The formal garden in Central Park on a quiet, empty, rainy spring day:
Rockefeller Style: Inspiration & Picks from the Peggy & David Rockefeller May 2018 Auctions at Christie's
Wealth, New York City, politics, modern art, banking . . . the name Rockefeller evokes such strong associations of privilege that most people assume they couldn't pick up anything from their style. After all, what room wouldn't be improved by a Renoir or Picasso? What dinner wouldn't be beautified by a service made for Napoleon?
Looking over the Peggy & David Rockefeller auctions, though, there's a lot to be gleaned by the average decorator. The areas in which they chose to collect (apart from blue chip art and gems) are both indicative of their milieu and easy to imitate, with high quality reproductions or inspired modern products:
- Granny's antique porcelain dinner and dessert services, with hits from virtually every active region of creation in the 18th and 19th centuries (Sèvres, Coalport, Minton, Wedgwood, Edo period Japanese, Chinese export, Herend, Meissen, etc.)
- lots of coats and crests engraved on silver, almost all George II & George III, with emphasis on tea and chocolate pots and salvers/waiters/trays
- animalia in textures from Meissen porcelain figurines to vintage wooden duck decoys
- exotic souvenirs including Greek relief pottery, gilded Buddhas, Chinese watercolors, African masks, and Persian miniature paintings
- English furniture, again almost all George II & George III, with a focus on veneers and inlays in amboyna, amaranth, and fruitwoods
- Americana: hurricane lamps, naïve portaits and nautical paintings, southwestern Native artifacts
- comfy Victoriana: andirons, tea caddies, bedwarmers
The classic palette is also of note: hallway and kitchen walls are ivory; rooms for entertaining are mustard yellow, cherry red, apple green, and papered; rooms for relaxation and reflection are wood paneled. Floor length curtains with matching pelmets are the only sort of window treatment, with chintzes featuring prominently. Upholstery is the aforementioned chintz, silk damask, cotton velvet, or needlepoint. Rugs are antique Oriental carpets only.
Finally, the arrangement of objects is very classic: art and lighting is always centered, tablescapes always symmetric, lamps and side tables only come in pairs, every mantel is furnished with a garniture. Lighting comes from sconces, chandeliers and table lamps, no overheads or standing lamps. Folding screens artfully hide doors; most every surface has a decorative bowl or grouping of humorous porcelain figures flanked by a pair of table lights. Display cabinets abound, and mirrors are set up to reflect careful arrangements of objects, rather than expand the feeling of space.
The online sale lasts a week, starting May 1st, and there are several items with estimates below $1000. If you need a special touch or conversation piece for a room, these are my picks:
Things I Always Buy At Home Goods & TJ Maxx
Ralph Lauren lamps at TJ Maxx, $75-$95 each
90% of the housewares at home goods, marshalls and tj maxx (all owned by the same company and carrying much of the same stock) are ~weird~, why? or no.
It's easy to get SO overwhelmed by the junk you can't see the gems,
but there are certain categories of good, cheap items that are almost always in stock at these shops, that I rely on for myself and my interior decor clients.
SHOWER CURTAINS:
They sell what seem to be private label (Hotel), licensed (Vera Wang, Cynthia Rowley, Tahari etc.), and sometimes simply last-season (Kassatex, Kate Spade) shower curtains that are reliably classy, just as high quality as what I can buy at Saks, Gracious Home or ABC Carpet here in New York, and 1/5th the price. These are all $20 or $25; at Neiman's you'd be spending $85-$300.
classic white 100% cotton bedding:
For $40, there is always a pure white/100% cotton embroidered quilt, matelassé coverlet or waffle weave blanket available. This is one of the most popular types of bedding (or backup bedding) in most of the homes I decorate. Not only is each type of bedcover in unquestionably good taste, but pure white in different classic textures layers so beautifully. It's also washable, bleachable and therefore kid, pet, kink and breakfast-in-bed friendly. If a client wants the best and has the money, there's nothing wrong with getting the $600 Matouk or Sferra version. Most people prefer 4 or 5 of these in the closet for themselves or guests, though.
hangers, hampers and overdoor racks:
When Home Goods opened in New York City I knew my life would never be the same, because the baskets, hampers, velvet huggie hangers, and overdoor racks I had been purchasing at the Container Store were dethroned! Sometimes they've got good options for shoes storage or drawer organizers as well, but not as reliably.
Overdoor hangers are $7 or $8, which is no cheaper than Bed Bath & Beyond, but the selection is always on trend. Basket hampers are a far better bargain, typically priced at just 10-20% of what I would pay at Bed Bath or Container Store. Sets of 25-35 hangers are $12-$17 (about 40% cheaper than Joy Mangano huggable hangers), and again the options of goldtone and coppertone metal bits are very on-trend.
Sheets under $50:
SO . . . cheap sheets are not my thing. Yet, I respect that expensive sheets are just not everybody's thing. If you've decided that sheets are a place where you want to conserve funds, TJ Maxx/Home Goods/Marshalls are a great place to buy them.
For $30/40/$50/$60 they usually have Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein for about half what you'd pay at the department store; sometimes they've got Kate Spade, Donna Karan, Maurizio, other sort of higher-end of the mid-range stuff. Once in a blue moon I've seen Anichini, Frette, and Sferra. Sometimes it's still really pricey ($175, $250), but nothing compared to what you would normally pay, and it usually goes on clearance as well.
Dog Beds and Bowls:
I'm a stickler for chic pet accoutrements! People often take out their tacky on their pets, or neglect to buy their things with anything but utility in mind, though they are constantly on show in the home. Pet boutiques are notoriously expensive, and pet chain stores have woefully little variety and even less of quality. TJ Maxx/Home Goods/Marshalls represents a good balance.
White towels:
Pure white long loop terry towels are available everywhere. The only reason to buy them somewhere more expensive is if you want a specific weave (ie double satin hotel band, floral damask), or want to get them monogrammed at the same time. If you don't do monograms (or like to have really great ones done by a dedicated pro) and aren't hung up on a specific texture, these are great bang for the buck ($8 each, vs. $20+ at a department store). Like white bedding, pure white cotton toweling in different textures can layer up to provide extra style and convenience.
Tablecloths:
I repeat, I AM A LINENS SNOB! Give me Porthault or give me death! But for casual events, everyday dining, outdoor events, kids' events etc., there's a place for mid-range and bargain priced linens. Kate Spade, Cynthia Rowley, Tabitha Webb and Ralph Lauren are consistently available for $15-$30, and sometimes nice imported Italian linens as well.
Shell and Stone Decorative Items:
Lots of their decorative accent stock seems to be imported from India. That means capiz shell, lacquered items and semiprecious stone accessories at really accessible prices. Geode bookends are usually $20-$30 each; shell trays $12-$25 and shell furniture $50-$150.
Lamps:
The lamps here are a bit more expensive, but also more conservative and better quality than Target-- sort of halfway between Target and West Elm. I can usually find a matching pair of Ralph Lauren blue and white lamps, and can always find a great individual desk or bedside lamp. Prices range from $25-$99.
KITCHEN:
As a decorator (and terrible cook) this is an area that I typically don't handle. But for things that people tend to leave displayed (pans on an overhead rack, canisters on open shelving) I like to pick up color coordinated stuff. I also couldn't help but notice that they have a lot of the same brands sold at nice mid-range retailers like Macy's (T-fal, Cuisinart, All-Clad, Breville, Bodum, Riedel etc.) for discounted prices.
Of course, I have found various other gems at times, but these are the categories that I KNOW will not be a waste of my time.
What do you always buy at Marshalls/Home Goods/
TJ Maxx?
any recs for me?
Escape to Target for an exotic dream
OpalHouse, Target's newest housewares line
As we all know, I keep tabs on what's new at Target. It's the only place in New York City I can buy Pixi by Petra makeup AND it's SUCH a good option for a guilt-free impulse buy.
Today Target debuted their new housewares line, OpalHouse. GEMS I TELL YOU, GEMS.
As per usual, I have scouted OpalHouse online to learn the inventory, then scouted it in person to check for quality, and finally saved only my favorites in a dedicated Pinterest board. So, if you'd like to save yourself the trouble of scrolling through 30 PAGES of items and shop from my picks, CLICK HERE.
Collection Highlights:
1. picnic & patio
THIS COLLECTION IS GIVING ME MERCHANT-IVORY MOVIE PICNIC FANTASIES.
Imagine we're setting up a picnic worthy of a Victorian Grand Tour party.
What will we sit on? Stunning outdoor rugs,
Layered beneath complementing picnic blankets,
Shaded from the sun by stylish umbrellas,
And what will we dine and drink from? Charming, lightweight, and unbreakable plastic dishes and flatware,
organized with the occasional rattan tray,
with paper napkins, on paper placemats, on overturned (lightweight yet sturdy) baskets as tables!
inspiration: Royal Ascot, Marie Antoinette, A Room with a View.
OK, I have to peace out from this engrossing daydream.
2. Bargain Priced Velvet Bedding
TARGET'S RENDITION OF THIS LUXE TREND IS SHOCKINGLY GOOD QUALITY.
$600 at Neiman Marcus gets you a velvet quilt. $600 at Target gets you a velvet quilt, two shams, three accent pillows, a headboard and an ottoman for the foot of the bed.
inspiration: Neiman Marcus, Elle Decor UK
3. removable wallpaper
- IT'S NOT JUST FOR RENTERS! I mean yes, these are among the few patterns in good taste available to renters, bravo Target. But removable wallpaper is also good for wallpaper virgins, people who prefer updating seasonally/annually, and those on a super strict budget who will DIY anyway.
inspiration: Helen Dealtry's photos of Secondhand Rose, before it closed
Dorothy Draper reigning over the Greenbrier
4. high-end "inspired" prints
Prints are a consistent weak point at the low end of interiors retailing, and Target is typically no exception; there are lots of bad prints in this line too. But these particular OpalHouse prints have me doing double takes like~ Dorothy Draper, is that you? Edward Zajac?!?! Clarence House, is this a licensing deal? Diane von Furstenberg, ARE YOU AWARE OF THIS? That's a good thing.
inspiration: design legends
5. this rattan bar cart
It's a goddamn classic. Spend $150 now, have it for the rest of your life and your children will inherit. Do I have my my grandfather's 1940s rattan drinks trolley and brass lunch carrier he brought from Hong Kong? No, my awful uncle does, but I sure as hell remember them! And I've always intended to purchase equivalents on the antiques market, at my convenience. This bar cart will do!
inspiration: as close to my memory as I could muster on a 20 minute google journey . . . they lived in a gazebo year round, btw, of course
Will you be picking anything up from OpalHouse at Target?