Table of contents for Sep/Oct 2020 in Veranda

“The countryside is a space that’s transforming faster than the most contemporary city.” SO SAYS DUTCH ARCHITECT AND scholar Rem Koolhaas, who helped organize a recent exhibition at New York’s Guggenheim Museum, “Countryside, The Future.” 1 The exhibit explores how the countryside has evolved throughout history and what implications those changes have for the future of our planet. Its timing, it turns out, was both unfortunate and prescient: unfortunate in that the novel coronavirus pandemic has forced the temporary closure of public institutions like the Guggenheim; prescient in that the lure of the countryside—a landscape with built-in social distance and the ensuing promise of simple pleasures—has never been stronger. After all, one can mistake the bucolic bliss evoked by country escapes like the four featured in this issue 2 for…

WEST COAST DUO Amy Kehoe and Todd Nickey view the homes they design not simply as backdrops to their clients’ lives, but as main characters in them. Each, they say, should have a soul that beckons one inside and that plays more prominently than pedigree. It’s a tug at the senses that comes through vividly in their new 240-page monograph, Golden Light: The Interior Design of Nickey Kehoe, with its 15 residences from Pasadena to Toro Canyon interwoven with misty, wondrous images of their adopted Southern California landscape. Throughout, the pair’s deft balance of modernity and traditionalism challenges our ideas of both. And with a nimble embrace of the vernacular that’s as redolent here as in their eponymous Los Angeles shop, they do more than extend invitations inside these well…

FOR HER CONTEMPORARIES, it was quite the thrill. The carefully assembled curios amassed by Margaret Cavendish Holles Harley Bentinck, second Duchess of Portland, appeared boundless. All manner of naturalia, from shells and birds’ eggs to her own drawings of molluscan species, mingled with decorative delights like French snuffboxes and Italian cameos. A frequent visitor described the rarities in 1769 as “a most capital collection of pictures, numberless other curiosities, and works of taste…I was never more entertain’d than at [her home] Bulstrode.” The assemblage was notable not just for its scale and value, but for its collector. Most pioneers of early cabinets of curiosities (also called Kunstkammer or wunderkammers, for rooms of wonder) were men—naturalists and explorers, architects and apothecaries, who, like the duchess, set out to largely uncharted lands…

THIS SPRING, designer Joy Moyler (@joymoylerinteriors) discovered a new passion: interviewing creatives on her Instagram feed. “My goal was to shine a light on their talents and journeys and how they’ve seen their ways through challenges,” says Moyler, who will be sharing her skills as a columnist for Veranda. First, Moyler takes a turn in the hot seat. Growing up in New York, my parents insisted on jaunts to different neighborhoods to experience varying cultures. We would go to the Lower East Side, then Little Italy, then to our favorite Indian restaurant next to B. Altman. Now I’m not afraid to talk to anyone. I think it can be off-putting at first until people relax and realize I’m just in conversation with them. I love to cook. I really believe…

COURTNEY MCLEOD Interior designer (Right Meets Left Interior Design) and NOLA native “Leontine Linens is the grande dame of Magazine Street. I also love Malachite Home and its Hollywood Regency vibe, as well as Shaun Smith Home. It has a very collected kind of feel—elegant, with a Continental mix of antiques but also vintage pieces that feel very personal.” THOMAS JAYNE Interior designer and part-time resident “The new location of Lucullus Antiques in Bywater is both a showroom and studio for amazing restoration work. It feels bohemian and fun, which fits well with the neighborhood. They’re a great source for antiques. Nadine Blake is a special place for gifts, and M.S. Rau always has eye-popping stuff.” JULIE NEILL Lighting designer and New Orleans native “Check out Julie Silvers’s pottery and…

1 INVEST IN A QUALITY MATTRESS When it comes to getting a good nightʼs sleep, “the mattress is the most important element,” says Kraiem. “My key recommendation is to source one from a company with a good, long-lasting reputation, like Stearns & Foster.” 2 LAYER YOUR LIGHTING Kraiem favors a mix, from table lamps and reading sconces to recessed lights and chandeliers. Try bulbs with lower wattages and dimmers to control the mood. To block outside light, Kraiem suggests lightweight curtains or Roman shades with blackout lining. 3 PICK A PEACEFUL PALETTE A bedroomʼs color scheme can affect your mood and routine. Kraiem tends toward soothing hues, like shades of blue, ivory, mauve, and gray, with light bedding to anchor the room. “White and ivory sheets are classics and make…

INSTANT HEIRLOOM Page 13 Lounge tieback: Houles; houles.com. Wall paint: Dimity by Farrow & Ball; farrow-ball.com. Palmette panels: J.P. Weaver Co.; jpweaver.com. Antique sconce: Tricia’s Treasures; 205-871-9779. Vintage pedestal and 20th-century French chairs: Design Supply; designsupplyshop.com. Acanthus crown molding with dentil and embossed casing: Decorator’s Supply; decorators supply.com. Architectural hardwood moldings and millwork: White River Hardwoods; whiteriver.com. NOTEWORTHY IMPRESSIONS Page 18 Louis XVI–style walnut commode: Lolo French Antiques; lolofrenchantiques.com. STYLE REVIVAL Page 25 Turtle shell, seashells, and framed snake print: The Nest; 205-870-1264. Encyclopedias and turtle shell: Chelsea Antiques; 205-678-2151. Desk: Tricia’s Treasures; 205-871-9779. Collection of antique intaglios: Comer & Co.; chairish.com. FINER THINGS Page 50 Brass bowl: The Nest; 205-870-1264. Teak carved panel: Chairish; chairish.com. Palm tree art prints: Victorian Wall Art; victorianwallart.etsy.com. Page 51 (top) Straw paper weave:…

INSTANT HEIRLOOM HAND-PAINTED VENETIAN FABRICS SHIMMERING VELVETS AND LINENS BY ITALIAN FABRIC HOUSE VIA VENEZIA AWAKEN ROMANTIC RENAISSANCE-ERA ARTISTRY. THE FIND • Block-printed throws, bedcovers, tablecloths, and other exquisite textiles inspired by ancient Italian works of art. THE MAKERS • “I began in textiles when I was 12,” says Via Venezia Textiles owner Dawn Papakyriacou, who was gifted an industrial sewing machine from her 7th grade home ec classmates and began cranking out pillows (often from garage sale cast-offs) that she gave to others. Degrees in fashion design and merchandising led her to Chicago’s retail and design legend Judith Niedermaier and the Venetian textiles of designer Mirella Spinella. After Niedermaier’s death, Spinella saw in Papakyriacou a potential partner. She invited the American to visit Venice. “We spent a week together…

IN ALMOST NO ROOM have the stakes changed so dramatically as the laundry. So robust were the cleaning, pressing, and mending operations of grand homes that prior to the Industrial Revolution, these tasks were housed in large wet and dry laundries. The former was populated with copper boiling basins, porcelain soaking tubs, and hefty iron mangles for wringing out clothes, and the latter with lengthy pressing tables and drying racks (for those items not set out to bleach on the lawn). The introduction of electric washers in 1908 eventually freed up space and labor considerably. More than a century later, innovations in countertops and tile, playful wall treatments, and boons in technology may bear little resemblance to laundries of old, but crucial threads remain—among them, a joyous sense of order.…

KUNSTKAMMER With shops in Munich and London, owner Georg Laue holds particular renown for sourcing Renaissanceera exotica made from precious materials, marvels like a narwhal-ivory sculpted cup, mother-of-pearl flask, and chess set made entirely of amber. kunstkammer.com CREEL & GOW Owner Jamie Creel’s fascination with collecting began as a teenager in Kenya, trading Levi’s for handmade baskets. In his Upper East Side shop, curios range from majolica coral lobsters and papier-mâché masks to a Chinese opera headdress. creelandgow.com KABINETT & KAMMER Author of a forthcoming tome (Vendome, 2020) sharing title with his Catskills boutique, artist Sean Scherer curates a beguiling assemblage out of a 19th-century post office. Expect anything from visual teaching aids to scientific ephemera. kabinettandkammer.com DEYROLLE Founded in 1831 in Paris’s 7th arrondissement, the sustainable taxidermy shop feels…

Silken Seeds of Bali New York City designer Alexandra Mor moved to Bali in 2016 for creative awakening and promptly found it. Deeply moved by her new home’s connections to the spiritual and natural, Mor says her Tagua Seeds collection—ring, earrings, necklace, and pendant—is “a tribute to Mother Earth.” South Sea pearls represent the oceanic flow of the familiar, she says, while the wild tagua seed (a botanical alternative to elephant ivory found in the Amazon forest) “represents earth and stability.” Mor works with Balinese craftspeople to create each ornate piece by hand, further binding her work to Indonesia’s extraordinary isle. Woven Bamboo from Kyushu With the acute zeal of an anthropologist, São Paulo designer Silvia Furmanovich is famed for collections that resonate with culture and place; her latest, Amazonia…

Charlotte Moss’s COLLAGES FOR A CAUSE “What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments but what is woven into the lives of others.” The words (attributed to Golden Age Greek leader Pericles) are a mantra for New York–based designer Charlotte Moss, who is nearly as well known for her philanthropic deeds as her legendary interior design work. This spring, Moss issued a series of “creative challenges” for her Instagram followers, including one in which she pledged $100 to Feeding America for every collage created. “We were stuck at home with extra time on our hands, and I thought, How can I energize my community to do something for others and have a little fun while staying safe?” recalls Moss. Her challenge was accepted, and then some:…

One of the best things about being a decorator is the feeling you get when you see a project for the first time—and realize what you’re going to get to do. It was a warm, sunny day in June when I first laid eyes on this one. Longtime clients were purchasing a house in the Connecticut countryside and had asked me to come have a look. What I knew about the place was that it was built in the 1920s for one of the Rockefellers, so I figured it would be nice. But when the sea of pale pink rhododendrons parted and the Colonial-style house came into view, I nearly drove off the road (successfully mowing over a fair bit of pachysandra as I went, which were far too close…

DUST OFF YOUR POOLSIDE JEWELS: It’s a caftan event too dazzling to pass up. Top fabric houses from Fabricut and Cowtan & Tout to Peter Dunham and Katie Leede & Company have donated hundreds of yards of resort-worthy patterns to create limited-edition, hand-sewn designs to benefit Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club in the Bronx. Caftans for Kips is the brainchild of design publicist Christina Juarez (right), who aims to replace funds the nonprofit lost in event cancellations due to the global pandemic. Headlining the collection? This Veranda design in a Michelle Nussbaumer orchid ikat linen, trimmed in festive scarlet fringe and brilliantly suited to a season of sartorial ease and gracious acts of good. kipsbay.org…

PART OF CREATING is understanding that there is always more to do; nothing is ever completely finished.” Such are the words of late design legend Bunny Mellon, whose well-chronicled devotion to her gardens called for numerous sheltered extensions of it—after-hours laboratories for a passion that wouldn’t wane with the sun. Centuries of gardeners can relate and have built a tradition of soil-dusted workspaces ranging from glorified potting sheds that double as reference libraries to flower rooms for puttering with arrangements. Among the essentials of these deeply personal sanctuaries: hardy counter space for potting (and repotting), generous shelving for collections of containers and ephemera, and ample windows for late-day views of the beds and hedges (what gardener can resist a glimpse at the next day’s work?).…

Brigette Romanek cemented her status as one of L.A.’s most sought-after designers by creating inspired spaces that bring her clients’ dreams to life. A Romanek room is sophisticated but supremely livable, fresh but never trendy, and always alive with color. Here, Brigette shares the Benjamin Moore shades currently ruling her inspiration board. 1. Brown Teepee - 2102-40 “With hints of pink, this is a warm color that doesn’t feel too heavy. Elegant paired with rust or mustard tones.” 2. Daiquiri Ice - 2034-70 “This hue is full of vibrant energy, yet still soft and pretty. Layer it with lush velvets, rusts, and blues.” 3. Pale Berry - 2103-60 “Notes of gray, brown, and pink converge in this dreamy shade. It’s a sexy, versatile neutral that goes wherever you want to…

THE BEST WAY TO shop New Orleans today is with an open mind and a wanderer’s spirit,” says interior designer Courtney McLeod, who grew up in New Orleans East and the Lakefront area. “Turn down the side streets, explore crumbling storefronts. That’s where you stumble upon the true heart of the city.” Growing up there in the 1970s and ’80s, “I was very aware that our city was different. The impact of its position as a port city, blending Native American heritage with Black, French, Spanish, and other global influences, has had an incredibly long impact compared with other seaports,” says McLeod, who spent weekends riding the streetcar through the Garden District with her parents and strolling storefronts in the French Quarter. “There’s always been so much color,” she says,…

PRESENTED BY STEARNS & FOSTER With so many daily distractions, downshifting into sleep mode seems tougher than ever. If your bedroom isnʼt set up to soothe, itʼs hard to get the quality rest you crave. But, thanks to a few design-driven choices, you can get more shut-eye. “An ideal bedroom provides an environment for rest, positivity, and relaxation,” says interior designer Natalie Kraiem. From going all-in on a Stearns & Foster mattress to ditching the screens, here are four easy ways to make your space more serene.…