Baber House

Baber House, Macon, Georgia

2nd Floor Stair Hall, 1936

A Place (not) in the Sun

 After seeing this fantastic photograph of Hardy Amies on Little Augury ... 

it got me thinking about summer houses, tea houses, and garden pavilions...

I'm in love with this photograph of an octagonal summer house...

 

The trellis-work on this example at Rosedown Plantation in Louisiana is fantastic...

 

Could it get any better than this chinoiserie Thomas Chippendale inspired summer house at the Ashhurst Estate in Mount Holly, Burlington, New Jersey?

 

Love the pretense of the Derby Summer House at Glen Magna Estate in Essex, Massachusetts...

 

This Roman Revival example stands on the grounds of Gaineswood

click here for my other post on Gaineswood...

 

Another example of formal classicism at Kykuit, Westchester, New York...

 

 A rustic, wisteria-clad example...

Locally in Charleston....

 

A heavily modified octagonal garden pavilion at the Charles Kerrison House at 138 Wentworth Street... the interior contains a domed plaster ceiling...

 

Formerly thought to have been cow houses, these Gothic follies built on the grounds of the Aiken-Rhett House at 48 Elizabeth Street in the 1840s were most likely originally garden pavilions... 

 

At the end of this drive on Montagu Street sits a circa 1840s Gothic tea house... a popular form seen on the grounds of many early nineteenth century Charleston homes...

 

This new garden and pavilion is a theoretical recreation of what could have once been at the Francis Simmons House at 14 Legare Street...

 

A trellised temple at the back of the garden of the Harth-Middleton House on South Battery... coincidentally, the gates in the foreground were moved circa 1910 from a house I lived at on Rutledge Avenue.

A day trip to Middle-of-Nowhere, SC

 

After hearing some good reviews of the antiques and junk stores in Walterboro, South Carolina (located an hour away from Charleston), we decided to embark on a day trip to visit this little town and pillage it, antiques wise. I was really surprised at the quantity of stores and the quality of the items. You had to dig, but I definitely made out with a couple of real finds such as a gilt faux bamboo Hollywood Regency coffee table, gilt tole electric sconce, and a fantastic portrait (amongst a few other purchases).

In addition to antiques, the town has some beautiful homes. Nothing particularly noteworthy or extraordinary, but I loved these two matching Greek Revival cottages with Greek Key friezes. If only they weren't in this particular town...

 

I searched the HABS website hoping there might be an archive of images of this small Southern town... unfortunately there were only three photographs, one of them being the first image. This is perhaps one of my favorite HABS photographs I've ever found. I love the sleeping dog in the foreground and that relatively simple cottage with its octagonal additions is so wonderful.

Greek Key

It seems like a post on the Greek key is a prerequisite of any design blog. This decorative device has always been one of my favorites, and now more so than ever. I'm surrounded by flashy gilt examples as the Hollywood Regency style enjoys a renewed vogue and also by worn and burnished specimens that snake their way around the antebellum Charleston peninsula. These are a few of my favorites...

 

I'll start with my favorite ceiling medallion in the Aiken-Rhett House here in Charleston, South Carolina. This dramatic Greek Revival element would have been part of the 1830s transformation of this home. As much as I love this architectural detail, I also love the drama of this photograph...

 

A ridiculously glamorous French ebonized center table by Maison Jansen... I could use this anywhere, any time. I'm obsessed with the refinement, sophistication, and elegance of this piece of furniture...

 

A console and Greek key transom in the dining room of the Richardson-Maxwell-Owen-Thomas House at 124 Abercorn Street in Savannah, Georgia. This home, designed by William Jay in the early 19th century, has a number of very unique decorative details.

 

A beautiful French 18th century wall mount console. I'd love to prop a huge Jean Michael Basquiat on this... I'm thinking it would be the perfect juxtaposition.

 Although I could live without this predictable 1940s decorative scheme, I love this Greek Revival mantle in Tulip Grove, located in Davidson, Tennessee. 

How amazing would it have been if they had gone all out Dorothy Draper and painted the mantle faux malachite, the walls hot pink, and used a crazy patterned bark cloth with ridiculous  gilt cornices for the window treatments?

 

A beautiful and graphic Regency slate fireplace surround, early 19th century. I could use this anywhere... the lines are so strong and dramatic.

 

Although it's hard to see, this door surround includes a fantastic Greek key detail. This architectural feature is part of Rosemount Plantation in Forkland, Alabama. This home was built in 1832 with additions made throughout the 1850s. You'll definitely want to look at the rest of the photographs of this plantation home, just click the image to see the rest...

 

This may be my favorite discovery... a parcel-gilt and lacquer bed by Axel Einar Hjorth, Swedish, circa 1929. Please click the photograph to view some details of this spectacular bed. This photograph makes it appear to be salmon in color, but it's actually a vibrant orange-red. I'd love to design a room around this magnificent work of art...

 

This is the cast iron balcony of one of my favorite homes here in Charleston, the Ladson House at 8 Meeting Street. Not only does it include a Greek key, but a laurel wreath and a star burst, all of my favorite design motifs...

 

... and finally, a pair of black and silver 1940s klismos chairs, they've already been sold on 1stdibs, but I can still dream about them. 

Villa Margherita

 Villa Margherita c. 1930

 Contemporary photos of the Villa's deterioration

 

A contemporary view of the Villa showing losses of major architectural components.

Villa Margherita is located at 4 South Battery in Charleston, SC and was built c. 1892 as a wedding gift for Daisy Breaux Simonds. After her husbands death in 1905 the home was converted into a luxury inn which operated until 1953. The home has lost extensive architectural features such as the cupola, balustrade, and a Pompeian colonnade which surrounded Charleston's first indoor swimming pool. The home is in a state of deterioration and what appears to be abandonment. This is one of the most intriguing homes in Charleston and one of my favorites.

The I. Jenkins Mikell House

 

The Isaac Jenkins Mikell House is an iconic Charleston home located at the corner of Rutledge and Montagu in Harleston Village. It was built in 1853 by a wealthy planter and in 1935 became the Charleston Library. In 1960 it was returned to use as a private home. I love the over exposed quality of these 1940s HABS photographs. 

I was lucky enough to live next door to this incredible home for a year when I lived on Rutledge Avenue.  I watched the current owner alter some of the rooms with the help of designer Mario Buatta. I remember an incredible Moravian star light fixture in the entrance hall, a pair of incredible crystal candelabra on a pair of even more incredible gilded pedestals in the dining room, and an amazing animal head in the dining room of the kitchen house.

The Aiken-Rhett House

Built in 1818 with extensive subsequent renovations and additions through the 1830s and 1850s, the Aiken-Rhett house at 48 Elizabeth Street is the crown jewel of Historic Charleston Foundation's properties. It remains largely unaltered since the final renovation in 1858 following the Aiken's return from a two year Grand Tour throughout Europe. These haunting photos, 6 of 81, come from the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS).