At the behest of a few rebel-rousing inner voices‚ we deviated
slightly in this issue‚ and paused‚ not for effect‚ but for admiration
of places with the tricks‚ treats and sublime fantasies found in
curious settings‚ a good distance from home. An airplane‚ a
casino‚ a hotel. Had we discovered a well-appointed submarine
or a mid-century modern spaceship‚ they might have made the
cut. Inspiration isn’t rented‚ owned or under contract‚ so until the
boundaries of creativity are negotiated with the tenacity and
absurdity of real estate‚ there is no harm in wandering.
Anyone who has been twisted‚ distorted with muscle spasms
and on the verge of insanity while traveling on a commercial
airliner can submit to the lustful Eden that is Alberto Pinto’s
design for a client’s private jet. It is a space that despite all the
regulations and requirements imposed upon it remains stunning‚
exacting and so perfectly debonair. The distinctive mark of the
venerable designer and his incomparable tailoring: an in-flight
experience that is chic. This is a first.
Whimsy is no stranger to hotels‚ though the fireworks are
usually saved for those good first impressions‚ the lobby and
bar. The newly opened Hotel La Belle Juliette in Paris inveigles
like the romantic‚ lush narrative of its namesake heroine Juliette
Récamier‚ gracing every corner of the Saint Germain Des Près
beauty. Designer Anne Gelbard lulls the visitor into dreamy
landscape with her fantastic textiles and lingering drama with
color. A signature of the iconic Dorothy Draper‚ with saturated
hues and prismatic rushes‚ color is hypnotically glamorous when
fashioned by the inimitable Carleton Varney for his premier
design of the Casino at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs‚
West Virgina. Though the Fourth of July grand opening had all the
A-list to-do‚ the real story is Mr. Varney’s extension of a legacy he
so carefully preserves. His thoughts written in his own hand‚ the
vibrant‚ exuberant ode to the Draper heritage‚ this the casino to
lose oneself in‚ for awhile n
interiors
CONTRIBUTORS
ABIGAIL R. ESMAN a contributing editor to interiors‚ is an award-winning
freelance writer based in New York and the Netherlands with over 20
years of experience writing on art and design. A contributing editor at Art
& Auction‚ her articles and essays have also appeared in Vogue‚ Esquire
(Holland)‚ Town & Country‚ Artnet.com‚ Art & Antiques‚ Artnews‚ and more.
In addition‚ her reporting on post 9/11 politics in Europe for
Salon.com‚ The
Christian Science Monitor‚ Foreign Policy‚ The New Republic and others
has received worldwide attention; her book on the subject‚ Radical State‚
was recently published by Praeger.
RICHARD POWERS began his photographic career in 1991 and has
traveled extensively, capturing images for a series of books called Cultures
of the World. In London‚ he began shooting for UK Elle Decoration‚ House
and Garden and continues to expand his portfolio with his latest book
The Iconic House published by Thames & Hudson. In 2012‚ the sequel
The Iconic Interior will add a personable and unique perspective to
his work. Married with two children he now live in Antibes‚ France.
TIMOTHY SCHRODER is an art historian specializing in silver. He worked at
Christie‘s in London in the 1980s before moving to the Los Angeles County
Museum of Art as Curator of Decorative Arts. More recent projects have
included exhibitions in London museums and three new permanent
galleries at the V&A. In 2009 he published a three-volume catalogue of
the silver collection at Oxford‘s Ashmolean Museum‚ described by one
reviewer as ‘a phenomenal achievement’. He is now working on a book
about goldsmiths‘ work at the courts of Henry VIII and Francis I.
MICHAEL SLENSKE covers art‚ fashion‚ music and occasionally politics and
has written for the likes of Modern Painters, Men's Journal‚ GOOD‚ and
recently interviewed Iggy and The Stooges for the German fashion
magazine‚ Qvest. He also contributes to the websites of Interview‚ Art
in America‚
ArtInfo.com and Esquire. He chronicled David Oldroyd’s
renovation of his San Francisco residence in the last issue‚ and has since
been seriously considering the home’s accordion windows for his own‚
long overdue redesign project in Arizona. Should he ever need design
consultation for his own private aircraft‚ Alberto Pinto will be at the
top of his list.
CARLETON VARNEY is one of America’s best known interior designers‚
and owner of Dorothy Draper & Co. Continuing the Draper tradition‚ Mr.
Varney’s roster of clients includes luminaries from the worlds of
entertainment‚ fashion and business and he is associated with the
restoration and decoration of countless hotels and resorts. among them
The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs‚ West Virgina‚ of which he
has penned a personal essay for this edition of interiors. An author of
numerous books — The Draper Touch, Kiss the Hibiscus Good Night and The
Decorator—Mr. Varney’s latest book project‚ Houses in My Heart‚ features
favorite design projects throughout the course of his career.
MICHAEL WEBB writes on modern architecture‚ design and travel, and
is the author of 26 books—most recently‚ Modernist Paradise: Niemeyer
House, Boyd Collection (Rizzoli)‚ and Venice CA: Art + Architecture in a
Maverick Community (Abrams). Born and educated in London‚ he worked
at The Times and Country Life before moving to the United States as
programming director for the American Film Institute. Michael resumed his
writing career in 1980‚ and now lives in Los Angeles in a classic Richard
Neutra apartment that was once home to Charles and Ray Eames. His
twin passions are modern architecture and travel‚ and he roams the world
gathering material for books and articles.
