvXOuiVsJubJ6ZqL8p2eNA4lqBqu67ctttApICXpxs6QECOGkv3h2nY_9Z3tSrALxmB3XKepK9eOvZXxQtcy3b3klCmG2bUlyXI_ILW7yNdKSDFN02E5E4ViSTizGn1Qgk6x-5uhqbYi/s400/167196204885956402_wTD1TqOl_f.jpg" width="373" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course, this is no new theory or design concept and has been in place in the best interiors for decades, centuries even, but I guess I was a bit ahead of my time in Lafayette. I remember having <i>decorators</i> ask me, "what style would you call this?". Choking back laughter, I would say traditional and see utter confusion all over their face. In the end, designing the room in the above two photos paid off for me. </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">House and Home </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">featured the room on the cover and again a year later and, moreover, I was hired by a most wonderful client to do one of the largest projects I've ever done.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am forever grateful to Eric Cohler and Jane Supino (son, mother) for teaching me so much of what I know about art. Both big collectors, Cohler and Supino educated me about artists, how to collect, and the greatest gift of all: how to mix seemingly disparate types of art in a cohesive, wonderful way. After I left Eric Cohler Design and was working at Hinson & Company, I was hired by Eric and Ms. Supino to serve as project manager and fabric / wall covering shopper/coordinator for the large-scale project of renovating and furnishing Ms. Supino's new Park Avenue apartment. This project was thrilling for me. I loved the client, loved the space, loved everything Ms. Supino already owned that would move into this apartment, and had a ball selecting all of the fabrics, wall coverings, new furniture. I had no idea that along the way, the client would teach me so much and that this project was a <i>major</i> stepping stone in my career and where I am today.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdaPn4Kd8r25BqNXdiHUSyIYm5PKtUXivh-note02phWox33hsaSkA3xLXAbt6RicblCTBCWdCMHbfHsbz4r9hTQwTAZYFCaHn6Tg0Djand-Ij072QXJsMrP4ro6AmKmezDZ0HbY7H42UV/s1600/img_nycfolklg_2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdaPn4Kd8r25BqNXdiHUSyIYm5PKtUXivh-note02phWox33hsaSkA3xLXAbt6RicblCTBCWdCMHbfHsbz4r9hTQwTAZYFCaHn6Tg0Djand-Ij072QXJsMrP4ro6AmKmezDZ0HbY7H42UV/s400/img_nycfolklg_2.jpg" width="361" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Traditional Home</i> (note the word Traditional even though you see major abstract paintings in the photo by Colleen Duffley) published the apartment. The living room sums up the entire apartment and I consider this project a great success and one I always remember as a turning point in who I am as a designer and art consultant.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why all of this reflection on past projects? The room seen below stopped me in my tracks. I think it is one of the most beautiful living rooms I've ever seen. Suzanne Rheinstein, New Orleans native, is the Los Angeles based designer who created this elegant and serene space featured in the May issue of <i>House Beautiful</i>. Rheinstein's rooms are always beautiful and I consider her one of America's top designers. I have seen many of Rheinstein's projects published but never with a bold, graphic, intense abstract painting like the incredible Carolyn Carr piece above the sofa in this room of a New York apartment. One word: FABULOUS!</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhenFaPSc5jLWCOOw-LPlN02qsYKgkqEYbZkwkBGM8QLDZ4nBLN38q1_l9PIg9df0bPp5fEvYcyaoNaA67PHhnJglJxJsSlGtEBbNMtzjuZpOykXdcIJ2sTfG9bnaPYcDi_Eh1UNLysSZk3/s1600/bh-2010may.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhenFaPSc5jLWCOOw-LPlN02qsYKgkqEYbZkwkBGM8QLDZ4nBLN38q1_l9PIg9df0bPp5fEvYcyaoNaA67PHhnJglJxJsSlGtEBbNMtzjuZpOykXdcIJ2sTfG9bnaPYcDi_Eh1UNLysSZk3/s400/bh-2010may.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo by Francois Dischinger, May 2012 issue of <i>House Beautiful</i></td></tr></tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And then, oh and then, the August issue of </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Architectural Digest</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> arrived in the mail on Saturday. As I thumbed through it just to see what awaited me when I have time to sit down and read the magazine in its entirety, the latest brilliance of Thomas Jayne (New York designer with a pied-a-terre in New Orleans) was revealed. And boy is it brilliant. Philadelphia clients with an amazing (Warhol, Jasper Johns, Ruscha, Lichtenstein, Twombly, Kline--just to name a few) collection of art received the perfection of Thomas Jayne's masterful work in this dining room:</span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixbLttlOJcLxPWhxc7QaTdRsKKyjgR3aTwjAMqNR-7baou8Mwz34HSJWFfS1lKDVWCjYG83ubVkgId08A79HORCq8Diwt1bOQCnaLa3x9ZB6GMpArfhYIprhFE02Tvv91Q8KukvTbH_QVo/s1600/Scanned+Image+121920002.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixbLttlOJcLxPWhxc7QaTdRsKKyjgR3aTwjAMqNR-7baou8Mwz34HSJWFfS1lKDVWCjYG83ubVkgId08A79HORCq8Diwt1bOQCnaLa3x9ZB6GMpArfhYIprhFE02Tvv91Q8KukvTbH_QVo/s400/Scanned+Image+121920002.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFlBI_zSCRQScBLL3M4yhNhPZVyl2DlI1mqOvhjgKFF8BdVZtQQYcHnslnIIKwJqcDQWj7ypTnaycm4YI_fCCTSUz6PCEv_i7kzCv8oLiVnrIqBCM1fUhiJUDLzLGu3p1p2MZGBuAYLTvO/s1600/Scanned+Image+121920003.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFlBI_zSCRQScBLL3M4yhNhPZVyl2DlI1mqOvhjgKFF8BdVZtQQYcHnslnIIKwJqcDQWj7ypTnaycm4YI_fCCTSUz6PCEv_i7kzCv8oLiVnrIqBCM1fUhiJUDLzLGu3p1p2MZGBuAYLTvO/s400/Scanned+Image+121920003.jpg" width="316" /></a></td></tr><tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption">photos by Roger Davies--badly scanned on my scanner from August 2012 issue of <i>Architectural Digest</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First of all, the antiques are about as fine as fine can be. A "late-Georgian dining table" and "suite of Empire chairs" and a Regency console table are included. By the way, note that the green fabric used on dining chairs in the Thomas Jayne project is the same Cowtan & Tout fabric that we used in neutral on Ms. Supino's sofa. The Gracie wallpaper? STUNNING! But it gets better...the clients have a "Cy Twombly 'Blackboard' painting and a small geometric Franz Kline that play off the hand-painted Gracie scenic wallpaper" and "a classic Kline abstraction makes a strong statement paired with a Regency table and a Han-dynasty ceramic bull."</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To say that I </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">can't stop</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> looking at the entire feature in </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Architectural Digest</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> would be a joke. It is on my desk and I keep going back to it for inspiration. None of my clients have art of this caliber but that doesn't mean I can't achieve the same great success as I build collections for them. Thank you Suzanne and Thomas for showing the world that a fine, classic, traditional room should have a shot in the arm of abstraction to make it all work. </span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div>

Abstract Art in Traditional Interiors, Part 1

When I designed the living room of the 2007 ASO Show House in Lafayette, Louisiana, I was still living in New York full-time and only oc...

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Abstract Art in Traditional Interiors, Part 2-The Masters of the Mix

<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"></h3><div class="post-header"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I received so many emails about my last post (Abstract Art in Traditional Interiors, part 1) that it made the task of selecting images for this post really fun as I realized the subject hit home to so many readers. Here are examples of abstract art used in traditional interiors in projects done by the masters of design whose work I always turn to for inspiration when working on client projects. Billy Baldwin, Albert Hadley, Bunny Williams, Jeffrey Bilhuber, Todd Romano, and Suzanne Kasler are designers whose projects have filled my favorite rooms binders for years. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I was in college and began recognizing styles of design that I liked, Albert Hadley and Bunny Williams were at the top of my list (as well as Charlotte Moss and Mark Hampton). Through my first job in New York at Hinson & Company I was exposed to the designs of Billy Baldwin who is, for the record, my all-time favorite designer. By the early-mid 2000's Jeffrey Bilhuber and Todd Romano came on my radar, and in the last few years Suzanne Kasler has consistently done projects that have caught my eye.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's start by going way back to Billy Baldwin's interiors from the 70's. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">circa 1970: In the living room of Mr. and Mrs. Harding Lawrence's Dallas home, the first of four projects Billy Baldwin masterfully executed for the Lawrence's, a Theodoros Stamos painting reigns over a "raspberry colored glazed" room filled with chintz, antique chairs, celadon vases and lacquered pieces. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVLzcz_aTqrb_iXWUtXFF6zESp5bqFMlJJe72LStkz4FMOb4pOQzRcIFElaAEiVtVJDUJoE_zUPDSOEa6Qw9njT8q32DajTDmLD-QByAdySsXAAP7ceDqE8PDeuj3-niQKWtJJvA_5VoH/s1600/BillyBaldwin_p026-027.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVLzcz_aTqrb_iXWUtXFF6zESp5bqFMlJJe72LStkz4FMOb4pOQzRcIFElaAEiVtVJDUJoE_zUPDSOEa6Qw9njT8q32DajTDmLD-QByAdySsXAAP7ceDqE8PDeuj3-niQKWtJJvA_5VoH/s400/BillyBaldwin_p026-027.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption">Living Room of Mr. and Mrs. Harding Lawrence's Dallas home. image from DesignFaith.blogspot.com.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Billy Baldwin: An Autobiography, </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mr. Baldwin says, "The house in Dallas, which I did in 1970, turned out to be a wild success and I confess I did it in a taste that is not really mine at all: brilliant colors, American paintings, and good furniture both old and new. It also had colossal comfort."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I thought I had seen nearly all of Billy Baldwin's published projects but when this incredible accomplishment appeared before my eyes, I was WOWED! The Don Placido Arango's of Madrid were the lucky inhabitants of this unbelievably chic apartment overlooking the Prado and the Ritz in one of my favorite cities. The Spanish do have great style and the addition of Baldwin to the team of client-designer achieved greatness in my opinion.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPO321eUFiLQg_4lvxgiDkSFFHrP53W-VAv5jceRKQYZssfH7UK3D_5lh5hQyZg0Pp5a_AVmJSw9yH0mq69DaiYqUS0W_Czqo5-4txN5AlivTI1UYkH8hXVVbRbV9SF1pG6bXhnuCrsxvN/s1600/BillyBaldwin_p092.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="367" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPO321eUFiLQg_4lvxgiDkSFFHrP53W-VAv5jceRKQYZssfH7UK3D_5lh5hQyZg0Pp5a_AVmJSw9yH0mq69DaiYqUS0W_Czqo5-4txN5AlivTI1UYkH8hXVVbRbV9SF1pG6bXhnuCrsxvN/s400/BillyBaldwin_p092.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Billy Baldwin Remembers, </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">about this apartment Baldwin says, "The Arangos wanted a bright, country atmosphere for their three beautiful children, so we gave the apartment the look of a country house, very light and breezy, with lovely old furniture from England and France."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">America lost one of its all-time top talents in March when Albert Hadley passed away. Dubbed the "dean of American decorating" by magazine editors, Mr. Hadley created brilliance over and over and over in his projects. With a simple flair, which I think is hard to come by because projects with great flair can often be over the top, Mr. Hadley created real, as opposed to fantasy, rooms that always seemed so livable and never with too much unnecessary stuff and clutter. In an interview with </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Architectural Digest</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> in 2011, Mr. Hadley said, "</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whatever you put in your house should be interesting. I may not like it, but that doesn’t make any difference. And decorating is not about dollars and cents; it’s an emotional thing, it’s passion. Buying a painting or a piece of furniture just because a famous name made it isn’t passion." To read the full interview which is very interesting, click </span><a href="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/architecture/2011-02/albert_hadley_article"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">here</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> after you've finished reading my post!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This fabulous room by Mr. Hadley has all of the elements that any chic room of its time would. Chintz curtains, lacquered walls, comfortable upholstered pieces, antique chair, simple coffee table, really great lantern that all co-exist happily and with great effect. But the painting is the shot in the arm, the kick in the pants, the energy necessary for the room to sing. The room, it turns out, is actually an executive office for the Bank of New York circa 1970 I am guessing. Who wouldn't mind going to work in this space??</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimJK3MogUYMiC_Vm6dHEgDEhCw4ptLlkFe8z_Ct0FsJ4AfjDYX_pab3smfIZ61Fn4aTZQK_u3JtBZdsuWrBhrMtQJtF6teoe2jTBTYuMU3DDidjkQbTZ5EeVBxFmWx80NZiPjSdVqlpX1n/s1600/Albert-Hadley1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimJK3MogUYMiC_Vm6dHEgDEhCw4ptLlkFe8z_Ct0FsJ4AfjDYX_pab3smfIZ61Fn4aTZQK_u3JtBZdsuWrBhrMtQJtF6teoe2jTBTYuMU3DDidjkQbTZ5EeVBxFmWx80NZiPjSdVqlpX1n/s400/Albert-Hadley1.jpg" width="285" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Palatino, 'Palatino Linotype', 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The project that repeatedly brought Mr. Hadley so much attention is the apartment of Mrs. Vincent Astor. The famous red lacquered, brass trimmed library is one of the most often seen photographs of excellent design. A photo I have not seen as much is the below image of Mrs. Astor's bedroom. A room that really could have tipped the sweet scale is tempered by two paintings. Still feminine and soft like the rest of the room, the abstract pieces break down the girly-ness of it all.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif8g-oe68LdzE0PRFcobCfr8hZap-Rjgt3fzuT2-RIt7w_4B5jNUJMy6ynaEQOskDaiGTV_AoepcLJdWlQqejOw1qFqjOgBp9t2FUXQeaNuTgGtuCsKZH9oOOsLl_ChORd8EfF38K5nfP0/s1600/3-p158.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="337" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif8g-oe68LdzE0PRFcobCfr8hZap-Rjgt3fzuT2-RIt7w_4B5jNUJMy6ynaEQOskDaiGTV_AoepcLJdWlQqejOw1qFqjOgBp9t2FUXQeaNuTgGtuCsKZH9oOOsLl_ChORd8EfF38K5nfP0/s400/3-p158.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">image from required reading: Adam Lewis's <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Albert Hadley: The Story of America's Preeminent Interior Designer</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Virginia native Bunny Williams is at the top of the design world in every way. Her successful firm with major clients has led the way to a beautiful shop, Treillage, in New York as well as a wonderful line of furniture, lighting, accessories in her Beeline Home collection. When perusing the many years covered in Ms. Williams' online portfolio, the use of abstract art in traditional interiors is a staple of the classically good interiors that Bunny Williams Inc. brings to life. One of my favorites is this "House in Provence" living room where damask, needlepoint, tufted furniture, and Tang-dynasty figures are in perfect harmony with a very large painting in a simple floater frame.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8qJSAGEGuloYAVWBdahOU4V3cquYmSC_TSM6hUYQEMUJGRyDx8j6HedGkNi9UztO-30ULt3yCJ9oQgGgIqPTaVPA0uPCnPfHs5qDsg4-IcnYT9U6D5I_g5pJIKOK8tSqu9RhaaBocWhSC/s1600/interiordesign_main_16_126.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8qJSAGEGuloYAVWBdahOU4V3cquYmSC_TSM6hUYQEMUJGRyDx8j6HedGkNi9UztO-30ULt3yCJ9oQgGgIqPTaVPA0uPCnPfHs5qDsg4-IcnYT9U6D5I_g5pJIKOK8tSqu9RhaaBocWhSC/s400/interiordesign_main_16_126.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image via www.bunnywilliams.com</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the Beeline Home showroom at the 2011 Spring High Point market, Bunny Williams selected a painting by Mallory Page from Mrs. Howard/Max & Company in Atlanta. "An Unusual Repertoire" was center stage above the classic Knole-style sofa against faux-ivy covered walls. Mallory Page's fantastic painting now hangs in a Bunny Williams client's home in Delaware.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl43339jHWcf_dtmRbeqsNiQxNZWdBzRwp3o6tJOEXVwb3U2mcaUwuBb4qrrrOOn4i7IVIK4hITTHuJqdGg1qXuHTkiosisGaW0tTU2oDZUSnSKQbTgoQHh-jkBVIMR_OOJYqeIPvC0Uqd/s1600/IMG_3185.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl43339jHWcf_dtmRbeqsNiQxNZWdBzRwp3o6tJOEXVwb3U2mcaUwuBb4qrrrOOn4i7IVIK4hITTHuJqdGg1qXuHTkiosisGaW0tTU2oDZUSnSKQbTgoQHh-jkBVIMR_OOJYqeIPvC0Uqd/s400/IMG_3185.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption">Mallory Page's "An Unusual Repertoire" in Beeline Home's High Point Showroom. Image via Stylebeat.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In my opinion, Jeffrey Bilhuber is one of the top five American designers working today. Bilhuber's projects are always good, never a slip, and represent 21st century traditional. I featured a bedroom a couple of posts back that is from the same London town house as this living room. This project is from an old issue of </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Elle Decor</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> that is as fresh in my mind now as the day I saw it seven years ago. It represents another of those "AHA!" moments for me where I realized I had seen genius design as I flipped the pages and saw example after example of balance, proportion, scale, and harmony.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This project remains one of my all-time favorite published projects and, since the day the magazine hit the newsstand, has remained in its entirety in my special binder used only for Mr. Bilhuber's projects. </span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Ross Bleckner painting above the sofa is a wonderful counterpoint to the details of the room. Again, like Mr. Hadley's work in Mrs. Astor's bedroom, the abstract piece was needed to keep the room from becoming too feminine and too formal.</span></div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"></span></i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijdYn5cElDDQmX33qJoIy-X5hPAtAR9NJIRqBNghz12DYtg6jo10dBvgvBCo7anAolJHi5AlSIccUjxki_rHiwuFWSfYKMKwbZguJhPryRHq_oEXGP4-1IcMk7DO2QtElAfZytbsCf4XEI/s1600/3_1286552828_bilhuber_ed1005_03.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijdYn5cElDDQmX33qJoIy-X5hPAtAR9NJIRqBNghz12DYtg6jo10dBvgvBCo7anAolJHi5AlSIccUjxki_rHiwuFWSfYKMKwbZguJhPryRHq_oEXGP4-1IcMk7DO2QtElAfZytbsCf4XEI/s400/3_1286552828_bilhuber_ed1005_03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="infoTitle" id="captionInfoTitle" style="font-size: 15px; font: normal normal bold 11pt/normal Georgia, serif;"> "</span><span class="captionInfo infoValue" id="captionInfo_4590" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px;">In the drawing room of a townhouse in England, a Ross Bleckner painting and a rococo gilded-gesso chandelier; the collection of Chinese blue-and-white porcelain above the door is from John Rosselli.</span> "--<i>Elle Decor</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Note how the painting above the mantel </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">perfectly</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> picks up the color of the pair of ebonized slipper chairs in the center of the room. Anything other than the painting by Kristian Ryokan would have fought with swag detail of the paneling. Balance, proportion, scale, harmony...Mr. Bilhuber gets it.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv2QW52Ga8Dexv0T_KY3itK0_1OglbDxJHQxotDI-FYroZAfXeA1wT7OKrjujDdpFwl2_OHo1KTGknZ5no0VF338Cdi3MiJK81S1gonZ0uO1E6a0-trvbHMPJptYuxpcymbpIpMS9t9SNr/s1600/jeffrey-bilhuber2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv2QW52Ga8Dexv0T_KY3itK0_1OglbDxJHQxotDI-FYroZAfXeA1wT7OKrjujDdpFwl2_OHo1KTGknZ5no0VF338Cdi3MiJK81S1gonZ0uO1E6a0-trvbHMPJptYuxpcymbpIpMS9t9SNr/s400/jeffrey-bilhuber2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="captionInfo infoValue" id="captionInfo_4592" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px;">"In a living area in an England townhouse, the wing chair is upholstered in Sahco Hesslein’s Faro linen; the painting, <i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Speedster</i>, 2003, is by Kristian Ryokan."---<i>Elle Decor</i></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="captionInfo infoValue" id="captionInfo_4592" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="captionInfo infoValue" id="captionInfo_4592" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px;">both images above by Simon Upton, from <i>Elle Decor</i></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="captionInfo infoValue" id="captionInfo_4592" style="color: #333333;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of Jeffrey Bilhuber's most recent projects exemplifies what this post is all about. In the living room of a New York townhouse, one sees this view when entering the room:</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="captionInfo infoValue" id="captionInfo_4592" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizcxm_qJ6JX4h-AI1Vd9cfow9tJBIuPQ8eUoVQWXS4sh49ihm1vV7_Jfe0Shl72tGqgeup1p9EHWqkMzOOsOO_JmYBAsV9xJJJzY3rBe8fz6wE___i89N73YD3Xa48o4V5q5n2YdbpVwxw/s1600/item04.rendition.slideshowVertical.04_revival_meeting.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizcxm_qJ6JX4h-AI1Vd9cfow9tJBIuPQ8eUoVQWXS4sh49ihm1vV7_Jfe0Shl72tGqgeup1p9EHWqkMzOOsOO_JmYBAsV9xJJJzY3rBe8fz6wE___i89N73YD3Xa48o4V5q5n2YdbpVwxw/s400/item04.rendition.slideshowVertical.04_revival_meeting.jpg" width="368" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px;">"The living room’s center window is dressed in swagged curtains of a Robert Kime printed linen; the chandelier is Continental, and the banquettes were custom made. The 19th-century Amritsar carpet is from J. lloulian."--<i>Architectural Digest</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can't really get any more traditional than the swagged curtains and crystal chandelier and 19th-century rug. And then you turn right and see this unbelievable Joan Mitchell painting from 1952. PERFECTION!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZVcQFP_Nfp1W1cGbbfV017rCIgyidf5EsSbwpGfPqmCMnoEXqKyUy147DYYIMH7VPiQYlVijMumWrGQw5kjvb1FI35yK0vyWdNzgbL5cXK1LkC4tyAOstsqr-IiR4mEZKi7ty1NOeKIHP/s1600/item03.rendition.slideshowHorizontal.03_revival_meeting.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZVcQFP_Nfp1W1cGbbfV017rCIgyidf5EsSbwpGfPqmCMnoEXqKyUy147DYYIMH7VPiQYlVijMumWrGQw5kjvb1FI35yK0vyWdNzgbL5cXK1LkC4tyAOstsqr-IiR4mEZKi7ty1NOeKIHP/s400/item03.rendition.slideshowHorizontal.03_revival_meeting.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px;">"An untitled Joan Mitchell painting from 1952 hangs above a custom-made sofa in the living room; the tables are 17th-century Japanese."--<i>Architectural Digest</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: p22-underground, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: p22-underground, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">As if it could get any better than a Joan Mitchell focal point in the living room, a vivid Alex Katz elevates the dining room from so-so to fantastic. A show of Mr. Katz's work at The Jewish Museum in New York in 2006 is one of the turning-point moments in my life. I have never forgotten the show and still recall the hours I spent in the museum in awe of what was before me. This experience showed me that my true passion is art. Mr. Katz's figurative work is what I was blown away by and one of the reasons I can beat artists up a bit when they paint figurative pieces that just don't add up, so to speak, to the genius of Mr. Katz's portraits. I am not as familiar with Katz's abstract landscapes but really love the piece below which serves as another window with a view in this dining room.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO6fJOL-IbVA3ZKLylTYnN7D7osXzaJfYJ1berWTCWVRtzHHRI-KTgmDGAfuG8X2n3kwiw7KI0RIAZ9kXZHTF5meJhRIbz_ryazBv17JSpvAyPMOxRfMYuKYlYMo8ASITviD10_ihhxzRs/s1600/item05.rendition.slideshowHorizontal.05_revival_meeting.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO6fJOL-IbVA3ZKLylTYnN7D7osXzaJfYJ1berWTCWVRtzHHRI-KTgmDGAfuG8X2n3kwiw7KI0RIAZ9kXZHTF5meJhRIbz_ryazBv17JSpvAyPMOxRfMYuKYlYMo8ASITviD10_ihhxzRs/s400/item05.rendition.slideshowHorizontal.05_revival_meeting.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 21px;">"An Alex Katz painting, <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">5:30 PM, Late May</em> (2007), makes a big splash in the dining room. Above the Irish Regency table glitters a Russian gilt-bronze chandelier, circa 1800; the George II walnut side chairs are upholstered in an Edelman leather."--<i>Architectural Digest</i></span></div>

Abstract Art in Traditional Interiors, Part 2-The Masters of the Mix

I received so many emails about my last post (Abstract Art in Traditional Interiors, part 1) that it made the task of selecting images fo...

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