Tuesday 4 December 2007

550 Park Avenue



Jeremiah Goodman, Diana Vreeland, Living Room

Last week Peak of Chic highlighted the Jerimiah Goodman exhibition held in Atlanta. His beautifully atmospheric paintings are evocative of a time and an elegance that have passed into the realms of myth and legend. Few remain who can recount the reality. Even with the aid of photography the views of these legendary rooms can be myopic. Mr Goodman's Diana Vreeland, Living Room suggests that Mrs Vreeland's famous "Garden in Hell", executed by Billy Baldwin, was an inferno of reds. In fact, as one of the visitors to the comments section correctly pointed out, only a small proportion of the apartment was done in the Persian flowered red chintz (purchased from John Fowler). Luckily, the Vreeland's apartment, unchanged for thirty (30) years, was preserved in Nest (Issue 7) with the help of their son, Mr Tim Vreeland.


A Polaroid of the hall looking into the vestibule taken by Mrs Vreeland. (left)
A corner of the living room. (right)




A partial shot of the living room looking through into the dining room.


Mrs Vreeland and her maid, Yvonne Duval Brown, in the dinig room. Photograph by Nicholas Vreeland.
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Now playing: Peter Gabriel - Red Rain
via FoxyTunes

17 comments:

The Peak of Chic said...

Very well written. DV was such a forceful personality that I think it is easy to assume that the apt was more red, and more over the top, than it really was. A commenter said that he/she thought the chintz was by Gaston y Daniela- so, DV and Billy Baldwin purchased it from John Fowler? That's very interesting. You taught me something new!

The Peak of Chic said...

BTW, am I internet challenged? How did you find the photos on the Nest site? I can only get one image.

HOBAC said...

Hello PoC - Thank you, I hoped you would like this post. I did it so you could see the dining room. I think it is even more stunning than the living room.
I have the name of this chintz filed away some where - I know it is, or was, produced here in England. Billy Baldwin bought the chintz on a trip to London from John Fowler's shop (which leads me to believe this is pre Colefax & Fowler) and took it back to New York. Obviously, Mrs Vreeland approved.
All the images are from issue 7 of Nest, which I have. Such a shame that Nest could not survive, though, I must say I'm not surprised.

An Aesthete's Lament said...

According to archival sources in the US, England, and Spain accessed by an author who is working on a book about 1960s decoration, the fabric was purchased at Colefax & Fowler but it was manufactured by the Spanish fabric house Gastón y Daniela ... it was not a Colefax fabric ...

An Aesthete's Lament said...

Further information ... the Vreeland decoration was executed about the same time as Baldwin's interiors for the Arango family in Madrid, so circa 1960 ... definitely Colefax & Fowler era ... the London firm didn't only carry C&F fabrics at the time in its retail shop but also offered attractive fabrics from a variety of sources, including Gastón y Daniela ... the G y D design used in the Vreeland apartment (red colorway in the living area and blue colorway in her bedroom) was reportedly a more affordable adaptation of a Braquenié pattern ...

HOBAC said...

Mitchell - interesting. I bow to your greater knowledge. But, I would have staked my life that this chintz is Ramm, Son & Crocker's "Agra".

The Peak of Chic said...

I was going to tell you that more info on the fabric is to be found in the comment section of my post, but obviously no need to now! Very informative indeed.

The Peak of Chic said...

My apologies, but I'm on a DV tear... Two things- what is the flooring in the hallway? And, I love that her cleaning lady is wearing a leopard dress- FANTASTIC!

HOBAC said...

PoC - Goodness, no need to apologise. Finally something of interest that has generated comment!
It does not say, but it looks like Lino with an inlaid border. Mitchell might know for sure, though.
Do you think that was her uniform? I'd like to think so.

An Aesthete's Lament said...

It was definitely old-fashioned linoleum with a border, as I recall. Very shiny too. One thing to remember is that Mrs V led an outwardly glamorous life, but was financially restricted in many ways. The apartment shows that to a degree, which is inspiring in itself, ie a brilliant but inexpensive fabric used with flair but judiciously to achieve a grand effect.

An Aesthete's Lament said...

I'm obsessed with reading the blueprint too. I was in that apartment, shortly after she died, and remember how (relatively) small it was, really a pied-à-terre compared with so many NYC apartments of the high and mighty. Her bedroom was quite small, as I remember, but what struck me was that on her side of the bed (closest to the door) were three tables of descending size: the topmost held a lamp and flowers, the second lower table held books, and the lowest (a low Chinese table as I remember), held her reading glasses and a box of tissues, et cetera. Three mismatched tables lined up in staircase formation and highly practical and at just the right height for their various purposes. Her bed was a Syrie Maugham buttontufted sleigh bed. And the adjoining bath was MINISCULE, barely large enough to turn around in.

The Peak of Chic said...

This is truly very interesting. How lucky Mitchell was to see it in person! I may be the only one, but I'm crazy for that linoleum floor.

HOBAC said...

PoC - I love them too, because one can attain that brilliant shine.

Paul Pincus said...

My partner, Rod Gonsalves-Quesnel, interviewed Mrs. Vreeland in 1985. After many calls and a few notes, he was finally given the go ahead after presenting the doorman with a gift for Mrs. Vreeland (a first edition of Colette's Claudine a l'ecole)! He was young and very determined...She sent him a hand written note a few weeks later thanking him for the book and signing off with an enormous GOOD LUCK! I have the note still and it's funny because it's seems to have been written with a green sharpie type of pen?!

Cheers.

HOBAC said...

paul pincus - that is determination. I'm glad the lady lived up to her legend. Green sharpie? How egalitarian!
I'm so glad you commented - I found your page once before but lost it.

TA.

Cote de Texas said...

Wow - so anon is now Mitchell? Finally - a name! You already knew it anyway, right? I'd like to read his article you referenced. Do you have the url?

HOBAC said...

CdT - indeed I do.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0DE3D9143BF93BA35753C1A9669C8B63&n=Top/Refer