Artificial Flowers

Branches of white pear blossoms
made of painted metal by Carmen Almon
for Deeda Blair's New York City apartment.
Photo by Julia Netta for T Magazine.

As a preschooler, one of my favorite songs was Bobby Darin's "Artificial Flowers" which was a hit in 1960 despite coming from the unsuccessful Broadway show "Tenderloin" which is set in the red-light district of Manhattan in the 1890s.  I did not know anything about that, although I did get that the lyrics were about a poor orphan who froze to death making artificial flowers.  But it was a time when lyrics could be understood and they painted an impression that I could comprehend, even as a young child.  And I loved the up-beat, jazzy, big band accompaniment.  You will understand if you watch Bobby Darin's YouTube video performance here.

A pineapple plant made by Carmen Almon
set in an antique brass container
in a detail from a photo by Carolyne Roehm.
CarolyneRoehm.com

Despite growing up with gardens and houses filled with containers of cut flowers, ever since that song I have had an interest in artificial flowers as a permanent element in decoration.  Of course, the chances of this going completely wrong are positively stinking-ly overripe with possibilities, and I have always encouraged my clients not to depend on floral arrangements, either real or artificial, to carry a room.  So you will understand my recent joy in seeing a pair of pineapple plants made by Carmen Almon that were decorating the Bird Room in Chisholm House, the lovely-though-work-in-progress Charleston home of Carolyne Roehm.


A detail of Carmen Almon's
pineapple plant.
Photo by Carolyne Roehm
CarolyneRoehm.com

Pineapple plants are very expensive to buy yet very easy to grow.  But they grow fast so it would almost take a plantation to keep a supply of potted plants in this stage of growth.  And, of course, Carmen Almon's works are not replicas of nature but her own artistic impression.  She mostly uses 17th and 18th century botanical books as her guide rather than actual plants or photographs.

A basket of prunus branches by Carmen Almon
in the Fifth Avenue apartment of Howard Slatkin.
Photo by Jeff Hirsh for NYSD.

I really began to take note of Carmen Almon's work with the publication of  Howard Slatkin's Fifth Avenue apartment; he must have a couple of dozen of her works.  She was the first employee he hired when he opened his Manhattan business in the early 1990s, according to a T Magazine article in 2013.


Carmen Almon's clematis trained on a form
is joined by additional works in pots
in Howard Slatkin's apartment.
Photo by Jeff Hirsh for NYSD.

Carmen Almon was a botanical watercolorist 25 years ago when style icon Deeda Blair asked her to restore some 1960s tole pieces that she collected.  When Mrs. Blair moved to New York City in 2005, she commissioned the white pear blossom branches seen in the first image in this post of The Devoted Classicist.  "It's the same Bradford pear I had in Washington," she was quoted in an article by Jean Bond Rafferty for a NY TIMES article published 08/25/2013.  "I became obsessed photographing flower clusters and branches and sending them back and forth to Almon.  The branches were dark wood, covered in lichen and moss."


Carmen Almon in her Bordeaux apartment
photographed by Fabrice Fouillet for
T magazine, August 21, 2013.

Almon, 63, born in Guatemala to a Spanish mother and an American diplomat father, attended several art schools in Europe.  Her second husband, a sculptor, taught her how to solder in the late 1990s.  Using brass and copper tubes, she cuts copper sheeting with several kinds of nail scissors and employs an assortment of vises and pliers to create the petals and leaves.  Working on each art piece over a period of three months or so, she applies layers of color with washes of enamel and oil paint thinned with turpentine.  A bug is often added to complete the composition.


A Saturn peach with a Callithea butterfly by Carmen Almon.
carmen-almon.com

A 2012 charity auction to benefit the New York Botanic Garden offered a floral sprig donated by Almon which was valued at $850.  A show at New York City's Chinese Porcelain Company in October, 2013, had prices ranging from $3,500 for a nectarine blossom sprig to $40,000 for very large pieces.


An almond tree by Carmen Almon.
carmen-almon.com

More may be read about Carmen Almon in an article in the January, 2006, issue of HOUSE & GARDEN.  In addition to Howard Slatkin's FIFTH AVENUE STYLE: A DESIGNER'S NEW YORK APARTMENT, more examples of her work may be seen used as part of the décor in room settings in CHARLOTTE MOSS: A FLAIR FOR LIVING and in CHARLOTTE MOSS DECORATES: THE ART OF CREATING ELEGANT AND INSPIRED ROOMS.

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Pickings of a Happy Booker

"Uncle Charles' Library"
Image by John J. Tackett.

Despite all the dismal news in recent years projecting the end of glossy coffee table books, the bountiful new selections available this fall disprove that.  Perhaps it is the lower costs of digital publishing and the acceptance of designer/authors to shoulder the up-front expenses, but there are many new interior design and architecture books that certainly show great promise.  It must be pointed out that The Devoted Classicist has not actually seen these new books, however, and whether the potential is realized is ultimately up to the reader to determine.  (But these books are sold here through Amazon.com and qualify for their standard 30 day return policy; see their customer service policies before ordering).  Just click on the title for more information and an offer to order or pre-order at substantial savings.

Released September 1, 2013.

REFLECTIONS ON SWEDISH INTERIORS  Authors Rhonda Eleish and Edie van Breems are owners of Eleish van Breems, Ltd., an antiques shop in scenic Washington Depot, Connecticut, that also offers design services.  The Devoted Classicist regrets that it is unknown whether this book presents only classical and/or antiques-filled interiors, but the cover does indeed look promising.


To be released September 17, 2013.

CLASSICAL INVENTION: THE ARCHITECTURE OF JOHN B. MURRAY  One of my co-workers at Parish-Hadley, John Murray's new book showcases eighteen of his projects, both apartments and country houses.  Utilizing the Beaux-Arts drawing format "analytique" which shows various elements of the architecture in a unified, artistic presentation, the studies are accompanied by photographs of each home as well.


To be released October 8, 2013.

THE DETAILED INTERIOR: DECORATING UP CLOSE WITH CULLMAN & KRAVIS  Although not necessarily well-known nationwide, the firm of Cullman & Kravis is highly regarded in the New York City area.  (John Tackett Design is proud to have worked with them on projects in the past).  Co-founder Hedi Kravis has passed, but Ellie Cullman and associate Tracey Pruzon show how the well-considered details add up to make a room a stunning tapestry of ideas.  It should be noted that their previous book DECORATING MASTER CLASS is one of the best of its type and highly recommended.


To be released October 1, 2013

ALLAN GREENBERG: CLASSICAL ARCHITECT Author/teacher/architect Allan Greenberg, who has offices in Greenwich, CT, New York City, and Washington, DC, presents a monograph of his firm's work, showing new residences, university buildings, and civic buildings all designed in the classic style.


To be released October 8, 2013.

MARIO BUATTA: FIFTY YEARS OF AMERICAN INTERIOR DECORATION  The much-anticipated monograph of the work of interior designer Mario Buatta is being published without a dust cover, I understand, but rather with the end boards printed to give the effect of a journal or scrapbook.  Buatta is known for his quips and jokes so the text is expected to be very anecdotal.  Blogger Emily Evans Eerdmans, an accomplished author in her own right, is credited as co-author and can be counted on to keep things on track.  Mario Buatta, who still has a NYC practice, was one of the most famous decorators in this country during the 1980s and 90s, so expect big-budget American versions of classic English Country House Style.  (John Tackett Design is proud to have worked with him on projects in the past, as well).


To be released October 15, 2013.

FIFTH AVENUE STYLE: A DESIGNER'S NEW YORK APARTMENT  Howard Slatkin, co-founder of the home fragrance enterprise Slatkin & Co., presents his first book which showcases just one residence, his own lavish Fifth Avenue apartment.  Combining two Pre-War apartments, apparently no expense was spared to reconfigure the high-rise space complete with opulent finishes inspired by various palaces.  The book promises to be an enjoyable survey of a man's fantasy home realized.


To be released October 15, 2013.

ALIDAD: THE TIMELESS HOME  Photographer James McDonald presents the work of the London-based, Persian-born interior designer Alidad.  (Devoted Readers will recall the post featuring his design for a Paris pied-a-terre here).  Richly furnished projects, including apartments in London and Paris, villas in Beirut and Kuwait, and seaside homes in Sardinia and Cornwall, are presented as a tapestry with color on color and texture on texture.  The text is provided by Sarah Stewart-Smith who is a London interior designer and writer.


To be released October 22, 2013.

STEPHEN SILLS: DECORATION  This is the first book to showcase the solo career of interior designer Stephen Sills, formerly in partnership with Ralph Jones and then James 'Ford' Huniford.  All previously published works -- for glamorous clients such as Tina Turner and Anna Wintour -- was in partnership so there is great anticipation in the Big Reveal of this designer's own decorative visions.  Sixteen homes, all photographed by Francois Halard, are presented.


To be released October 22, 2013.

IN WITH THE OLD: CLASSIC DECOR FROM A TO Z  My friend and fellow blogger Jennifer Boles of The Peak of Chic has compiled an encyclopedia of sorts to present 100 stylish decorating details from the twentieth-century with each entry including anecdotes and advice along with the facts.  What could be more delightful?  Surely this would make a most appreciated gift to anyone interested in interior design.


To be released November 5, 2013.

LUMINOUS INTERIORS  Another former co-worker from Parish-Hadley, designer Brian J. McCarthy brings a unique and refreshing interpretation of classic interiors.  Nine of his favorite projects from around the country are presented with Brian offering insight to his inspiration and revealing the design decisions that led to the finished product.  Brian has become very well known in the New York City area and this new book will ensure that proof of his talent will spread across the country.


To be released November 5, 2013.

DECORATING IN DETAIL  Designer Alexa Hampton, who continues her late father's legendary decorating firm Mark Hampton LLC, uses her second book to share her process to decorate eight homes across the country, selecting fabrics and furniture.  It is intended as a "how-to" book to develop an understanding of the development of the interior design of a residence.


To be released November 12, 2013.

RENZO MONGIARDINO: RENAISSANCE MASTER OF STYLE  Italian architect, theatrical designer and interior designer, Renzo Mongiardino, 1916 to 1998, has been a great influence in the career of The Devoted Classicist, inspiring his own interpretations with a version of classic, eye-pleasing detailing.  Will author Laure Verchere offer anything new about the great designer's work?  Scant preview images from publisher Assouline offer no promises.  But newbies will certainly be impressed by the genius of one of the truly great designers of the twentieth-century.


To be released December 2, 2013.

WILLIAM HODGINS INTERIORS  Although long established in his own practice in Boston before my tenure, Bill Hodgins is another very successful decorator to have come from Parish-Hadley, a great influence in his design DNA.  Baltimore author Stephen M. Salny writes the text to accompany the photos, almost guaranteed to show Hodgin's trademark neutral palatte, often with Swedish neo-classical furnishings, and always with a tailored, architectural sensibility.


To be released March 4, 2014.

JACQUES GARCIA: TWENTY YEARS OF PASSION: CHATEAU DU CHAMP DE BATAILLE  Drawing on his experiences from his work furnishing rooms of Versailles and the Louvre, the interior designer Garcia employed many of these same principles in restoring and decorating his own home, Chateau du Champ de Bataille, over a period of twenty years.  In addition to his collection of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century furniture, porcelain, etc., the gardens have also been restored in a period style.


To be released April 1, 2014.

GEORGE STACEY AND THE CREATION OF AMERICAN CHIC  Interior designer Maureen Footer, who worked at McMillen Inc. and Molyneux before establishing her own firm, has written a much-deserved book on the great decorator of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, George Stacey.  Greatly influential, he brought a modern aesthetic to the classic French taste.  His Victorian-inspired interior for Babe and Bill Paley's country house at Kiluna Farm with hand-screened canvas walls served as a background for their exemplary French Modern pictures all of which figured importantly in a photo-shoot of Babe for Vogue in 1950;  the famous photo ignited a new-found enthusiasm for Old School comfort.  For the uninitiated in the history of 20th century design, this book should prove to be an eye-opener.  A "tease" for the book, including the John Rawlings photo of Mrs. Paley in a Charles James gown, can be seen at the Little Augury blog post here.

Remember that The Devoted Classicist has not laid eyes on any of these books, but they all show great promise of being very interesting.  Devoted Readers are among the most savvy in the whole blogosphere, so it is hoped they will come back and leave a brief comment after they have had the opportunity to take a look at one of these books.