Wednesday, October 8, 2008

REGENCY REDUX: THE LAST WORD ON REGENCY'S INTERIOR INFLUENCE

The Regency period in England was directly inspired by Greco Roman architectural details and French Empire style. Regency Redux traces the history of the style, from the Napoleonic age to Hollywood Regency. The author Emily Evans Eerdmans, an expert on decorative arts, delved into the subject and included every influential interior and piece of furniture worth showing. Beginning with Brighton Pavilion of 1823, the book follows the global path of the style, showing a variety of contemporary interiors, including Bill Blass's iconic foyer by the late Chessy Rayner.
Regency touches so many modes of design. In Europe, Art Deco designs of the 1930s are examined, continuing with England's Sibyl Colefax and Syrie Maugham in the Vogue Regency period. In the United States the 1930s and ‘40s Regency revival had Hollywood entranced, and it's touch was seen on film sets and in homes done by Billy Haines and T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings. The effects of Dorothy Draper and Elsie de Wolfe's Directoire and Neoclassical Moderne designs long outlived the time and are oft studied today for their styled and stylized impact. What a journey! The archival photos are incredible and this book is a great education on a vast subject.





The Greenbrier done by Dororthy Draper in the 1940's makes for a stunning cover.

Photo Courtesy of Buscot/Rizzoli


Photo Credit:© Kelly Wearstler Interior Design
The contemporary interior of BG, Bergdorf Goodman's restaurant, is elegant and fresh in soft blue and white done by Kelly Wearstler

Photo credit:© Bernd Goeckler Antiques, New York
Each piece is a stand alone. The impact is so architectural, one piece of this furniture alone in a room would leave a huge impression.
Get your copy from Rizzoli

No comments:

Post a Comment