Artistic Interiors: Designing with Fine Art Collections by Suzanne Lovell

ARTISTIC INTERIORS

Front jacket photograph by Tony Soluri Back jacket photograph by Billy Cunningham - David DeArmas Author photograph by Jessica Tampas Book design by Doug Turshen, with David Huang

115 West 18th Street New York, NY 10011 w w w.stcbooks.com P r i nte d i n Ch i n a

U.S. $60.00 / Can. $69.00 / U.K. £39.99

ISBN 978-1-58479-936-8

9 781584 799368

56000

SUZ ANNE LOVELL

Architect and interior designer Suzanne Lovell is the principal of Chicago-based Suzanne Lovell, Inc. and founder of Twill Textiles. Her work is regularly featured in Architectural Digest—she has twice been included in “The AD 100 Top Architects and Designers”—as well as House Beautiful, Interiors, and Veranda. She is widely respected as an exper t on ar t, antiques, textiles, and furnishings and is a sought-after lecturer addressing the topics of passionate collecting and the intelligent integration of architectural interiors. Her latest venture, Ar tistic Collection Advisory, offers the collector a customized and curatorial approach to the research, installation, and management of valued fine ar t collections.

ARTISTIC INTERIORS

Designing with Fine Art Collections

SUZANNE LOVELL

U.S. $60.00 Canada $69.00 U.K. £39.99

ARTISTIC INTERIORS

BY SUZ A N N E LOV EL L Ar tistic Interiors is an ex traordinar y volume featuring the work of prestigious architectural interior designer Suzanne Lovell. Hundreds of full-color photographs feature her unique approach toward designing couture environments that create an expressive home through the integration of architecture, sophisticated materials, and f ine ar t. Exploring more than a dozen residences, Lovell takes the reader on a journey through homes with sumptuous interiors, f inely craf ted details, and exceptional collections.

A lifestyle architect practicing at the intersection of architecture and interiors, design and ar t, Lovell’s work incorporates an expansive array of paintings, drawings and photography, ceramics and sculpture, tex tiles, custom furnishings, and antiques. Suzanne Lovell is the go-to designer for the passionate collector, and Ar tistic Interiors offers a glimpse into her distinct design process through striking images of her work.

contents

page 9

pag e 13

page 33

pag e 51

page 75

INTRODUCTION

WHERE THE BUFFALO ROAM

JAZZ AGE REVIVAL

LAKE HOUSE MODERN

ART OF THE VESSEL

page 89

page 105

pag e 133

pag e 153

pag e 173

page 189

GLAMOUR WITH A VOICE

A FEATHERED NEST

ART OF THE VIEW

A PASSION FOR PORTRAITURE

COUTURE BY DESIGN

AMERICAN WHIMSY

page 207

page 223

page 246

page 252

page 254

page 256

SHEDDING LIGHT

JAPANESE BOX

ART INDEX

RESOURCES

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

PHOTO CREDITS

contents

page 9

pag e 13

page 33

pag e 51

page 75

INTRODUCTION

WHERE THE BUFFALO ROAM

JAZZ AGE REVIVAL

LAKE HOUSE MODERN

ART OF THE VESSEL

page 89

page 105

pag e 133

pag e 153

pag e 173

page 189

GLAMOUR WITH A VOICE

A FEATHERED NEST

ART OF THE VIEW

A PASSION FOR PORTRAITURE

COUTURE BY DESIGN

AMERICAN WHIMSY

page 207

page 223

page 246

page 252

page 254

page 256

SHEDDING LIGHT

JAPANESE BOX

ART INDEX

RESOURCES

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

PHOTO CREDITS

A

superb example of art deco design, this home is in an

architecturally signif icant residential building in Chicago. It features high-ceilinged, beautifully propor tioned and detailed rooms—notable for their long, tall windows—in what was one of the

city’s first apar tment towers to offer duplexes. And it has an unexpected layout. One enters on

the top floor, where the public rooms are situated, and descends to the master suite. We were delighted by the oppor tunity to work in such a storied place, and with an interesting client—a jazz-loving New Orleans native (Ella Fitzgerald’s photo adorns her desk) who is also a successful, high-profile businesswoman. Our task was to enhance the apar tment’s architectural elements and to evaluate and answer the aesthetic needs of the décor, especially for enter taining.

The apar tment’s original design language included very tall, thin-framed bronze-and-glass doors that heightened the elegance of the rooms’ generous propor tions. We repeated that language—in some instances through the use of paint, as with the addition of a dark line to the doorways, beginning at the entry foyer. This repetition strengthened the authority of each por tal and created continuity throughout the residence.

To establish balance between the communicating living and dining rooms—the apar tment’s two great showplace spaces—we anchored the far ends of each, with a pair of French deco wrought-iron gates in the former, and twin antique ikat textile panels in the latter. The living room’s predominance of gray cried out for more color, which we delivered with blazing jolts of red in the horsehair upholstery on the chairs and sofa pillows, all of which spoke to the ruby-like glass top of the client’s writing desk. The dining room demanded density; we grounded the existing four mirror-topped tables, which can be configured in multiple ways, with richly upholstered walls and an application of warm platinum leaf to the ceiling.

A lyrical bronze by the Chicago sculptor Richard Hunt captures the light in a corner of this glamorous deco-era duplex apartment.

SUZ ANNE LOVELL

34

A r t i st i c Inte r i o r s

JA Z Z AGE REVIVAL

35

SUZ ANNE LOVELL

A

superb example of art deco design, this home is in an

architecturally signif icant residential building in Chicago. It features high-ceilinged, beautifully propor tioned and detailed rooms—notable for their long, tall windows—in what was one of the

city’s first apar tment towers to offer duplexes. And it has an unexpected layout. One enters on

the top floor, where the public rooms are situated, and descends to the master suite. We were delighted by the oppor tunity to work in such a storied place, and with an interesting client—a jazz-loving New Orleans native (Ella Fitzgerald’s photo adorns her desk) who is also a successful, high-profile businesswoman. Our task was to enhance the apar tment’s architectural elements and to evaluate and answer the aesthetic needs of the décor, especially for enter taining.

The apar tment’s original design language included very tall, thin-framed bronze-and-glass doors that heightened the elegance of the rooms’ generous propor tions. We repeated that language—in some instances through the use of paint, as with the addition of a dark line to the doorways, beginning at the entry foyer. This repetition strengthened the authority of each por tal and created continuity throughout the residence.

To establish balance between the communicating living and dining rooms—the apar tment’s two great showplace spaces—we anchored the far ends of each, with a pair of French deco wrought-iron gates in the former, and twin antique ikat textile panels in the latter. The living room’s predominance of gray cried out for more color, which we delivered with blazing jolts of red in the horsehair upholstery on the chairs and sofa pillows, all of which spoke to the ruby-like glass top of the client’s writing desk. The dining room demanded density; we grounded the existing four mirror-topped tables, which can be configured in multiple ways, with richly upholstered walls and an application of warm platinum leaf to the ceiling.

A lyrical bronze by the Chicago sculptor Richard Hunt captures the light in a corner of this glamorous deco-era duplex apartment.

SUZ ANNE LOVELL

34

A r t i st i c Inte r i o r s

JA Z Z AGE REVIVAL

35

SUZ ANNE LOVELL

deliver a vitalizing jolt of modernity.

The predominance of pale blue in the color palette—which might have tipped over into sweetness—is given mystery and allure through striking infusions of black, notably in the por tal between the rooms, the vintage furniture pieces, and the living room’s supremely chic Baccarat chandelier. Reflective silver leaf on the living room wall and crown moldings, custom-designed mirrored nightstands flanking the bed, and gleaming lacquerwork extend and animate the spaces, drawing in the bright lights of the city. Given my client’s discerning fashion sense—her appreciation for the well-turned detail—I treated cer tain elements like couture. The tie-backs for the silk draperies, for example, combine leather and linen, and a strongly architectural weave structure of

The girl in the painting overlooks the gilt metal French deco table, surrounded by horsehair-upholstered stools—all perched atop a customdesigned carpet featuring a plan of Milan, international capital of fashion and our client’s favorite destination. The black glass tabletop finds a spectacular echo directly above, in the rare black Baccarat chandelier.

SUZ ANNE LOVELL

94

A r t i s t i c In t e r i o r s

BELLE EPOQUE

95

SUZ ANNE LOVELL

deliver a vitalizing jolt of modernity.

The predominance of pale blue in the color palette—which might have tipped over into sweetness—is given mystery and allure through striking infusions of black, notably in the por tal between the rooms, the vintage furniture pieces, and the living room’s supremely chic Baccarat chandelier. Reflective silver leaf on the living room wall and crown moldings, custom-designed mirrored nightstands flanking the bed, and gleaming lacquerwork extend and animate the spaces, drawing in the bright lights of the city. Given my client’s discerning fashion sense—her appreciation for the well-turned detail—I treated cer tain elements like couture. The tie-backs for the silk draperies, for example, combine leather and linen, and a strongly architectural weave structure of

The girl in the painting overlooks the gilt metal French deco table, surrounded by horsehair-upholstered stools—all perched atop a customdesigned carpet featuring a plan of Milan, international capital of fashion and our client’s favorite destination. The black glass tabletop finds a spectacular echo directly above, in the rare black Baccarat chandelier.

SUZ ANNE LOVELL

94

A r t i s t i c In t e r i o r s

BELLE EPOQUE

95

SUZ ANNE LOVELL

The turtle sitting on the rock closely observes Greg Lauren’s Girl in a Wedding Dress—suspended on slender cables from anchors in the millwork. Creating the mural, executed in verre églomisé—back-painted glass—involved drawing the views that gave magical depth to the rooms, transferring the drawings to the glass with pen and ink, and finally adding layers of dramatic cloudy blue-gray color.

SUZ ANNE LOVELL

96

A r t i s t i c In t e r i o r s

BELLE EPOQUE

97

SUZ ANNE LOVELL

The turtle sitting on the rock closely observes Greg Lauren’s Girl in a Wedding Dress—suspended on slender cables from anchors in the millwork. Creating the mural, executed in verre églomisé—back-painted glass—involved drawing the views that gave magical depth to the rooms, transferring the drawings to the glass with pen and ink, and finally adding layers of dramatic cloudy blue-gray color.

SUZ ANNE LOVELL

96

A r t i s t i c In t e r i o r s

BELLE EPOQUE

97

SUZ ANNE LOVELL

w

hen a client has a great sense of personal style

(one reflected in her appreciation of and taste for haute couture), a thoughtfully selected por tfolio of superb classic and contemporary furniture, and an ar t collection that includes such presentday masters as Glenn Ligon, Maren Hassinger, Julie Mehretu, and Greg Lauren, a designer’s task becomes one of editing, curation, and, crucially, capturing a tone. In this instance, the required tone was one of urbanity expressed as a spare modern elegance, with an overlay of muted glamour that could, on the one hand, dazzle a living room filled with guests and, on the other, act as a restorative private tonic.

Seeking an ideal distillation of our client’s sensibilities—one that would enable us to set the stage in an apar tment that required vir tually no architectural intervention—we introduced two works by the contemporary Korean ar tist Keysook Geum. Her remarkable “web” dresses— sculptural objects that capture the fluid beauty of fashion and the female form using papercoated, interlocking wire webs that suggest the pulse-quick connectivity of the Internet—seemed to synthesize my client’s complexity as a connoisseur of fashion, informed collector of ar t, and formidable businesswoman.

Essential to the design were sumptuousness and sophistication. Thus, the club chair by the fire is upholstered in crocodile, goatskin shades are paired with Parisian ar tist Ingrid Donat’s cast-bronze lamps on either side of the fireplace, and an antelope-skin throw drapes the elegant suede Barcelona chaise that bridges the living and dining areas. The antique garden rug from Doris Leslie Blau, in shades of gray, cool blue, and taupe, combines symmetry with ornament. As the apar tment has only a modest amount of furniture, we paid special attention to details that would suggest the use of each of its zones. In the dining area, for example, a table skir t makes the space

A 2005 “web” dress by the contemporary Korean artist Keysook Geum, made from red paper–wrapped wire and coral, captures the sophistication of this high-floor Chicago pied-àterre—and of our fashion-forward client.

SUZ ANNE LOVELL

174

A r t i s t i c In t e r i o r s

COUTURE BY DESIGN

175

SUZ ANNE LOVELL

w

hen a client has a great sense of personal style

(one reflected in her appreciation of and taste for haute couture), a thoughtfully selected por tfolio of superb classic and contemporary furniture, and an ar t collection that includes such presentday masters as Glenn Ligon, Maren Hassinger, Julie Mehretu, and Greg Lauren, a designer’s task becomes one of editing, curation, and, crucially, capturing a tone. In this instance, the required tone was one of urbanity expressed as a spare modern elegance, with an overlay of muted glamour that could, on the one hand, dazzle a living room filled with guests and, on the other, act as a restorative private tonic.

Seeking an ideal distillation of our client’s sensibilities—one that would enable us to set the stage in an apar tment that required vir tually no architectural intervention—we introduced two works by the contemporary Korean ar tist Keysook Geum. Her remarkable “web” dresses— sculptural objects that capture the fluid beauty of fashion and the female form using papercoated, interlocking wire webs that suggest the pulse-quick connectivity of the Internet—seemed to synthesize my client’s complexity as a connoisseur of fashion, informed collector of ar t, and formidable businesswoman.

Essential to the design were sumptuousness and sophistication. Thus, the club chair by the fire is upholstered in crocodile, goatskin shades are paired with Parisian ar tist Ingrid Donat’s cast-bronze lamps on either side of the fireplace, and an antelope-skin throw drapes the elegant suede Barcelona chaise that bridges the living and dining areas. The antique garden rug from Doris Leslie Blau, in shades of gray, cool blue, and taupe, combines symmetry with ornament. As the apar tment has only a modest amount of furniture, we paid special attention to details that would suggest the use of each of its zones. In the dining area, for example, a table skir t makes the space

A 2005 “web” dress by the contemporary Korean artist Keysook Geum, made from red paper–wrapped wire and coral, captures the sophistication of this high-floor Chicago pied-àterre—and of our fashion-forward client.

SUZ ANNE LOVELL

174

A r t i s t i c In t e r i o r s

COUTURE BY DESIGN

175

SUZ ANNE LOVELL

ARTISTIC INTERIORS

Front jacket photograph by Tony Soluri Back jacket photograph by Billy Cunningham - David DeArmas Author photograph by Jessica Tampas Book design by Doug Turshen, with David Huang

115 West 18th Street New York, NY 10011 w w w.stcbooks.com P r i nte d i n Ch i n a

U.S. $60.00 / Can. $69.00 / U.K. £39.99

ISBN 978-1-58479-936-8

9 781584 799368

56000

SUZ ANNE LOVELL

Architect and interior designer Suzanne Lovell is the principal of Chicago-based Suzanne Lovell, Inc. and founder of Twill Textiles. Her work is regularly featured in Architectural Digest—she has twice been included in “The AD 100 Top Architects and Designers”—as well as House Beautiful, Interiors, and Veranda. She is widely respected as an exper t on ar t, antiques, textiles, and furnishings and is a sought-after lecturer addressing the topics of passionate collecting and the intelligent integration of architectural interiors. Her latest venture, Ar tistic Collection Advisory, offers the collector a customized and curatorial approach to the research, installation, and management of valued fine ar t collections.

ARTISTIC INTERIORS

Designing with Fine Art Collections

SUZANNE LOVELL

U.S. $60.00 Canada $69.00 U.K. £39.99

ARTISTIC INTERIORS

BY SUZ A N N E LOV EL L Ar tistic Interiors is an ex traordinar y volume featuring the work of prestigious architectural interior designer Suzanne Lovell. Hundreds of full-color photographs feature her unique approach toward designing couture environments that create an expressive home through the integration of architecture, sophisticated materials, and f ine ar t. Exploring more than a dozen residences, Lovell takes the reader on a journey through homes with sumptuous interiors, f inely craf ted details, and exceptional collections.

A lifestyle architect practicing at the intersection of architecture and interiors, design and ar t, Lovell’s work incorporates an expansive array of paintings, drawings and photography, ceramics and sculpture, tex tiles, custom furnishings, and antiques. Suzanne Lovell is the go-to designer for the passionate collector, and Ar tistic Interiors offers a glimpse into her distinct design process through striking images of her work.