Table of contents for May/Jun 2019 in Veranda

“Our world is dull compared to the exuberance of color from the 18th and 19th centuries.” PAUL VANDEKAR, AN ANTIQUES DEALER in New York, was only half-joking with me in his description of the 1700s and 1800s at this year’s Antiques and Garden Show of Nashville in February. I’d stopped in to ask him about a pair of Regency-era jasper-dipped stoneware vases. 1 Their intense cobalt color had prompted me to re-examine how I’ve always thought about the past. I confess that despite having studied art history in college, stories about life “back then” still conjure sepia-steeped visions. But the spectrum of antiques on display that day opened my eyes to a whole new world of color. Eighteenth- and nineteenth-century artisans were wildly prolific and surprisingly innovative. Take the vases.…

THE MIX MASTER Sibyl Colefax and John Fowler Compton two-tier vase, $503; sibylcolefax.com THE PICK-UP ARTIST Laurence Brabant Inseparables vase, $160; gardeshop.com THE IN CROWD Christiane Perrochon Sake bottle vases, from $405; tableartonline.com THE CLASSIC BEAUTY Port 68 Temba large blue vase, $295; onekingslane.com THE MODERNIST Kristine Five Melvaer Glass bud vase, from $420; marchsf.com THE FREE SPIRIT Frances Palmer Round tulipiere nine-spout vase, $1,500; francespalmerpottery.com…

WHAT DO YOU GET when you cross a contemporary architect with an over 100-year-old American furniture manufacturer? A new-meets-old design marriage of modern materials with classic craftsmanship. Such is the case with McAlpine partner Ray Booth’s first furniture collection for Hickory Chair, which debuted at the International Home Furnishings Market in High Point, North Carolina, in April. The collection, which includes 62 pieces for the living room, dining room, and bedroom, juxtaposes tailored, streamlined upholstery with marble, wood, and steel. “I have come clean about a personal addiction to steel. I love its strength paired with the softness and richness of woods and upholstery,” says Booth, who comes by his passion for workmanship naturally. “My father was an aerospace engineer, a bona fide tinkerer, and a hunter. I grew up…

CIRCA 2550 BCE Egypt’s Great Pyramid of Giza introduces one of the first examples of a “true pyramid” design. 900–700 BCE Triangles, squares, and rectangles become distinguishing shapes in ancient Greek vase painting. 1st CENTURY BCE The Dendera Zodiac is drawn in Egypt, illustrating the geometric relationship between the planets. 1492 Leonardo da Vinci draws Vitruvian Man, illustrating that the human form can fit into a circle and a square. 1703-1705 Colonial Williamsburg uses hexagons as architectural design elements, most prominently seen in the cupola of the city’s Capitol. 1920s Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann leads the Art Deco movement by incorporating geometric lines and shapes into his furniture designs. 1956 Italian architect Gio Ponti designs ultra-angular Villa Planchart in Caracas, Venezuela, for Anala and Armando Planchart. 1959 Frank Lloyd Wright uses rotating…

TO A 21ST-CENTURY jet-setter who continent-hops like a skipping stone and has encyclopedic access at his fingertips, the notion of experiencing an exotic place is practically pedestrian. Yet the ageold desire to completely immerse oneself in a fanciful, faraway land without leaving home is flourishing. Case in point: a spate of new scenic wallpapers rolling out this spring that feature mythical flora and fauna with paradise-found allure. These wallcoverings, with design references that range from verdant tree of life forms to exotic kimono motifs, are the latest iteration of a centuries-old Western tradition of fetishizing the foreign with scenic papers depicting distant destinations. During the early 18th century, when a fascination with far-flung locales like China and India swept through western Europe, the East India Company imported Chinese hand-painted silk…

ART LOVERS OFTEN DESCRIBE THE ACT of seeing a painting as a full-body experience. So it’s only natural that a woman who grew up among pop-art masterpieces would wish to replicate that feeling of total, joyful immersion when it came time to create a home for her own family. And the moment this Long Island homeowner encountered Katie Ridder’s work in a book, she knew she’d found a kindred spirit: a designer who could bring that sense of aesthetic transport to life. Known for her exhilarating color palettes and richly layered patterns, Ridder designs experiences as much as rooms. For this project, a summerhouse situated a stone’s throw from the home where the client grew up playing among Warhols and Lichtensteins, she also wanted to reflect the client’s personality. “She’s…

MINIMALISM MAY HAVE A PLACE IN THE ART WORLD, BUT NOT IN THE WORLD OF SIG BERGAMIN. For his own residences—in Manhattan, Paris, and his home base of São Paulo—the architect and designer bathes rooms in crimson, saffron, turquoise, and deep blue. Bold stripes brighten walls, as do polychromatic contemporary artworks by compatriots such as Beatriz Milhazes. Sofa upholstery flaunts boisterous prints, and every imaginable surface, from chair backs to headboards, is yet another opportunity to display vivacious patterns and riotous hues. The designer’s new book, a compilation of his eclectic spaces around the globe, is, fittingly, titled Maximalism (Assouline). And for a 2016 project in Miami, a vacation home for a longtime Brazilian client in a new residential tower in trendy Bal Harbour, Bergamin employed his fearless color philosophy…

MOOD OF THE MOMENT Page 14 Pomegranate, books, and plate: Roman Brantley Art and Antiques, 205-460-1224. MASTHEAD Page 28 Rug: King’s House Oriental Rugs, kingshouseorientalrugs.com. INSTANT HEIRLOOM Page 35 Wallcovering: Thibaut Shang Extra Fine Sisal, thibautdesign.com. Books: Architectural Heritage, architecturalheritage.com. THE CHANTECAILLES’ VANITY PLAY Page 72 Tray: Labrazel, labrazel.com. Mirror: Vaughan, vaughandesigns.com. Jewelry Box: Aerin, aerin.com. Writing Desk: Red Egg, redegg.com. Earrings: Rebecca de Ravenel, rebeccaderavenel.com. Wallcovering: Sunset Silk, phillipjeffries.com. Dining Chairs: Lerebours Antiques, lereboursantiques.com. A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE Interior Design: Katie Ridder, Inc., 212-779-9080, katieridder.com. Architecture: Peter Pennoyer Architects, 212-779-9765, ppapc.com. Page 88 Wallcovering: Iksel Decorative Arts, iksel.com. Drapery fabric: Katie Ridder, Inc. Chair fabric: Bennison Fabrics, bennisonfabrics.com. Garden stool: Pagoda Red, pagodared.com. Carpet: Studio Four, studiofournyc.com. Page 89 Tile flooring: Mosaic House, mosaichse.com. Upstairs Custom Chandelier: Lutyens Furniture & Lighting, lutyens-furniture.com. Umbrella…

NEOPLASTICISM, 1909–10 Dutch artist Piet Mondrian emphasized what he considered to be the truest elements of painting: line, color, and form. Composition with Color Planes 5 by Piet Mondrian (1917) CUBISM, 1907–14 Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque fostered a form of artistic expression that used geometric shapes to reassemble objects, scenes, and often the human body into abstract forms. Les Demoiselles d’Avignon by Pablo Picasso (1907) SUPREMATISM, 1913–1914 Founded by Russian artist Kazimir Malevich, Suprematism sought out the most pure elements in art and was one of the earliest moves toward abstract art. Eight Red Rectangles by Kazimir Malevich (1915) VORTICISM, 1914 The London-based artists behind this movement used bold color, sharp lines, and hard angles for a near-literal interpretation of the modern machine age. The Mud Bath by David…

TO ME, JEAN-MICHEL FRANK’S WORK is like a Chanel suit. It has that level of timelessness and sophistication,” says New York-based interior designer Anthony Baratta, who began his own career studying the late decorator’s simplicity of line and form. “It was the early 1980s—some 40 years after Frank’s death—and an intense modernism had begun to take root,” recalls Baratta. “It was like his sobriety in decorating was suddenly cool again.” Frank quietly redefined early 20th-century ideas of opulence, and midcentury moguls took note: In the late 1930s, Norman Rockefeller famously hired Frank to decorate a portion of his Fifth Avenue apartment, including a living room with enough visual gravitas to house his fine art collection (right). And yet, Frank’s most enduring legacy is his furniture. The ubiquitous Parsons table, for…

THE NUMBER 13 ISN’T THE HARBINGER of misfortune it’s reputed to be—at least, if John and Alison Hawkins’ Beverly Hills estate is any indication. The three-quarteracre property situated on a knoll was once simply known as “Lot 13,” one of as many tracts put on the market by the Los Angeles Country Club to help shore up funds during the frugal 1920s. The sale led to a big design win: The subsequent buyers of Lot 13 are believed to have hired George Washington Smith, the father of California’s ubiquitous Spanish Colonial Revival style, to design their house. (The architect was the most prolific purveyor of the genre, designing nearly 90 homes between 1918 and his death in 1930.) ENTRY COURTYARD ROMANSTYLE POOL When the Hawkinses bought the 8,000-square-foot house (a…

ELLEN POMPEO is leaning against her marble kitchen counter, the northwest face of the Hollywood Hills arching out through the glass in front of her. Her longtime friend and interior designer, Martyn Lawrence Bullard, plucks an olive from a bowl and picks up his drink. They’re deep in a design discussion about her closet, a semiregular topic for the two. Its soft black leather upholstered doors and walls, vintage brass hardware, and Brazilian marble island were all part of the renovation of her Mediterranean villa eight years ago. “I love black and white,” she says. “It’s like a metaphor for life—you get darkness but you get so much light.” Martyn interjects, “She’s a design enthusiast. We’ve always had that in common.” They’ve been friends for more than a decade, are…

All fabrics and wallcoverings to the trade.…

A GLIMPSE INTO ANY EXPANsive private jewelry collection is a heady thrill, particularly when the collector herself is a renowned jewelry designer. Hence the anticipation surrounding this spring’s exhibition of jeweler Elizabeth Locke’s micromosaic jewelry collection at Richmond’s Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Crafted from tiny glass tiles known as tesserae, micromosaics were sold as souvenirs for Grand Tour travelers through the late 19th century. Locke has reset many of the 92 pieces on display (ranging from architecture to wildlife) in her signature neoclassical style with hammered 19-karat gold and precious stones. “Jewelry is designed for the era in which it’s intended to be worn,” says Locke. The new, more substantial settings “are scaled to be worn with modern clothes.” The exhibition, “A Return to the Grand Tour: Micromosaic Jewels…

WHEN THE ROARING twenties swept in with a rush of novel machinery, designers and artists of the day answered. Leaning into the boldness of the era, they gleefully borrowed shapes fresh off the assembly line. From the sleek, angular curves of torpedo-style locomotives to the linear frames of household electronics like radios and washing machines, the designs that followed emphasized both fluidity and fearlessness in geometric design. Early 20th-century tastemakers such as Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann, Eileen Gray, and Jean Dunand turned shapely ideas like starbursts, brick patterns, and chevron stripes into cornerstones of the Art Deco and modernist movements; on the art scene, famed duo Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso merged geometric designs with human forms in what would become hallmarks of the Cubist movement. And yet, the foundation of these…

ANY KITCHEN WORTH its salt holds a few secrets—a custom spice drawer here, a bonus wine fridge there. “To me, it’s like designing a library, except there happen to be appliances in it,” notes Long Island-based kitchen designer Vasi Ypsilantis, who reimagined this year’s Kips Bay Palm Beach kitchen specifically for a baker. The best kitchen, she adds, begins with the person using it. Everything from the size of the sinks to the natural curve of the traffic path should be intuitive, purposeful, and feel as architecturally harmonious as any other room in the house. And Amy Meier, the Southern California-based designer who redesigned the outdoor kitchen and loggia, agrees, adding that “outdoor kitchens should have the same functionality of an interior room, especially in places like Florida and the…

“Every day is so busy that coming home to my bedroom, decorated with beloved treasures from my travels and reminders of the people I love, is very centering.”—SYLVIE CHANTECAILLE 1. “In the mornings, I mix a tall glass of water with Beauty Chef’s elixir for a quick collagen boost.”—OLIVIA • Lobmeyr Large Decanter with painted butterflies, $1,001; kneenandco.com. 2. “These hand-painted figurines remind me of the importance of supporting elephants in India.”—ALEX • Asian Elephant ($785) and Young Elephant ($375); herendusa.com. 3. “I always like to have fresh roses, which have the highest vibrational energy of all flowers.”—OLIVIA • Eternity Bud Vase, $240; moserusa.com. 4. & 5. “This de Gournay chinoiserie print is especially beautiful with our Darby Rose fragrance, created from a rose bush at my house.”—SYLVIE • Darby Rose Fragrance ($210) and Lumière Rose Highlighter ($78); chantecaille.com.…

LA MAISON FRANCAISE ANTIQUES The 53-year-old West Hollywood shop specializes in antique stone imports like statuary and seating while curating an impressive collection of fine art. 323-653-6540, lmfantiques.com INNER GARDENS In Culver City’s bustling arts district is landscape designer Stephen Block’s outdoor gallery, filled with global antiques along with Block’s own line of decorative stone planters and furniture. 310-838-8378, innergardens.com OBSOLETE Equal parts design shop and museum, Ray Azoulay displays collections ranging from 1900s French garden vessels to Art Deco lounge chairs through artful storytelling vignettes. 310-399-0024, obsoleteinc.com GALERIE HALF Among the Melrose Avenue emporium’s inventory of mostly 19th- and 20th-century antiques is a soulful mix of architectural relics, decorative earthenware, and sculptural metalwork. 323-424-3866, galeriehalf.com…

THE ANCIENT STORY GOES that a teenage empress was sipping tea under the gnarled boughs of a white mulberry tree when a cocoon dropped from a branch into the hot liquid in her cup. To her astonishment, the cocoon began to unwind, slowly revealing nearly a mile of soft filament. The empress then used the thread to weave a magical, shimmering fabric called silk. Historians, of course, dismiss the tale as myth. But most agree that sometime around 2570 BCE, the Chinese indeed discovered that the larvae of the native Bombyx mori moth produced a gossamer, nearly unbreakable, lightreflecting fiber. So striking was the fineness of it that China’s rulers insisted on utmost secrecy, even threatening death to anyone who revealed the apparent wealth they were literally growing on trees.…