History and good design go hand in hand. Using classic colors, materials, and handmade objects makes a home feel warm, beautiful, and lasting.
Brown Sugar
Classic neutrals are not trendy, which is exactly what has made them a trend in our risk-averse style universe. We always crave change, however, so they’re getting sweeter and moving into chocolate, cocoa, and vanilla tones.
Today’s Home
Hickory Chair’s Marquesa sectional anchors this eternally appealing room with the cool vibe of 20th century Italian design. A relaxed profile finished with classy tuxedo arms rests on an American Ash plinth base. The feeling is continued in a sexily modern wing chair and a Klismos-inspired side chair. Rendered in deep chocolate and ivory, the setting invites deep relaxation.
Louis Anthony
This dazzling natural brown diamond intrigues us with its earthy beauty. Set in platinum and accented with white diamonds, the ring suggests that Mother Nature knows best when it comes to color and shine.
Feathers
The Dahlia placemat by Chilewich gleams with classic beauty. Joined by dip-dyed napkins from Kim Seybert, it becomes especially sensual in its appeal. Available at Feathers.
Weisshouse
A twist of trim draws the eye. Deliciously worked clay and a sumptuous brown glaze combine in a bowl you will keep forever.
The Good Stuff
Financial markets suggest that, in troubled times, investors seek safety in quality. The same goes for home furnishings! Noble choices in materials, finishes, and accessories reassure with stable voices and enduring appeal.
James Mohn Design
Architect and interior designer James Mohn shares with TABLE a glimpse of a dining and family room he’s putting together as part of a substantial reimagining of a 1929 Ingham and Boyd house built in the style of a Norman chateau. Verdigris bronze vases and dark wood finishes bring an intensity to otherwise classic choices of Holland and Sherry Chilean tweeds, Venetian-inspired printed cottons from Le Gracieux, and trims from Samuel and Sons. The intricate marquetry floors of the room are by Peiser Floors. Important depth comes into the picture from a 19th century marble mantlepiece from England and a delicious antique Chinese rug from Doris Leslie Blau. As always, Mohn quietly seasons his work with found objects and art. “Every well-thought-out room needs the warmth and tactility of the handmade. Time-worn hints of history take us somewhere important. Together, all the details lead to a sensuous, layered experience for the eye and the hand.”
Orr’s Jewelers
A fine watch celebrates traditional craftsmanship and technological precision. There’s no men’s style stamen more reassuring than that! Shown here, clockwise from top left: Breitling Chronomat 42 NFL Steelers Edition, Oris Big Crown Pointer Date, Cartier Santos de Cartier, Panerai Submersible Luna Rossa, Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Classic Small Seconds, Bell & Ross BR03 Skeleton Lum Ceramic, IWC Pilot’s Watch 41 Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Edition, Tudor Black Bay Chrono, Breitling B01 Chronograph 43 Navitimer, and IWC Ingeniuer Automatic 40.
Chelsea Textiles
Havisham fabric from Chelsea Textiles is another example of faded grandeur, this time evoking Lady Havisham’s Dickensian country residence. The printed fabric is designed to appear naturally distressed in places, making it look as if it might have been done decades—or centuries—ago. This cotton and hemp blend comes in teal, seafoam, and fern.
DWR
The Atlason Composed Modular Sofa and Sectional is a new DWR gem by Icelandic designer Hlynur Atlason. Its various configurations connect and expand your seating options as far as your room and imagination will go. Visit DWR’s new showroom in the Strip District to see it in person.
Tile and Designs
Open up new depths in your bath or kitchen with Frondere Aqua’s serene blue-green hue and crackle glaze finish. Each tile features a subtle three-dimensional surface and a handmade look.
History Lessons
Rooted in the past, knowledge, craft, and memory combine to grow the next generation of design.
De Gournay
Rose Antiqued hand-painted Badminton chinoiserie on tarnished silver-gilded paper is an investment-grade wallcovering. But the look of faded grandeur is showing up everywhere in hotels and interior design, offering up the comforting and reassuring patinas of the past. This hand-painted beauty is newly launched. Its antiqued finish on a metallic ground was “inspired by the unexpectedly beautiful tarnish that a client’s panels acquired when she stored them in a humid attic.”
Studebaker Metals
This Pittsburgh-made artisanal cocktail strainer is made with a very basic set of hand-tools: a shear, a punch, and a few hammers and stakes. The skill of the maker brings it all together into an heirloom quality object that your grandchildren will marvel at decades in the future.
Today’s Home
Taylor King’s Collette banquet, Beauchamp chair, and Taylor Made sectional offer an updated take on English country style…with touch of modern whimsy. Florals, stripes, velvet, fringe, and pleats are layered together in a time-tested formula but in colors and patterns right for today.
Eddie Maestri
Details carefully noted while on a trip to France, including a stay at Château de Gudanes in the French Pyrenees, left designer Eddie Maestri with myriad lasting impressions: the way light softened stone, how rooms felt layered but never heavy, how nothing tried too hard. The mood board he shares with TABLE captures the mood of restraint, proportion, warmth, and a sense of lived-in elegance. The mix reflects the process of his studio, which includes studying details and collecting moments, and allowing them to make their way naturally into architecture and interiors.
Photos at upper left and right were taken by Maestri at the Château. They are visual notes of his time there. Sketches were quick drawings of the rooms and other details that caught his attention. Dried items were gathered near his office in Texas, organic shapes and colors that reminded him of his time in France. Other objects, like old keys, a framed chateau print, and a vintage oil portrait, come from his visits to French flea markets. Fabrics and materials come from Rosemary Hallgarten, Jane Clayton and Company, Schumacher, and de Le Cuona.
Artisanal Urges
When talented hands turn to fine materials, products that last a lifetime are often the outcome.
Danny Mankin
When we asked TABLE Contributing Editor Danny Mankin to share a selection of materials and objects that inspire him, he appeared with a treasure trove of textures, objects old and new, personal sketches, books, bits of jewelry, and more. They telegraphed important messages to ponder when diving into a creative project. Or life. Defining who you are is an act of constant discovery: you need to fall in love with the mysteries of what crosses your path and look for ways to layer their virtues into your vision. And, perhaps most important: Everything and everyone is a text to be pondered, which means hasty rejection and harshess have no place in a tender vision for living. Thank you, Danny. His Instagram feed is a testament to his journey.
Antiquarian Shop
The Bea Stool, offered in three colors, serves as flexible pull-up seating or as a water-safe end table. Indoors or outdoors.
Rosemary Hallgarten
Designer Hallgarten wanted to honor the past but look towards the future with her new Country Manor collection, photographing the sleek, modern pieces in Great Britain’s atmospheric Ashby Manor. The pieces are executed in classic fabrics and skins including silk, mohair, alpaca, and shearling, in warm in colors like deep cognac, soft camel, oxblood, and vintage green.
Brenda Friday Design
North Carolina’s Michael Noelle designs and hand-makes unique cigar pouches and handbags. Their Soigné Tote, both practical and beautiful, is ready to be your “go everywhere” bag.
Elitis
Shown as part of Déco Off during Paris Design Week earlier this year, this wall covering mixes raffia, linen, and wool. They are combined in a repeating pattern inspired by the Japanese concept of yūgen, which roughly translates as subtle grace or beauty, something not immediately obvious. The company calls it “a dialogue between emptiness and fullness through airy abstract patterns, faux plains with intricate textures, and playful knots.”
Florals for Spring
Groundbreaking. Yes, Miranda Priestley, we know: seasonal florals are hardly new. But some ideas endure for a reason: they seduce us with appealing color, pattern, and nostalgia.
Splurge
A potent sign of spring, cherry blossoms last just a moment. Prolong their message of freshness and renewal with a gorgeous porcelain vase.
Sourabh Gupta
Inventive artist Sourabh Gupta makes his handmade flowers in a workshop in East Harlem. All manner of raw materials (including paper towels, toilet paper, crepe paper, and more) come into play in the pursuit of perfect texture, color, and form. Discover his much-sought-after work on Instagram.
Antiquarian Shop
Handmade floral elements make up the surface of Julian Chichester’s ceramic Fairy lamps. Shown here with printed shades in petal colors, they come in two heights. Create your own side table or nightstand garden! Available at Antiquarian Shop.
Asian Influences
An antique Chinese cinnabar lacquer tray brings a hit of life and color to any room. This one has a carved central design of peony flowers, floral banding at the rim, and brass edging.
Jennifer Janeway Designs
Fair weather is here in shades of sky blue, coral, and sandy beaches. Designer Jennifer Janeway’s dreamily uplifting take on comfortable living is spot on. The coral wall covering is Thibaut Paper Rattan, and the lovely bird pattern is Phillip Jeffries Fable in Sepia Garden. Fabrics are all from Thibaut.
The Eye Must Travel
Famous Vogue editor Diana Vreeland said this truism decades ago. We need to refresh our eyes with new ideas in order to feel alive.
Elaine Yan Ling Ng
Designer and artist Elaine Yan Ling Ng, founder of The Fabrick Lab, blends traditional craftsmanship with technological innovation. Reverie Skin upholstery fabric is a collaboration with fashion designer Katerin Theys, developed at Ng’s Kwai Hing studio and knitting labs in Dongguan in Southern China. It is made from paper, copper, and lurex.
Splash
The Leo Sea Grey mosaic tile pattern captures the awesome beauty of a leopard’s spots in meticulously handcrafted natural stone tesserae. Also available in a Moca colorway, this pattern invites the eye to travel to safari country…without leaving home. Available at Splash.
Brenda Friday Design
Juts one benefit of working with an interior design professional is access to a deep library of fantastic textile patterns. Here, Brenda Friday enlivens a client’s home with throw pillows made of Schumacher’s Birds of Paradise fabric in a Chestnut colorway.
Henne
The Ivy necklace of hand-engraved gold beads with a diamond clasp comes from Italian designer Nanis. Made from 18k yellow gold, it shows the brand’s signature millerighe— meaning “thousand stripes”—hand-engraving technique. It gives each bead a gorgeously textured finish.
Jennie Bishop
Designer Jennie Bishop’s layered visual narrative takes up the hopeful energy of Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl. Bishop curates a thoughtful bringing together of found objects and personal pieces evoking emotion, vibrancy, and Swift’s ability to weave a compelling musical story. The palette was drawn from the album art—mint green fabrics, silver tones, and vibrant oranges—as well as the pop of champagne corks. Mirrored disco balls echo the sparkling costume Swift wears in the debut music video, while an ode to her signature red lip color anchors everything. Among the many inspiring objects Bishop shares with TABLE are a silky Samuel & Sons key tassel, a Chanel lipstick in Coco Flash, OPI Red Hot Rio nail polish, and two fabrics from Prelle.
Story by Keith Recker and Stephen Treffinger
Styling by Keith Recker
Principal photography by Dave Bryce
Subscribe to TABLE Magazine’s print edition.
