September/ October 2020

FLOWER SEPT•OCT 2020

HOUSE l GARDEN l LIFESTYLE

cozy & elegant

COMFORT + TEA WITH INDIA HICKS

Fall Floral & Garden Inspiration AT HOME WITH NINA CAMPBELL

PHOTO BY CLAIRE TAKACS

SEPTEMBER•OCTOBER 2020

Contents FEATURES

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The Big Picture

With a focus on historical authenticity and storied antiques, designer Matthew Patrick Smyth brings classic style and intriguing character to a Westport, Connecticut, home

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Time Is of the Essence

Rather than designing from the inside out, Andrea Filippone listened to the land

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London Charming

To celebrate the Chelsea Flower Show and a friend’s new book, English design icon Nina Campbell hosted a stylishly floral dinner party at home. She shares some of her entertaining and design wisdom with Flower

60

Designing North Toward Home

PHOTO BY CLAIRE TAKACS

James Farmer decorates a weekend retreat for a young family in Connecticut, giving it country-house style that nods to the owner’s Southern roots

44

“Just living isn’t enough,” said the butterfly. “One must also have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.”

–HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN

ON THE COVER: A marbleized wallpaper backs a bookcase in the living room of a Westport, Connecticut, home designed by James

Farmer (page 60). Photographed by Jeff Herr

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Contents

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DEPARTMENTS

SCENE

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We’ve got our eyes on...

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Goods inspired by Australian botanicals; chic new hotels; fresh collaborations; and books on homes, gardens, and entertaining

IN BLOOM

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Decorate: Q&A

A new garden-focused textile line from artist Alexis Walter

Decorate: Flowers

11

Sculptural arrangements from Holly Vesecky of Hollyflora in ceramic containers made by her husband, Josh Beckman

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IN EVERY ISSUE Watering Can 6 What’s Online 15 Sources 70 At the Table 72

Decorate: Mood

Furniture, fashion, and jewelry that take a cue from the guys

32

Entertain

India Hicks shares family teatime stories from her new book, An Entertaining Story

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September•October 2020

PHOTOS BY BRITTAN GOETZ (PORTRAIT), SHELLY STRAZIS (FLOWERS), INGRID WEIR (INTERIOR), AND DAVID HILLEGAS (TABLETOP)

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PHOTOS BY BRITTAN GOETZ (PORTRAIT), SHELLY STRAZIS (FLOWERS), INGRID WEIR (INTERIOR), AND DAVID HILLEGAS (TABLETOP)

Watering can

A Note from the Editor

“I’ll light the fire; you place the flowers in the vase that you bought today.”

—GRAHAM NASH

evocative. I see Joni Mitchell (Nash’s love interest at the time of his penning the song “Our House”) in their Laurel Canyon garden cutting a poetic mix of California blooms and arranging them in a pretty bohemian hand-thrown vase, as Graham, his rail-thin self, kneels down before the fireplace tossing crumpled-up pages of Rolling Stone magazine into the logs for kindling.

At this moment in America and most likely everywhere else, we’re all still experiencing the joys and, for some, the monotony of home more than at any other time in history. This season in our culture has done nothing if not given us a renewed interest in and an awareness of our surroundings, inside and out, along with the isolated moments that capture our imagination and imprint on our psyche.

A moment full of color, beauty, and conviviality that left an indelible impression in my heart was a dinner party hosted for me by Nina Campbell in her jauntily ingenuous London house. A mélange of mementos, impossibly chic and understated furnishings—some of her own design—and a few clever design fillips, Nina’s private residence was the perfect backdrop for an unforgettable evening.

Richly layered and thoughtfully created over time by

architect and landscape designer Andrea Filippone, Jardin de Buis is a transportive romance set in rural northern New Jersey. Its maze of garden rooms populated with carefully curated elements, like seemingly unkempt plantings, urns, muted paint colors, and reclaimed greenhouses, offers subtle surprises.

Family treasures and traditions are woven into a crisp James Farmer–designed New England home, while Matthew Patrick Smyth scales down spaces to foster intimacy and mixes periods, finishes, and heirlooms in a Georgian Revival–style house in Connecticut. And India Hicks treats us to a glimpse of her mother’s iconic family teatime ritual, complete with must do’s and a recipe for chocolate brownies with fresh raspberries.

My fondest hope is that the words and pictures in these pages will inspire you to look and see and treasure these days at home, as we move into the even more hearthcentric season—and my favorite season—autumn.

Love and SDG,

Margot Shaw EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Please send your comments, triumphs, challenges & questions to: wateringcan@flowermag.com OR Letters to the Editor | Flower magazine

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FLOWER

September•October 2020

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PHOTOS BY INGRID WEIR

The Susan Hable Collection

W h a t We ’ v e G o t O u r E y e s O n

Scene

TEXTILE ARTISTS

Utopia Goods THE AUSTRALIAN COMPANY BRINGS LOCAL FLORA TO THE HOME By Alice Welsh Doyle

PHOTOS BY INGRID WEIR

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CLOCKWISE FROM BELOW: Utopia Goods Matchstick Banksia blue toiletry bag ($45) • Madras Lilac baby quilt ($240) or queen-size quilt ($595) • Imperial Waratah indigo fabric on chairs • Bruce Slorach and Sophie Tatlow of Utopia Goods • Wattle Raspberry napkins ($59/set of 2)

TEP INSIDE OUR TEXTILE

Jungle” beckons Australiabased Utopia Goods on its homepage. Indeed, admirers of the line love the explosion of color and pattern—all handcrafted and inspired by exotic Australian botanicals— that dance across pillows, laminated trays, dinner napkins, scarves, jaunty handbags, and makeup pouches. Founders and designers Bruce Slorach and Sophie Tatlow ensure that each piece created uses the renowned textile craft of India.

The latest collection, Precious, draws attention to Australian endangered plants, including the fragrant seeded wattle flower and the flowering matchstick banksia. usa.utopiagoods.com

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Scene WHAT WE’VE GOT OUR EYES ON ...

CHIC OUTPOSTS Beloved hotels are opening up new locations this year. Nantucket’s iconic White Elephant debuts a new spot in Palm Beach, bringing its legendary hospitality to a more Southern clime. With only 13 rooms and nine suites, each with a private outdoor space, the reinvented landmark property on Sunset Avenue feels intimate and estate-like. Their signature restaurant, Lola 41, will focus on local seafood and globally inspired cuisine. Opening in November; whiteelephantpalmbeach.com The Quirk Hotel in Richmond, a favorite of Flower editors, is expanding its rhapsody in pink with a Charlottesville location on Main Street, the first boutique art hotel in the beautiful college town. Like its sister, the hotel features a rooftop bar, among other dining options, and an art and gift gallery with rotating exhibits, trunk shows, and lectures. destinationhotels.com/quirk-charlottesville

LEFT TO RIGHT: The White Elephant Palm Beach • A guest room at the Quirk Hotel Charlottesville

SHOWROOM NEWS

Lee Jofa + Carrier and Company Jesse Carrier and Mara Miller, the principal designers of Carrier and Company Interiors, have teamed up with Lee Jofa for a collection of 36 fabrics and 11 wallcoverings inspired by their Hudson Valley home in Dutchess County, New York. The sophisticated selection includes florals, stripes, hand-block prints, and textural fabrics with cut velvet detailing and chenille-and-linen blends. “In the history, landscape, and charm of the Hudson Valley, one can see the influence of rolling fields, open sky, serpentine stone walls, and the silhouette of distant mountains in the colors and patterns of the collection,” say Jesse and Mara. The collection was born in the country but travels well to town and through time.” kravet.com

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September•October 2020

The Art of Craftsmanship We have long admired the handcrafted jewelry created in Italian ateliers.

Fortunately, a group of companies is determined to keep the traditions alive. The familyowned jewelry firm Vendorafa, founded in 1951, along with other Italian designers have created the Mani Intelligenti (Smart Hands) Foundation, devoted to the preservation and development of handcrafted skills with a goal to find, teach, and place 1,000 students over the next three years. After training in goldsmithing, stone setting, and finishing, the graduates will be employed by Vendorafa or other members of the foundation. “We believe that the preservation of these arts comes only from exposure and education and the promise of opportunity,” says Daniela Lombardi, creative director of Vendorafa. vendorafa.net and maniintelligenti.it/en ABOVE: 18-karat gold ring with champagne diamonds and fancy sapphire and ruby petals, $11,000 BELOW: 18-karat gold cuff with emeralds, fancy sapphires, and amethysts $31,000

PHOTOS (BOTTOM) BY SHELLY STRAZIS

Feeling Rosy The rose is celebrated for its scent, its medicinal qualities, and, of course, its beauty, so we want doses of it every day. We have fallen back in love with the classic chintzes from Rose Cummings, the New York City decorating doyenne who introduced the fabric and paved the way for its popularity with designers like the late Mario Buatta.

There is comfort and cheer in each print, and with new ownership by Lauren Hudson of Wells Design in Houston, Texas, we can expect to see more of the archives go into production. Another lover of chintz, designer Richard Keith Langham welcomed the news: “I am thrilled this wonderful line will be preserved and celebrated. Carisbrook is one of my favorites—long live a bold chintz.” wellstextiles.com We also like to indulge in some plant-based beauty products from the Organic Rose Phyto3 line from Peak Scents with its signature blend of rose and açai stem cells, peptides, essential oils, and superfruit extracts. “When I developed the Rose Phyto3 line, I was determined to utilize the healthiest and most effective ingredients available,” says founder DeeAnn Tracy. “When I discovered the Alpine rose stem cell active from Switzerland, I knew this would be a key part of the formula. This rose grows at high altitudes and has to adapt to extreme weather conditions. As a result, this plant helps our skin guard against everyday stressors such as UV damage and dryness.”

The facial mist with pomegranate extract and vitamin C is a must on your desk for a midday pick-me-up. For your bedside table, there’s a night cream that features hyaluronic acid, known for its anti-aging properties. From $20 for the facial mist, peakscents.com

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE LEFT: Rose

Cummings • 100% cotton Cumming Rose chintz in Camel, Pink, Blue, Taupe, and Rose • A selection of products from the Organic Rose Phyto3 Collection from Peak Scents

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Scene WHAT WE’VE GOT OUR EYES ON ...

READING LIST

FALL FAVORITES COOLING TEMPS MEAN THE BEST BOOKS HOT OFF THE PRESS. HERE ARE A FEW STANDOUTS ON HOMES, HOSTING, AND THE GREAT OUTDOORS

MISS MAGGIE’S KITCHEN

GARDEN PORTRAITS

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September•October 2020

INTERIOR DESIGN S Is for Style: The Schumacher Book of Decoration (Rizzoli, 2020) takes readers on a deep dive into company’s archives, featuring iconic fabrics wielded by some of America’s best designers over the last century. Part decorating guide, part inspiration, part personality profiler, it’s proof of why this 131-year-old company remains a vanguard of good taste.

While S Is for Style celebrates a range of what great design can look like, Glamorous Living (Abrams, 2020), designer Jan Showers’s third book, illustrates the unique imprint of one person’s point of view. Jan’s particular alchemy of shine, shimmer, curves, and confidence shows that every space looks better with a little glamour.

ENTERTAINING As a child Héloïse Brion shuttled from her American life in Florida to summers at her French grandmother’s home in the Pyrenees. Her memories of those summers are the stuff of fairy-tales—days spent in the service and rhythm of preparing meals over the wood-fired oven. After a stint in fashion, Héloïse and her husband bought an old hunting lodge in Normandy they named Miss Maggie and settled in with their young family. In Miss Maggie’s Kitchen: Relaxed French Entertaining (Flammarion, 2020), Héloïse shares the rustic cuisine of her ancestral home and the casually chic way of entertaining in the French country style.

Aerin Lauder’s Entertaining Beautifully (Rizzoli, 2020) offers a more panoramic look at putting on a party. Featuring a year’s worth of gatherings, from a Halloween children’s party to a Hamptons garden lunch, it’s clear Aerin treats entertaining as a form of creative expression.

GARDENS Most consider the portrait and the landscape to be opposing visual expressions. In Garden Portraits: Experiences of Natural Beauty (Monacelli Press, 2020), photographer Larry Lederman turns that thinking on its head, capturing gardens with the tenderness and familiarity often reserved for a sitting subject. The book’s 16 private gardens present the garden as a space itself, in Larry’s words, “a portal to the natural world.”

Speaking of portals, landscape designer Keith William’s new book The Graphic Garden (Pointed Leaf Press, 2020) is like a one-way ticket to the tropics. His gardens, a powerful balance of linear and lush, bring the banyan trees, bougainvillea, and beach breeze to you, wherever your armchair may be.

—Kirk Reed Forrester

PHOTOS (FAR LEFT, TOP TO BOTTOM) BY FRANCESCO LAGNESE, CHRISTOPHE ROUÉ, AND LARRY LEDERMAN

S IS FOR STYLE

PHOTOS (FAR LEFT, TOP TO BOTTOM) BY FRANCESCO LAGNESE, CHRISTOPHE ROUÉ, AND LARRY LEDERMAN

Scene WHAT WE’VE GOT OUR EYES ON ...

KRAVET + ADDISON WEEKS Hardware has always been known as the jewelry of a home, so the new collaboration between Kravet Furniture and jewelry design firm Addison Weeks feels like a natural match. “We follow the same principles that we have always used to design our jewelry—uncompromised craftsmanship and timeless design—when creating our luxury hardware.

Kravet Furniture follows those same principles, which made partnering with them so easy,” says Katherine Mulford, Addison Weeks’s chief creative officer. “For this collaboration, we focused on how we can help designers unleash their creativity, and we can’t wait to see how designers use these pieces in their projects!” kravet.com

PUT YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD

FRESH VERSIONS OF A CLASSIC Since 1993, Palm Beach, Florida–based Stubbs & Wootton has been making embroidered velvet and needlepoint loafers and other shoes for men and women. The loafers in particular have the stood the test of time, and now the company has joined forces with decoupage guru John Derian for a capsule collection of velvet loafers with frogs, horses, and other motifs, including one of our favorites, Peonies, in red velvet. $550, stubbsand wootton.com

Decorate: Q&A, Flowers & Mood • Entertain

DECORATE: Q&A

Budding Talent INSPIRED BY HER GARDEN, UP-AND-COMING ARTIST ALEXIS WALTER SOWS THE SEEDS FOR A BESPOKE HOME COLLECTION WITH THE LAUNCH OF HER TEXTILE LINE, MAISON

in Bloom A celadon-hued painting by Alexis hangs in a living room designed by Kevin Walsh of Bear Hill Interiors.

PHOTO BY RETT PEEK

By Margaret Zainey Roux

Flower: Tell us about your background. I understand you studied fine art and interior design. Do you find that the two feed off of one other? Alexis Walter: There’s a distinct difference in mediums but, to me, interior design is a form of art—the room is the canvas and the decoration is the paint. I’ve always been fascinated by the relationship between the colors and textures in a room, and I get to explore that through my paintings and textile designs and particularly when working on commissions for interior designers. I love the fresh perspective I gain when looking at a room through their lens, and I find gratification in helping them express their vision for a space.

Your paintings are mostly comprised of pastel palettes, yet they exude so much richness. How did you achieve that?

Thank you! Mixing colors is by far my favorite step in the painting process, and I think a lot of the richness comes from those carefully blended colors. The layering process is also important in giving the paintings depth through texture.

Different artists have different philosophies on whether the art in a room should color-coordinate with the interiors.

What are your thoughts? I believe that when you buy pieces that you love, they can coexist harmoniously within your home regardless of the color scheme.

You mentioned your textile designs. Let’s talk about your fledgling fabric collection, Maison. It’s less than a year old and is really blossoming. After almost 10 years in the making, we launched Maison in fall 2019 and it’s been a dream come

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in Bloom DECORATE: Q&A

true! The textiles in the collection are inspired by shapes found in my watercolor landscapes and those that naturally exist in my garden. It could be something as small as a bolted basil flower or the way the jasmine is espaliered on my fence. I paint a watercolor representation of it and then play around with pattern making and color selection.

surrounded by décor made from Maison textiles. The draperies are in Seersucker.

Pillows feature Dotted Swiss, L’Herbe, Stitch, Pique, and Cecilia.

BELOW: Stacked paintings by Alexis (top) and Ray Parker (bottom) call attention to the curve in the stair hall of Kevin’s Little Rock home.

The Maison palettes are unique in that they’re comprised of combinations I have been using in my paintings for years, choosing pairings I’ve found that highlight each other. Right now, we have more than 50 patterns printed on 100% Belgian linen, which I chose for its beautiful softness and natural quality.

What does Maison include? We started out just selling fabric by the yard, but the collection has grown to include cocktail napkins, wreath sashes, pillow covers, and organic lavender sachet sets, all fabricated from our textiles. We also offer some printed paper goods like wrapping paper and Christmas crackers during the holidays.

Most recently we used our papers to make seed packets for some of my favorite garden vegetables and melons.

Tell us about your garden. It is heaven on Earth!

It’s nestled between my home and my studio, so I get to enjoy the views, scents, and sounds when cooking and painting. The design is inspired by French potagers and parterre gardens, and the structure helps keep the vegetables from getting a little too wild. Soon we’ll have pink heirloom tomatoes, hot peppers, ‘Ronde de Nice’ zucchini, and Charentais melons, and right now our ‘Bolero’

PHOTOS BY EUGENIA UHL (TOP) AND RETT PEEK (BOTTOM AND OPPOSITE)

ABOVE: Alexis at home,

“I am humbled and grateful for the support I’ve received from the interior design community. Many have used my paintings, and now they are incorporating my textiles.”

—ALEXIS WALTER

For Kevin’s own study, he chose a rich cobalt painting with hints of bright yellow and pink.

in Bloom DECORATE: Q&A

roses are in full bloom. It’s the best time of year to be a gardener and a textile designer because there is such a bounty of inspiration. Every little curve of a petal or a leaf of a seedling could be used as part of a pattern.

It truly does sound like your very own Eden! Going back to fabrics, why did you decide to pursue your own collection?

I’m a fabric fanatic. When I travel, I pack light so I can stuff my suitcase with finds like Fortuny and Bevilacqua from Venice, handwoven linens from Mexico, and antique silks from the flea markets of France. But Maison was really born out of my love of fine art and interior design and my desire to marry the two. It’s been thrilling to see finished rooms where interior designers have used my artwork and textiles together!

You’re based in New Orleans, but you have a loyal following of interior designers across the country who are patrons of your art and your textiles. I am humbled and grateful for the support I’ve received from the interior design community. Over the years, Paloma Contreras in Houston has hung several of my paintings in her clients’ homes and in showhouses across the country, and I’ve done some new work for Sarah Bartholomew in Nashville. Kevin Walsh from Bear Hill Interiors in Little Rock just upholstered a stunning antique settee in our Cecilia fabric, and Betsey Mosby Interiors in Jackson, Mississippi, used it for the most beautiful curtains in a showhouse.

What can we expect next? We introduced a line of waterresistant fabrics and outdoor pillows. Up next: grass cloth wallcoverings in some of our best-selling patterns and colorways. I can’t wait!

PHOTO BY SARA ESSEX BRADLEY

The draperies in Alexis’s den feature Cecilia, a pattern inspired by the seedlings she grows in her potager.

For more information, see Sources, page 70

Design

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

A Paris Dream Design Challenge

MICHAEL DROLET

We gave designers a chance to create their virtual vision of a Paris salon, bringing their designs to life with furniture, upholstery, and lighting from our partners. After semifinalists were selected, the public voted and the winner is . . . Michael Drolet

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: The winning design rendered in watercolor by artist Danae Hoppe • Michael Drolet of Drolet Designs • La Salle étagère from Woodbridge, woodbridgefurniture .com • Taylor King’s Secret Garden Passion floral textile, used as a wallcovering, taylorking.com • Fleur chandelier and Montparnasse pendant (shown in illustration) from KingsHaven, kings haven.com • Yates sofa from Taylor King

Flower teamed up with Taylor King, Woodbridge, and KingsHaven to create a virtual design challenge showcasing items from their collections. We enlisted interior designers Tobi Fairley and Lauren Liess to narrow the field to five semifinalists, with online voting for the winner. The design brief was a “dream scheme” for a luxurious Parisian living room with an unlimited budget, which allowed the participants to think grand. Greensboro, North Carolina–based Michael Drolet of Drolet Designs took the win for his layered and colorful room with walls wrapped in Taylor King’s

Design Challenge_SeptOct20_V7_esp.indd 23

Secret Garden Passion floral textile, which formed the foundation for the room. He also selected glamorous chandeliers, an étagère with cabinetry, and city-chic upholstery among other pieces from our partners. For inspiration, the Broadway actor–turned–design student channeled famous music makers: “I imagined Ella Fitzgerald singing by the boldly printed piano with accompaniment by Cole Porter.” We call it a dreamy salon with dream guests. Bravo!

For more on Michael’s winning design and the other four semifinalists’ designs, visit flowermag.com/paris-design-challenge.

7/31/20 11:19 AM

in Bloom DECORATE: FLOWERS

Holly Vesecky of Hollyflora THE OJAI, CALIFORNIA–BASED FLORAL DESIGNER CREATES SCULPTURAL ARRANGEMENTS THAT INCORPORATE UNIQUE NATIVE MATERIALS AND HER HUSBAND’S ARRESTING HANDCRAFTED CERAMICS

By Alice Welsh Doyle Photography by Shelly Strazis

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September•October 2020

Josh Beckman and Holly Vesecky

MATERIALS LIST

Mix of fall ball dahlias ‘Café au Lait’ dahlias Crabapples White peaches Plums Pink immature pomegranates Pomegranate foliage Foraged California buckwheat Cotoneaster

MATERIALS LIST

Foraged California buckwheat ‘Valley Rust Bucket’ dahlia stems

MATERIALS LIST

Dried Allium schubertii

MATERIALS LIST

Golden rain tree Field grasses Bixa orellana pods

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in Bloom DECORATE: FLOWERS

MATERIALS LIST

Pistachio branches ‘Distant Drums’ roses Foraged California buckwheat

STEP BY STEP I chose a vintage, low footed container and added a very large floral frog from my collection. Next, put some putty on the bottom of the frog to keep it from moving, and add water.

that they come in such a range of colors while they mature from deep-pink and red buds to lavender pink with a bronzy brown in the center. Make a V shape with the roses, and overlap some blooms.

STEP 2

STEP 4

Establish the shape of the arrangement starting with the pistachio branches—they are large, so you only need two. I intentionally left the middle of the design open.

Finally, use sprigs of foraged California buckwheat (Apache plume would work in the Southwest; wild carrot or marsh grasses would work in the South and Northeast) for some additional texture and movement. Keep the stems fairly long, and place throughout the arrangement.

STEP 1

STEP 3

For the focal flowers, I chose ‘Distant Drums’ roses—I love

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“I’m drawn to foraged and local materials because materials that some might overlook. I’m also inspired by frequently in my work—their organic

they my h shap

use d by nic

JOSH BECKMAN OF FBP WORKS A native Southern Californian, Josh has been a crafter all his life, studying painting in college, gravitating toward sculpture and fabrication, and eventually working at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, where he designed and built exhibits for over 10 years.

He ended up working with 2-D and 3-D software, but it removed him from the tactile joy of design. “I explored clay as a new medium, and that was it—loved it as sculpture, as painting, raw, fully analogue, intimate, and expansive,” explains Josh. “The accumulation of skills is routinely drawn upon for inspiration and execution in my ceramic work.”

Josh’s camping and hiking experiences in California have inspired his use of texture, form, and color. “I have a keen interest in materials and processes, along with a strong connection to the outdoors and the perpetual inspiration found in natural environments,” he says.

All containers in this story are by FBP Works, except the how-to arrangement.

ABOVE: Josh’s ceramics with ‘Angel Tears’ bromeliad

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they bring authenticity to the design, and I like usual my husband Josh’s ceramics that I use shapes often mirror my aesthetic.” – HOLLY VESECKY

in Bloom DECORATE: MOOD

3 2 1 MATOUK

Leo Throw

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Large enough to share, but soft enough to keep all to yourself $889 matouk.com 2 SCULLY & SCULLY

Gold & Onyx “X” Ring X marks the spot with this graphic stunner. $2,850 scullyandscully.com 3 CR LAINE

Hughes Chair Sculpted arms with a solid core don’t just apply to the perfect man. $3,050 (as shown)

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crlaine.com 4 JONATHAN CHARLES

Toulouse Tall Dresser

Brings beauty, warmth, and functionality to any space $6,400 jonathancharles.com 5 MAHARAM

Wide Corduroy This performance-driven corduroy will withstand anything thrown at it. $120/yard maharam.com 6 WILLIAM YEOWARD

CRYSTAL

SINATRA’S SIGNATURE COCKTAIL

Looks just like this: 4 ice cubes, 2 fingers of bourbon, and a splash of water. He called it “a gentleman’s drink.”

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Madison Large Wine Tumbler The ideal vessel for a true gentleman’s drink $63 williamyeowardcrystal.com 7 JENNIFER CHAMANDI

Fabrizio Loafer

Black-patent croc—a polished statement $640 jenniferchamandi.com

Take a Cue from the Guys USING GRAPHIC PATTERNS AND INTERESTING TEXTURES, THESE PIECES EVOKE FEELINGS OF WARMTH AND GIVE STRUCTURE TO YOUR SPACE OR YOUR WARDROBE Produced by Amanda Smith Fowler

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September•October 2020

in Bloom DECORATE: MOOD 9

8 EUGENIA KIM

Charlie Bucket Hat

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This vinyl-finished glen plaid hat is a pick-me-up for a rainy day. $245 eugeniakim.com 9 BERNHARDT FURNITURE

Dekker Chairs

Balancing both cozy and chic, these chairs can ground any space

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$1,865 bernhardt.com 10 UNIVERSAL FURNITURE

Hudson Chair

A simple stripe gives strength to this armchair.

SET THE MOOD

$1,299

Listen along to our gentlemen’s playlist inspired by these finds at flowermag.com/playlist.

universalfurniture.com 11 TIBI

Dimanche Carryall

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Your ready-for-the-weekend bag in menswear plaid from Spain with color-blocked trim and removable strap

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$995 tibi.com 12 HICKORY WHITE

Marni Bench

A charming spot to slip into your slippers $2,970 hickorywhite.com 13 AKRIS

Fall/Winter 2020 Look Suited for the boardroom and beyond

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us.akris.com 14 JULIE VOS

Catalina Large Link Bracelet Lightly hammered 24-karat gold plate with freshwater pearls on the toggle $295

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julievos.com 15 LEE INDUSTRIES

1353-01SW Swivel Chair Look at the great gams on this barrel-back number $2,256 leeindustries.com

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September•October 2020

in Bloom ENTERTAIN

Tea Is Served IN HER NEW BOOK,

ADVICE AND TIPS, INCLUDING MANY LEARNED FROM HER MOTHER, LADY PAMELA HICKS, SUCH AS TO ALWAYS WARM THE TEAPOT FIRST

M

By India Hicks

y mother was recovering from a nasty bout of pneumonia, slowly and in her own stylish way. “Yesterday I got dressed,” she told me. “Today I got dressed and put on lipstick.’’ “The hairdresser called to see if I was dead,” she continued. She had not missed a hairdressing appointment since 1963. She also never misses tea. Every afternoon at 4 p.m., my mother has tea.

There is a process to it. The teapot needs to be warmed through first before the hot water is added, and she can tell when you skip this step. Always tea leaves, not tea bags. The leaves are strained by her small tea strainer. She even strains the leaves for her dachshund.

“No one wants tea leaves in their tea,” she would say, placing the saucer of tea on the floor for the dog. Milk, cold, is poured in after—never first. Milk in first reveals an awful lot apparently.

There is a tray that fits the teapot, the tea cozy, the tea strainer, the cup, the saucer, the teaspoon. The ivory-handled tea knife, the plate with the hot crumpet and the small, starched tea | 32 |

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ABOVE: The tea setup includes a tea strainer for dog and human and chuckleberry jam. Chuckleberry is fast becoming the berry of the moment. BELOW: Abandoned on a desert island, what would your desire be? Mine is hot buttered toast and chocolate-raspberry brownies made by Claire, our family’s longtime chef.

napkin, which must not be confused with the breakfast napkin or the lunch and dinner napkin. They are quite a different size. These all also fit perfectly into place on the tea tray, which is layered with one of her tray cloths, embroidered with her grandfather’s initials.

Sometimes we risk going out for tea.

The Dorchester tearoom was considered slightly suspect at first, with fussy, fashion-inspired tea cakes. Olivia joined us there. Olivia used to be our head of design when my lifestyle brand was still running. She is French and terribly chic, so it all felt very fitting to be enjoying Prêt-à-Portea. (Don’t let that little clever pun slip by you.) Olivia enjoyed herself until my mother began telling some family stories, which ended with one about an uncle on my father’s side who died at only a few months old when a wasp flew into his throat. Poor Olivia, I could see her eyes widening in horror. I tried to divert the storytelling by offering her a praline croquant.

For the recipe for Chocolate Brownies with Fresh Raspberries, see Sources, page 70

TEXT EXCERPTED FROM AN ENTERTAINING STORY BY INDIA HICKS WITH LIFESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHY BY INDIA HICKS AND BRITTAN GOETZ AND FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID LOFTUS (RIZZOLI NEW YORK, 2020), $50

AN ENTERTAINING STORY, INDIA HICKS SHARES HER

TEXT EXCERPTED FROM AN ENTERTAINING STORY BY INDIA HICKS WITH LIFESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHY BY INDIA HICKS AND BRITTAN GOETZ AND FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID LOFTUS (RIZZOLI NEW YORK, 2020), $50

The Big PICTURE With a focus on historical authenticity and storied antiques, designer Matthew Patrick Smyth brings classic style and intriguing character to this Westport, Connecticut home

By CATHY STILL MCGOWIN Photography by JOHN GRUEN

The contemporary art is by Emilia Dubicki.

OPPOSITE: Starting with the bold red wallpaper from Carleton V in the entrance hall, Matthew chose a complemen­ tary palette of warm jewel tones to add richness and depth to the interiors.

“We started working on this house about nine years ago when there was all this pressure in the design world to go white and new. Now, everything is colorful again.

Design has come full circle.”

—MATTHEW PATRICK SMYTH

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M MATTHEW PATRICK SMYTH’S NEW BOOK,

With 12-foot ceilings and vast square footage, the living room was cavernous. Matthew added the coffered ceiling, French mantel, and wall trim. He painted the ceiling a pale blue to temper its hard white edge. Two seating areas help delineate the space. Cut velvets, silks, oil paintings, and antiques add patina.

Through a Designer’s Eye, features beloved design projects along with some of his favorite Instagram shots. “The book is a combination of rooms and spaces I’ve designed along with photos and details that have inspired me,” he says. His Instagram highlight reel includes travel destinations, stunning landscapes, and snippets of architectural details. While these little vignettes inspire textures, palettes, and moods in his work, he adamantly stresses that good—really good—interior design is bigger and more powerful than any photo or rising number of followers on social media.

When Matthew began working on this Westport, Connecticut, home almost nine years ago, Instagram was only a year old. Pinterest, the virtual bulletin board for traditional magazine tear sheets was also in its infancy, and popular retail brands had (almost) everyone convinced that clean lines, white upholstery, and bleached finishes were the pinnacle of high design. “There’s no doubt that social media is a powerful tool for designers who want to showcase their work, and if it falls into place, great, but you can’t get caught up in a corner of a room or a little moment. You have to think big picture,” Matthew says.

His big picture view shines throughout this Georgian Revival home, a place where he thoughtfully considered scale, color, the movement of light, mood, and both visual and tactile textures. “The house was built 30 years ago. It had great bones and the architecture was fine, but the interior proportions were off,” Matthew says. “We needed to reset the spaces with classic moldings and delineate rooms to scale it back to a more intimate level.”

To do that, Matthew traveled to Colonial Williamsburg, a place he knew well thanks to his experience as a guest lecturer with the Colonial Williamsburg

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Foundation. “When you are building or renovating a new home, you should always go to the most authentic source of the design you can find,” he says. “Otherwise, you are picking and pulling ideas from here and there, and it can end up being chaotic.

“Travel is one of the most important experiences you can have if you want to be a good designer,” he adds.

“When you see something in person, you get a sense of the place’s volume and whether it feels intimate or massive. I advise young designers to travel—and travel often. Save your money and get out there. Go to Europe.

But if you can’t travel, there’s plenty you can find locally.

Visit museums and historic buildings. You’re not going to decorate that way, but you’ll get a sense of history and appropriateness. The more you see, the more you build up your repertoire.”

Returning to Connecticut with loads of images and precise measurements, Matthew stripped out the existing interior moldings so he could start fresh. “There were a lot of subtle things that needed to be done before we could start with furniture selection,” he says.

A coffered ceiling and arched openings visually scaled down rooms. New trim replaced wall paneling. Antique mantels from France and England were retrofitted for

Matthew designed a pair of banquettes to fill two corners in the living room. The brass-and-glass coffee table is 1950s French, 19th-century English landscapes hang over the banquette, and the sconces are French Art Deco. OPPOSITE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Pillow fabrics are vintage. • A Regency mirror fills a narrow spot between the French doors.• A tall gilt bookcase holds a collection of white earthenware pieces chosen for their silhouettes and profiles.

“We weren’t trying to fool anyone into thinking this was an old house. We just wanted it to have historic character.”

—MATTHEW PATRICK SMYTH

ABOVE: The library is Matthew’s interpretation of a modern yet traditional men’s club. The walls and molding are painted Benjamin Moore’s Notre Dame. BELOW: A room off the dining room features a cabinet filled with Frances Palmer pottery against a Zoffany wallpaper. OPPOSITE: An assortment of seating surrounds a 19th-century English dining table on

a birdcage pedestal base. A green glass vase holds allium and delphinium. Matthew designed the wingback settee.

period style, and in the library, Matthew refreshed tired paneling with paint. With the hardscape in place, the red wallpaper in the foyer set the tone for the interior colors and decorating. “It’s a simple damask,” Matthew says of the pattern, by Carleton V. “It doesn’t have that heavy European feel. It’s stylized but modern, and it’s crisp. It’s cheerful in the daytime and glamorous at night. Once you start with something like that, it has a domino effect.”

Seeking antiques to accompany the traditional bones, Matthew scoured shops and worked with dealers to source a mix of periods and styles to get a custom blend.

“When I do modern, I know exactly what the house is going to look like,” he says. “But when I am designing with antiques, it’s always an evolution and a surprise.

You just don’t know what is out there or what you are going to find until you start looking.”

There are Swedish chairs, French settees, Irish tables, English paintings, and Scottish clocks. “I love antiques, but you do have to balance them with upholstery, wallpaper, and some painted pieces here and there,” says the designer. “Everything has to work together as a whole.”

Continued on next page

FLORIST AND STYLIST MIEKE TEN HAVE WHEN IT COMES TO FLORAL DESIGN for his interiors, Matthew

Smyth defers to Mieke ten Have. We talked to the interiors stylist and design writer to garner her insights.

How do you approach floral design in general? I have a romantic and loose approach with floral design. I am not a trained florist, so I work in a way that is more intuitive and focused on composition as opposed to rules. I am not fond of a tight, constricted arrangement. I anthropomorphize flowers to a certain degree, and I think each stem’s personality should shine through, while establishing both tension and harmony with the others in the arrangement. I always go for an asymmetrical composition and a variety of flower styles.

How did you approach the florals for this house in particular? Before styling any project, I always look at the colors in the home and determine hues that complement and contrast the color scheme. The flowers I bring are always predicated on the mood of the home, the color story, and, of course, what’s in season. This home has a serene palette, punctuated by some vivid reds. In the living room, I chose scabiosa and cosmos to reflect that, while one crimson anemone punctuates, and nods to, the red elsewhere.

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What is your favorite flower and season to work in? Do you focus on seasonal appropriateness, or do you just like to go with what works? If it is for a magazine and slated for a particular month, I try to anchor the florals to that season. Otherwise, my mantra is always to have it look of the region, as though the homeowner stepped out the door with a pair of shears. I am always looking for a regional flower farm in summertime (like Cedar Farm in Ghent, New York). If I am on location somewhere remote, I love to forage (which I do anytime the season allows!).

My favorite flower is technically a weed—Queen Anne’s lace, the most humble and elegant beauty in my eyes! I also have a serious weak spot for lilac, chocolate cosmos, and flame parrot tulips.

What are some of your favorite kind of containers?

Ceramicist Frances Palmer makes my favorite vessels for arranging, but I believe having a large variety of shapes on hand is a must for any job.

Mieke is an interiors stylist and a design writer. She was a longtime editor for magazines like Elle Decor and Vogue and now contributes to Architectural Digest and House & Garden. Find her on Instagram @mieketenhave.

For more information, see Sources, page 70

THIS PAGE: Sanderson wallpaper makes a pretty statement while offering a serene backdrop in the master bedroom. Mismatched end

tables—an antique English writing table and a new white piece from Mecox Gardens—offer contrast while remaining open and airy.

Matthew added pillows by B. Viz on the seating and bed. OPPOSITE, LEFT TO RIGHT: A 19th-century wing chair anchors a corner in the gallery that leads from the front door to the living room. Late 18th-century English paintings depict Shakespearean characters.

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The ambience at Jardin de Buis starts as you enter through a door surround that once graced a New York City bank. The muted exterior colors blend with the lightly shaped boxwood and Carpinus betulus ‘Fastigiata.’

TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE It didn’t take this architect and landscape designer long to learn that ambience is everything. Rather than designing from the inside out, Andrea Filippone listened to the land.

By TOVAH MARTIN Photography by CLAIRE TAKACS

Andrea Filippone now knows that the landscape shapes a lifestyle. But as a young architect, she didn’t always have that perspective.

It was autumn 1994 when she first saw the abandoned barn brimming with old auto parts that eventually became Jardin de Buis. At the time, she was just looking for an affordable rural New Jersey property, knowing that she could salvage even the saddest structure. And the scene, including its six hardscrabble acres, was pitiful.

Somehow, Andrea saw promise.

For six long years, she worked on the structures in snatched moments between client projects, renovating the barn and creating attached living accommodations for her family. In 2000, she was ready to move in, even though one wall was still under construction. Perhaps fittingly, Andrea and her family had company their first night living on the site: A whole lot of flutter revealed that barn swallows were still sharing the space.

So the lines between in and out were always blurred. Meanwhile, Andrea was learning while tackling commissions that the landscape is critical to the mood she strives to create. In fact, she came to realize that shaping a lifestyle means bringing every aspect of a property into the dia­ logue. Not only did she bring that know­ ledge home, but she flipped her profes­ sional career to landscape design with the launching of F2 Environmental Design.

Simultaneously, she was amassing the ingredients that resonate with her aesthe­ tic. Frequent antiquing escapades to France yielded a trove of one-of-a-kind, weathered, timeworn treasures used to forge her own idiosyn­cratic professional statement. Everything initially landed at her property, and some of it never went further. In fact, a lot of it found a home in the outdoor architecture Andrea was constructing. “I knew that lanterns, an old door, and the right hardware could imme­ diately transform an interior,” she explains.

“So how do you achieve that in the land­ scape? You find the right elements to furnish garden rooms.”

Once you enter Andrea’s world, the whole scene plays into an epic journey

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: The family’s

added living space purposefully feels of the same era as the old barn. • Ornamental grasses—like Calamagrostis brachytricha— are among Andrea’s go-to autumn accents. • A water rill framed by Buxus sempervirens ‘Justin Brouwers’ lends a serene element behind the house. • The greenhouses are filled with plants chosen for their architectural lines.

OPPOSITE: Andrea shares an autumn moment with her beloved Dalmatian.

“What I’m striving for here is no It starts with a feeling. And then—over time—all th Everything evolves in a site, and you ha

is not something you can generate immediately. all the elements have to be absorbed into the landscape. ou have to evolve with it.� —ANDREA FILIPPONE

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE LEFT: English

ivy eases the link between the old and new sections of the house. • An ornate antique French gate plays against the stone behind the kitchen. • An eagle medallion might have originally adorned a stable. • Viburnum carlesii in autumn color OPPOSITE: Buxus sempervirens ‘Justin Brouwers’ forms loose edging in the courtyard behind the kitchen. PREVIOUS SPREAD: Leyland cypress columns frame the orangerie.

“I muted all the colors in the buildings so they would recede, letting the landscape stand out. As a result, the house nestles into its site.”

—ANDREA FILIPPONE

unlike any other experience. Additional acreage has increased the property to a total of 26 with stone steps and gravel paths leading from antiques-strewn terraces to enclosed gardens. Further structures are now layered beyond the original barn complex. Most notably, Andrea adopted orphan greenhouses and created a dramatic presentation horseshoeing around a central orangerie with a pool garden and a potager as part of the footprint. Muted paint colors, weathered corbels tucked into a corner, unfilled urns, it all feels wonderfully unstudied. “I want complete immersion,” she says.

But it’s not only about art. Stewardship is at the heart of Jardin de Buis. Purely practical conditions spoke loudly in the design process as well. The enclosed spaces were created to shield the house in its windy location, and now they are essential to the design dialogue. “I resisted the urge to reveal everything all at once— which creates a sense of mystery,” says Andrea. Wandering from room to dramatic room makes you feel deeply ensconced in her retrospective world. Practical roots also anchor the plant selection. In a region heavily affected by browsing deer, Andrea needs shrubs that are impervious to those nibbling creatures—a situation that led her to a romance with boxwoods, which she studied, collected, and propagated to make favorite cultivars more readily available.

But it goes even deeper. A lot of what happens at Jardin de Buis is literally buried from sight in the soil below.

Sustainability is a passion of both Andrea and her partner, Eric T. Fleisher, a horticulturist and soil scientist. Concern for the health of each component in the picture touches every aspect of the gardens. “We do not create beauty in a vacuum,” Andrea explains. “It’s all part of the whole picture. This is an evolution.

I want it to be dramatic, but it took time to be absorbed and assimilated into my land. Everything here is about feelings expressed through nature.” Jardin de Buis is where the realities of nature and the imagery of fantasy intersect.

For more information, see Sources, page 70

L AT E - S E A S O N L AY E R S Andrea Filippone’s goal at Jardin de Buis was to envelop the house in the land, and layering was how she made that warm embrace happen. Everything is part of one evocative statement as you wander from room to outdoor room in the landscape, and Andrea keeps a sense of cohesion by incorporating architectural plant material, weathered stone, and antique elements to craft the timeless scene.

PURPOSEFUL PLANTINGS In the same way that paint colors are earthy to bring the house and its surroundings together, plants are carefully selected. There are no garish colorful pops. Instead, Andrea works with the sun-bleached plumes of ornamental grasses and the stark lines of agaves against foliage backdrops that often feature the wonderful auburn shades of autumn.

LAYERED FORMS Although Andrea sculpts and clips topiary, such as the Leyland cypress, to form exclamation points, she is an advocate for allowing boxwood to take a more natural, feathered form—for the health of the plants. Vines climb walls to soften facades, metal tuteurs and gates add to the textural layer, and even the contents of the greenhouse are carefully staged to display the form of each plant to best advantage.

BENEATH IT ALL Andrea always emphasizes that it’s not only about what is visually apparent; Jardin de Buis goes beyond that. The rubric begins below ground, and she sees the soil as the most critical layer and nurtures it.

LONDON CHARMING

To celebrate the Chelsea Flower Show and a friend’s new book, English design icon Nina Campbell hosted a stylishly floral dinner party at home. Here she shares some of her entertaining and design wisdom with Flower

By MARGOT SHAW Photography by GAVIN KINGCOME

F

F

Flower: Nina, first of all, thank you so much for hosting such a splendid soirée honoring my book, Living Floral. Did you grow up in an enter­taining household? Nina Campbell: There was a lot of entertaining at home; we had quite a large house in London, and my parents had very glamorous parties that I remember watching sitting on the stairs. It was after the war, so everyone was very excited, and they rolled up the carpets and danced. I suppose I realized that it was the people that made the fun, and that could be created without a lot of fuss and bother.

What is your favorite type of party (dinner, brunch, theme, tea, shower), and why? You can make any type of party a success. I even had a

dinner party with friends during lockdown. It was dinner for three separate groups of us in London and brunch for our friends in Los Angeles. We all laid our tables and announced our menus and had a wonderfully animated conversation while we ate and drank albeit thousands of miles apart!

What fun! Yes, there’s been lots of fanciful, unorthodox entertaining during this season of quarantine. Thinking of your chic and unerring style in design, what tips and tenets would you say translate to designing a party? Be ready!

Take a lot of time in the preparation, but once the party begins, relax and enjoy it so that your guests will too. If it’s a big party and you are employing

The drawing room is inviting, chic, and intimate, with a mix of heirlooms and new finds, along with armchairs and a table from the Nina Campbell furniture line. OPPOSITE: Nina welcomes dinner guests to her London home.

LEFT: A flower and garden lover, Nina gave this tulip painting pride of place. She found the gilded surround in Brooklyn. ABOVE: An L-shaped banquette with a round table that was brought out for the party made a cozy corner for guests. OPPOSITE, TOP TO BOTTOM: Timeless black-and-white photos in silver frames add a personal layer to the drawing room. • Nina fluffs the arrangements on the dining table before the party kicks off.

professional caterers, make sure you have tried them first, and never take the second best!

I can see all the preparation and attention to detail in your interior design that has beautifully translated to your hosting style. What is the most important aspect of hosting people in your home? What really matters to me is that everyone is comfortable, meets new friends, and leaves feeling that they have had a really rich experience.

I know our readers want to know about your floral selections, as well as vessels. My house is rather small but does have a courtyard garden beyond both the dining room and the sitting room windows, so I like to let the gardens do a lot of the floral work. I do keep the flower arranging to a formula so that I can organize them easily. I have collected antique ice pails that are perfect for flowers. I use about four or five down the center of the table. I have a table in the corner of the room, and

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I always like a large bunch of flowers there. I find a vase with a large base and thin neck the perfect shape for flowers.

Do you have a favorite tried-and-true menu? My menus change with the type of gathering. If we are many, I usually serve lots of hors d’oeuvres so that people can mingle and chat with more people before sitting down to dinner. I prefer simple food—another way to avoid disaster! It must be excellent quality and in season. I have the most wonderful team to help me.

So, for this special evening, what dictated the palette for the table settings and flowers? I wanted this particular evening to reflect your book, Living Floral, with an English flavor. I had the garden replanted for the occasion, so that the flowers would be perfect and in their prime. I wanted a lot of color from the flowers, so I set the tables on white tablecloths that I brought back from India. I use the Perspex party chairs

amongst my own for extra seating, and the seats are covered in the same fabric as my dining chairs. They stack, and many years ago I realized that owning your own party chairs was much cheaper than hiring them.

I love using a colored glass for water, and on this evening, I used my amethyst goblets from my dear friend the late William Yeoward.

These are no longer made, and for one of my birthdays he bought me an extra four that he had found on eBay. We both found this very funny, and it makes them even more special!

I also have collected the silver salt-and-pepper sets for years, and I have about 15. I love them on the table as they add a bit of fun. There are elephants, camels, horses, dogs, a monkey, and even a violin!

Tell us about your house. My house is a Tardis; it is a blue garden door in a long white wall, and it opens up into a three-bedroom house.

It is known by me and my friends as The Hut. When I first was shown the house, I said, “That’s not a house; it’s a hut!” I did a huge amount of work on it, basically tearing it down, re-siting the front door, and therefore was able to create a front courtyard garden and an excavated a basement for a guest room, TV room, and laundry. As a result, the entire ground floor is an entertaining space that can be divided by the sliding engraved-glass screen that can separate the dining from the sitting room. I do like the dining table to be a surprise!

I took a leaf out of Elsie de Wolfe’s book The House in Good Taste,

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A scallop-backed settee is silhouetted against the etchedglass sliding door that divides the drawing room from the dining room. The late William Yeoward, a dear friend of Nina’s, designed the mirrored-glass breakfront.

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“I love being at home, as so many of my paintings, furniture, and objects have been created by friends, so the house always feels full of people.”

—NINA CAMPBELL

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and basically there are mirrors everywhere, including between the bookshelves. I love being at home, as so many of my paintings, furniture, and objects have been created by friends, so the house always feels full of people.

I have a retractable awning over the garden off the sitting room, and so that makes a great place to spill into after dinner. I sometimes put down a Moroccan rug to make it cozier, and I have a fire out there too. I also put shawls on the backs of the chairs in case it gets chilly.

I must admit to having to look up “Tardis” [originating from the show Doctor Who, it’s a building or container that is larger inside than it appears from the outside].

You’ve designed a brilliant and inviting house and party, where preparation and attention to the comfort of your guests is clearly paramount.

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For more information, see Sources, page 70

THIS PAGE AND OPPOSITE, TOP: Playful

silver antique objets lend a casual vibe and pair well with William Yeoward’s amethyst goblets.

OPPOSITE, BOTTOM RIGHT: Carrying out

the floral motif, Nina added edible blooms to the cocktails.

OPPOSITE, BOTTOM LEFT: A corner of

the courtyard evokes the lushness of English gardens.

Designing North Toward Home JAMES FARMER decorates a weekend retreat for a

young family in Connecticut, giving it country-house style that nods to the owner’s Southern roots

By KAREN CARROLL Photography by JEFF HERR

James brought the verdant views indoors with garden and floral motifs, including a Schumacher wallpaper of hydrangeas that climb the walls of the entry. The project appears in the designer’s new book Arriving Home (Gibbs Smith, 2020). OPPOSITE: Built in the early 20th century, the house overlooks a nature preserve.

ABOVE AND BELOW RIGHT: A coromandel screen commands attention in the living room. James used grass cloth here and in the dining room. “I love the depth it creates, plus it’s forgiving when you’re hanging a hundred plates or paintings and have to move one or two,” he says. BELOW LEFT: A marbleized wallpaper by Twigs backs the built-in bookcase. OPPOSITE: In the dining room, James played with formality by mixing woods and styles of chairs and using a billiards-style light fixture rather than a chandelier.

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J

J

JAMES FARMER PROUDLY WEARS HIS BORN-AND-BRED

Southernness on his sleeve. If you happen to miss the more nuanced signs—perhaps a crisply embroidered monogram on the plaid or gingham shirt that has become his sartorial signature—you’ll immediately detect it in his affable Perry, Georgia, drawl and see it in the sure hand with which he decorates. Consider him a young man with an old soul, one who embraces brown furniture, antique rose medallion porcelain, and classic chintz as enthusiastically as a gracious host welcomes in guests with a pitcher of sweet tea and a platter (blue-and-white, of course) of homemade cheese straws.

It may seem surprising, then, that as James pulled in the

driveway of a rambling stone-and-wood house in Litchfield County, Connecticut, for a meeting with prospective clients, he felt like he was arriving home. “The terrain reminded me of Cashiers, North Carolina, where I have a vacation house, and it’s probably the first place outside the South where I’ve thought, Hold up, I could live here,” he says. Sited to take advantage of views of a mountain in front and a nature preserve in back, “The architecture of the house was strong but not demanding, and would give us a great canvas to paint a beautiful picture,” he adds.

Inside, he found kindred spirits in the owners, a New York couple with three young children who were looking to create a weekend getaway with the sophistication and

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ABOVE AND OPPOSITE:

A soft blue and green palette, butcherblock counters, and painted cabinetry, combined with a creamy marble backsplash, create a country house feel in the kitchen. Majolica oyster plates become graphic, flower-like punctuation points on the open shelving.

An overscale ticking stripe by Kravet mixes with trellis wallpaper by Anna French and a Sanderson pattern of greenhouses, vegetables, and beehives. RIGHT: In the powder room, a Thomas Strahan wallpaper aptly named Farmer adds a touch of whimsy.

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livability of a primary residence, and also one that reminded them of the wife’s North Carolina roots. “The only directive she gave me was, ‘My husband is French, and his family owns several international residences, but his favorite house is my mother’s in Winston-Salem. That’s the feeling we want,’ ” recalls James. “The husband explained that he loved objects in his mother-in-law’s home such as family photos in silver picture frames on her piano, and one-of-a-kind lamps made from antique vases—basically the layers and details that give a house personality and evoke memories. I looked at them and said, ‘I can give you that all day long.’ I strive to make every house I decorate feel like it was inherited versus purchased.”

The owners brought a few cherished family furnishings to the table, among them an Oushak rug from the

“The gentleman’s study is about juxtaposition, because it needed to feel comfortable for both of them. The pine walls are the color of sweet tea, and I’ve mixed leather and plaid with florals that have deep hues in a handsome vein.” —JAMES FARMER

THIS SPREAD: The designer, who often teases that plaid is his favorite color, selected a Colefax and Fowler version for the husband’s study. James melded masculine and feminine design elements, knowing the wife would also spend time here. Tomatored leather upholstery from LEE Industries mingles with hand-painted chinoiserie tables and a camellia fabric by Carleton V. James found the rug when he spotted a sign for an estate sale while passing through Savannah. “I’ll always brake for antiques,” he says.

husband’s side that would become the foundation and color inspiration for the living room scheme, and a breakfast table and chairs from the wife’s childhood home that ultimately nestled into the kitchen bay. Although the large house quickly absorbed the pieces that had been genuinely inherited, that proved no obstacle for a designer who considers antiquing both a sport and the optimal way to create a sense of history and patina. “Some Southern men get up early in the morning to hunt; my idea of hunting is to

hit Scott Market in Atlanta or any back-roads antiques shop or estate sale,” he says.

His search for furnishings, fabrics, and accessories took him from Palm Beach, Florida, to Connecticut and points in between, but there was a always method to the madness, he says. An oil painting of the Venetian harbor hanging over the living room mantel speaks to the husband’s family business in shipping. A set of Victorian-style wicker barstools in the kitchen may be new but “look like ones

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THIS SPREAD: “The wife told me she had never had a ‘big girl’s bedroom,’ ” says James, “so I knew it was important to give the couple a serene and sophisticated one.” The designer enveloped the room with Colefax and Fowler’s Snow Tree wallpaper and added accents of an Osborne & Little animal print. The soothing green and aqua palette continues in the sitting area, and an antique secretary serves as a spot for catching up on correspondence.

your eccentric aunt from Grey Gardens left you in the will, painted white to make them current,” James continues.

He chose an unexpected floral fabric for the gentleman’s study because the Connecticut climate makes growing actual camellias too challenging, but they serve as cheerful reminders of North Carolina. A coromandel screen found on St. Simons Island, Georgia, depicts everyday scenes such as a Chinese villager playing with a kitten, balancing formality with levity in a way that seemed particularly appropriate. Conscious that the couple’s children would have full run of the house, the designer knew to avoid any velvet ropes of the metaphorical sort, “though we would have a velvet sofa or two,” he says, with a laugh.

In James’s recently published book, Arriving Home (his ninth, and in which this project appears), he writes, “As Southerners, our style does not warrant an apology for blending the old with the new, the common with the fine or the familial with the found . . . after all, that’s the way mama did it too.” A sentiment and sensibility that transcends time and place and that one hopes will carry on in this family for generations.

James Farmer will be speaking at A Writer’s Garden symposium and luncheon on November 17 in Dallas, benefiting the Women’s Council of the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden and A Woman’s Garden. For details, visit womenscouncildallasarboretum.org.

For more information, see Sources, page 70

Sources Prices are subject to change.

Any items not listed are unknown.

IN BLOOM PAGES 19-22, DECORATE: Q&A: Art and fabric, Maison by Alexis Walter, alexis walter.com. PAGES 24–27, DECORATE: FLOWERS: Floral design, Holly Vesecky of Hollyflora, hollyflora.com; pottery, Josh Beckman of FBP Works, josh-beckman-rdk7 .squarespace.com.

THE BIG PICTURE PAGES 34–43: Interior design, Matthew Patrick Smyth, matthewsmyth.com. ENTRY HALL: Wallpaper, Raj Damask by Carleton V, carletonvltd.com. LIBRARY: Paint color, Notre Dame by Benjamin Moore. BREAKFAST ROOM: Contemporary chairs, A. Rudin, arudin.com.

TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE PAGES 44–51: Landscape design, F2 Environmental Design, f2environmental design.com.

LONDON CHARMING PAGES 52–59: Interior design and select furnishings/decor, Nina Campbell, ninacampbellinteriors.com.

DESIGNING NORTH TOWARD HOME PAGES 60–69: Interior design, James Farmer,

Who Did It & Where to Get It

jamesfarmer.com. ENTRY: Wallpaper, Hydrangea Drape by Schumacher, fschumacher.com. LIVING ROOM: Animalprint fabric, Cowtan & Tout, cowtan.com; drapery fabric, Rapallo by Cowtan & Tout; fabric on sofas by fireplace, Treasure Flower

by Cowtan & Tout; grass cloth on walls, Schumacher; wallpaper backing bookcase, Pheasant by Twigs, twigswallpaperandfabric .com. DINING ROOM: Grass cloth, Nobilis, nobilis.fr; check fabric, Carsten by Brunschwig & Fils, kravet.com; light fixture, Colonial Billiard by Paul Ferrante, paulferrante.com; ceiling paint color, Palace Green by Benjamin Moore, benjaminmoore.com. KITCHEN: Cabinetry paint color, Benjamin Moore Raintree Green; ticking fabric, Kravet, kravet .com; toile, The Allotment by Sanderson, stylelibrary.com; wall­paper, Fairfield by Anna French, thibautdesign.com. POWDER ROOM: Wallpaper, Farmer by Thomas Strahan, thomasstrahan.com. STUDY: Leather upholstery, LEE Industries, leeindustries.com; floral fabric, Elise by Carleton V, carletonvltd .com; plaid fabric, Brunschwig & Fils; ceiling color, Benjamin Moore Providence Blue.

MASTER BEDROOM: Floral wall­paper and fabric, Snow Tree by Colefax and Fowler, cowtan.com; animal-print fabric, Pantanal by Osborne & Little, osborneandlittle.com; trellis fabric, Lee Jofa, kravet.com, with bullion fringe by Schumacher; curtain fabric, Brunschwig & Fils.

What we’re reading now

THROUGH A DESIGNER’S EYE: A Focus on Interiors

by Matthew Patrick Smyth (The Monacelli Press, 2020), $60, barnesandnoble.com

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FLOWER

September•October 2020

ARRIVING HOME: A Gracious Southern Welcome

by James T. Farmer III (Gibbs Smith, 2020), $45, barnesandnoble.com

From In Bloom: Entertain, page 32

CHOCOLATE BROWNIES WITH FRESH RASPBERRIES Serves 16 Ingredients 10 tbsp. (140 g) unsalted butter, softened 1 cup (200 g) chopped dark chocolate 1 cup (225 g) granulated sugar 2 tsp. vanilla extract Salt 2 large eggs, at room temperature 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature ⅔ cup (85 g) all-purpose flour 1½ cups (187 g) fresh raspberries Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

Line an 8-inch square tin with silicone or parchment paper.

2. In a double boiler or a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt the butter and the chocolate together.

Remove pan or bowl from the heat and let cool slightly.

3. Whisk the sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt into the chocolate mixture. It will seem a bit grainy, and that’s OK. Then whisk in the eggs and egg yolk until well mixed.

4. Sift in the flour and mix for about a minute until batter is thick and smooth. Then fold in the fresh raspberries and pour the batter into the prepared tin.

5. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out with only moist crumbs clinging to it.

6. Remove the brownies from the oven and place a damp tea towel over the tin to keep the top from becoming crispy. (If you like a crispy top, leave the towel off.) Allow brownies to cool completely and then cut into squares.

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At the Table

BRIGHT BLOOMS

Dahlias, kangaroo paw, crocosmia, millet, safflower, sedum, and bells of Ireland bring a spectrum of fall color to the table.

Sylvan Salute SHADES OF PURPLE AND POPS OF PEWTER ACCENT RICH YELLOW GOLDS, HERALDING AUTUMN’S ARRIVAL Produced and styled by Amanda Smith Fowler • Photography by David Hillegas

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September•October 2020

Hemingway fabric (to the trade)

by Clarence House, clarence house.com • Oval basket bowl ($235), In Vino Veritas decanter ($189), and Tosca small balloon wineglass ($85) by Match, match1995.com • Millie Embroidery Monogram dinner napkin ($140 each as shown) by Leontine Linens, leontine linens.com • Alchimie charger ($220) and bread-and-butter plate ($64) by L’Objet, l-objet .com • Graffiata Grey salad plate ($36) by Arte Italica, Amber tumbler ($28), and flatware (call for pricing and customization) by Alain Saint-Joanis all through Table Matters, 205.879.0125, tablematters.com • Sterling silver Frog & Snail salt cellars ($295 each; spoon included) from Scully & Scully, scullyandscully. com • Woodland place mat ($70) by Kim Seybert, kimseybert.com • Ochre octagonal platter ($425), salad plate ($1,100/set of 6), and dinner plate ($1,400/set of 6) by Casa Gusto, getthegusto.com