Innehållsförteckning för Nov/Dec 2019 från Veranda

SO SAID, FAMOUSLY, ELSIE DE WOLFE, who is known as America’s first professional decorator, as well as for being a masterful hostess of rather extravagant parties. (Her 1939 Bal-Cirque at Villa Trianon is said to have been the last great party before World War II.) But what, exactly, does it mean to be gracious? In the past year at the helm of this brand, I’ve found myself using the word time and again to define Veranda’s unique point of view. “Our stories are about, and are meant to inspire, gracious living,” I’ve said. I’m sure I was thinking of the stylish, tasteful, comfortable, and luxurious lifestyle we present. When it comes to entertaining at home—the topic of this issue—I’d define that lifestyle more specifically: A gracious host is well-mannered, considerate,…

REBECCA GARDNER LIKES TO BURN the midnight oil. “I am most productive in my library in the middle of the night, sitting on the floor with stacks of books and pictures and a basket of fabric memos,” says the events and interior designer, who splits her time between New York (“where it happens”) and Savannah (“where I appreciate it”). Her fervor for meticulous planning gives new meaning to making merry: “Micromanaging details is how we force serendipity. I crave the potent cocktail of adrenaline and fairy dust.” Here are nine other secrets to creating the illusion of effortless magic. 1. I recharge alone but I put on a good show. I love to spend a holiday weekend at the Faena Hotel in Miami. The environment is creative, and it encourages…

AN ELEGANT LEADED-GLASS WINDOW, peskily off-center, made the powder room “the perfect geometric challenge.” Ralph Lauren silk wallpaper in buttoned-up pinstripes sets it straight and harmonizes with an equally dapper marble chevron floor. Antique parrot sconces and a Lucite-and-gold sink base bring additional hints of fun “without going over-the-top.” Best-Dressed List FOUR MORE FREESTANDING VANITIES THAT BRING POLISHED STYLE TO SMALL GUEST BATHS…

THERE’S PUTTING A RING on it, and then there’s putting a ring on it. Such has been the intoxication of the cocktail ring, that outsize piece of decorative bravado that sits (generally) on the right hand and says to the world, “Regard my élan, my assurance, and my ability to balance this coupe brimming with bubbly.” With its origin often ascribed to the set-free aesthetic of the Jazz Age and speakeasy culture during the 1920s, the rings saw their real boom in the years following World War II, when women seized upon economic independence, inspiration from film stars, and America’s love affair with cocktail culture to buy their own oversize (often costume) pieces. While they fell briefly from favor in the 1960s and ’70s, a return to maximalism and flamboyance…

I’M SURE, one of these nights, I’ll actually dream in tartan. That’s how deeply into the wind-scoured Highlands, birthplace of the iconic textile, I journeyed last summer. It began with an invitation to a tartan-intensive weekend at the Fife Arms, a brilliantly redesigned and recently reopened mid-19th-century hotel in Braemar, a village set amid the raw splendor of Britain’s Cairngorms National Park. A confirmed Caledonophile (not to mention a textile nut) who spent a blissful university semester in Edinburgh, I was keen to revisit the romantic settings I’d loved as a student and to learn more about the famed fabric that has draped and defined the country’s clans, royals, and punk rockers for more than 1,600 years. And I was wild to meet luxury weaver Araminta Campbell, who, as part…

TWOMBLY-ESQUE GEMS, ONE-OF-A-KIND CLUTCHES, AND THE WORLD’S MOST BEAUTIFUL CRUISE FOR THE CONSUMMATE COLLECTOR This tattooed leather hutch draws as much intrigue as the curiosities it keeps, with fantastical hand-drawn images of the sun and botanicals and dashing brass hardware right down to its prim, polished feet.…

AS QUEEN VICTORIA ascended the throne in 1837, English society ushered in a new code of etiquette. Among the social dictates (which spanned from manners to dress) was a decree that guests should always be greeted with the best one had to offer. And so the role of the Victorian parlor rose in importance, becoming an increasingly opulent milieu in which hosts could entertain and members of society could court in an acceptable—and open—manner. Given the space’s social purpose, the pieces in it were designed to shift throughout the evening like pieces on a chessboard. Brocade-upholstered ottomans and shapely mahogany settees, balloon-back walnut chairs and dapper card tables all made for lively and versatile arrangements in these large reception rooms. “Victorian-era parlors were almost cluttered with a myriad of furniture,…

THE OWNERS ENVISIONED SOMETHING “colorful and collected, rooms that convey happiness,” says Shazalynn Cavin-Winfrey, the interior designer who turned up the volume on this 1918 brick Georgian in the heart of Greenwich, Connecticut. Together with architect William Hellow, Cavin-Winfrey set out to restore a sense of welcome for the young couple, who entertains frequently. The result is imaginative, elegant, and anything but understated, from its intimate mohair conversation area to an emerald jewel-box bar.…

1 MOHAIR BANQUETTE: “This corner is so comfortable, everyone gravitates here,” says Cavin-Winfrey, who framed the benches in walnut and covered them in mohair, which is “virtually indestructible.” 2 GLOBE LIGHTING: The custom fixture was re-created from one the designer spotted in Los Angeles and blends playful spheres with the room’s rectilinear configuration. “It’s like something from a different era.” 3 MARBLE WALLS: A white stone perimeter feels “new and clean” and creates a character-building contrast with the reclaimed walnut islands, “which feel like they’ve been there a hundred years.” 4 DOUBLE ISLANDS: “Older homes love symmetry,” and given the sheer volume of the space, double islands honor that sense of balance. One is outfitted with an ice machine, sink, and beverage drawer to double as an informal bar. 5…

1, 2, & 3. “My style is very bohemian—very ‘undone.’ It’s loose and casual.” • Dark Olive wall color, from $63 per gallon; benjaminmoore.com. Kravet Design 31772-12 fabric, to the trade; kravet.com. Toscana Leather Tassel tieback, to the trade; samuelandsons.com. 4. “My mother was this Liz Taylor, Zsa Zsa Gabor type who took four hours to get ready for any event. I feel a strong connection to her here.” • Pavé multicolored frame ($240 for 4” x 6”) and Ruffin Costello’s mother and grandmother pictured in pavé platinum frame ($115 for 2" x 3"); l-objet.com. 5, 11, & 12. “I’m addicted to Ogee lip pencils in nudes or corals. I wear them all the time.” • Eye Kohl Intense pencil, $39; tomford.com. Jojoba Glow face oil ($64) and Tinted Sculpted lip oil ($26); ogee.com. Volute dish, $95; baccarat.com. 6. & 13. “If I have time…

WHEN THE MATRIARCH and patriarch of a sprawling extended family decided to build a retreat on the banks of Lake Champlain in the husband’s home state of Vermont, they wanted, says the wife, “an architect who could design new buildings that looked like old ones.” A friend pointed her in the direction of Gil Schafer, and the rapport was instantaneous. “I sensed,” she says, “that Gil’s houses had a real soul.” It was indeed a good match, given soul is exactly what she was after: a companion to the couple’s Colonial Revival main house for relaxed, informal get-togethers and festive meals. “This family is very down-to-earth. They move like a tribe, and they love it,” Schafer says of the ever-expanding group of siblings, their children, and the children’s children. “They…

JENNA BUSH HAGER ushers her girls across the gravel lot of a farm stand on Long Island’s woodsy North Shore, one they’ve visited a hundred times before. The girls clutch butter cookies (treats from the owner) as they climb back into their 1980s Pontiac station wagon. Bush Hager’s carrying sweet corn and buratta, Sequoia Alpine tomatoes and just-baked bread—anything that looks fresh for an easy summer supper with neighbors. Some of these gatherings are planned, the poolside table set. Others spring up like afternoon rainstorms, as day slides into evening and a crowded pool means everyone is staying for dinner. It’s a routine the Today show cohost and former First Daughter has on delightful repeat in her world outside Manhattan, where she and her husband, Henry Hager, purchased a home…

Cruise Indonesian Isles Like a King This may be the world’s most beautiful cruise: a sail through Raja Ampat (the “Four Kings,” Indonesia’s rugged archipelago at the intersection of the Indian and Pacific Oceans) aboard Amanikan, a traditional teak cruising vessel with just three cabins (all above deck). The six-day voyage includes visits to coral reefs, manta ray habitats, Komodo dragon sanctuaries, and pearl farms, as well as a stay at Amanwana, Aman’s luxury camp on Moyo Island. Rates start at $7,750; departs at the client’s discretion. For more information, contact Aman Voyages by phone (800-477-9180) or email (reservations@aman.com). Roam Through Italy’s Opulent Garden Empire Sidestep Venice’s crowds and venture to Padua, Verona, and Vicenza for Gardens & Villas of the Veneto, an invigorating foray through the playground of Venetian…

16th CENTURY An early predecessor, the farthingale chair accommodates the exceptionally wide hooped skirts of the Elizabethan era. VICTORIAN ERA The 19th-century boudoir chair sits low to the ground for ease of slipping on shoes (either by the lady or her dutiful maid). 1stdibs.com NAPOLEON III The low chauffeuse seat and its extravagant, ultrafeminine trim introduces a curved, sheltered back for sitting fireside. 1stdibs.com 1920s Twentieth-century designers revisit the agile classic with Deco details like channeled tufting and fluted backs. 1stdibs.com 1930s Fritz Hansen weaves modernism into the design, along with ultratextural materials like lambswool. 1stdibs.com 1950s Billy Baldwin seizes on the chair’s versatility and creates a more masculine design for gathering spaces. billybaldwinstudio.com TODAY The pillow chair riffs on the layered cushions of Turkish ottomans and poufs while keeping…

1 SILVER-LEAF CEILING: The luminous papered ceiling augments the room’s drama “with a gorgeous reflective quality,” allowing light from the chandelier and sconces, repurposed from the owners’ previous home, to dance off the ceiling. 2 HIGH-GLOSS TRIM: The paint was custom-matched to the velvet, but because it absorbs light differently, it serves as a brilliant frame for the rest of the room. 3 VELVET WALLS: Baltic blue velvet upholstery gives the room a regal air. “I think other colors could have felt contrived, but this one draws you in, and it feels luxurious. Plus, the velvet makes for great acoustics during dinner parties.” 4 ABSTRACT ART: “I like how this piece [from the owners’ collection] feels a bit out of character for the house and even the room. It pumps…

FOR STAGING THE CHINA A refined canvas for butler’s pantries, the hardy material mimics the organic veining of natural Portobello stone for auxiliary areas that have as much style as substance. And because it’s UV-resistant, the veining won’t fade beneath a gallery of windows. FOR FASHIONING THE CENTERPIECE The Dekton surfaces are impervious to water and scratch- and abrasion-resistant (more so than granite), so worktables become opulent design corners—ideal for arranging fresh flowers and wreaths. FOR MIXING A SIGNATURE DRINK A good welcome cocktail needs an elegant bar station for stirring, shaking, and pouring. Low porosity makes this ultracompact surface—a blend of quartz, porcelain, and glass—resistant to stains and more tolerant of traditional cleaners than natural stone. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH EDITORS’ PICK Dekton 2 cm Bergen counters and backsplash; cosentino.com.…

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KIMBERLY SCHLEGEL WHITMAN is part of an illustrious Dallas family that takes its decorating—and entertaining—seriously. When she phoned Jan Showers for the first time, she was all of 23, a debutante fresh out of Southern Methodist University and about to move into her first “itty-bitty” apartment. Showers, a top-drawer Dallas-based decorator who works all over the world, took on the apartment with relish. “She bought absolutely beautiful pieces,” remembers Showers, who immediately nudged Whitman toward sleek 1940s French furniture. “When she later moved into an apartment in [luxury high-rise] the Claridge, we were able to reuse every single piece.” Over the next two decades, Whitman, now 43, wrote eight books about entertaining; started a party rental business; married Justin Whitman, son of actor Stuart Whitman, in a wedding Dallas won’t…

I FIND A CORNER, AND I START DRAWING.” In divine understatement, Argentinian illustrator Maia Bunge reveals the origins of this Empire-style salon captured in pen and ink (a commission by its owners, the Duquesne Watelet de la Vinelle family). A Parisian transplant, Bunge spent a week in Belgium, drawing among the rich furnishings of the 1702 townhouse. With added photography and historic research, her vision emerges as both documentary and idiosyncratic. It’s a delightful invitation to linger. regardelemonde.com…