Honoring the Greats: Dorothy Draper

Before we delve in to another "honoring the greats" post, I have to be honest.  I actually wanted to write about the late, great Edith Wharton today.  Sorry, Dorothy!  However, as I was collecting my research and preparing my draft, I realized that Edith was someone so complex, so layered, so much a "Renaissance Woman", that paying homage to her properly would take a few days of reading and studying.  Not to say that Dorothy wasn't a trailblazer herself- she practically invented the interior design profession in a time when women simply did not work.  She's also credited with helping to create the Hollywood Regency style, with it's bright exuberant colors, slick glossy surfaces, and rococo scroll work details. 

Dorothy was born in to the prestigious Tuckerman family in Tuxedo Park, New York in 1889.  Her great-grandfather, Oliver Wolcott, was one of the 56 delegates to sign the Declaration of Independence.  Despite her family's prestige, Dorothy never had a formal education of any kind.  She later said, "I had no schooling to speak of, except that I was brought up where I had the privilege of being constantly in touch with surroundings of pleasant taste."  Her family also traveled extensively in Europe while she was growing up, which helped to inform and sharpen her keen design eye.

{Greenbrier Hotel lobby, designed by Dorothy in 1948}

In 1912, Dorothy married Dr. George Draper  (Franklin Roosevelt's personal doctor after he contracted polio) and began decorating their homes exuberantly.   She had a natural confidence in her design sensibilities that allowed her to shake up the stiff, buttoned up style of the Victorian era.  Up to that point, rooms were decorated in a specific "period," without much fluidity or thought to connecting the rooms from one to the next.  Dorothy threw all conventional rules up to that point out the window and livened up the drab home fashions of the day.   She designed according to her mantra- "If it looks right, it is right", and gravitated towards a maximalist palette of oversized florals (she particularly loved cabbage rose chintz), vibrant colors, glossy finishes, and anything with glitz and glam.   Soon, she was causing such a stir with her lively designs that she decided to form the first ever interior design firm- The Architectural Clearing House (which later became Dorothy Draper & Co). 

Although Dorothy's husband ran off with another woman right after the Stock Market Crash of 1929, she clung to her work and continued to decorate with fervor.    This is one of the many reasons I admire her so- she once said, "Never look back, except for an occasional glance, look ahead and plan for the future. Success is not built on past laurels, but rather on a continuous activity. Keep busy searching out new ideas and, experimentally, keep ahead of the times, or at least up with them."   And onward and upward she went! 

Honoring the Greats: Nika Zupanc

I've featured 5 male designers in my "Honoring the Greats" series thus far, so today I am thrilled to be sharing the work of one talented lady- Nika Zupanc.  Nika is a renowned Slovenian-based interior and furniture designer that first came on to the design scene with the launch of her Lolita Lamp at Milan Design Week 2009.  Since then, she's effectively broken in to the boy's club of contemporary furniture design.

Honoring the Greats: Piero Fornasetti

Italian artist Piero Fornasetti is legendary in the design field for the creation of several fanciful patterns and ceramics.  Most will probably recognize the artist from the plates, candles, and other decorative objects he made that feature the face of opera singer Lina Cavalieri.  Fornasetti saw Lina's face in a 19th-century magazine and was instantly captivated.  He once asked, "What inspired me to create more than 500 variations on the face of a woman?  I don't know.  I began to make them and I never stopped."   

{Tamra Sanders' SoHo loft featuring Fornasetti plates, photo via Erika Brechtel}

{Piero among his many plates}

Piero was born in 1913 Milan to a wealthy, bourgeois family.  As the firstborn and the son of an accountant, his father envisioned him leading a prosperous life in the world of finance.  But Piero had other ideas- As a child, his mind would constantly race with fanciful ideas and motifs that he began to draw in notebook after notebook.  Common themes in Forensetti's sketches were the sun and moon, playing cards, butterflies, hot-air balloons, and architecture.  It soon became obvious that the only path for Piero was to become an artist.  At the age of 17, he enrolls in Milan's prestigious Brera Academy of Fine Art.  However, much to Piero's frustration, the self-taught artist finds little help in developing his skillset at the school.  After clashing with the faculty over several issues, Piero finally decides to leave in 1932.  

In every infamous designer bio, there's a turning point or certain event/chance meeting that catapults the person's career. For Piero, that did not take long.  After finishing up school and taking a bit of time to travel and work on his designs, he returned to Milan and began creating hand-printed silk scarves that were displayed in the 1933 Triennial di Milano.  The scarves caught the attention of Gio Ponti, an Italian architect who was very entrenched in the Milan design scene. Ponti became Forensetti's most important and loyal patron and whom he collaborated on furniture designs and large scale interior decoration projects (NY Times).  One of my favorite patterns Forensetti developed was this whimsical malachite swirl, shown here on a 1950s trumeau:

This pattern was later developed in to a Cole & Sons wallpaper, which continues to be a designer favorite today:

{Ashley Whittaker Design}

{Wendy Schwartz Design}

{Andrew Brown}

{Nate Berkus}

What is so interesting about most of Piero's designs is that during a time of restraint and minimalism, his maximalist designs truly thrived.  Here are just a few examples:

{Small Butterfly Desk}

{Lip Stool}

  Today, Piero Fornasetti's son Barnaba manages his Milan shop and oversees his business.  While preparing this post, I came across Fornsetti's website and enjoyed the interactive biography shared here.  

Honoring the Greats: David Hicks

Undoubtedly one of the most (if not the most) influential interior designers of the twentieth century was David Hicks.  In fact, nearly any geometric print, whether it be Cole & Son's infamous Hicks wallpaper or Mary McDonald's geometric rug collection, is inspired by David's original designs. Hicks was known as a firecracker, both for his explosive personality and his bold design style, and was something of an English celebrity during the height of his career in the 1950s, 60s and 70s.

Hicks was born in 1929 in Essex, England and graduated from the Central College of Art in London. His first job out of college was working for an advertising agency, drawing cereal box designs.  Meanwhile, Hicks was redesigning his mother's London home on the side.  Everything changed for David when House & Garden published a glowing article featuring Mrs. Hicks refreshed home in 1954-  David realized his true calling, and become a full-fledged decorator.  

David soon became THE authority on English design during the 1960s, most notably for his electrifying color combinations and his mix of antiques and modern furniture with pop art and abstract paintings.  He deplored chintz, which was the popular Victorian motif of the day, and doused rooms in strong magentas, reds, and chocolate browns with tightly woven geometric patterns.  When I picture the swinging 60s in England (i.e. Austin Powers), I immediately picture David Hicks. 

His clientele were a mix of fashion icons, media celebrities, and the aristocracy.  He did projects for Vidal Sassoon, Mrs. Conde Nast, and decorated the Prince of Wale's first apartment at Buckingham Palace.  His love of fame was perpetuated when he married Lady Pamela Mountbatten, the youngest daughter of the 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma.  Together they had three children, model and designer India Hicks, architect and designer Ashley Hicks, and Edwina Hicks.   Lady Pamela once told the press that David's affinity for high gloss brown walls came about after she began throwing glasses of Coca-Cola at him during moments of marital discord. 

{David Hicks pictured with a bikini model. He became a fixture in British high society during the 60s and 70s.}

By the 1970s, David Hicks, Ltd. was producing wallpaper, fabric, and carpets that mirrored his regimented yet bold aesthetic and showcasing them in boutiques and offices in 8 countries.  

"My greatest contribution as an interior designer has been to show people how to use bold color mixtures, how to use patterned carpets, how to light rooms and how to mix old with new." - David Hicks

Want to learn more?  David's son, Ashley Hicks, has written a few books honoring his father's work and legacy, and David himself wrote 8 instructional books on design and decoration during his life.  This is my personal favorite. 

Check out my previous Honoring the Greats posts:

Albert Hadley

Tommi Parzinger

Billy Baldwin

Milo Baughman

Honoring the Greats: Albert Hadley

Today I wanted to celebrate the life of one of the most iconic designers of the twentieth century- Albert Hadley.  Hadley passed away in 2012 at the age of 91, but his design work live on and so does his legacy.  He grew up in Tennessee and attended school at Parsons School of Design before fighting in World War II.   When he returned from the war, he went on to train under the prestigious decorator A. Herbert Rogers.  Hadley opened his own firm shortly thereafter, and was met with considerable success.  His client list includes former Vice President Albert Gore, Diane Sawyer, Babe Paley, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and the Astor and Getty families.  In 2010, Lonny Mag did a home tour and interview with Albert in his Upper East Side apartment, and of course every detail is perfection:

Known for his kind, down-to-earth personality, Albert is the perfect example of a go-getter who wasn't afraid to follow his dreams.  When he returned from the war, he knew he wanted to be in New York City where all the big designers he followed were based:   

 "When I came back, it wasn't long before I had decided that I intensely wanted to be in New York City—it was where  the design work that I had been following was. In those days, as it still is a bit today, interior design was seen through publications so I knew of every important person working!" Hadley admitted, laughing about the ambitious youngster he had been. "It's still a mystery how I was able to be so outgoing and outspoken amongst such icons of design, but I made it my point to meet them all! I explained that I wasn't looking for a job and that I just simply wanted to meet them. Strangely enough, all without exception were open to meeting me. I started with the top ones of the time like Rose Cummings and Billy Baldwin—you know, the big firms."

Hadley is also well known for his work with Sister Parish.  They began working together in the 50s.  Sister Parish had just finished decorating the private family quarters in the White House for the Kennedy family, including the oval drawing room on the second floor, where the president liked to receive foreign dignitaries, and was looking to go in to work with someone.  She hired him after finishing the White House, and in 1962 he was made partner in her firm, creating Parish-Hadley.

{Albert's bathroom features his own whimsical wallpaper design, "Fireworks", by Hinson & Co.  I believe this paper has been discontinued now, but contact Hinson if interested!}

More of Albert's fab work...

You can read a fun interview The Editor at Large did with Albert a few years back here. I found the article so inspiring and interesting!  One particular quote that stuck with me regarding Albert's design process is this:

"Each project is a very personal thing and has very little to do with trends as far as I'm concerned," Hadley said. "I've never been involved in trends or fashions—maybe what's fashionable but that's never been a priority. I think it's a very serious business and one that takes concentration and dedication to both the physical situation, meaning the architecture, and the people who are personally involved—the owners, the inhabitants."

PS- Today I am over on my girl Lindsay's blog, Sadie + Stella, sharing a few Valentine's gift ideas!  Go check out the post and give Lindsay some love.

Honoring the Greats: Milo Baughman

For the third installment of my "Honoring the Greats" series, I am spotlighting furniture designer Milo Baughman.  Baughman was a modernist who forever changed the landscape of design by creating pieces with sleek, sultry details.  He believed above all else that good design meant it stood the test of time.  It wasn't too trendy or frivolous, but classic and unpretentious.

 {Thayer Coggin}

Milo grew up in Long Beach, California and studied product and architectural design at the Art Center School of Los Angeles and at Chouinard Art Institute (which later became the California Institute of the Arts).  He also served in the army during World War II, during which time he was active in designing officer's clubs.  After returning from war and completing his studies, Milo worked for a modern furniture store and then went on to establish "Milo Baughman Design, Inc" in 1947.  He designed furniture using walnut, Formica, and iron which exudued a distinctive Los Angeles style.

Drexel invited Baughman to their North Carolina headquarters in the late 1940s to create a major collection of furniture.  He then went on to run a custom design shop with his wife at the time, Olga, from 1951-1953.  Beginning in 1953, Baughman began collaborating with furniture manufacturer Thayer Coggin.  By the 1960s and 1970s, his new collection was eagerly awaited at the High Point Market each year.  Some of his most iconic pieces came from this period, such as the 951-103 chair, the 820-400 chaise, and the 989-103 lounge chair (also referred to as the t-back chair):

 

  {Thayer Coggin}

 

 I wanted to featured Baughman today because I continue to see reproductions of his classic pieces pop up all over Etsy, 1st Dibs, and my favorite mid-century antique stores.  I even wrote a post before lusting after his chair designs. They are also often sprinkled amongst interiors featured in magazines and online home tours.

{Pair of Milo Baughman Chrome Barrel Chairs}

 

 While many of his chair designs are enlivened by such effects as tufted upholstery, Baughman tended to let his materials carry the aesthetic weight, frequently relying on chair and table frames made of sturdy and sleek flat-bar chromed metal, and tables and cabinets finished with highly-figured wood veneers. The fact that Milo's design work is STILL sought after over a half century later shows that he did indeed accomplish his goal of classic, timeless design.

{Dominique DeLaney}

 

{Emily Henderson}

{Remodelista}

Nate Berkus used Milo's classic t-back chair design in this lovely NY apartment:

 {Nate Berkus via So Haute}

{Ryan Korban}

 

"When I left Art Center, I thought Modern design would change the world. Now, I no longer have such lofty hopes, but perhaps the world is just a bit better off because of it. In any event, good Modern has already proven to be the most enduring, timeless and classic of all design movements." - Milo Baughman

View previous "Honoring the Greats" posts:

Tommi Parzinger/Billy Baldwin

Honoring the Greats: Billy Baldwin

"No matter how taste may change, the basics of good decorating remain the same: We're talking about someplace people live in, surrounded by things they like and that make them comfortable.  It's as simple as that." -Billy Baldwin

For the second installment of "Honoring the Greats", I am profiling New York City decorator, Billy Baldwin.  Known for a simple, refined palette, Baldwin decorated for some of the most well-known ladies in Manhattan during the mid 1900s, including Diana Vreeland and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. He was a firm believer in surrounding yourself with things you love and he detested what he called, "the sterility of perfection"- saying that if you think you can spot a Billy Baldwin room, then it wasn't his. 

The living room above displays his iconic slipper chair style. Other Baldwin staples were cotton (he was, he claimed, one of its "most active promoters since World War II"); plain draperies, white plaster lamps; off-white and plaid rugs; pattern on pattern; geometrics; corner banquettes; dark walls (his legendary one-room Manhattan apartment was lacquered a style-setting high-gloss brown); Parsons tables wrapped with wicker (I certainly made a lady out of wicker", he once quipped); and straw, rattan, and bamboo. 

  

{Baldwin in his fabulous one-room Manhattan apartment}

Baldwin generally disdained the florid, Baroque and Rococo in favor of the clean-cut, hard-edged and pared-down.  Among his early influences were Frances Elkins, perhaps the most sophisticated decorator of her day, and Jean-Michel Frank, whom he described categorically as "the last genius of French furniture."

Baldwin's timeless triumph (he, too, considered it to be the coronet on his career) remains Cole Porter's Waldorf Towers apartment, with its decisive library of Directoire-inspired tubular brass floor-to-ceiling bookcase-etageres arrayed against lacquered tortoiseshell-vinyl walls:

More of these fabulous Directoire-style etageres flanked the walls in his Manhattan apartment:

Billy Baldwin was deeply inspired by Matisse's bold use of color.  In fact, he took inspiration from the Matisse painting hanging above the sofa below to design an expressive fabric called l'Arbre de Matisse.

{This living room also graces the cover of one of his coffee table books, Billy Baldwin Decorates}

{L'Arbe de Matisse gracing the walls in this powder bath}

{L'Arbe de Matisse featured in Tory Burch's NY Home}

For Baldwin, who was partial to plump deep-seated sofas and chairs, the ultimate luxury was comfort.  "First and foremost, furniture must be comfortable," he decreed.   "That is the original purpose of it, after all."  In addition to decorating, Baldwin also designed a line of furniture.  His furniture collection can be purchased through Ventry Ltd.  I love his studio sofa for it's versatility.  At one time it was considered large and luxurious, but by today's standards it's rather normal- 36"D x 84"W x 33"H:

See the complete Billy Baldwin furniture collection here.

Read more about Baldwin's life here.

Read the first installment of "Honoring the Greats," featuring Tommi Parzinger, here.