Issuu

FLOWER SEPTâ€¢OCT 2020

HOUSE l GARDEN l LIFESTYLE

cozy & elegant

COMFORT + TEA WITH INDIA HICKS

Fall Floral & Garden Inspiration AT HOME WITH NINA CAMPBELL

PHOTO BY CLAIRE TAKACS

SEPTEMBER•OCTOBER 2020

Contents FEATURES

The Big Picture

With a focus on historical authenticity and storied antiques, designer Matthew Patrick Smyth brings classic style and intriguing character to a Westport, Connecticut, home

Time Is of the Essence

Rather than designing from the inside out, Andrea Filippone listened to the land

London Charming

To celebrate the Chelsea Flower Show and a friend’s new book, English design icon Nina Campbell hosted a stylishly floral dinner party at home. She shares some of her entertaining and design wisdom with Flower

Designing North Toward Home

PHOTO BY CLAIRE TAKACS

James Farmer decorates a weekend retreat for a young family in Connecticut, giving it country-house style that nods to the owner’s Southern roots

“Just living isn’t enough,” said the butterfly. “One must also have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.” –HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN

ON THE COVER: A marbleized wallpaper backs a bookcase in the living room of a Westport, Connecticut, home designed by James

Farmer (page 60). Photographed by Jeff Herr

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Contents

DEPARTMENTS

SCENE

We’ve got our eyes on...

Goods inspired by Australian botanicals; chic new hotels; fresh collaborations; and books on homes, gardens, and entertaining

IN BLOOM

Decorate: Q&A

A new garden-focused textile line from artist Alexis Walter

Decorate: Flowers

Sculptural arrangements from Holly Vesecky of Hollyflora in ceramic containers made by her husband, Josh Beckman

IN EVERY ISSUE Watering Can 6 What’s Online 15 Sources 70 At the Table 72

Decorate: Mood

Furniture, fashion, and jewelry that take a cue from the guys

Entertain

India Hicks shares family teatime stories from her new book, An Entertaining Story

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FLOWER

September•October 2020

PHOTOS BY BRITTAN GOETZ (PORTRAIT), SHELLY STRAZIS (FLOWERS), INGRID WEIR (INTERIOR), AND DAVID HILLEGAS (TABLETOP)

Watering can

A Note from the Editor

“I’ll light the fire; you place the flowers in the vase that you bought today.” —GRAHAM NASH

evocative. I see Joni Mitchell (Nash’s love interest at the time of his penning the song “Our House”) in their Laurel Canyon garden cutting a poetic mix of California blooms and arranging them in a pretty bohemian hand-thrown vase, as Graham, his rail-thin self, kneels down before the fireplace tossing crumpled-up pages of Rolling Stone magazine into the logs for kindling. At this moment in America and most likely everywhere else, we’re all still experiencing the joys and, for some, the monotony of home more than at any other time in history. This season in our culture has done nothing if not given us a renewed interest in and an awareness of our surroundings, inside and out, along with the isolated moments that capture our imagination and imprint on our psyche. A moment full of color, beauty, and conviviality that left an indelible impression in my heart was a dinner party hosted for me by Nina Campbell in her jauntily ingenuous London house. A mélange of mementos, impossibly chic and understated furnishings—some of her own design—and a few clever design fillips, Nina’s private residence was the perfect backdrop for an unforgettable evening. Richly layered and thoughtfully created over time by

architect and landscape designer Andrea Filippone, Jardin de Buis is a transportive romance set in rural northern New Jersey. Its maze of garden rooms populated with carefully curated elements, like seemingly unkempt plantings, urns, muted paint colors, and reclaimed greenhouses, offers subtle surprises. Family treasures and traditions are woven into a crisp James Farmer–designed New England home, while Matthew Patrick Smyth scales down spaces to foster intimacy and mixes periods, finishes, and heirlooms in a Georgian Revival–style house in Connecticut. And India Hicks treats us to a glimpse of her mother’s iconic family teatime ritual, complete with must do’s and a recipe for chocolate brownies with fresh raspberries. My fondest hope is that the words and pictures in these pages will inspire you to look and see and treasure these days at home, as we move into the even more hearthcentric season—and my favorite season—autumn. Love and SDG,

Margot Shaw EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Please send your comments, triumphs, challenges & questions to: wateringcan@flowermag.com OR Letters to the Editor | Flower magazine

P.O. Box 530645

Get the Flower email newsletter! Sign up at flowermag.com/news

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FLOWER

September•October 2020

Birmingham, AL 35253

PORTRAIT BY BETH HONTZAS

THIS SIMPLE QUOTIDIAN INSTRUCTION IS SO

PORTRAIT BY BETH HONTZAS

VOLUME 14, ISSUE 5

Margot Shaw FOUNDER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Alice Welsh Doyle EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Ellen S. Padgett CREATIVE DIRECTOR Amanda Smith Fowler STYLE EDITOR Kirk Reed Forrester ASSOCIATE EDITOR Kate Johnson PRODUCTION/COPY EDITOR Gregory Keyes INTEGRATED OPERATIONS MANAGER EDITOR-AT-LARGE

Karen Carroll CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Courtney Barnes Cathy Still McGowin Abby Braswell Charlotte Moss James Farmer Troy Rhone Marion Laffey Fox Matthew Robbins Tara Guérard Margaret Zainey Roux Frances MacDougall Frances Schultz Tovah Martin Lydia Somerville Sybil Sylvester For editorial inquiries: editorial@flowermag.com

Julie Durkee PUBLISHER Jennel O’Brien DIRECTOR OF MARKETING Susan Sutton SENIOR MARKETING MANAGER REGIONAL ACCOUNT DIRECTORS

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Terri Robertson DIGITAL MEDIA MANAGER BUSINESS OFFICE

Silvia Rider GENERAL MANAGER Patrick Toomey ACCOUNTANT Lisa Mitchell SENIOR MANAGER CUSTOMER SERVICE

For change of address and subscription inquiries: 877.400.3074 or flower@emailcustomerservice.com ADVISORY BOARD

Paula Crockard Winn Crockard Gavin Duke Gay Estes Katie Baker Lasker Maloy Love Mary Evelyn McKee Michael Mundy

Ben Page Angèle Parlange Renny Reynolds Scott Shepherd Remco van Vliet Evie Vare Carleton Varney Louise Wrinkle

Chicago

Dallas

Detroit

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www.hickorychair.com

Naples

New York

PHOTOS BY INGRID WEIR

The Susan Hable Collection

W h a t We ’ v e G o t O u r E y e s O n

Scene

TEXTILE ARTISTS

Utopia Goods THE AUSTRALIAN COMPANY BRINGS LOCAL FLORA TO THE HOME By Alice Welsh Doyle

PHOTOS BY INGRID WEIR

CLOCKWISE FROM BELOW: Utopia Goods Matchstick Banksia blue toiletry bag ($45) • Madras Lilac baby quilt ($240) or queen-size quilt ($595) • Imperial Waratah indigo fabric on chairs • Bruce Slorach and Sophie Tatlow of Utopia Goods • Wattle Raspberry napkins ($59/set of 2)

TEP INSIDE OUR TEXTILE

Jungle” beckons Australiabased Utopia Goods on its homepage. Indeed, admirers of the line love the explosion of color and pattern—all handcrafted and inspired by exotic Australian botanicals— that dance across pillows, laminated trays, dinner napkins, scarves, jaunty handbags, and makeup pouches. Founders and designers Bruce Slorach and Sophie Tatlow ensure that each piece created uses the renowned textile craft of India. The latest collection, Precious, draws attention to Australian endangered plants, including the fragrant seeded wattle flower and the flowering matchstick banksia. usa.utopiagoods.com

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Scene WHAT WE’VE GOT OUR EYES ON ...

CHIC OUTPOSTS Beloved hotels are opening up new locations this year. Nantucket’s iconic White Elephant debuts a new spot in Palm Beach, bringing its legendary hospitality to a more Southern clime. With only 13 rooms and nine suites, each with a private outdoor space, the reinvented landmark property on Sunset Avenue feels intimate and estate-like. Their signature restaurant, Lola 41, will focus on local seafood and globally inspired cuisine. Opening in November; whiteelephantpalmbeach.com The Quirk Hotel in Richmond, a favorite of Flower editors, is expanding its rhapsody in pink with a Charlottesville location on Main Street, the first boutique art hotel in the beautiful college town. Like its sister, the hotel features a rooftop bar, among other dining options, and an art and gift gallery with rotating exhibits, trunk shows, and lectures. destinationhotels.com/quirk-charlottesville

LEFT TO RIGHT: The White Elephant Palm Beach • A guest room at the Quirk Hotel Charlottesville

SHOWROOM NEWS

Lee Jofa + Carrier and Company Jesse Carrier and Mara Miller, the principal designers of Carrier and Company Interiors, have teamed up with Lee Jofa for a collection of 36 fabrics and 11 wallcoverings inspired by their Hudson Valley home in Dutchess County, New York. The sophisticated selection includes florals, stripes, hand-block prints, and textural fabrics with cut velvet detailing and chenille-and-linen blends. “In the history, landscape, and charm of the Hudson Valley, one can see the influence of rolling fields, open sky, serpentine stone walls, and the silhouette of distant mountains in the colors and patterns of the collection,” say Jesse and Mara. The collection was born in the country but travels well to town and through time.” kravet.com

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FLOWER

September•October 2020

The Art of Craftsmanship We have long admired the handcrafted jewelry created in Italian ateliers. Fortunately, a group of companies is determined to keep the traditions alive. The familyowned jewelry firm Vendorafa, founded in 1951, along with other Italian designers have created the Mani Intelligenti (Smart Hands) Foundation, devoted to the preservation and development of handcrafted skills with a goal to find, teach, and place 1,000 students over the next three years. After training in goldsmithing, stone setting, and finishing, the graduates will be employed by Vendorafa or other members of the foundation. “We believe that the preservation of these arts comes only from exposure and education and the promise of opportunity,” says Daniela Lombardi, creative director of Vendorafa. vendorafa.net and maniintelligenti.it/en ABOVE: 18-karat gold ring with champagne diamonds and fancy sapphire and ruby petals, $11,000 BELOW: 18-karat gold cuff with emeralds, fancy sapphires, and amethysts $31,000

PHOTOS (BOTTOM) BY SHELLY STRAZIS

Feeling Rosy The rose is celebrated for its scent, its medicinal qualities, and, of course, its beauty, so we want doses of it every day. We have fallen back in love with the classic chintzes from Rose Cummings, the New York City decorating doyenne who introduced the fabric and paved the way for its popularity with designers like the late Mario Buatta. There is comfort and cheer in each print, and with new ownership by Lauren Hudson of Wells Design in Houston, Texas, we can expect to see more of the archives go into production. Another lover of chintz, designer Richard Keith Langham welcomed the news: “I am thrilled this wonderful line will be preserved and celebrated. Carisbrook is one of my favorites—long live a bold chintz.” wellstextiles.com We also like to indulge in some plant-based beauty products from the Organic Rose Phyto3 line from Peak Scents with its signature blend of rose and açai stem cells, peptides, essential oils, and superfruit extracts. “When I developed the Rose Phyto3 line, I was determined to utilize the healthiest and most effective ingredients available,” says founder DeeAnn Tracy. “When I discovered the Alpine rose stem cell active from Switzerland, I knew this would be a key part of the formula. This rose grows at high altitudes and has to adapt to extreme weather conditions. As a result, this plant helps our skin guard against everyday stressors such as UV damage and dryness.” The facial mist with pomegranate extract and vitamin C is a must on your desk for a midday pick-me-up. For your bedside table, there’s a night cream that features hyaluronic acid, known for its anti-aging properties. From $20 for the facial mist, peakscents.com

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE LEFT: Rose

Cummings • 100% cotton Cumming Rose chintz in Camel, Pink, Blue, Taupe, and Rose • A selection of products from the Organic Rose Phyto3 Collection from Peak Scents

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