Sunday, July 10, 2011

The Travellers: Folding Screen

A view of the Living Room of a Volk Estates house renovated by John Tackett Design.
Photo by Pieter Estersohn  for "Southern Accents" magazine.
As a continuation of The Travellers, a series where the same furnishings are shown used in different ways in different locations, this edition illustrates a folding screen.  In its traditional placement to define a seating group adjacent to a doorway or as a wall hanging, a folding screen can be a huge asset to a classic interior.
The clients' Living Room in their former home, decorated by Josie McCarthy.
Photo by Peter Woloszynski for "Southern Accents" magazine.
This is also a continuation of the previous July 8, 2011, post where most of the furnishings from the clients' former residence on Strait Lane were re-used at their newly renovated home on Vassar Avenue in the Volk Estates area of University Park, Dallas, Texas.  The Garden Room is down a step through the thick doorway past the screen in the first photo.  For this new placement, the back of the screen was upholstered with a check fabric and decorated with framed miniatures attached to lengths of gros grain ribbon.  It is always a good investment to buy what you love, especially a versatile piece that can be used in a variety of ways.
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10 comments:

  1. HelsJuly 10, 2011 at 11:32 PM

    Not only was your screen beautifully decorative, it could also have been functional. You mentioned to define a seating group adjacent to a doorway, and I can imagine other settings where separating a small space out would have been necessary eg in a bedroom or changing room.

    Presumably it would not have been so beautiful, had the screen been located in a less public room.

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  2. AnonymousJuly 11, 2011 at 5:18 AM

    I enjoyed this post. Thanks.

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  3. Helen YoungJuly 11, 2011 at 6:04 AM

    Love folding screens. My grandmother has a beautiful one hanging above her living room sofa. I agree that if you decorate with what you love, the pieces will work wherever you live.

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  4. John J. TackettJuly 11, 2011 at 7:53 AM

    Thank you for your comments, Hels, Mike, and Helen.

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  5. Jane Kilpatrick SchottJuly 11, 2011 at 8:06 AM

    I am a screen junkie! I scream everytime I see one. I know the rule that you should only have one mirror per room, etc., but what is the rule for screens? I have stepped beyond I am sure....

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  6. John J. TackettJuly 11, 2011 at 8:29 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  7. John J. TackettJuly 11, 2011 at 8:38 AM

    Jane, this Living Room in the top photo has a pair of mirrors above the pair of demilune tables flanking the fireplace with has a mirror over the mantle. Too much? The effect of reflection opposite the big east-facing window is nice in the room, in reality. But you are correct in that it can be tricky. I see decorating rules as more pause for thought than actual law!

    So two folding screens, not as a pair, might work in a room, given the situation. I would be open-minded about it. Thanks for contributing.

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  8. lindaraxaJuly 13, 2011 at 5:40 PM

    John,

    What a beautiful renovation...when and if I ever win the lottery, you are definitely my man. I love the colors and the different textures you have used and the idea of the checked fabric in back of the screen...what can I say!

    I have had a chinese screen for over 30 years. It has travelled with me to 6 different houses/apartments, in living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms. I has fulfilled all its purposes. Now it sits in the upstairs hall for privacy purposes. It is the most versatile piece of equipment I have ever purchased. Not as beautiful as the one in the room above, but it has added charm and served a purpose in every room it has been in.

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  9. John J. TackettJuly 13, 2011 at 9:32 PM

    Thanks, Julieta. I love folding screens, too.

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  10. AnonymousDecember 20, 2011 at 12:38 AM

    Oh my! 41 years ago; I was briefly living in New York City (I am 3rd generation Pasadena Californian.....an endangered species.....practically nonexistent); and I took a class in "decorating somethingorother" at NYSD. (I had graduated from college majoring in English Literature)

    The first day, I heard that rule "no more than one mirror in a room", from the teacher. I dropped out immediately!
    The most beautiful rooms I had ever seen; even at that young age, had many mirrors!

    Your comment was very well said in answer to that!

    Beautiful again! Using things you love! My daughter who is 41 has furniture from her grandparents....and my parents, and me in her beautiful house. It is all lovely and meaningful!

    Such a different philosophy than...."when we move, we get everything new! Yuck!!!"

    ps you have some very very funny Dallas readers! I get a kick out of their comments!

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