ELLE DECOR - Dramatic Details and Exotic Flourishes

dazzling
colors

What’sHot Now!

Dramatic Details and
Exotic Flourishes
Designers at Home:
Their Secrets to Living Well
High Style in Toronto
The 10 Coolest Club Chairs
Lamps You’ll Love

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006
USA $4.50/CANADA $5.50
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HAPPENINGS

ADVERTISING & PROMOTION • EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES

THE FOURTH ANNUAL ELLE DECO INTERNATIONAL ELLE DECO INTERNATIONAL
DESIGN AWARDS CELEBRATION DESIGN AWARDS 2005 WINNERS

BATH: .25 Collection by Shelton, Mindel & Assoc. for Waterworks

BEDDING: John Robshaw Textiles

FABRIC: Hable Construction

FLOOR COVERING: The Rug Company

FURNITURE: Victoria Hagan Home

KITCHEN: GE

The U.S. winners of the fourth annual ELLE DECO International Design LIGHTING: Alison Berger Glassworks
Awards were honored during a special ceremony hosted by editor in chief TABLETOP: John Derian
Margaret Russell at Christie’s New York. The ELLE DECO International Design WALL COVERING: Allegra Hicks
Awards recognize excellence in design in 10 home-furnishings categories DESIGNER OF THE YEAR: Barbara Barry
including the designer of the year. Sponsor Bombay Sapphire presented
the second annual “Bombay Sapphire Rising Star Award” to up-and-coming

designer Jason Miller.

Photo 1: Lisa Kravet; Tracy Gavant, vp/publisher, ELLE DECOR; Cary Kravet, president/ceo, Kravet Inc.

Photo 2: Left to Right-Top Row: Karen Marx, home accessories director, ELLE DECOR; Paul Klein, gm brand & advertising, GE Consumer & Industrial; John Miller, senior vp,
group publishing director, women’s service & shelter, ELLE DECOR; Allison Eckelkamp, public relations program manager, GE Consumer & Industrial}; Chris Drago, strategy
supervisor, OMD.

Bottom Row: Jamie Goodwin, associate director of strategy, OMD; Melissa Warshaw, strategy supervisor, OMD; Sarah Wehrili, strategist, OMD.

ELLE DECOR’S DINING BY DESIGN CHICAGO LIGHTS UP THE MERCHANDISE MART

ELLE DECOR’s Dining by Design Chicago, presented by GE, brought the
design community together to raise funds for DIFFA (Design Industries
Foundation Fighting AIDS). Resplendent tabletops designed by talented
local and national designers were the centerpieces for the event, which
was held at the Merchandise Mart.

Photo 1: Gigi El Gazzar, regional sales manager, ELLE DECOR; Doug Wilson of TLC’s
Moving Up and Trading Spaces; Naomi Cooper, marketing director, ELLE DECOR.

Photo 2: Amy Hillsman, senior marketing manager, Delta Faucet; Anne Beriault,
senior vice president, director of account services, Young and Laramore.

UPCOMING EVENTS PROFILES

Winter Antiques Show Editor in chief Margaret Russell and
January 20–29 Profiles president James Druckman
co-hosted a cocktail reception at the
ELLE DECOR returns for its sixth year as the exclusive media sponsor of the prestigious Profiles showroom at the New York
52nd annual Winter Antiques Show, uniting the old and new generations of collectors and Design Center.
philanthropists at one of the most respected shows in the country.

Winter Antiques Show Designer Night
January 20

Hosted by Editor in Chief Margaret Russell in the Tiffany Room at the Seventh
Regiment Armory in New York City, the evening includes book signings by Bunny
Williams and Michael Smith. Designer Night is attended by top influential designers
and decorators in the industry.

Note: Dates and markets are subject to change.

For the latest event updates, sweepstakes, and promotions, visit elledecor.com.

elledecor.com

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contents

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006 VOLUME 17 NUMBER 1

On the Cover

The living room of Muriel
Brandolini’s Manhattan town-
house. “Singular Sensation,”
page 64. Photography by
Pieter Estersohn. Far left:
The dining room of Geoffrey
Ross and John Dransfield’s
house in the Hamptons. Be-
low: Ernest de la Torre’s 19th-
century Chelsea apartment.

110

Departments WILLIAM WALDRON (2)

16 Editor’s Page 92
By Margaret Russell

18 Mailbox
Our readers write

21 What’s Hot!
Dispatches from the world of design. By Julie V. Iovine

26 New York shops adopt a European focus. By Vicky Lowry
28 The Winter Antiques Show draws a new crowd
30 News flash. By Jessica Romm
32 Trend Alert

Indian prints proliferate; red revs up. By Anita Sarsidi
36 Everything You Need to Know About Maria Pergay

The French designer makes waves with steel. By Marc Kristal
40 Designer’s Dozen

The 12 things Marcel Wanders can’t live without.
By Julie V. Iovine
42 Truth in Decorating: The Ten Coolest Club Chairs
Designers Katie Lydon and Jay Jeffers take a seat—and a
stand—to rate ELLE DECOR’s cushiest choices. By Julie V. Iovine
46 Great Ideas
Chic storage solutions come out of the closet
48 Daniel’s Dish
Spicy chili takes the chill off winter. By Daniel Boulud
52 ELLE DECOR Goes to Toronto
With its dramatic setting and lively cultural scene, the city is
thriving indoors and out. By Michael Grant Jaffe
118 Resources
Where to find it. By Molly Sissors
124 Etcetera
Doorknobs add quiet dazzle to any room. By Alison Hall

6 ELLEDECOR.COM

NEW YORK WWW.ROLEX.COM

For an Official Rolex Jeweler call 1-800-367-6539. Rolex Oyster Perpetual, Lady-Datejust and Pearlmaster are trademarks.





contents

Features

63 ELLE DECOR Style
64 Singular Sensation

Muriel Brandolini’s New York townhouse is an invigorating mix
of bold colors and innovative craftsmanship. By Julie V. Iovine
76 True Blue
For T. Keller Donovan, a small apartment becomes a laboratory
where order and a navy palette prevail. By Michael Boodro
82 Split Personality
A quirky house from the ’60s inspires two Toronto designers to
forsake abstract purity for charm. By David Colman
92 Dowtown Revival
Ernest de la Torre gives a modern edge to glamour and grandeur
in his belle epoque Chelsea apartment. By Everett Potter
96 Shopping: Go for the Glow
A beautiful lamp lights up a room in more ways than one,
adding as much character as illumination. By Anita Sarsidi
102 Corporate Takeover
Eric Cohler reinvents a former Upper East Side office, transform-
ing it into a refined and art-filled duplex. By David Colman
110 Artful Spirits
Geoffrey Ross and John Dransfield fall for a Hamptons cottage
with good bones and an even better past. By Kathleen Hackett

82

102

Clockwise from above: The CLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM LEFT: WILLIAM WALDRON (2); PIETER ESTERSOHN
fireplace in the Toronto home
of designers George Yabu
and Glenn Pushelberg. Muriel
Brandolini and her daughter,
Filippa, in the front hall of
their Manhattan townhouse. A
corner of Eric Cohler’s Upper
East Side duplex, formerly the
offices of an investment firm.

64

10

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Dear Ketel One Drinker
If only everyone had such
good taste.



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editor’s page

John Robshaw, winner
of the 2005 ELLE DECO

International Design
Award for bedding,

with me at our awards
ceremony in October.

drama school
When it comes to inspiration, I’ll opt for extravagant- forest. Their master bathroom is sublime—my fa-
ly dramatic over quietly tasteful every time. It seems vorite photo in this issue. GABRIELA MAJ/PMC/© PATRICK MCMULLAN
that as a middle child—we’re supposed to be the
calm peacemakers in a family—and the younger John Dransfield and Geoffrey Ross dressed the
sister of a somewhat high-strung aspiring actress, bedrooms of their Greek Revival cottage on Long
my few attempts at youthful theatrics were sound- Island in couture-quality, ball-gown–worthy bedding
ly quashed by my parents. So it’s no surprise that of their own design, and Eric Cohler thoughtfully tai-
now, when confronted with stacks of projects to lored a former commercial space, using the living
consider, I’m usually not thrilled by the subtle, multi- room’s towering 20-foot windows to create a so-
shades-of-beige condo apartments, but by the phisticated showplace for his extensive collection of
spaces that are artfully composed, truly inventive, paintings, photography, and furnishings.
and maybe even a tad over the top.
And who would imagine the riot of color, pattern,
Don’t fret. I’m well aware that our average reader and verve that exists behind the mousy-brown façade
has little desire to live like a maharaja, and we’re not of Muriel Brandolini’s Upper East Side townhouse?
very keen on decor best suited to a theme park. But From the drawing room’s standout rock-crystal, jade,
this month, by synchronicity, not plan, we feature and pearl chandelier to the utterly chic Martin Szekely
homes owned by designers—all distinctively dra- perforated-Corian desk in her son’s room, Muriel’s
matic, though for different reasons. striking style and flair are unmistakable. Her home is
very decorated, but it isn’t a stage set or show house—
For instance, T. Keller Donovan’s solution for liv- it’s where she’s raising her family. Her place, like all
ing in a small space is the bold, exuberant use of a those in this issue, proves that a bit of drama does-
single color, a crisp, nautical blue that expresses n’t get in the way of day-to-day life; it only makes it
both confidence and conviction. Ernest de la Torre’s richer and far more interesting.
bedroom, in a 19th-century row house, is a dark,
glamorous haven sheathed in velvet the depth and Margaret Russell, Editor in Chief
hue of strong espresso. And George Yabu and Glenn [email protected]
Pushelberg transformed a 1960s Toronto house
with scant architectural integrity into a modernist
paradise perched on a ravine overlooking a dense

16 ELLEDECOR.COM

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mailbox

Hurricane Relief

I really enjoyed Margaret Russell’s column (Editor’s
Page) in the November issue. It’s almost impossible
for me to express the depth of my sadness, anger,
and empathy for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Fortunately, her words speak for me. I agree with her:
We have to send a message to the people we em-
power that we will not tolerate this level of calamity.
I am glad that she took time out to remind us that
the beautiful things that surround us are here to en-
hance our lives. They don’t define us.
Rayman Boozer, New York, NY

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006 I just wanted to tell you how moved I was when I
read the fantastic editor’s letter in the most recent
From top: Pieter Estersohn’s duplex Camera Ready issue of ELLE DECOR. I am from Louisiana, so it truly
in Manhattan. The November cover. touched my heart. I appreciated and totally related
I have enjoyed Pieter Estersohn’s work in your pages to everything Margaret said about the feeling of
for years and have always slightly envied the oppor- helplessness and the realization that none of what
tunities he has had to see the world and document we in the design business do is worth a penny in the
so many beautiful houses. Now I am jealous of his face of the reality of what is happening in the world.
ability to stay home. His duplex in the November is- Monelle Totah, via e-mail
sue (“Eastern Influences”) is both chic and fascinat-
ing, layered with evidence of his travels and wide London Calling
curiosity and his passion for good design. Yet his loft
also works so well as a family home. This story is proof The London home decorated by Jeffrey Bilhuber
that the man is as stylish as any of the places he has and photographed by Simon Upton (“English Class,”
photographed for your magazine. October) is, hands down, the most luscious ever
Robert Dean, San Diego, CA shown, period. It was transporting.
Phyllis Buck, Ashland, Oregon
Rave Review
History Lesson
Ideally, a home-design magazine can inform as well
as entertain; the November issue does this and so The story on Oakley Farm in your October issue
much more. The featured homes were fresh and (“Grand Revival”) is missing a charming detail. I’m
intriguing rather than trendy or tired. There was so pretty certain that Jackie Kennedy resided there on
much to be inspired by, but also so much that was weekends during her husband’s presidency. I be-
just plain fun. All around, a home run! lieve the late Mrs. Onassis, with her exquisite taste,
B. Levin, Cambridge, MA would have approved of the renovation!
Scott Honeyman, Toronto, Canada
Mid-Century Memories FROM TOP: PIETER ESTERSOHN; GREY CRAWFORD
Actually, we learned that the Kennedys used to visit
I was born and raised in Palm Springs and the ar- Bunny Mellon, who owns the property next door,
ticle in your November issue (“ELLE DECOR Goes and eventually built their own house in the area.
to Palm Springs”) captured the current city beau- Jacqueline Kennedy may have gone on fox hunts
tifully. My father, Charles “Red” Lackey, owned small at Oakley Farm but she never lived there.
hotels there, so I came into the world at a hospital
designed by Albert Frey. I grew up playing in amoeba- Send Mailbox your letters—but keep them short and to
shaped swimming pools, frolicking among adults the point (we reserve the right to edit for length, clarity, and
sipping martinis, and listening to Frank Sinatra re- style). The address: Mailbox, ELLE DECOR, 1633 Broadway, 41st
cords. Cigarette smoke swirled freely. Even if you’re floor, New York, NY 10019; e-mail: [email protected].
not a “mod-com” (what mid-century–modern fans
proudly call themselves), Palm Springs has much to To subscribe to ELLE DECOR, to order a gift subscription, to
offer. Keep up the good work. change your subscription address, or for any questions
Terri Lackey-McMichael, via e-mail regarding your subscription, e-mail [email protected].
Please be sure to include your mailing address and all perti-
nent information for your subscription; you may also call
850-682-7654. To order a back issue, call 800-333-8546.

18 ELLEDECOR.COM





Seashell Chic

There’s a pirate splendor to Oly’s Jenny
chandelier with its dashing swags
of pearlescent shells culled from the
beaches of Indonesia and then linked
by hand and draped from antiqued-
silver–finished hoops. The fixture is 22"
in diameter and 30" in length, takes
four 60-watt bulbs, and costs $1,850.
Go to olystudio.com for stores.

KANA OKADA What’s Hot!

Dispatches from the world of design

Text by Julie V. Iovine
Produced by Anita Sarsidi

21

what’s hot! 1
2
1 Pillow Talk

Known for bold graphics rendered via
granny-age techniques, textile designer
Judy Ross has branched out into abstract
botanical prints. The Fauna pillows of chain-
stitched New Zealand wool ($190 each)
are handcrafted by artisans in India who
decide the direction of the stitches for
themselves. “I never know if they’re going
to outline the pattern or create leaf veins,”
says Ross. “It adds a whole dimension.”
Call 212-842-1705; judyrosstextiles.com.

2 Penned in Style

Acme Studio has made its reputation pro-
ducing small objects designed by very big
names. Its collection of pens, wallets, and
card cases spans an extraordinary A-list of
designers from Frank Lloyd Wright and
Verner Panton (his Geometri pen, far right)
to contemporary talents, including Marcel
Wanders (Colori, left) and Gene Meyer
(GM Horizontal, middle). The roller-ball
pens cost $55 each. Call 808-878-2541 for
stores; acmestudio.com.

3 Bedside Manners

Nambé, a name once synonymous with
buffed metal bowls from New Mexico,
has long since expanded into a wide range
of porcelain, crystal, and glass tableware.
But its dedication to “purpose with
beauty” has remained unchanged. The
Bedside decanter is neatly stoppered
with its own water glass and costs $75.
Call 800-443-0339; nambe.com.

4 Bespoke Notes

Friend to dukes, doyennes, and debutantes,
Mrs. John L. Strong set up shop as a “social
stationer” in 1929. Her company has
equipped the desks of the discerning with
hand-engraved calling cards and notepaper
ever since. The 2006 calendar on a brass
easel is stamped in gold with selections
from the company’s renowned collection
of 19th-century metal dies. It sells for $95
at the Mrs. John L. Strong shop at Barneys
New York. Call 212-833-2060; barneys.com.

4

3

KANA OKADA

22 ELLEDECOR.COM

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what’s hot!

1

2

3 1 Steeping Hot 1– 3: KANA OKADA
4
Whether the sun is up, and so are you,
or down, and so are you, a teapot adds
charm to the day. This bone-china Gold-
fish pot, $135, by Shanghai Tang, holds
just enough tea for two. Matching cups
($45 a pair) are sold separately. Call 212-
888-0111; shanghaitang.com.

2 Rock Steady

You don’t have to be a mineralogist to love
the feel of crystal in your grasp. Craftsman
Carl Martinez creates hardware that puts
the mineral in hand. From left, rock-crystal
spear pull with light-bronze base, $650;
2" quartz-crystal doorknob with polished-
silver–plated base, $745; 1" pink-quartz
pull with 24K-gold–plated base, $325; 1.5"
smoky-quartz pull with satin-nickel–plated
base, $545. Call 800-411-6515; vivre.com.

3 Skin Tight

Python plates bring a bit of danger as well
as graphic punch to the table. They are
made in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, by Kiln
Design Studio’s husband-and-wife team,
Elissa and James Leritz, who use enamel
techniques that date back to Byzantium.
The pattern was inspired, says Elissa, “by
my husband’s awesome snake belt.” The 15"
plate costs $280, the 9.5" is $130, and the 6"
is $70. Call 718-456-6722; kilnenamel.com.

4 Reflections of Glory

What says Hollywood better than a mir-
ror? No wonder mirrored pieces conjure
visions of big-screen glamour. In his La-
Z-Boy collection, fashion and furniture
designer Todd Oldham gives Parsons-style
legs to his accommodating 16" Sparkle
Square Bunching table, $299. A matching 32-
inch-long cocktail table is $359; lazboy.com.

24 ELLEDECOR.COM

© 2005 Kohler Co.

KALLISTA – VIR STILTM COLLECTION BY LAURA KIRAR 888.4KALLISTA KALLISTA.COM/kirar

what’s hot! shops euro cache
Two new design galleries in New York
Mod French furnishings from highlight pivotal periods in Europe
the 1960s and ’70s are the spe- By Vicky Lowry
cialty of Demisch Danant
gallery, including such pieces Demisch Danant
as this stainless-steel daybed,
center, by Maria Pergay. This Chelsea gallery, co-owned by Suzanne
Below, right: Owners Stephane Demisch and Paris-based dealer Stephane
Danant and Suzanne Demisch. Danant, spotlights high-style French
furnishings from the 1960s and ’70s by no-
Prague Kolektiv table artists and designers such as Pierre
Paulin and François-Xavier Lalanne, whose
Czech furniture, glassware, and lighting experiments with new shapes and materi-
from the 1920s and ’30s are the focus at this als were encouraged by the government.
industrial storefront in Dumbo, Brooklyn. “It was a decade that enabled designers to
“Czech artisans radically embraced mod- steer away from ‘form follows function,’”
ern design after the republic gained inde- explains Demisch, “and inject frivolity
pendence in 1918,” says Barton Quillen, into objects of daily life.” Hence, such of-
who met his co-owner, Giovanni Negrisin, ferings as Lalanne’s life-size “camel” seat
when they were both living in Prague. and Roger Tallon’s M400 stools.
“Czechs wanted forward-looking settings
at home and in the office,” he adds.
Many of the pieces, which are scarcely
known in the U.S., were inspired by
Wiener Werkstätte and Bauhaus designs,
but are available at a fraction of the cost.

Clockwise from near JOSHUA MCHUGH
left: The Prague
Kolektiv in Brooklyn.
Serving carts and
desks and chairs in
chrome and wood,
and lighting are
among the offerings
in the 3,000-square-
foot showroom.
A lacquered desk and
chair with chrome
tubing and a steel toy
car. See Resources.

26 ELLEDECOR.COM



what’s hot! The Eruption of
Vesuvius, early
19th century, from
Hill-Stone Inc.

Dove of Peace weather
vane, circa 1787, from George
Washington’s Mount Vernon

Estate and Gardens.

show pieces

With an infusion of younger Regency courting Bracket clock, PHOTOS COURTESY OF DEALERS; SEE RESOURCES
dealers, the Winter Antiques Show is seat from Robert circa 1730, from
Young Antiques. Kentshire Galleries.
expanding its range and Regency oak bergère,
enlivening the scene Jersey Blue circa 1810, from
by Charles Spencer Dillingham & Co.
However refined and rarified its reputation, the famed
Winter Antiques Show is still working to attract the next Humphreys, from English Arts and
generation of collectors and dealers. One of the new the Schwarz Gallery. Crafts Donegal
exhibitors is Charles Pollak, a 25-year-old Brown grad- carpet, circa
uate, Olympic-class rower, and the youngest person Portland-stone–urn finial 1900, from
ever to be invited to participate. “I have a lot of college from Barbara Israel. Keshishian.
friends, hedge-funders, and high-finance types coming
in and they are very responsive,” says Pollak, who will Japanese lacquer
be presenting a collection of 18th- and 19th-century cabinet, early 19th
American stunners that range in price from $2,000 to century, from Mallett.
$750,000. Inviting young exhibitors is only part of the plan. While this
year’s loan exhibition is devoted to items from Mount Vernon, the Winter
Antiques Show is also expanding its focus beyond traditional Americana
to include Vienna Secession and Swedish Moderne pieces. At the
same time, it’s encouraging dealers to mix in less expensive objects.

“We want to keep the range wide but still unique,” says the show’s
executive director, Catherine Sweeney Singer. For instance, Robert
Young Antiques won’t be showing any American items at all. Instead,
the London dealer is bringing English (even Welsh), Scandinavian,
and Central European folk art and furniture, much of it retaining its
original paint and surface treatments. Reed Krakoff of Coach, the
cochair with his wife, Delphine, of Young Collectors’ Night on January
26, thinks of the show as a perfect learning opportunity. “It’s quite
rare to see so much that’s so different but still at its best,” he says.
“You can really compare and learn.” Krakoff and his wife, both insa-
tiable collectors, are boning up on new eras and styles, including
18th-century French furniture. “It’s a period that’s been ignored for
so long, but it also produced many of the iconic pieces that every-
one else copied later. And some of those originals are now cheaper
than the reproductions,” Krakoff adds. “We want to be ready and
well informed enough to make smart buys.” Julie V. Iovine

28 ELLEDECOR.COM



what’s hot! news

2

1

1 Floor Plans 3
4
Diversity is the watchword at Madrid’s
sleek Hotel Puerta América, where a dozen 1: RAFAEL VARGAS 2005; 4: ESTETICO
design firms have each created a floor,
ranging from Norman Foster’s leather-clad
rooms to Zaha Hadid’s white undulating
surfaces to Marc Newson’s marble bar,
above. At 41 Avenue América; call 011-34-
91-744-5400; hotelpuertamerica.com

2 Street Scene

Lower Manhattan was an incubator for
innovation from 1974 to 1984 despite a re-
cession and the onset of AIDS. Keith
Haring, Nan Goldin, Cindy Sherman, and
Karen Finley all flourished amid the rise
of political activism and the emergence
of industrial chic. “The Downtown Show,”
at NYU’s Grey Art Gallery and Fales
Library and at Parsons, surveys the scene.
Sketch by Stephen Sprouse, 1974–1976.
January 10 to April 1. Go to nyu.edu/greyart.

3 Top Shelf

In Thrown Rope (Princeton Architectural
Press, $30), landscape artist Peter
Hutchinson offers a visual diary of his fan-
ciful gardens. The Furniture of Carlo
Mollino (Phaidon, $75) surveys the career
of the Italian architect whose curved
bentwood chairs and plywood desks were
inspired by his love of the nude female
form. Chinese Houses (Tuttle, $60) exam-
ines traditional dwellings from a Ming
dynasty manor to Mao’s boyhood home.

4 Mile-High Style

The new Mediterranean restaurant 5° is
doing its part to glamorize Denver’s Wild
West image. Inspired by vintage James
Bond movies, decorator Jeffrey Elliot went
for a masculine, clubby look with dark
floors and black walls set off by gleaming
mirrors and contrasting white furniture.
At 1475 Lawrence Street; call 303-260-7505.

By Jessica Romm

30 ELLEDECOR.COM



trend alert

Indian Prints
The traditional botanical patterns of
southern Asia are branching out,
becoming an inspiration for both fashion and home

Produced by Anita Sarsidi

3

2 7
5

6
1

8 STILL LIFE: KANA OKADA

4
1 Jaipur* linen by Peter Fasano from John Rosselli.

2 Marbella* linen by Raoul Textiles. 3 Ceylan Cotton
Print* cotton by Brunschwig & Fils. 4 Jaipur Toile*

cotton by Charles Burger. 5 Pondicherry Lake* linen-
cotton by Raoul Textiles. 6 Konstantine Garden–print

dress by Diane von Furstenberg from fall 2005.
7 Amita Metis* linen-cotton by Manuel Canovas from

Cowtan & Tout. 8 Harmony rayon-polyester by
Waverly. *Available to the trade only. See Resources.

32



trend alert Left: Icaria* silk-wool
by Designtex. Right:
Red velvet dress Bergamo* wool-cotton-
by Roberto Cavalli polyester from Pollack.
from fall 2005.

Red-lacquer
ballpoint pen by
Elsa Peretti for

Tiffany & Co.

Beekman croco- Roma cotton Filumena* cot-
dile clock by Ralph sheets and ton by Bises
from Bergamo.
Lauren Home. Royal cotton
pillow sham Imperial Damask
cotton-linen-
by Olatz.
viscose by Ralph
Real Woven* calfskin Lauren Home.
by Edelman Leather.
Five Side
Red lacquered-
wood boxes
It’s the most passionate—and by Pacific
dangerous—of colors, the ulti- Connections.
mate hue for Prince’s Corvette
and the lipstick of Helmut STILL LIFES: KANA OKADA
Newton blonds. Diana Vreeland
reveled in her scarlet Billy *Available to the trade only. See Resources.
Baldwin “garden in hell” living
room. And as designer Roberto
Cavalli can attest, if you wear
red, you really have to mean it.

34



everything you need to know about ... A stainless-steel daybed
designed by Maria Pergay

in 1968 for her first
collection of furniture.

Maria Pergay CLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM LEFT: MARIA PERGAY ARCHIVES/COURTESY OF DEMISCH DANANT; © CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD.
Endowing an industrial
material with sweeping elegance, the French designer
brings sex appeal to steel
By Marc Kristal

The designer The term meubles de style—“furniture in the style opened a gallery in the Marais, at 2 Place des Vosges,
with a sofa she of”—refers to well-made reproductions that can be and displayed her own collection among superbly
created for found under many labels the world over. But what judged arrangements of fine antiques and Asian art.
Pierre Cardin, about meubles de steel, crafted from that most for-
circa 1970. bidding of materials, yet sensuous in form and exe- In 1967, Pergay received the proposition that would
cuted with an artisan’s sensitivity? For these, the change her life—from the steel manufacturer Uginox,
36 ELLEDECOR.COM foremost name is Maria Pergay. In the 1960s and which was seeking to expand its market. Would she
’70s, Pergay designed stainless-steel furniture that consider producing pieces in stainless steel? Pergay
is eagerly sought after by collectors today. loved the material, but considered the small scale
she was working in inappropriate. Might
Now 75, Pergay was born Maria Alexandrovna she design furniture instead? The com-
Kachnitskaya in 1930. She fled the instability of her pany agreed, and the results so im-
native Moldavia at the age of seven and settled with pressed Jean Dive of Galerie Maison
her mother in Paris. There, following the war, she stud- et Jardin, that he presented them as
ied set design and sculpture. But it wasn’t until the a collection, opening on May 13,
mid-’50s, when a friend asked Pergay to develop win- 1968, the day Parisian youth
dow displays for couture houses, that her unique tal-
ent found its form. The designer’s response was giant
birds, made of forged iron; they proved so popular
that she was asked to reconceive them as decora-
tive pieces. Inspired, Pergay next created a series of
contemporary silver objects that were marketed by,
among others, Hermès and Dior. By 1960, she had

A lounge chair
from the 1970s.

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maria pergay

Steel floor lamp took to the streets, demanding, as one poster put squarely into the French tradition of producing fine CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: MICHEL NAHMIAS/COURTESY OF DEMISCH DANANT; JOSHUA MCHUGH; SOLLO:RAGO; © PHILIPPE PONS/COURTESY OF DEMISCH DANANT; JOËL LELIEVRE/COURTESY OF JOUSSE ENTREPRISE; © CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD.; PHILLIPS DE PURY AND CO.
with bronze it, “a new and original world.” furniture.” This impulse, at once classical and radi-
cal, to treat steel as a natural material, to both push
skull, circa 1970. A sense of those times is essential to understand- its boundaries and tame it, makes Pergay’s cre-
ing Pergay’s oeuvre, believes Suzanne Demisch, ations singular. Small wonder she cited as influences
The Wave Desk of New York’s Demisch Danant gallery. “Everyone Cellini and Fabergé: Steel was Pergay’s gold.
at Pergay’s wanted to see what was going to come next,” she ex-
first exhibition plains. “People weren’t afraid to try new things.” This Indeed, like her silver pieces, which Pergay had
in Paris, 1968. passion for change galvanized designers and gave presciently harmonized with various styles and pe-
rise to a new clientele, “a younger generation that grew riods in her gallery, the furnishings were meant to
The 1970s up with antiques and had money, but wanted some- be, as Demisch puts it, “jewelry in a room.” Designed
Ring chair. thing contemporary,” says Demisch. for the spare, sophisticated interiors of the 1970s,
Pergay’s work is equally at home on Park Avenue
“Create, Maria,” Pergay recalled her clients say- and in the loft of a die-hard minimalist. And her mar-
ing, and she stormed the barricades with work that ket has exploded. “Five years ago, people didn’t know
bristled with dynamism and originality: a Flying Car- who she was,” notes New York dealer Liz O’Brien.
pet daybed; Ring chairs that resembled targets; a “Now they’re competing for her pieces.”
magazine holder “folded” like origami. All shared a
purity of form and expressed the designer’s talent Pergay, in short, is back—in every way. After dec-
for confounding expectations. ades as a global nomad, during which she designed
palaces for Saudi royals and lairs for newly mon-
“When you think of steel, the Bauhaus aesthetic, eyed Muscovites, Pergay’s journey is complete:
it has a coldness to it,” says Richard Wright, whose In April, Demisch Danant, in association with
Chicago auction house recently sold a Pergay table Lehmann Maupin Gallery, will present an
for $126,000. “But she had a masterful way of han- exhibition of new pieces as startling
dling the metal that made it very warm and human.” as the iron birds that first made her
name nearly four decades ago.
The key word is handling: All Pergay’s work exudes It’s quite an accomplishment. But
the nuance of the atelier, rather than the stamp of a as connoisseurs and collectors
factory. Pergay would begin by making a sketch, can attest, little exceeds the grasp
then work directly with fabricators to develop the of the Woman of Steel.
drawing into a fully realized design, a painstaking,
intensive process that, as Wright observes, “falls

Where to Find It Wave bench, A lamp with gold-
circa 1969. and-ivory enamel.
After first producing her steel pieces with
Uginox, Maria Pergay designed and devel- Console with
oped her furniture at several other factories marquetry and
and workshops, created editions of various bronze, 2005.
pieces, and formed associations with Maison Steel four-poster
Jansen, Harvey Probber, and others. But ac- bed, circa 1970.
cording to Suzanne Demisch, whose book on
Pergay will be published in April, the vast
majority of Pergay’s designs were privately
commissioned, including, famously, a 1977
sofa for Pierre Cardin; it featured a hinged
lid, constructed from tortoise shells, that
lifted to reveal the cushions. Thus, as Richard
Wright observes, “There’s not a lot of it
around.” But the rarity of Pergay’s work makes
it only more desirable—and expensive. Here
are a few places to begin the search:

· DeLorenzo 1950, New York, 212-995-1950
· Demisch Danant, New York, 212-989-5750;

demischdanant.com

· Jousse Entreprise, Paris, 011-33-1-45-83-62-

48; jousse-entreprise.com

· Liz O’Brien, New York, 212-755-3800; liz-

obrien.com

· Wright, Chicago, 312-563-0020; wright20.com

38 ELLEDECOR.COM

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designer’s dozen

Marcel Wanders 4. Jaguar F-Type PORTRAIT: MARCEL WANDERS STUDIO; 3: SCALA/ART RESOURCE, NY; 4: JAGUAR CARS LTD.; 5: ANTHON BEEKE STUDIO;
concept car. 6: STEVE ALLEN/PICTUREARTS; 7: FRED FURGOL; 8: RYAN MCVAY/GETTY; 12: FRANCIS HAMMOND/PICTUREARTS; SEE RESOURCES
12 things he can’t live without. By Julie V. Iovine

2. Sculpture made The Dutch designer Marcel Wanders has always stood out. And not
with his daughter. only because of his six-foot-plus height and the shiny mouthful of
braces that preceded his new picket-fence smile. As one of the origi-
nal members of Droog, the Amsterdam-based design collective that
burst onto the scene in the mid-1990s with objects that combined
high-concept function with sharply observed wit, Wanders immedi-
ately attracted recognition. His Knotted Chair looks like lace you can
sit on and is now part of the Museum of Modern Art’s collection. And
his porcelain vase, commissioned by Rosenthal (and available from
Moooi, the company he founded), was molded from eggs slipped into
a condom. The same bulbous motif, much enlarged, can be seen at the
entry of the new restaurant, Thor, he has designed in Manhattan. “I’m
drawn to contrasts and to objects that somehow contradict themselves,”
says Wanders, “but also to disturbing beauty.” His recent works in-

clude luxuriously large bathtubs shaped like bars of soap for
Bisazza and a double-topped table for Moooi that functions si-
multaneously for work and dining. Wanders’s intrepid reinter-
pretations of the most prosaic objects renew our belief in design’s
ability to sweeten daily life. It’s hardly surprising then that one of the
things Wanders cannot live without is the curling lips of a smile.

6. Taj Mahal. 3. Vermeer’s Girl 1. Fresh-cut carrots, for their smell and color.
with a Pearl Earring. 2. Clay sculptures my seven-year-old daugh-
7. Philippe Starck’s
teddy bear. ter, Joy, and I make in less than a minute. 5. Poster of
Benno Premsela.
8. Mosaic tiles. 3. Girl with a Pearl Earring, by Vermeer. I
12. Bonsai tree.
love the silence of his paintings.

4. The Jaguar F-Type concept car. Its side-

view mirrors at the roofline are so unexpected.

5. The clown-face poster of Benno Premsela,

the man who gave contemporary Dutch
design a heartbeat. It was plastered all over
the Netherlands when he died.

6. The unbuilt black twin of the Taj Mahal.

Perfection unrealized is more perfect.

7. Philippe Starck’s many-headed teddy

bear, a reminder of how really
complicated life could be.

8. Mosaics. I love multiples.
9. A smile, also known as a miracle.
10. Dragon sea horses, for their

simple splendor.

11. Erwin Olaf ’s conceptual

photographs of blood-spattered
celebrities and royalty—hard to
look at and even harder to look away from.

12. Bonsai. The forest is too much nature

for me. I get bored after an hour.

40 ELLEDECOR.COM



truth in decorating Designers Jay Jeffers and
Katie Lydon take it easy
with the Orsen lounge
chair by Robert Lighton

Furniture and the Ellis chair
by Mitchell Gold + Bob

Williams. See Resources.

The10Coolest ClubChairs HAIR AND MAKEUP: MAYSOON FARAJ FOR YVES DURIF SALON
Katie Lydon and Jay Jeffers settle in to rate ELLE DECOR’s picks of the
cushiest and most comfortable seats in the house
Text by Julie V. Iovine · Photography by David Jacquot · Produced by Alison Hall

Of all the furnishings in a room, the club chair has the widest range of high enough to support a relaxed neck. Buttery-soft leather will in-
personalities. A glance will tell which is the strong, silent type and which evitably induce a nap. Or if you’re more sociably inclined, leaning into
tufted number has penthouse pretensions. Some people see the dif- a good conversation, look for a show-off armchair, one as stylish as it
ference more in cultural terms: the deep-seated comforts of an oversize is comfortable. Katie Lydon, a Londoner now based in New York who
English club chair versus the restrained poise of its French cousin. And appreciates a modern style that’s rooted in the classics, and Jay Jeffers,
in choosing one, the criteria are as much personal as aesthetic. Will a San Francisco designer who lives and works by the mantra “so-
the chair serve as a place of refuge for an afternoon of reading? Then phisticated fun,” evaluate the many moods and subtle variety of the
you’ll want one with arms wide enough to sling a leg over and a back modern club chair, a destination all its own.

42



truth in decorating

1 FRENCH CLUB CHAIR 6 MOHAIR CHAIR FROM THE
BY HOLLY HUNT PINE CONE HILL HOME COL-
“Real wit and interest,” raves Jeffers. LECTION BY LEE INDUSTRIES
“Look at that V-shaped back. I’d love “Fantastic for curling up alone,” says
to see it paired with a patterned Jeffers. “All it needs is a silk pillow!
ottoman.” Lydon admires its “feminine And the caster feet are a classic
and formal” lines. “Unlike the tradi- touch.” For Lydon, its quality is para-
tional oversize club chair,” she adds, mount: “The tight, rich fabric says it’s
“this one has very neat proportions.” well made, and it’s so versatile you
can use it virtually anywhere.”
Height: 31"; width: 31"; depth: 33"; seat
height: 15"; material: mahogany frame Height: 35"; width: 29"; depth: 36"; seat
in dark mahogany finish (other finishes height: 19"; material: wood frame in black-
available) with down-wrapped-foam fill; walnut finish with down fill and mohair
delivery: 16 weeks; price: $3,720 c.o.m. upholstery (other fabrics available); delivery:
8–10 weeks; price: $2,120
2 ORSEN LOUNGE CHAIR
BY ROBERT LIGHTON 7 CAPITON ARMCHAIR
FURNITURE BY ROOM
“A truly successful adaptation,” says Lydon calls this one “tailored but
Lydon. “It’s contemporary but still relaxed,” and adds, “I’d love it at a
evokes that country-house aesthetic.” beach house in blue canvas with
Jeffers adds, “The side and back white piping.” Jeffers admires its
views are especially appealing. That’s tufting and contrasting welt. “It’s
important since club chairs are rarely a contemporary update of a 1920s
placed against a wall.” silhouette,” he says. “Very smart.”

Height: 29.5"; width: 31"; depth: 40"; seat Height: 31"; width: 36"; depth: 35"; seat
height: 18"; material: mahogany frame height: 17"; material: maple frame in
in standard finish (other finishes available) Jacobean finish (other finishes available)
with polyester-and-down fill; delivery: 8 with Dacron-wrapped-foam fill (other
weeks; price: $4,165 c.o.m. fills available); delivery: 6 weeks; price:
$2,700 c.o.m.
3 ELLIS CHAIR BY MITCHELL
GOLD + BOB WILLIAMS 8 THEATRE ARMCHAIR BY
“An elegant take on the Deco clas- TED BOERNER FROM
sic,” proclaims Jeffers. “The top DESIGN WITHIN REACH
stitching on the back is a wonderful “It speaks Italian,” jokes Jeffers.
touch. It’s great value for the money.” “With its chrome legs, it’s very clean
Lydon loves its scale: “Ideal for a and self-possessed. Yet I could
small urban apartment. Even a pair still relax in it with a cocktail.” Lydon
wouldn’t overwhelm a room.” agrees. “Sleek and sophisticated,”
she says. “And the leather is lovely.”
Height: 32"; width: 31"; depth: 34"; seat
height: 20"; material: hardwood frame in Height: 30"; width: 31"; depth: 30.5"; seat
coffee-bean finish (other finishes avail- height: 19"; material: wood frame with
able) with polyester fill and leather uphol- chrome-plated steel legs, Dacron-wrapped-
stery (other fabrics available); delivery: foam fill, and leather upholstery (also
2–4 weeks; price: $2,100 available in Ultrasuede); delivery: 3–6
days; price: $1,798
4 HARRINGTON CHAIR
BY JONATHAN ADLER 9 TABARIN ARMCHAIR
“A bit retro-Asian, a bit Hollywood BY POLTRONA FRAU
glamour,” says Lydon, “so it works “Definitely a man’s chair,” pro-
with many styles.” Jeffers admires nounces Lydon. “I can see my hus-
its detailing and finishes. “The band retreating here with his laptop
carved legs and button tufting are and tons of work.” Jeffers concurs,
lovely, especially at this price.” but points out the fine workmanship
and detailing, including the leather-
Height: 29"; width: 34"; depth: 33"; seat covered nailheads: “That’s unique.”
height: 17"; material: wood frame in
espresso finish (other finishes available) Height: 36"; width: 31.5"; depth: 37.5"; seat
with down-wrapped-foam fill (all-polyester height: 17"; material: beechwood frame in
fill also available) and polyester uphol- dark-walnut finish with horsehair padding
stery (other fabrics available); delivery: and down cushion, and leather upholstery
8–10 weeks; price: $1,495 and nailhead trim (other colors available);
delivery: 12–14 weeks; price: $5,450
5 THORNTON CHAIR
BY KRAVET FURNITURE 10 ARMCHAIR BY NATUZZI
“This one’s definitely a she,” Jeffers “Every home needs one of these,”
pronounces. “It’s got feminine lines said Lydon, flopping down and throw-
and its profile tapers nicely.” Lydon ing one leg over an arm. “It’s like an
also considers it refined and elegant, English club chair that’s gone skiing
and is especially taken with the fabric in Jackson Hole.” Jeffers notes that
and color. “Mohair is soft but hardy, its thin arms allow for a wider seat.
and holds its shape,” she says. “And “It’s the ultimate for relaxation,” he
pink—what a novel choice!” notes. “Rustic but sophisticated, and
perfect for a brandy by a roaring fire.”
Height: 33.5"; width: 34"; depth: 34.5"; seat
height: 22"; material: hardwood frame in Height: 34"; width: 35"; depth: 37"; seat
mahogany finish (other finishes available) height: 18"; material: wood frame in
with foam-and-fiber fill and mohair uphol- wenge finish with foam-and-fiber fill and
stery (other fabrics available); delivery: cowhide upholstery (other fabrics avail-
6–8 weeks; price: $3,400 able); delivery: 12 weeks; price: $2,179

The opinions featured are those of ELLE DECOR’s guest experts and do not necessarily represent those of the editors. All measurements, delivery times, and prices are approximate. For details see Resources.

44

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great ideas

2

1 3 4 1: PIETER ESTERSOHN; 2: PIERRE-OLIVIER DESCHAMPS/VU; 3: ANSON SMART; 4: GILLES TRILLARD; 5: ANDREA FERRARI
5
hold it!

The best storage designs not only eliminate
clutter, they add a great deal of style

1 An Art Deco rosewood writing table by André Sornay holds memen-

tos and accessories in a cerused-oak walk-in closet designed by

Fox-Nahem for a Manhattan duplex; the 1940s light fixture is Murano

glass. 2 In a Paris house, decorator Jacques Grange installed a rolling

ladder to maximize access to storage in a client’s oak-clad dressing

room. 3 At her home in Clovelly, Australia, decorative artist Georgina

Carless eliminates kitchen clutter by placing her appliances behind

doors she hand-painted with cherry blossoms and birds. 4 Designer

Andrée Putman creates the illusion of a floating armoire in a children’s

room in a Paris townhouse by recessing the shelves and drawers and

concealing them with deep, bifold doors. 5 A coatroom in Corinne

Stuckens’s house in Bruges becomes an impromptu gallery for family

portraits; the lantern is by architect Vincent Van Duysen.

46 ELLEDECOR.COM

©2005 GINGER® A MASCO COMPANY ®

Surface

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product design by victor hoernig, idsa

daniel’s dish Beef chili served with a rich
and grainy corn bread can ban-
ish the mid-winter blues. The
Tramonto bowl and dinner plate
and the pewter spoon are by
Vietri; the linen napkins are by
ABH Design. See Resources.

rich and grainy corn bread, are all great accompa-
niments. Leftovers can be frozen or diluted to make
soup. And it’s a great potluck dish to bring to a party.

For my recipe, the ingredient list is long, but the
process is simple. Making fresh chili powder is not
difficult (though be sure to wear plastic gloves when
working with chilies) and adds a complexity and sub-
tle heat that chili powder from a jar just can’t match.
If you can, use Mexican oregano, which has more of a
punch. And feel free to personalize this dish, varying
the spiciness, or adding scallions, avocado, grated
cheese, sour cream or crème fraîche, lime, or even
more finely-grated jalapeño.

the big heat CHILI ANTONIS ACHILLEOS; FOOD PREPARATION: FABRIZZIO SALERNI

A warm and spicy bowl of chili may be 4 ancho chili peppers
winter’s most welcome meal 4 pasilla chili peppers
4 guajillo chili peppers
By Daniel Boulud 2 arbol chili peppers
2 piquin chili peppers
Every culture, it seems, has its own version of a tomato 1 small habanero chili pepper
and meat dish. For Italians, it’s the classic Bolognese 2 T masa harina or fine polenta
sauce. The Spanish have carne picada. And when 2 limes: 1 zested finely, both juiced
I was a child, I loved pommes Parmentier, braised 2 T extra-virgin olive oil
beef and tomatoes layered with potatoes. But I only 4 lbs. beef chuck roast or flatiron steak: half cut into
had my first encounter with Mexican chili after I came
to New York to work in restaurants. The staff meal in 1/2-inch cubes, the remainder ground or finely chopped
any restaurant is always an eclectic affair, due to the 4 oz. slab bacon, cut into large chunks
variety of nationalities in the kitchen. But chili was a 1 large onion, cut into large cubes
perennial favorite, and there was inevitably compe- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
tition to see who could make the best version. 1 T cumin
1 T Mexican oregano or dried oregano
No wonder chili is so popular: It’s practical, afford- 1 T salt
able, delicious, and great for feeding a large family 1 T red-wine vinegar
or group. Rice and beans, polenta, or, my choice, a 1 T Worcestershire sauce
5 large tomatoes, blanched, peeled, and roughly

chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

In a dry nonstick skillet over medium heat, toast the
chili peppers on all sides for 5 to 7 minutes. (Wear
plastic gloves whenever working with chilies.) Do
not let the peppers burn.When peppers have cooled,
remove the seeds and veins and blend the chilies in
a spice grinder (this will make more chili powder than
needed for the recipe; store the remainder).

Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 300°F.
Mix the masa harina with the lime zest and juice and
31/2 cups water. Heat the olive oil in a deep cast-
iron pot over high heat. Add the beef cubes and
sear until golden brown on all sides, 7 to 8 minutes.
Remove the beef and wipe the pot clean. Lower the
temperature to medium high. Add the bacon and
cook until it renders its fat. Add the onion, garlic,

48 ELLEDECOR.COM