So who… is best friend with Min Hogg, legendary founder of WOI was getting down with Tallulah Bankhead age 15 (in between Eton College term times) was a stalwart companion of Diana Cooper née Manners had reclusive star Greta Garbo … Continue reading
The thing about collecting is you have those pulse racing moment… I found THIS, as happened when I stumbled upon: Printed in 1934 by Parsons and Sons ‘Colour and Varnish makers since 1802‘ it offers ‘the notable colours of the … Continue reading
How do you decorate for Christmas? I have decided it’s a version of: something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. yes – the wedding custom. Well Christmas is all about making your own customs and wrapped up in the … Continue reading
Of all the images I have from Provence the one that fizzes in my my mind is: Is it how damn edible they are? Is it the diagonal? the array? the green. Well – whatever it is – it is … Continue reading
Provence glows in my mind I have visited it whilst growing up with my family and now en ‘grand famille’ – including ‘chien’. We have our favourite spots, restaurants, shops, markets and memories, layered over time. During the past weeks … Continue reading
I am a land-lover, when the sea floor disappears from view I mildly panic… where has land gone? Mine was not a childhood messing around on boats. But for one Greek dynasty this has been the case for generations and … Continue reading
Decorators should never insist on throwing out everything the client has. Even when they are far from perfect, loved possessions add personality. In his final lecture Baldwin emphasises the importance of ‘the personal touch’: because it’s the personal that breathes … Continue reading
The Elements of Decoration – Baldwin takes us through each element of the decor itself from furniture, to colour and lighting. He starts out, as he always does by making the obvious necessary: you do need that room plan and … Continue reading
You dont keep a stellar client list happy without an ability to hold your ground (or in Baldwin’s case carpet) with great charm. He notes, The important thing was to keep our relationship a pleasure from beginning to end. Commercial work, … Continue reading
Billy Baldwin was THE decorator because his style forged a vision of crisp, uncontrived glamour which defined the modern American aesthetic, for this we all owe him a debt of design gratitude. He designed from the very humanist principle: “No … Continue reading
