syrie maugham: glamorous interiors Just as Camilla Chandon describes her grandmother’s London flat as a “treasure trove to be explored,” readers will capture a cache of insights and fascinating anecdotes from Syrie Maugham: Staging Glamorous Interiors —the latest chronicle of the enigmatic, self- taught designer whose work embodied the lifestyles of the rich and famous from the 1920’s through the 1940’s. Christened Gwendolyn Maud Syrie Barnardo, Syrie was born in London in 1879. She became Syrie Maugham in 1917 upon marrying renowned novelist and play wright W. Somerset Maugham. Their turbulent and often scandalous relationship ended in divorce 12 years later.
Despite scandal, world wars and cataclysmic economics,
Syrie prevailed. She worked without pay for several top, London
antiques galleries, initiating her own decorating business after
World War I, where she utilized her own home as both showcase
and showroom. By the early 1920’s she began assembling a
clientele that ultimately defined the glitterati of the time: the
Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Bunny Mellon, Hollywood’s
Tallulah Bankhead and Gary Cooper, theater stars Alfred Lunt
and his wife, Lynn Fontanne.
Maugham’s eclectic décor themes, most often characterized
as Vogue Regency, defied stylistic characterization. Her witty
juxtapositions of disparate styles with personalized details,
meshed traditional and Style Moderne with signature flair.
Although not singularly credited for popularizing the now famous
“white room,” the high contrast of dark and light of Maugham’s
monochromatic compositions, imbued with shades of pearl,
oyster, cream and parchment, were not only perfectly suited
to the silver screen, inspiring backdrops for B&W classics like
“Dinner at Eight” (1933) and the “The Women” (1939), but were
a muse for song lyrics, too. The all white living room designed for
heiress Beatrice Benjamin Cartwright’s retreat in Cap D’Antibes
reportedly inspired Noël Coward’s
song “I Went to a Marvelous Party.”
Although Metcalf admits to
“much overlapping” in Maugham’s
style with that of competitors Elsie de Wolfe, Dorothy Draper
and Sister Parish, Syrie interjected her own brand of warmth and
playfulness that stood alone. Her hallmarks—tufted sofas, satin-
upholstered sleigh beds and fringed upholstery—were often
accented with hints of chinoiserie and animal print, evoking the
essence of café society chic as revealed by the photographs in
this tome.
By forsaking all “to achieve the
desired effect,” Maugham was
fearless about her vision. One story
recalls how, when faced with a
shortage of expensive brocade
meant for covering a client’s
living room, her solution was to
command that the ceiling to be
lowered by six inches!
