Dexter!

A fab new piece by WWID

I see red with this beautiful vintage Windsor

I'm calling him...... 

Dexter

The Decorator

words and images

J Watson-Evans

Red!

Red, White and Blue 

Vintage & Now

I just love the classic combination of red, white and blue. It has such cultural and historical significance with the obvious connection to the flags of the world, and continues to pop as a timeless decorating and fashion option.

Wonderful red & blue canopy bed 1970

TV room by contemporary American decorator  Jonathan Adler

The French made navy blue, red and white their fashion statement in the early 19th Century and red and white was seen in Edwardian parlours.

.

Canopied opulence in navy & red silk and suzani by Kelly Wearstler

Pop iconography with Mickey and psychedelic upholstery popping against navy walls

 Throughout the sixties and seventies red, navy and white continued to star.

Loving the nautical nod in the bedcovers and Joe Columbo chairs

Red and white Louis and abstract area rug

Fab red chairs against navy walls

Red, white, and gold as an unexpected foil

Like the gold buttons on a navy blazer, the gold and red sing in this vignette by Kelly Wearstler

Love the red daybed against the blue architectural detail

Why don't you try this wonderful combination?  
To my mind red white and blue never disappoints!

vintage images

via

House & Gardens Complete Guide to Interior Decoration 1970

Decorating American Style by Jose Wilson & Arthur Leaman 1975

contemporary images

via

'Domiicilium Decoratus' Kelly Wearstler

Jonathan Adler.com

words by J Watson-Evans
Posted by
The Decorator

Vintage Garden Rooms

House & Garden's Complete Guide to

 INTERIOR DECORATION

It is so interesting to look at what my readers really enjoy.  

To date my most popular post is

Love American Style:  the decorating episode

 which includes the inclusion of iconic 20th Century art
 from the likes of Jackson Pollock and Jasper Johns

and work from the Prince of American decorating, Billy Baldwin!

 In this post, these wonderful decorating images come from a favourite book entitled

 Decorating American Style by Jose Wilson & Arthur Leaman, published in 1975.

It seems you are all as fascinated as I am with vintage style and vintage books.

This reinforces the fact to me that we love to see classic ideas from the past, and we also enjoy seeing where certain looks and styles originate and how they are reinvigorated and rehashed

 in a contemporary post modern world.

These images also illustrate to my mind how important the addition of greenery (real please) makes to the life and vibrancy of any interior.

I hope you enjoy these 'Outdoor or Garden Style Rooms' I have selected from

 House & Garden's Complete Guide to Interior Decoration 1970.

This lovely edition has this handwritten inscription on the first page:

I wonder where you are now?


words 
J Watson-Evans


posted by
The Decorator


images 
House & Garden's Complete Guide to Decoration 1970
Simon and Schuster

Saturday Morning Vintage

I think you all know how much I love my vintage decorating books.  I just love to flick through and caress the pages of these wonderful finds. 
 I get truly inspired by these books and marvel at how much the styling has been rehashed and revitalised over the years by some of the world's leading taste makers.  
And it goes to show that good decorating, design, 
and styling does not have a 'use-by' date.

It is hard to believe that some of these pages are in fact,
 getting to be around 60 years old.

Thank goodness there are people who truly look after their books.  It is wonderful to think that these same books have somehow made their way into my life, across the seas and through the air, all the way to my library shelves.

 I really love the 'look' of some of the photography from this period.  Is it because they were all shot on 'film'? 
 Indeed I was interested to recently read in one of my favourite shelter magazines, London's seminal 'The World of Interiors',
 that they still to this day shoot their work on film.

However, with time does come progress. This morning after taking some photos on my digital Canon G11 and uploading them,
 I found myself fiddling with the special effects editing.

This photo of my sunny sitting room which is where I enjoy my morning espresso each day with my husband, and often find myself flicking through one of my aforementioned tomes, has had the treatment!

This started out to be a 'sunny Saturday morning snap' and has morphed into something which looks like it belongs in one of my old books.

What do you think?

Before

Before

After

After

These pics also fit into the 'Yellow Makes Me So Happy' category. 

 I must thank my lovely friend Julianne for sending me the very 'sunny' bunch of gerberas which really were the impetus for this little story today.

images by J Watson-Evans

The Decorator

Yellow & Blue Make Me So Happy!

You know how I really do rate the Series 7 chair by Arne Jacobsen, as the most iconic chair of the 20th Century?

Floral throw by Olivier Desforges

  Well here it is in my daughter's room in white against the dark navy blue walls. I have a number of these chairs used for dining and occasional chairs all over my home.

 I have dark brown stained ones from the early 1970's, white ones from the 1980's and cherry red gloss examples from this decade. 

 They are unbeatable for their comfort and practicality.  In my view the Series 7 will compliment any interior, and can be stacked for easy storage.

  I am also obsessed with yellow and the yellow ceramic piece on the bedhead is one of a pair of wonderful 

Italian 1970's pendant lights which have since been installed as hanging bedside lights.

Australian stylist Marcus Hay obviously feels the same way about the chair and the colours....yellow and blue. 

 Below are a few pics from his Manhattan apartment as featured in Elle Decoration.

Salon hang of 1950's & '60's  pieces including Italian calendar and metal fish sculpture.
The empty frame is also an interesting addition.

Interesting salon hang of found objects

Vignette with found objects and pieces of Italian Bitossi Pottery

Love the way the old doors have been used as a way of delineating a dining area by providing a back drop in a very small space

images via Elle Decoration

&
J Watson-Evans for WWID