Slipcovers for Luncheon Chairs

A preliminary design for the decoration of the slipcovers for the Luncheon Room chairs.
Drawing by John Tackett Design.

A new addition to the house in Volk Estates, University Park, Dallas, that linked the main house to the existing garage contained a new Breakfast Room among other spaces.  So the original Breakfast Room, a pleasant almost square space that was entered through a segmental arch opening from the vestibule to the Dining Room, was renamed the Luncheon Room.  It had been decided that the upholstered Hepplewhite chairs would have linen slipcovers with a box pleat skirt to give contrast to the more formal Dining Room.  I had found a document that illustrated magnificent seventeenth century lettering that would serve as a guide for an embroidered monogram.  The slipcovers had already been made and just about to be decorated when the Lady of the House attended a luncheon at a friend's home who had a new set of very similar slipcovered chairs with a monogramed back!  A change of design was needed, and I proposed several variations including the one sketched above with an applique of ribbon for decoration.

The slipcovers of the Luncheon Room chairs have an Etruscan motif.
Photos by John Tackett Design.

But when it was decided that the Luncheon Room was to be decorated with a wonderful series of prints of Roman pottery decorations and a collection of basalt porcelain, both of which my clients already owned, I switched to an Estrucsan motif for the embroidery.  I drew the design full size and it was scanned into a computer that produced the machine stitching by Penn & Fletcher, a company that I had discovered through a friend who designed costumes for Broadway shows.  It was just one of many touches that made this home an individual expression.

 John Tackett Design provided the Etruscan motif for the Luncheon Room slipcovers.
Photo by Pieter Estersohn.

Living Room Floor Plan and Sitting Room

Photo of Sitting Room tabletop detail by Pieter Estersohn.

A friend who is a regular reader of The Devoted Classicist asked if I could show the floor plan of the Living Room featured in the previous post.  Normally, I would not for the sake of privacy, but since the photographs had appeared in Southern Accents magazine and my clients no longer live there, I am showing the furniture plan for purposes of education and record.  To fill out the post, I am including a couple of shots of the adjacent Sitting Room as well.

One thing about Southern Accents that I never cared for was the amount of coverage given to the "artsy" shots for which the magazine became notorious.  It would be interesting to know the number of times that a magnolia blossom was featured.  So now I am guilty of the same mis-use, including the first photo simply because it satisfies the Blogger template for thumbnails!  Please forgive my editorial lapse in judgement.

The Sitting Room photographed by Pieter Estersohn.

This Sitting Room, a step down from the Living Room and looking out to the west over the deep extent of gardens, was a much-admired space.  The office of Josie McCarthy is responsible for the interior design here and none of the contributions by John Tackett Design are visible in the photo.  The sofa fabric by Colefax & Fowler is one of my favorites, however.

Drawing by John Tackett Design.

The floor plan of the Living Room featured in the previous post with the folding screen is shown here.  It is a proposed plan that was changed slightly for the final appearance that appeared in the Southern Accents magazine article.  The main difference is that the floor was covered with a patterned sisal wall to wall with antique oriental rugs added on top, a very effective scheme that added charm and helped prevent the room from being stuffy or pretentious.  And the coordinating antique rugs in the adjacent Entrance Hall and Sitting Room helped visually link those spaces.  Normally, the Living Room would have to accomodate enough seating to match the Dining Room, but that requirement was eased here because of the adjacent Sitting Room, Garden Room, and Library beyond.