Cindy's Salon

March 16, 2010 | Link This | Email this | Comments (1)

In considering “America’s Finest Rooms” (the book I am writing that some of you may be tiring of hearing about), the role of works of art has come to mind, notably in the 20th-century rooms. It seems to me that in the first quarter of the 20th century, two philosophies for the domestic display of art emerged.



Some collectors and designers attempted to display art within the confines of traditional decoration—that is settings which were house-like. The opposite point of...Read More

March 9, 2010 | Link This | Email this | Comments (1)

I am working with Mark Kreyenhoff of John Reimnitz Architect PC on a shared roof deck for our cooperative in a small industrial loft building in SoHo. I became especially motivated for this project last June when I was in the fantastic gardens of Wörlitz, the German version of a British landscape garden in the picturesque taste (a topic for a posting to come). I promised myself that I would work to create an outdoor space so that our building did not miss out on enjoying another spring.

We selected Mark to work with because he is inventive, creative (he really thinks outside the box) and environmentally f...Read More

March 2, 2010 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

I have been speaking to all comers about rooms they admire and have included many of them in my forthcoming book "The Finest Rooms," Monacelli Press, November 2010. In this book, all the rooms chosen exist because I wanted to be able to have fresh photographs. And, I also see it as something of a baseline for a type of quality to be found today.



I do think it is interesting to ponder the running list of rooms that are no longer with us but still haunt our memories. I called this the list of ghost rooms. One such room that I have r...Read More

February 23, 2010 | Link This | Email this | Comments (2)

My friend Dan Farris, a real estate agent in New York, called last week to tell me that he had just appraised an apartment as part of an estate, and that I had decorated it. I paused to ask to whom it belonged. In that moment, I wondered if it belonged to a favored client, or if it was a particularly beautiful project.

As it turned out, it was a handsome place belonging to a couple that I liked very much. They were virtually my first clients in 1990 when I started my company. It brought to mind the wonderful experience I had working with them and the lasting legacy of memories.

The apartment was relatively modest for its Sutton Place address. The building dates from the 1920’s and retains much of its original detail and charm. Their apartment had a gracious living room, two bedrooms, and a maid’s room.

...Read More

February 16, 2010 | Link This | Email this | Comments (4)

Recently, I have been looking at the black and white monograph of the work of Mellor, Meigs, and Howe (The Architectural Book Publishing Company, 1923), the Philadelphia based architectural firm known for the many Main Line houses and estates they built in the early decades of the 1900s.

Their architecture is famous. Their houses are considered gems of American domestic architecture of the early 20th century. However, it is their interiors that draw me back to regularly look at this book. In fact, I revere their interiors: handsome volumes designed with the spare and refined use of traditional details. I admire how the furniture is sparsely arranged and there is a reliance on the sculpture of the architectural forms. These types of arrangements ...Read More