Nelly Vintage Homes: auction

Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta auction. Mostrar todas las entradas

Arbiters of Style: Antony Hail and Charles Posey

There is no greater compliment than when someone knows your style. The team at Christie's had a feeling that I would appreciate the upcoming sale, Arbiters of Style: The Collection of Anthony Hail and Charles Posey, and they were more than right. Anthony Hail was an interior designer in San Francisco who believed in collecting and taking time to decorate his client's homes. His taste was impeccable as can be seen in the photos of his own home here. I was surprised to learn that it was only a two bedroom apartment but the perfectly proportioned rooms were more than enough room for frequent entertaining.

There are many beautiful pieces of furniture and artwork in the sale on Tuesday, October 8, 2013, including a set of lamps given to Anthony Hail by decorator Billy Baldwin and the beautiful painting by Paolo Porpora above the sofa. Not to mention many pieces of Louis Vuitton luggage that I know will be snapped up quickly. Best of all, anything with an estimate under $5,000 will be sold without a reserve.

"One of the most enchanting small apartments I know was created by Anthony Hail ten years ago in San Francisco...What was so special about this room was the utter simplicity of no color, the quality of the few pieces of furniture, and the total lack of pretentiousness. The rarity of the few decorative objects gave this almost sanctuary-like atmosphere, particularly rare at that time. It was in strict contrast to all other decoration in America then." - David Hicks

After talking with one of the curators and learning more about Anthony Hail, I was saddened that I never had the chance to meet him. He sounded liked like not just an amazing designer but an amazing person. And also a bit cheeky. The word association page in the front of the catalog is outlined below. Happy Bidding!

Living rooms - Live in them.

Dining rooms - Get rid of them.

Family rooms - Ugh.

Studies - Fine, if you want to go and study.

Libraries - Love 'em.

Kitchens - Don't care.

Bedrooms - Not too many.

Master bedrooms - Dark, extremely comfortable, and warm.

Children's rooms - Indestructible, fresh, unpretentious.

Entrance halls - They set the mood for the house. They should be vignettes of the house.

Bathrooms - I live in mine.

Paolo Porpora Painting and Cream Upholstered Two Seat Sofa

Empire Ormolu-Mounted Leather and Metal-Gilt Campaign Bed

Pair of Chinese Black Glazed and Gilt-Decorated Faceted Vases mounted as lamps. A gift from Billy Baldwin in 1963.

Swedish White-Painted and Parcel-Gilt Longcase Clock

Eight Chinese Langquan Celadon Wares

French Black Leather Briefcase and Gentleman's Dressing Set

Louis XVI Grey-Painted Bed

Pair of Baltic Brass-Mounted Mahogany Commodes

Louis XVI Grey-Painted Bed

Louis Vuitton Leather Picnic Set Suitcase

I loved seeing all the silver laid out together before placed around the room.

A Japanese Ivory and Lacquer Miniature Table Cabinet

Three Louis Vuitton Suitcases

Three Louis Vuitton Suitcases with CP monograms.

Photos of Anthony Hail and Charles Posey apartment courtesy of Christie's.

Photos of Christie's viewing exhibition by me.

Arbiters of Style: Antony Hail and Charles Posey

Christie's Arbiter of Style

Christie's auction house was kind enough to as me to be their Arbiter of Style this month. I chose my favorite pieces from the upcoming Interiors Sale, taking place June 18 and 19 in New York, including this gorgeous painting Anemones with Red Cloth above by artist Nell Blaine. I also answered some fun questions you can read here. I've learned so much from attending auction previews over the years that I highly recommend stopping by even if you think you can't afford anything. And who knows, you might just get lucky and find something great! Thanks again Christie's!

Christie's Arbiter of Style

Resplendent Rochas Apartment

Brooke Astor isn’t the only chic woman whose estate was up for auction this week. The contents of the gorgeous apartment of Hélène Rochas who passed away last year is up for auction at Christie’s in Paris today. I apologize for the short notice but I myself just learned of this yesterday. Even if you missed bidding, you can still marvel at the décor.

Hélène Rochas was the widow of courtier Marcel Rochas of the venerable fashion house Rochas. Hélène met the twice divorced Marcel in the metro and became his wife at the age of 18. The couture house was closed in 1953 but after Marcel’s death in 1955, Hélène Rochas took over the perfume business and created an empire. She was known for her great beauty and lavish parties that she threw in her apartment in a hôtel particulier in the 7th arrondissement. It too is up for sale here.

Hubert de Givenchy stated that “Rochas was exceptionally skilled at blending classic and contemporary elements” and you can see that in many of those photos. I was thinking it reminded me of of the home of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berger and then I read that they lived close and were also friends. Her daughter, Sophie Rochas says “the original interior was conceived by her father and his decorator, Georges Geffroy” but that her made it her own over the years. You can see one example from the music room that was dark blue in the 1980’s and is now a soothing beige.

In WWD, “François de Ricqlès, chairman of Christie’s France and a friend of Hélène Rochas, describes the collection as the culmination of a cosmopolitan French style influenced by the wealthy Americans who started coming to Paris in the Twenties."

“It’s a form of taste that has practically died out, in which styles and eras are brought together with elegance and sobriety. The walls are white, the curtains are plain and what stands out is the beauty of the artworks,” he says. “I think it’s extremely Parisian.”

The Hélène Rochas auction catalog was online (not sure where it went) and was more than just a catalog. It’s was filled with memories from many of Hélène Rochas’ friends such as Hubert de Givenchy and Francois Catroux and was a touching tribute to a lovely lady.