Parish-Hadley Book Launch

60 East 93rd Street, New York City.
John Russell Pope, architect, completed 1931.
Photo: Collection of the Museum of the City of New York.

October 13, 2015, marked the launch reception for the new book PARISH-HADLEY TREE OF LIFE: AN INTIMATE HISTORY OF THE LEGENDARY DESIGN FIRM by Brian J. McCarthy and Bunny Williams.  The Devoted Classicist, John Tackett, a contributor, was an honored guest along with the thirty others who have a chapter in the book.  The reception was held in the glorious Manhattan townhouse that is home to the noted antiquarian Carlton Hobbs at 60 East 93rd Street.


No sign of commerce marks the entrance to Carlton Hobbs, LLC.
Photo by John J. Tackett for The Devoted Classicist blog.

That block between Madison and Park Avenue is one of my absolute favorites, the site of several of the city's most distinctive townhouses.  Number 60 was designed by architect John Russell Pope and completed in 1931 for Virginia Fair Vanderbilt.  Heir to the fortune her father made from the Comstock Lode and Big Bonanza mine, she was married to William Kissam Vanderbilt, president of the New York Central Railroad, until 1927.  Despite the financial reverses of many during the Great Depression, there were no economic hardships for "Birdie," as her friends called her, who divided her time between this house, another on Long Island, and a third in California. 


The main block of 60 East 93rd Street has three principal floors
with the set-back entrance not seen here.
Photo by John J. Tackett for The Devoted Classicist blog.

The house replaced three rowhouses and was built of limestone.  There are three principal floors but the service areas are on seven stories of shorter ceiling heights within that space.  Originally, there were four 18th century paneled rooms (one was removed by a subsequent owner) with antique parquet floors (replaced after occupation by a school).  Decorative hardware in the antique style was made by Bricard in Paris.


The Dining Room as set up as display space for
antiques offered for sale.
Photo by John J. Tackett for The Devoted Classicist blog.

After Virginia Fair Vanderbilt's death at age 60, the house was bought Bryan and Thelma Foy, she being the very stylish and rich daughter of auto manufacturer Walter Chrysler.  Then the house was occupied by the Romanian Mission to the United Nations before being bought by the Lycee Francais.  Carlton Hobbs bought the 50 room mansion for about $10.5 million in 2002 and spent two years in restoration.  Read more about the house in a past post of Daytonian in Manhattan.


Designers Brian J. McCarthy and Bunny Williams, authors of
PARISH-HADLEY TREE OF LIFE: AN INTIMATE HISTORY OF THE LEGENDARY DESIGN FIRM
address the guests from the staircase at the book launch reception.
Photo by John J. Tackett for The Devoted Classicist blog.

In addition to seeing the interior of the house, it was a great treat to see some of my old friends and colleagues and meet new ones.  In addition to Brian and Bunny, who were there with their respective spouses Danny Sager and John Rosselli, there was Thomas Jayne, Michael Whaley (and wife K.T.), David Kleinberg, Nicholas Miles Pentecost, Libby Cameron, Kim Cruise, Nancy Porter, Carol Cavaluzzo, John Murray, David McMahon, and Paul Engel.  And it was so good to see Mark Ferguson with business partner Oscar Shamamian with their wives Natalie Jacobs and Llewellyn Sinkler.  Parish-Hadley "alumni" after my tenure included Douglas C. Wright, Todd Klein, James Andrew, and Thom Filicia.


A view from the staircase of some of those gathered for the book launch reception.
Photo by John J. Tackett for The Devoted Classicist blog.

It was a great pleasure to see Peter van Hattum the spouse of the late Harold Simmons, my former "boss" who was such a great teacher.  And also attending was former employee from the early days of Parish-Hadley, Suzanne Earls Carr.  Sue introduced me to her guest, Bruce Budd, the esteemed designer who had worked for the late tastemaker Bunny Mellon; what a treat to meet such a talented gentleman!  Also in attendance was former Parish-Hadley client and great friend of Albert Hadley Rene Meyers who is practically part of the alumni group. One of my favorite decorative painters, Chuck Fischer, was there; he also has authored some fantastic pop-up books with his illustrations literally springing to life throughout the book.  And I spoke briefly to author of several books on famous decorators Stephen Salny.  Of course, there were many, many others and I am sure I am leaving someone out.  But it was fun and a good time was had by all.  Thanks to our host Carlton Hobbs and literary marketing & branding agent Jill Cohen with associate Lizzy Hyland.

The Apartment, Part III

Although being published out-of-sequence, this post will be the third of a series to show how an Upper East Side Manhattan apartment has been furnished by different owners.  This shows the current incarnation, as decorated by interior designer David Kleinberg as his own residence.  Except for the images noted as being from DKDA, the photographs are by Eric Piasecki for Architectural Digest.


Another view of David Kleinberg's Living Room.

David retained the Living Room's handsome paneling but painted it cream and white to provide a more contemporary background.  The suspended spiral light in the first image was designed by Swiss architect Max Ernst Haefeli in 1937.


The end of the Living Room.

David uses the end of the Living Room as a library.


The Entrance Hall.
Image:  DKDA.

In the Entrance Hall, the barrel vault ceiling remains but the recessed downlights of the previous owners are replaced with a new linear light designed by David's firm, DKDA.  Also, the smoked glass mirrors are removed.


The Dining Room

David uses the coromandel paneled library as his Dining Room.  The rug is made from squares of cowhide.


The Master Bedroom.

A custom-made bed is the dominant feature of the Master Bedroom.  The walls are upholstered with the same striped fabric as the curtains.  The mirrored shutters from the previous owners remain.


David Kleinberg's Dressing Room.

Folded shirts and sweaters are stored on shelves in the oak Dressing Room.


The Bathroom.

In the Bathroom, the striations of the marble provide pattern and color in the otherwise primarily white space.  The iron chair from the 1930s was designed by Jean-Charles Moreux.


The Study.

The walls of the Study are covered with upholstered linen panels decorated with nailheads.  Vintage armchairs by Edward J. Wormley are upholstered in leather.


The Kitchen.

The Kitchen shimmers with cabinet doors and appliances of stainless steel.  Countertops and backsplashes are Calacatta marble.  The floor is faux wood tile from Ann Sacks.


The Breakfast Area of the Kitchen.

A Breakfast area features a classic modern Saarinen table.

David Kleinberg.
Image:  DKDA.

More of David's work may be seen in the book TRADITIONAL NOW: INTERIORS BY DAVID KLEINBERG available at a considerable discount here.  Part II of The Apartment which shows the Robert Denning decoration of the previous owners may be seen here.  Part I will be shown in a future post.

The Apartment, Part II

The apartment's Living Room as decorated
by Robert Denning for Marlene and Spencer Hays.

First, it must be explained that The Devoted Classicist has been planning for quite some time to do a series of posts on a particularly attractive Manhattan apartment and how it has been furnished by different owners.  A recent post by blogger, author, and speaker extraordinaire, Jennifer Boles on The Peak of Chic presented the apartment as furnished by what we will call the first owner.  So this, the apartment as decorated for the second owners, is being published out of sequence for this blog, but it will be a logical sequence in the end, hopefully.


The barrel-vaulted and mirrored Entrance Hall
is lined with paintings and drawings by Utrillo,
Ingres, Forain, Pissarro, and Matisse.

The apartment first came to the attention of The Devoted Classicist when it was published as the residence of the current owner, David Kleinberg, a friend and former co-worker at Parish-Hadley.  (A preview of Part III of this series featuring David's décor may be seen in a previous post here).  David had mentioned that it had earlier been decorated by the firm, Denning & Fourcade, his former employer.  These photos by Durston Saylor appeared in the September, 1994, issue of Architectural Digest which reveal the interior design implemented Robert Denning.  (Vincent Fourcade died in 1992 and Robert Denning in 2005).


The Library walls are paneled with elements
of a coromandel screen, repurposed by
the previous occupant.

At the time, the apartment was a pied-a-terre for Nashvillians Marlene and Spencer Hays.  (Selections from their art collection were exhibited at the Musee d'Orsay this summer.  Although the museum text associated with the exhibition reports that their New York apartment was decorated by Renzo Mongiardino [who died in 1998], these photos, showing a décor very much in the style of Denning & Fourcade, would indicate that his involvement with the Hayses would have been later).  The AD article noted that Marlene Hays had Robert Denning in mind during the two years she searched for a suitable apartment for displaying their art and entertaining.  Of the decorator she said, "At first, I thought some of his ideas were crazy, and I'd wonder.  All these mirrors for example.  But they turned out to be a perfect setting for our pictures.  What he suggests always works."


A drawing and a gouche by Pissarro
are displayed on an Empire table in a
corner of the Library.

The 15 x 30 foot Living Room needed lightening and brightening, according to the article, to create a proper background for the art.  Denning repainted the framework of paneling a slightly different green, gilded the moldings, and upholstered the inset panels with printed linen from Brunschwig & Fils who also supplied the tapestry border on the ceiling, a hold-over from the previous occupant.  Two nineteenth-century Savonnerie rugs were cut to cover the floor as a foundation for the mix of Biedermeier, Empire, and Regency furniture.


Jules Emile Saintain's La Menagere, 1866,
hangs over the secretaire a abattant in
the Master Bedroom.

Just as memorable of a room is the Library, paneled with a cut-up black and gold cormandel screen by the previous owner.  Denning added his signature touches with the ceiling upholstered in a floral fabric and a Belle Epoque style light fixture featuring three elaborately pleated and ruffled silk shades.


The bed in the Master Bedroom was made
from a pair of four-poster beds from the
Delano estate.

The Master Bedroom features an eight-poster (!) Louis XIV style bed created from twin beds that Denning refashioned and provided with fringed hangings.  The walls are covered with a Cowtan & Tout chintz and the windows have a yellow striped taffeta festoon blind, a lace shade, and mirrored shutters.  "Rich fabrics soften the master bedroom," says Denning in the article written by Aileen Mehle.


Small sculptures by Maillol and Daumier
are displayed on shelves in the hall
outside the Dressing Room.

The Dressing Room has walls covered in a Clarence House chintz and a ceiling (not visible in the photo) upholstered in a mustard colored moire to conform to the pyramid shape.  The adjacent hall has concealed doors in the form of bookcases faced with false books.

Parts I and III, showing the decoration by the previous and the subsequent owners will appear in future posts of The Devoted Classicist.

Antiques and Garden Show of Nashville, 2012

One of the most anticipated February events in the Mid-South is the annual Antiques and Garden Show of Nashville, starting this year with the Preview Party on Thursday evening, February 9, and continuing on through Sunday, February 12, 2012.  Advance notice is being given because the tickets to the special events of the show often sell-out.

Barry Dixon

The Collectors Party on Friday evening features a tour of the vendors' booths by Carolyn Englefield, Editor at Large for VERANDA magazine, and interior designer Barry Dixon of Warrenton, Virginia.  Barry is the author of BARRY DIXON INTERIORS and BARRY DIXON INSPIRATIONS.  (All books and magazine subscriptions are available at a considerable discount with the option of free shipping by clicking on the title).

Miles Redd

Nancy Goslee Power

The Devoted Classicist is acquainted with both of the February 10 lecturers and predicts that each of their presentations will be well-received.  Miles Redd is an Atlanta-born and raised interior designer now based in New York City.  Formerly employed in the to-the-trade decorative furnishings shop of John Rosselli and then as an asssistant to Bunny Williams, Miles Redd is known for bold color combinations and reinterpretations of classic traditional design.  Nancy Goslee Power is a Santa Monica landscape architect known for her contemporary gardens utilizing spatial experiences and visually striking palattes.  Nancy is author of the book POWER OF GARDENS.

Eddie Ross

A Lecture and Demonstration will by given by Eddie Ross, former food editor for Martha Stewart Living and an Associate Decorating Editor at House Beautiful.  His topic will involve giving new life to antique china by using it in fresh and inventive settings.  With partner Jaithan Kochar, he operates a design studio and creative marketing consultancy based in northwest Connecticut.  The Devoted Classicist is a fan of Eddie's always interesting and inspiring eponymous blog.

Suzanne Rheinstein

David Kleinberg

Another feature of the show is Ask-An-Expert, two separate on-the-floor complimentary talks with book signings on that Saturday.  Suzanne Rheinstein, an interior designer and owner of the Los Angeles home furnishings shop Hollyhock, will present her book featuring her own residences and as well as some projects AT HOME: A STYLE FOR TODAY WITH THINGS FROM THE PAST at 11:30 on February 11.  David Kleinberg, my former co-worker at Parish-Hadley who now has his own successful interior design firm DKDA, will present his book featuring his firm's projects TRADITIONAL NOW: INTERIORS BY DAVID KLEINBERG at 1:30 on February 11.  David's own apartment was featured in a previous post here.

There are always a good selection of antiques dealers, including Memphis-based Thomas M. Fortner Antiques and Simmons-Leonce;  be sure to stop by their booths and introduce yourself to Tom Fortner and A.W. Simmons if you go.  Half of the exhibitors are horticultural or garden-related vendors, and those are often interesting as well.

But the most exciting aspect of the show is the competitive exhibition by Nashville garden designers, landscape architects, hard-scapers, and nurserymen.  Planned months in advance but installed in only a day or two, this a judged display and the results are usually imaginative and inspiring, especially given the time of year.

The beneficiaries of the show's proceeds are Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art (featured in a previous post here) and The Exchange Club Charities.  For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the website www.antiquesandgardenshow.com.

David Kleinberg, Man on the Move

Photo of David Kleinberg's Living Room by Eric Piasecki for Architectural Digest.

The Devoted Classicist offers congratulations to former co-worker David Kleinberg whose beautiful new Manhattan apartment appears in the current issue of "Architectural Digest."  The article is a ten page spread produced by Robert Rufino and written by Dan Shaw with photos by Eric Piasecki appearing in the September, 2011, issue.  The text reveals that David moves "about every seven years, when it's time to repaint," hence the title of the article, The Seven Year Itch.

Photo of David Kleinberg's Dining Room by Eric Piasecki for Architectural Digest.

Before our days at Parish-Hadley Associates, David had worked for another noted decorating partnership, Denning & Fourcade who, as it turns out, had decorated the apartment thirty years previous.  At one time earlier, the apartment which occupies the full floor of a narrow 1925 building, was home to George Gershwin.  David added his own personal touches, but kept many features as he found them, including the paneled living room and the Chinese lacquered dining room.

Photo of David Kleinberg by Eric Piasecki for Architectural Digest.

More of David's sophisticated designs that mix classic traditional with contemporary can be seen in his much-anticipated new book Traditional Now:  Interiors by David Kleinberg which is scheduled for release on September 27, 2011.

Readers of The Devoted Classicist may subscribe to "Architectural Digest" magazine by clicking here.   The book Traditional Now:  Interiors by David Kleinberg can be purchased at a discount of the published price with the option of free shipping by clicking here.