Wednesday, March 09, 2016

Meaningful Decorating



Patina...personality...layering.  Call it what you want, but a house furbished with a lifetime accrual of bobs and bits is so much more compelling, and far more memorable, than a house whose decorations are brand-spanking new.  The compelling house is becoming a rare thing, a victim of the immediacy with which most people approach decorating their homes.  Why spend time patiently searching for an antique dining table or waiting for a custom one to be built when a new one can be rush delivered by Restoration Hardware within a few short days?

I was reminded of the rewards of meaningful decorating while studying these mid-Nineties photos of the late Ronald Grimaldi's Southampton house.  Grimaldi, a designer and one-time president of Rose Cumming, had renovated and sold a number of houses in the area before purchasing this one, which had once served as the "hobby house" on a Stanford White-designed estate.  But instead of sinking a lot of time and money into a costly renovation, Grimaldi chose the economical route of refreshing it.  A few of the rooms were updated with fresh coats of paint, while others were treated to wallpaper.  And other than purchasing a few pieces of furniture for the house, Grimaldi furbished it with pieces he had amassed over time.  Nineteenth-century chinoiserie wallpaper, a 1940s-era mirrored table, and Chippendale chairs were just some of the diverse decorations that the designer chose to accompany him to his new home.  As unexpected as these furnishings might seem for a coastal house, so, too, are Grimaldi's choice of silk taffetas and damasks, whose inclusion seems only natural considering the designer's association with Rose Cumming.  The result is a house that is refreshingly not beach-y nor sporty nor casual but rather comfortably genteel and dignified.

(To read my blog post about Grimaldi's Manhattan apartment, please click here.)














All photos from House Beautiful, Robert Starkoff photographer

10 comments:

  1. Proof positive that a house doesn't have to be beachy merely because there is a body of water nearby. A house is a house, no matter where it is, and should be decorated according to the owner's taste. In this case, the owner happened to have really wonderful taste. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Anonymous11:31 AM

      Love the wallpaper in the living room, hmmm gives me an idea for ours

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  2. It's a wonderful ouse and totally charming. But it would never work if one had children or grandchildren coming in still slightly wet and sandy or a bit sweaty from tennis. But for a single man? Pure bliss!

    I totally agree with you about a house that has been put together with bit and bobs over the decades having a charm and patina that the brand new, decorated house can never achieve. What is unfortunate today is that very few people want such a house - they want EVERYTHING shiny and new. I'm getting new cabinets for my kitchen and moving a refrigerator. I will have to re-wallpaper but it will be with the same Farrow and Ball paper I hung 13 years ago. People are aghast that I'm not getting new appliances (does my KitchenAid stainless refrigerator not only look like the new one but still works quite well - same with the dishwasher and the Vent-A Hood!), a new sink and faucet and new countertops. Why? I bought a very expensive English faucet 13 years ago that I still love and that took me a year to chose. As for those white Corian countertops, they and the integrated Corian sink (which I ADORE!), are in perfect condition and I love them. And I don't want to feel I'm in a decorator show house kitchen - I want to be in mine with nicer, new cabinets in a new color, and a lovely new, long butcher block countertop where the refrigerator previously lived.

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  3. Always loved him and his style!

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  4. Such a relevant post, I wish more people took their time and enjoyed the lifetime journey of sourcing, decorating etc.
    Our generation wants everything fixed in an instant and the result is a lot of bland, 'hotel' style decor. My parents bought antique pieces as and when they could afford to and they still love them.

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  5. Beautiful post! I always look forward to reading your posts because they are so interesting and have beautiful images. I am also impressed with your consistent writing!

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  6. I cannot understand people who buy objects from department stores or Wal-mart as decoration. I have objects that were passed to me through the family, and other things I picked up on travels, and things from department stores or Ikea that I bought to serve a purpose (looking around, there aren't many: a few flower pots and that's about it). Throw pillow covers from a trip to Morocco. A big hand-painted bowl for fruit came from a family trip to Italy. A large rhino sculpture and most of the art on the walls are from living in Kenya. A painting of Brussels from family there. A large sculpture of a fisherman from a trip to Guadeloupe. A pair of lounge chairs also from Kenya. It's eclectic but most of all meaningful.
    That's what I see in Grimaldi's place. Things that were found or passed down, and not to be changed out with trends. Because they weren't acquired to be trendy in the first place.

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    1. Anonymous12:48 PM

      I absolutely agree Jennifer! In my home, almost all of my accessories are from my family, or from my travels to other countries and throughout the US. One of my friends parents are from Paris (now living in the US), and they have exquisite taste. I was so humbled when his Mom came to my home for the first time and asked if I was French, or if I had ever lived in Paris? She said "this looks like a beautiful townhouse in Paris." My home is very eclectic with different periods and styles (but admittedly, mostly French styled pieces), mixed with contemporary/abstract art, and I never tire of being in my home. It is certainly a reflection of my personality, and my heritage. Thank you for your comments!

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  7. Anonymous9:59 AM

    Brava! Well stated, Jennifer!

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  8. I wonder if Toby saw this? I think they were friends? Let me tell him to check this out.

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