Ok, I admit it, I have a fetish. Or addiction. Whichever, I love chairs! I have a hard time passing up an interesting chair when I see it. I have quite an assortment of classic chairs I live with and use both at home and my office. I believe that good classic furniture will last forever and recommend passing up "trendy" or cheap,unusual chairs that might be dated looking very quickly.

Currently, at my office I have two chairs in a sitting area. One is the ultimate classic by Mies van de Rohe designed by the architect in 1929 to furnish the German Pavilion at the World Expo in Barcelona, Spain. This is a chair that everyone knows and has seen even if you aren't aware of exactly the history. The other chair I have paired it with is a classic armless slipper chair made famous and popular by the Baltimore, MD designer Billy Baldwin. Often called the Dean of American Interior Design, he had a prolific and profound influence on design through the middle of the 2oth century. His slipper chair is a form that has been copied by almost every furniture company and used by every designer at some point. I love these two chairs together paying homage to two giants of architecture and design. My Barcelona chair is in classic black leather and the slipper chair is in equally classic camel linen velvet. I use a black lacquer console in between and a small square Paul McCobb designed ottoman in front with a top cushion in classic leopard velvet from Brunschwig & fils, a great fabric house.
Around the small round conference table I use three more classic chairs mixed together for an eclectic sense of style. First, a vintage 1950's Paul McCobb side chair in walnut with original fabric. Paul McCobb was a very important American designer who had some of the best selling and well known furniture in the 1950's. He really established the mass market look of furniture in that era. I also use a classic wicker tub chair at the table. That's right, wicker. I love mixing in something unexpected and this does the trick. This chair is a simple tub shape that can be found in variation in almost every furniture period from the 1700's on. I had this chair painted a glossy charcoal gray and then had the cushion done in camel linen velvet with charcoal cording. The third chair is a reproduction Louis XV french arm chair in walnut. Quite a mix, mid century, wicker and formal french! The Louis XV chair is another great, timeless piece that will always be in style. Mine is upholstered in black leather and I had the old brass nailhead trim removed and replaced with polished nickel modern nailheads to give it an edge. That is a great trick, take something old and classic and give it a modern twist without going cliche or weird.

At home, we have a real mix as well. Our dining table, which is polished nickel and glass, is surrounded by a 5' camel back Chippendale love seat in cream linen velvet on one end, 4 classic Chippendale faux bamboo fretwork side chairs on the two long sides and another Louis XV black leather armchair at the other end. The bamboo fretwork chairs are lacquered a deep aquamarine blue with graphic black and white chevron fabric on the seats. I love this arrangement of traditional seating around a modern table. I have another Paul McCobb lounge chair in the library and a fantastic Milo Braugham lounge chair in the living room. Milo Braugham, yet another influential American designer in the mid century, did some fantastic chairs using chrome and fabric with a real sculptural feel.

Anyway, as you can see, a chair is not just a chair. I love things with a history and a story to tell and good, classic designs will never go out of style. Trends may come and go, certain things may be more in vogue from time to time but these pieces will always have a place in the American home.

This will be the last of the Designer Showhouse history tour! This was a room I did in 1999, again for the St. Louis Symphony. I asked to do this small office on the second floor because it had wonderful symmetry and windows. I played with the symmetry by using two skirted desks facing each other flanking a window and then added a bookshelf on one side and a radiator cover to match on the other side. These were both custom designs. The room had wonderfully tall ceilings and windows which allowed me to create the elegant, slightly over the top Turkish cornices covered in a rich wool damask with trims and tassels. I loved the effect these had of giving the room some vibrant, dramatic color but kept it up and out of the way.

I chose a light bronze green paint for the walls and finished with 3 coats of clear gloss lacquer for depth. The existing picture molding was finished in a faux tortioseshell lacquer to add dimension. A reading chair and fine Oriental rug completed the furnishings.

The prints on the walls were a set of 24 antique engravings from London, circa 1820, depicting the antique pottery collection of Sir Henry Englefield, engraved by Henry Moses. I had them matted in wide linen mats and then framed in simple burlwood frames. Very chic.

This room represents a favorite look of mine, traditional but with a simple, almost contemporary feel. Symmetry, elegance, fine materials, all of these elements go into a good room.

Here is another blast from the past! This is a sun room I did for the St. Louis Symphony Designer Show House in 1998. I loved this room and had fun doing it. I chose a calm tan for the walls and then had the ceiling lacquered a fresh, spring green. Sometimes when a room has odd wall exposures, such as lots of doors and windows, it is nice to put the color on the ceiling and keep the walls neutral. This also brings the eye up. The custom candle light fixture is one I had made out of a decorative plant box. Looked great at night with the candles light! I chose white linen for the slipcovers and upholstery to keep the light and airy theme going and then finished with antique pieces form my own collections. A chinoiserie desk and table added sophistication and the Chinese wedding basket kept things global. But the most important elements in the room were the fabrics! Yards and yards of creamy white sheer draped the windows and created a welcoming, soft atmosphere while the crewel fabric in greens with black and brown brought nature inside.

The only thing I don't care for in these shots is the styling. I was out of town when the national magazine came to photograph for publication and they did the styling without me. It is way overloaded with plants and "stuff" giving it a messy look. The room as finished by me was cleaned and simpler with a classical edge. I learned from this experience to always be there for photo shoots!