We explore the interior style of Syrie Maugham, a boldly modern woman with a decorative vision that was lively, adventurous and constantly evolving.

Syrie Maugham 1922 - 1955 was a legendary British interior designer in both England and America. She was extremely progressive for a woman of that time and founded her own business in 1922 to release her creative energy into (despite her husband, William Somerset Maugham, the well-known playwright, not approving). She was credited with designing the "first all white room" (above) in 1929. It was her own living room in London, which she unveiled at a screening party of sorts, decked out with candles and white flowers. It was quite a sensation! Because she became synonymous with white throughout her career, Salvador Dali named this phone design of his "The Syrie Version" because it was all white and cream. Syrie became famous for using white in her interiors, and her own living room, the "first all-white room" catapulted her success. She became in demand by America's royalty. however, while white made her famous, her later body of work is lesser known. This (above) is a surrealist inspired room she designed...notice the horse hoof chair legs. More surrealist influence. Syrie was also known for using the palm statues and the color green. Syrie's bold use of plants in a client's home to create a scape within the staircase. {images via Syrie Maugham book}

We explore the interior style of Syrie Maugham, a boldly modern woman with a decorative vision that was lively, adventurous and constantly evolving.

The restoration of a 1930s Art Deco bathroom designed by Syrie Maugham

What to do when your work schedule is so hectic that it leaves you little time to prepare a blog post? You scramble to find photos of a house so attractive that you don't have to devote much time to writing text. Now that I've gotten that off of my chest, I'll get on with the gist of this blog post. The upper Westchester County, New York house you see here belonged (or, perhaps still belongs) to designers Benjamin Garber and William Kennedy of William Kennedy Associates. Built in 1968, the 7,000-square-foot house was composed of quite spacious rooms, which were decorated in that dignified style so characteristic of mid-twentieth-century, high-end design. By dignified, I mean that the house was appointed with fine fabrics, formal, antique furniture, and exquisite porcelains, all set against a backdrop of sophisticated, harmonious color. And although the house could be deemed polite (a compliment in my book,) there is nothing stuffy about this house. Warmth and comfort are much in evidence, with just enough dazzle to keep things interesting. Also interesting is the information provided by the 1974 Architectural Digest article, in which these photos appeared. According to the text, Kennedy once worked for Syrie Maugham, and both men took over her U.S. operation in the 1950s. The interview for this article must have been lively, with much banter about Kennedy's former employer. I'll leave you with this exchange between the two men, in which both share their thoughts on Maugham: "She was the greatest gal I've ever know," says Mr. Kennedy. "Venemous," says Mr. Garber, "but the most charming girl that ever walked into a parlour. Whatever she did, she insisted on quality." "She sold the worst things in the world," says Mr. Kennedy. "But she made them look like quality," says Mr. Garber, "and that is magic that few people do well." P.S.- Does this room, above, remind you of the work of designer Michael Greer? Photos from Architectural Digest, Jan/Feb 1974, Charlotte Brooks photographer.

Photos Courtesy of Rizzoli Babe Paley's taxi cab yellow living room by Sister Parish Adam Lewis does his research. The design writer spent...

fleurdulys: Hall of Argyll House, Chelsea, London; with Syrie Maugham and Sibyl Colefax - John Lavery 1930

Stars... ...and Stripes Stars... ...and Stripes Stars and Stripes... ...Forever!  Rooms and designers featured from top to bottom: Rose Cumming; Madeleine Castaing; Syrie Maugham; Dorothy Draper; Hobe Erwin.

I believe this is a 1970's re-do of Syrie Maughams famous all white living room in her London Home....scroll down for the orignial. Syrie Maugham 1879-1955 When Syrie Maugham began her interior design career at the age of 42, she was determined to show the world something new...the all white room. Recognizing that her London home was potentially her best form of advertising, Syrie staged a midnight candlelit dinner party where she unveiled her all white living room, decorated with matching white sofas, white lilies, and huge mirrored screens. Seriously, this was something new, many of her peers were still stuck in the Victorian ideal of small, dark and shabby...what a breath of fresh air she must have been! Jean Harlow was not only a private client of Syrie Maugham's, S.M. also decorated the set of her movie Dinner at Eight. Eleven shades of white were needed to create enough contrast for the black and white film. Notice the fringe on the chair? A hallmark of Maughams style. A Cecile Beeton photograph, of his sister, in Syries all white living room in her London home. Maugham's famous sleigh bed with tasseled trim. Syrie Maugham in her 70's. In her life she suffered a nervous breakdown, contracted tuberculosis, and killed a cyclist in a car accident, which I suppose could account for her "difficult" personality (a word which history books seem to love to apply to driven successful women of any era). And now...just because there are not enough Syrie Maugham photographs ...a few lovely white rooms I bumped into while nosing around. Have you noticed that when decorating with white, it's a short trip from sophisticated/modern to country/twee? That trip usually begins with a gallon of white paint and a piece of wooden furniture...and usually ends badly. In my opinion white painted furniture is always (okay, usually) a bad idea. If you are decorating a mostly white room and must paint a piece of wooden furniture, consider black. You really can't beat a black/white combo. So smart and sophisticated. When I was a little girl I wanted to be nun, must have seen The Sound of Music once too often. I suppose my room would have looked something like this...thank goodness I didn't become a damn nun! I have no idea what that is hanging above the bed...that's between you and your imagination. Awww....cool blue and white, such a refreshing combination. Am I the only one who's grown a little weary of things with antlers? Words fail me...just know that I really really love this room! Have to ever decorated a white room? Wanted to be a nun? What's your favorite color to pare with white? Have a beautiful day. yancey

Interior decorator Syrie Maugham was one of Karl Lagerfeld’s key references for the house's most recent couture collection. Here we marvel at her modern touch

The current issue of Vogue Living has a great article on a fantasy room created for actress Rachel Weisz. Inspired by the lives of 19th century Parisian courtesans, Weisz wanted a boudoir with a salon feel. The fantasy room, created in the empty apartment of the late Fernando Sanchez, was assembled with the help of Vera Wang and designer Jessie Carrier. And what fun that must have been! The room is dominated by a gorgeous bed dripping in fabric by Michael Smith and crowned by ostrich feathers! So, I started to think about my kind of fantasy room. Now in reality, I'm a student of the "Albert Hadley/Billy Baldwin/ Van Day Truex with some Dorothy Draper mixed in" school of design. But we are talking fantasy here, so why not go for broke. I don't see myself creating a period piece- Regency England, Belle Epoque Paris, or Renaissance Italy are all very inspiring periods, but they're not striking my fancy at this moment. And I don't want a costume drama. Although Scarlett O'Hara is a heroine to us Southern gals, I'm just not seeing hoop skirts in my fantasy room (although allowances might be made for Scarlett's green velvet curtains; they just might come in handy!). No, my room would be planted firmly in the 20th century; actually, the 1930s to be exact. I see satin, mirror, interesting plasterwork, a bit of Chinoiserie, and moody lighting. It would have to be shot in black and white for that extra touch of drama. Oh, and I see an ermine cape thrown on the ground for that touch of devil may care attitude. If we're talking 1930s, we have to include a Syrie Maugham room. Perhaps a satin sofa like this might be nice, although the fringe is a bit hard to stomach. I suppose this might be my fantasy bathroom, located next to my fantasy room. (Bathroom at Gayfere House, London) What about these unusual ropes, wooden tassels, and porcelain hands on a wall in the fantasy room? (Images from House & Garden, Conde Nast Store) You see, nothing like a little dramatic lighting to change the tone of a room. (Room designed by Thedlow; House & Garden, August 1936) Oh look, there I am striking a pose in my fantasy room! (Photo of late actress Gail Patrick) (Images at top from Vogue Living, Spring/Summer '08; Annie Leibovitz photographer)

The apartments, designed by the author's father David in 1965, have sat untouched for more than half a century

Syrie Maugham

I just finished reading Syrie Maugham, Pauline Metcalf's new book on one of the twentieth century's most innovative designers. It was high time that Syrie got a book of her own. Actually, Richard Fisher wrote a book on Syrie back in the late 1970s, but that one is both hard to find and quite expensive. I had to resort to photocopying the Fisher book at my neighborhood library. At least I own Metcalf's book. Like so many of the Acanthus Press books that I've read, Syrie Maugham is very much a catalogue raisonne of the decorator's work through the decades. There were some Maugham rooms that I was familiar with, but many were new to me too. Of course, Maugham's famous Kings Road all-white drawing room is featured in the book (it's on the cover, too); after all, this was the room that got Maugham noticed by the press and the public on both sides of the Atlantic. But what many people don't realize is that Maugham also used color- vivid color- in much of her work, and this is a point that Metcalf drives home with such examples as the living room of Ina and William Wallace and even Maugham's later residence at Chesham Place. In addition to color, other Maugham hallmarks include tufted upholstery (Syrie never overlooked comfort), sleigh beds, mirrored screens, fringe, and fabulous window pelmets, all of which are seen throughout the book. Another interesting point made by Metcalf is that at times, Maugham's work "overlapped" with that of Elsie de Wolfe, Frances Elkins (someone with whom Maugham occasionally collaborated), and even Dorothy Draper. Look at photos of all four designers' work and you'll see the influence that each one had on the other. I know that there are those of us who are fascinated by the history of design and those who are only interested in photographs of gorgeous rooms. No matter which camp you're in, I think this book will be well received by both. After reading it, you'll realize that Syrie Maugham was not just a one trick pony. Although she'll be best remembered for that white room and pickled furniture, she did so much more than that. Thanks to Metcalf for showing us that. The famous all-white party room at Maugham's Kings Road home c. 1932. Once this look ran its course, Maugham was smart enough to go in a different direction and decorate her home in a whole new way: Vogue Regency in the Entrance Hall at Chesham Place, Maugham's address from 1937 to 1939. If I didn't know better, I might think that this space was decorated by Dorothy Draper. Rose wallpaper struck a colorful note in the entrance hall at yet another Maugham home, this one at 24 Park Lane. And one more example of rich color, this time in the living room of William Wallace and his wife, actress Ina Claire. This space dates to the early 1940s. I find this Maugham decorated drawing room so charming, and I just had to include it because this home belonged to Lady Rose Leveson-Gower and her husband; she was the older sister to the late Queen Mum. The Manhattan apartment of Grace and Harry Payne Bingham. If only I had traditional windows in my apartment, I would copy that pelmet in a heartbeat. (All images courtesy of Syrie Maugham by Pauline C. Metcalf, Acanthus Press publishers.)

Round Chinese Cabinet at Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna Nothing creates more impact than displaying a collection, particularly one of porcelain, en masse. In the 18th c., some of the European palaces had porcelain cabinets and chambers- rooms in which the palace's collection of porcelain was displayed. Many of these porcelain rooms were decorated with ornate gilt brackets on which the pieces of porcelain were placed. Of course, the grandeur of these rooms is not necessarily something to which the modern homeowner aspires. However, the grouping of brackets and objets certainly creates just as much visual impact today as it did centuries ago. Just look at the way this idea was applied in rooms designed by Jansen and Syrie Maugham. The moral of the story? Sometimes in design it's better to be bold, especially with collections. You can always show restraint in other areas! Porcelain Chamber from Dubsky Palace,Brno, now located in the MAK Museum, Vienna. Part of a Porcelain Cabinet from a German palace, c. 1738, now located at Schloss St. Emmeram in Bavaria Moody drama in a room designed by legend Syrie Maugham Jayne Wrightsman in her Palm Beach library, designed by Maison Jansen (1959)

I'm trying to figure out the seating situation in my bedroom. (After I wrote that, I realized that this is a loaded statement.) I think it's nice to have a chair in one's bedroom as a place to sit and read. I have a temporary one in there right now. It was my childhood armchair and ottoman that is, well, a little dated. Both pieces are a bit low to the ground which is perfect for a child (of which I am no more...), and they're upholstered in a Colefax & Fowler check. It was great for the 1980s, but not so much anymore. Those two pieces will, I believe, be heading to the consignment store. What I plan to use in its place is a hand-me-down wing chair that used to be in my parents' library. I adore a traditional, honest to goodness wing chair. You can dress them up, you can dress them down. I want this wing chair to be a little glam, much like those you see in the old movies. And if you look closely at wing chairs from the 1930s and 40s, you'll notice that many of them have brush fringe. I'm thinking of doing this to my chair. Perhaps a solid mohair or silk velvet with a contrasting brush fringe. The deal is, though, that the fringe needs to be short. After trolling my books for images of brush fringe, I noticed that one trend from this era was adorning everything- chairs, sofas, lampshades- in a long fringe. No, this is not for me. I think I'll just stick to a well-groomed fringe. Billy Haines used fringe on this armchair for actress Constance Bennett. Check out the fringe on the lamp shade! It pains me to write me this because in my mind, Frances Elkins could do no wrong. But...that fringe is a little too long for me. Other than that, it's really pretty stunning. (Living Room in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Leslie Wheeler, Lake Forest, Illinois, c. 1934) A great example by Syrie Maugham in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Harrison Williams, New York. (Drix Duryea, photographer) Leave it to Rose Cumming to make brush fringe so glam. This makes me want to upholster my wing chair in silk. Not the best choice for a home with a dog, but still... (Home of Mrs. C.S. Petrasch, New York City) In the Beverly Hills salon of designer Adrian, Tony Duquette was enthusiastic in his use of brush fringe. Image at top: Designer John Gerald trimmed this blue satin strie upholstered armchair in a beige fringe. I think this is a great example of what I may do with my chair. (Image #1: House & Garden's Complete Guide to Interior Decoration. #2 from Class Act: William Haines Legendary Hollywood Decorator by Peter Schifando. #3 from Frances Elkins: Interior Design by Stephen Salny. #4 and #5 from The Great Lady Decorators: The Women Who Defined Interior Design, 1870-1955 by Adam Lewis. #6 from Regency Redux: High Style Interiors: Napoleonic, Classical Moderne, and Hollywood Regency by Emily Evans Eerdmans.)

Actor Jeremy Piven as Harry Gordon Selfridge. From the PBS television series "Masterpiece Classics". Image: list.co.uk Fans of British period dramas are currently enjoying the PBS series Mr. Selfridge starring Jeremy Piven as the American-born retail pioneer. Harry Gordon Selfridge, 1864 to 1947, worked his way up from stock boy to head the department store that became Marshall Field in Chicago. When Field refused to make him a partner, he struck out on his own.  Harry Gordon Selfridge as he appeared about 1910. Image: Wikipedia. 117 (now 1430) Lake Shore Drive, Chicago. Photo via Glessner House blog. The Selfridges had shared a house on Rush Street with her sister and brother-in-law until purchasing a city house on Lake Shore Drive for $100,000 in 1898. It had been built in 1890 by architect Francis Whitehouse for his widowed mother-in-law.  Harrose Hall, Lake Geneva. Completed 1899. Now demolished. Photo via Glessner House blog. A summer home at Lake Geneva was completed in 1899. Named Harrose Hall, combining the names of Harry and Rose, it was a substantial Arts & Crafts house of stone and half-timbered stucco. More about the Selfridges' Chicago years may be found here.  Architect Louis H. Sullivan's store for Schlesinger & Meyer was H.G. Selfridge & Co. before becoming Carson, Pirie, Scott & Co. It is now a Target store. Image via intralld.com With business partners, Selfridge bought the Chicago department store Schlesinger & Meyer and changed the name to H.G. Selfridge & Co. The landmark building designed by Louis H. Sullivan was included in the deal. However, within a year, it was all sold at a great profit to Carson, Pirie, Scott & Co.  Selfridge's Department Store designed by architect Daniel Burnham. Photo via RIBA. The lure of London retail beckoned after a 1906 visit and a magnificent new Classical Revival store was opened in 1909 designed by Chicago architect Daniel Burnham. The influence of the Beaux Arts ideals of the 1893 Chicago World's Exposition, largely designed by Burnham, is apparent in the store, and the matching expansion completed in 1929. Several designs for a 450 ft tower were submitted by Burnham as well as British architects Sir John Burnet and Philip Tilden, but it was never built.  Highcliffe Castle, Dorset. South Court as published in 1942. Photo: Country Life Library London gentlemen of social standing had a country house for weekend entertaining, and Harry Gordon Selfridge leased Highcliffe Castle in Dorset from 1916 to 1922. During World War I, Rose had a therapeutic charitable tent retreat on the grounds called the Mrs. Gordon Selfridge Convalescent Camp for American Soldiers.  Highcliffe Castle entrance. Photo: Country Life Library. Constructed in the romantic Gothic Revival style mainly from 1831 to 1836 by architect William Donthorne, it was home to the diplomat Lord Stuart de Rothesay.  Highcliffe Castle Great Hall staircase. Photo: Country Life Library. Salvaged stone work and colored glass windows from across the channel in France were incorporated into the house, making it appear older than it actually was.  Highcliffe Castle Great Hall. Photo: Country Life Library. In contrast with the exterior, the interiors past the Great Hall were largely finished in the French taste of the 18th and early 19th centuries. Although the house was only leased by Mr. Selfridge, he installed central steam heat and a modern kitchen and bathrooms.  Highcliffe Castle, Salon. As it appeared in 1942. Photo: Country Life Library.  Highcliffe Castle, Octagon Room. As it appeared in 1942. Photo: Country Life Library.  Highcliffe Castle, Dining Room. As it appeared in 1942. Photo: Country Life Library. Highcliffe Castle, Library. As it appeared in 1942. Photo: Country Life Library. Although Highcliffe Castle holds Grade 1 status, the interiors were lost in two fires in the 1960s. In 1977, it was purchased by Christchurch Borough Council and is used today as community space, tourist attraction and popular wedding venue. A 1990s restoration was partly funded by a grant from the Heritage Lottery fund.   A proposal for the Selfridge Castle at Hengistbury Head by Philip Tilden. Image: RIBA. Selfridge thought big, of course, and Highcliffe Castle was only a temporary residence. He bought a mile-long stretch of cliffs nearby and commissioned architect Philip Tilden, who had been involved in the competition of sorts for the tower above the store in London, to design 'the largest castle in the world.' Despite Selfridge's preference for classicism, he wanted the castle to have a mix with the concept of a medieval fortress being the primary goal.  A proposed terrace for the Selfridge Castle at Hengistbury Head by Philip Tilden. Image: RIBA Within four miles of ramparts with towers, there was to be a Gothic hall, a 300 ft tower, a theatre, a Hall of Mirrors copied from Versailles, a winter garden, a covered lake, long galleries for pictures & tapestries and at least 250 suites for guests. The intent was to have a 'small castle' completed first, and then the 'large castle'. Plans for construction were impeded by - Spoiler Alert - his wife's death from the influenza pandemic in 1918, and finally the impact of the Wall Street Crash in 1929. In 1930, 300 acres were sold to the local council and no part of the design was ever realized.  Landsdowne House, London, as seen in an 1811 engraving. ACKERMANN'S REPOSITORY OF ARTS, LITERATURE, COMMERCE, FASHIONS, AND POLITICS. Selfridge leased one of London's finest houses, Landsdowne House, for his city residence from 1921 to 1929. Begun for the third earl of Bute, Prime Minister John Stuart, it was sold unfinished about 1765 to William Petty-Fitzmaurice, the earl of Shelburne, later first marquess of Landsdowne, and finished to plans by Robert Adam in 1768.  A detail from Greenwood's Map of London, 1830, showing Landsdowne House facing its own front garden between Berkeley Square and the rear garden of Devonshire House. A great asset of the house was that it faced a front garden, unique for London. (This allowed Devonshire House a view all the way to Berkeley Square. To read the story of the now-demolished mansion that was the center of life for the Cavendish family from the October 18, 2011, post of The Devoted Classicist, click here).  The plan of the principal story of Shelbourne House as Landsdowne House was first known, as published by Robert Adam, 1765. A widening of the road in 1930 required a removal of the flanking pavilions and the front rooms of the main block. A somewhat similar façade provided a replacement and two of the grand rooms were purchased by museums in the United States. The building is now Landsdowne Club.  The exterior of Landsdowne House as photographed for Arthur Bolton's THE ARCHITECTURE OF ROBERT AND JAMES ADAM, published 1922. Country Life Picture Library. The Organ Drawing Room has been restored and can now be seen in the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  The Drawing Room of Landsdowne House showing the niche originally intended for Lord Bute's vastly expensive mechanical organ. Philadelphia Museum of Art. The Eating-room, as it is labeled on the Adam floor plan, has also been restored and is on view in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In addition to the plaster work, the millwork, and the marble chimneypiece, even the original flooring is installed in the New York City location. Plaster copies of the statues now occupy the niches, as the antique sculpture was dispersed in the 1930 Landsdowne sale. The original furniture designed by Robert Adam and executed by John Linnell no longer survives.  The Dining Room of Landsdowne House showing the niches that originally held nine ancient marble statues. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Landsdowne House, known as a center for political entertaining in earlier times, was a noted Jazz Age party mansion for Selfridge. It was leased furnished and came with twenty servants.  Mr. Selfridge's Room at Landsdowne House as it appeared in 1921. Photo: English Heritage. Numerous liaisons included both of the dancing Hungarian twins known as the Dolly Sisters.  The Dolly Sisters. Photo: Wikipedia. And there was reportedly an affair with the divorcee, Syrie Barnardo Wellcome, later to be known as the famous Lady Decorator, Syrie Maugham.  Syrie Maugham. Photo: Tumblr. Forced into retirement from Selfridge's in 1939, he was essentially penniless in his later years after spending his fortune on extravagant living and an addiction to gambling, not to mention the succession of mistresses who were essentially refused nothing. But H.G. Selfridge's showmanship and admiration of architecture has left a legacy in retail history. 

Ten Chimneys, Genesee Depot, Wisconsin By Warren O'Brien from the O'Brien Family Collection at WHS ©Ten Chimneys Foundation OBrien_TC_Cottage_Syrie_Maugham_Bedroom3

girlflapper.tumblr.com hi guys, how’s la vie? j’espère c’est en rose! it’s already the weekend and there’s a lot going on around here. it’s time to decide about…

Some looks have aged more gracefully than others.

I just finished reading Syrie Maugham, Pauline Metcalf's new book on one of the twentieth century's most innovative designers. It was high time that Syrie got a book of her own. Actually, Richard Fisher wrote a book on Syrie back in the late 1970s, but that one is both hard to find and quite expensive. I had to resort to photocopying the Fisher book at my neighborhood library. At least I own Metcalf's book. Like so many of the Acanthus Press books that I've read, Syrie Maugham is very much a catalogue raisonne of the decorator's work through the decades. There were some Maugham rooms that I was familiar with, but many were new to me too. Of course, Maugham's famous Kings Road all-white drawing room is featured in the book (it's on the cover, too); after all, this was the room that got Maugham noticed by the press and the public on both sides of the Atlantic. But what many people don't realize is that Maugham also used color- vivid color- in much of her work, and this is a point that Metcalf drives home with such examples as the living room of Ina and William Wallace and even Maugham's later residence at Chesham Place. In addition to color, other Maugham hallmarks include tufted upholstery (Syrie never overlooked comfort), sleigh beds, mirrored screens, fringe, and fabulous window pelmets, all of which are seen throughout the book. Another interesting point made by Metcalf is that at times, Maugham's work "overlapped" with that of Elsie de Wolfe, Frances Elkins (someone with whom Maugham occasionally collaborated), and even Dorothy Draper. Look at photos of all four designers' work and you'll see the influence that each one had on the other. I know that there are those of us who are fascinated by the history of design and those who are only interested in photographs of gorgeous rooms. No matter which camp you're in, I think this book will be well received by both. After reading it, you'll realize that Syrie Maugham was not just a one trick pony. Although she'll be best remembered for that white room and pickled furniture, she did so much more than that. Thanks to Metcalf for showing us that. The famous all-white party room at Maugham's Kings Road home c. 1932. Once this look ran its course, Maugham was smart enough to go in a different direction and decorate her home in a whole new way: Vogue Regency in the Entrance Hall at Chesham Place, Maugham's address from 1937 to 1939. If I didn't know better, I might think that this space was decorated by Dorothy Draper. Rose wallpaper struck a colorful note in the entrance hall at yet another Maugham home, this one at 24 Park Lane. And one more example of rich color, this time in the living room of William Wallace and his wife, actress Ina Claire. This space dates to the early 1940s. I find this Maugham decorated drawing room so charming, and I just had to include it because this home belonged to Lady Rose Leveson-Gower and her husband; she was the older sister to the late Queen Mum. The Manhattan apartment of Grace and Harry Payne Bingham. If only I had traditional windows in my apartment, I would copy that pelmet in a heartbeat. (All images courtesy of Syrie Maugham by Pauline C. Metcalf, Acanthus Press publishers.)