How To Install Paintings In Your Home

Earlier this month, I was one of the featured Interior Designers at an Event at the Baker Knapp & Tubbs showroom at ADAC, featuring current paintings from Anne Irwin Fine Art, Miami Circle, Atlanta.  It was quite an honour, and there was a great turn-out!  Here's one of my interiors featured on the Power Point presentation:

This week, I'm writing on how to install paintings in your rooms.  First, like a recipe that uses quality ingredients and creates a wonderful meal, start by using QUALITY ART (all paintings in this blog are offered for sale by Anne Irwin Fine Art; just contact me for sizes and prices).

And, to clarify, all of the wonderful vignettes shown were installed by: PETRONILLA PEMBERTON, Visual Display Coordinator at Baker's Showroom at ADAC.  Petronilla has a discerning and creative eye, and we talked about how I as a designer use some of her "tricks" of displaying art in my own installations.

Hanging a large painting over a sofa might sound simple, but you'd be surprised how many people hang art-over-sofas TOO HIGH!  Measure the distance of the top of the sofa to the ceiling.  Rarely will you install right in the middle; instead, "weight" the painting closer to the top of the sofa, 6 to 8 inches most-always works. BTW: same applies to hanging art over a bed.

Perhaps you have a small painting, framed or unframed, that just seems too small to hang on your walls.  Try leaning it against a lamp or mirror; the light from the lamp with give it a nice, warm glow.  You might want to place a book or small object to keep the painting from falling, OR just put the small painting on a black plate-stand.

And while we're on the subject of art and lamps, there is NOTHING WRONG with hanging a large painting behind a lamp.  So the lampshade "covers" part of the painting: "Big Deal, only if you cover the artist's signature or an integral part of the painting do I see this as a problem."

3 Paintings from the Same Artist:  you might like the idea of 3 small to medium-sized paintings instead of one large painting.  AOK!  Just space the paintings 4-6" apart from each-other; Voila!

3 Paintings, Different Artist: this can get trickier.  Either experiment on a bare floor, arranging and spacing, OR, there's NOTHING WRONG with hiring an EXPERT (that would be I) when hanging wall art becomes anxiety-ridden or overwhelming.  It's What I DO!

Maybe it's time to treat yourself to a new painting or two.  Give me a ring (404-274-5091); I'd be happy to help!

Keep Calm And Invest In Fine Art!
....Mark.

Before and After; A Master Bedroom Desk

Sorry I haven't blogged in awhile; HIGH pollen in the ATL had me down a few days, then I had my monthly show at Scott's Antique Market.

This week's blog is simply a recent Before and After for a wonderful client who was upgrading her Master Bedroom.  She had a nice desk, but her new bedroom furniture was more transitional, so I searched for the PERFECT desk and desk chair for a woman that wanted a more-feminine look.  Here's what she had (we moved it to a different room in her home for her daughter to use) BEFORE:

Here's what I found at Baker Knapp & Tubbs,...a WONDERFUL cream-lacquered ladies' desk (which has JEWELERY DRAWERS on the top-left and top-right drawers) from the Barbara Barry Collection.  The oval-back side chair is a personal-favourite of mine; also from Barbara Barry.  Here's the AFTER:

Nice, eh?

And HERE is a photo of the new desk and desk chair,...and how it compliments the rest of my client's Sophisticated and Feminine Master Bedroom.  The bench at the bottom of her new bed came from A. RUDIN, which I found at Ernest Gaspard and Associates at ADAC (with Audrey's help, of course!).  We selected a great ivory leather.  .....and the tall mirror on the wall came from BERNHARDT; Chris Ford, my furniture-tech and installer, professionally-hanged it on the wall right-outside my client's walk-in closet.

I was very happy with the completed Look, and my client was very pleased!

Keep Calm and Relax in Your New Bedroom!
Mark.

Selling Interior Design/Designer Series: Mark Sunderland

I am so honoured to have been chosen as Jody Seivert's featured Interior Design for the month of May! I call Jody the "Pied Piper" of Interior Design Consulting. I encourage you to read the questions I answered for Jody,....and, if you just-happen to be an Interior Designer, I would HIGHLY-recommend giving her a jingle sometime! She has provided me with MANY constructive ideas I've used for my businesses since 2010. She's one of my favourite Peeps, a beautiful person both inside and out!

Thanks for my feature, Jody!

Atlanta is a sizable and supportive design market. ADAC (Atlanta Decorative Arts Center) was the last design center to be accessible to the public via designers and every seminar I have ever done there has been wildly successful. At my first ADAC seminar, Mark Sunderland sat in an aisle seat, nodding vigorously at comments that he agreed with and raising his hand and sharing his opinion at comments he found lacking. He was equally quick to share his best practices and his trials and errors that taught him how to run not one, but three profitable businesses. His formidable design business and his art and antiques businesses support each other. His Anglophile aesthetic and countenance, and his generous and sharp sense of humor comprise the hard-working gentleman I know him to be. Enjoy him and follow him on Facebook- he's sure to have something for you and your next project!

1. What are the biggest changes you have seen to the industry and to your business in the last 5 years?

Our Industry, among others, changed dramatically on September 15, 2008. I was on a whole-house installation that day, and remember watching the decline of our Economy on my client's plasma TVs all over the house. Since that day, "disposable-income" has new meaning. It is more of a challenge to convince clients, both former and new, to agree to spend their money on quality furnishings for their homes.

The Design World has changed dramatically, what with television shows, the Internet, and Big Box catalogues that arrive in the mail each week; the public is deluged with alternatives to using interior designers. It is our job to STAY IN CONTACT with previous clients and, using the plethora of Social Network sites, market ourselves to new clients.

I sometimes say, "I work twice as hard for half as much money," which is not far from the truth. We as Interior Designers MUST change with the Times.

2. What have you done in your business to respond to those changes - and how is that working for you?

I've done MANY things in the last few years to respond to these changes. Since March 2011, I sell antiques,....daily in 5 spaces at at Historic Roswell Antique Market, and monthly at 3-4 spaces at The Scott Antique Market, one of the best MONTHLY antique shows in the country.

So I wear 2 hats: an Interior Designer hat and an Antique Dealer hat. It's taken time, but I've acquired over $200,000 worth of antiques in 2 years, and my antique business is certainly supplementing my Interior Design business. Almost every month at Scott's, I meet a potential new client who might-just need my help with new upholstered furniture, draperies, or kitchen and bathroom renovations. So THAT's "A Good Thing!"

I have Jody Seivert to thank for teaching me about Marketing through Social Media. I met her in the Spring of 2010 at ADAC, and, by the time she returned that Fall, I had not only a great website (which I developed in 2005), but started a BLOG and increased my Facebook and Pinterest presence exponentially. It takes time, and certainly hour upon hour of careful posts, but I've been able to reach an even larger audience through social-networking.

Recently, in December, I had a $7000 sale of antiques I had posted on Facebook (from a Designer Showhouse in Atlanta that I've participated the last 2 years) to a man in Los Angeles that I had never met. The Power of Social Networking!

3. What do you predict for the future of the interior design industry - and how can designers prepare for that?

Interior Designers will always have a place in the Home-Furnishings Industry. It is our job to convince our clients, past, present, and future, that our biggest asset is SAVING THE CLIENTS' MONEY. This can be done by asking many questions, establishing a budget, and asking what I often ask, "Have you ever made a MISTAKE? It is MY job to PREVENT making mistakes going forward." I pride myself on my listening-skills, and, unlike some designers, I ALWAYS offer to visit my client's home for my initial consultation at no-charge. That "getting to know you" and listening to my clients' wants and needs is the most important part of the Process, in my opinion.

We must all be aware of what's "out there," quality-level and pricing of what clients already have,.....and, as these Interior Design projects can become expensive at times,....how much the Client is willing to pay....for product AND my Professional Advice!

I'm optimistic (I always thank my 6th grade teacher for assigning me a book report: Norman Vincent Peale's The Power of Positive Thinking). A positive mental attitude sure helps, as does hard work. And recognizing that What I Do, I do with PASSION! 

*See the full article here!

To All Interior Designers: Keep Calm and Carry On!
Mark.

Baker Furniture, Anne Irwin Galleries, and Mark Sunderland Interiors

I have been very honoured to have been selected by Melody Trivosone, the new Showroom Manager of Baker Knapp & Tubbs, ADAC, to participate with about a dozen or so other interior designers for a private function in their beautiful showroom the week of Design ADAC.

Anne Irwin Fine Art, one of my favourite art galleries in Atlanta, will be showing some wonderful paintings from her gallery amongst the beautiful room settings at Baker.

Baker and I go way back.  At Beverly Hall Furniture Galleries, I had a loyal following of Baker clients.  Here's a photo of one of my "All Baker" rooms:

.....and guess where those beautiful paintings came from?  That's right, Anne Irwin Fine Art!

http://anneirwinfineart.com

I am so looking forward from returning from Kentucky Derby Weekend and participating in this fine Event with Baker and Anne Irwin.

Having been an Independent Designer since Fall 2010, when Beverly Hall closed their doors, I'm a "regular" at the Baker Showroom at ADAC.

http://www.bakerfurniture.com

Are YOU a Baker fan like me?  If so, I'd be happy to propose your new Dining Room, Living Room, bedroom, or, as one of my Baker clients did, furnish your ENTIRE home with all the different Collections from Baker and Milling Road.

Thank you, Melody, for this wonderful opportunity to network my businesses: Mark Sunderland Interiors, Inc. and Mark Sunderland Antiques, LLC. (http://www.msunderland.com/)

I'll keep y'all posted on how the Event goes!

Keep Calm and Use Baker and Anne Irwin Fine Art!

Cheers!
Mark.

A little "Retail Therapy" helps the psyche, don'tcha' think?

Once in a while, we all need a little Retail Therapy to help make our lives a little brighter (said Retail Therapy works, by-the-way, when you buy a new sofa, a new bed, or have me re-decorate a whole room......HINT-HINT).  After an uber-productive day of antiquing, errand-running, and stops at ADAC, I stopped at my Barnes & Noble on Peachtree Road and treated myself to these five new (to me) CDs.  

I'm not your "download via iTunes" kinda guy; I like to hear the ENTIRE album, and enjoy listening to new tunes for a month or so, then put them away in the custom-drawers my cabinet-maker made for me when I built my new kitchen 10 years ago (photo later in the blog).

Here's what I bought today:

Mumford & Sons: Babel (see them on TV all the time; wanted to try them)

David Bowie: The Next Day (Bowie is one of my favourites; I have many of his albums).

Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Mosquito (my 3rd of 4th of theirs; GREAT road music!)

Sarah Brightman: Dreamchaser (Sis Jill and I LOVE her voice!  Saw her on Broadway).

And Depeche Mode: Delta Machine (another of my favourite groups).

As you can see, my taste in music goes in many directions; perhaps yours does as well.  Let me know if any of my choices appeal to you,.....and give me an idea of which albums I should add to my library.

Only problem IS:  as you can see, I've run out of drawer space!

Keep Calm and Keep The Music Business Alive!

...Music-Mark.

Convenience....At What Price?

I attended a seminar at ADAC the other day, hosted by the nice folks at Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles.  It was a nice event, focusing on entertaining.  Not one, but 2 of the speakers mentioned "picking up flowers at Trader Joes."

I'm probably in the Minority on this, but I just don't buy my flowers from a grocery store,...for several reasons, in fact.  Although convenient, I simply have never seen the freshness I can get from my neighborhood flower place, FLORAL PARK.

At Floral Park, James is always there to guide me on his most-recent, freshest, flowers.  On occasion, he'll cut me a deal on something he's not-moving, and I so-appreciate his expertise and advice.  He's got a small shop, but I can ALWAYS find something beautiful in his cooler.  The whole experience reminds me of buying flowers in France, or, for that matter, from a sidewalk florist in NYC.  For me, who has NEVER bought a "bouquet" at Kroger nor Publix, ....just putting flowers on a rubber conveyer belt at the cashiers is odd-in-itself,...call  me crazy (you wouldn't be the first).......

Like James, I have a LOCALLY-OWNED business.  So there's that reason.

But I ask, "At what price do we pay for CONVENIENCE?"  To wit: the other week, I was at a client's house.  They showed me a sofa that they bought "on sale" at the Mall.  They were just there, the sofa was on sale, it was convenient.  It never occurred  to them to call me to discuss such an expensive purchase.  Easy-Button.  There and Then.  Convenient.  But was it an intelligent purchase?  Let's just say that I could have proposed an AMERICAN-MADE, 8-way hand-tied-spring sofa (yes, it would have taken 6 weeks......which, to many people, is not CONVENIENT).....but it would have been made with better fabric, been constructed better, and would have lasted longer.   .....AND: it would have cost $800-1000 LESS from EITHER Lexington or Bernhardt.  I didn't tell my client this, simply complimented them on their new sofa, and took that mental note.

Many times, even a past-client might have the IMPRESSION that something I offer would be more-expensive.  Most times, that is NOT the case.  MY job is to SAVE YOU MONEY,.........without making MISTAKES.

What do you think? Have you ever made a mistake for CONVENIENCE SAKE?

Floral Park
775 Trabert Ave NW 
Atlanta, GA 30318‎

775 Trabert Ave NWUSGAAtlanta30318

Edit details

(404) 367-0200

I look forward to hearing from you, as always.

...Mark.

It's The Little Things........

A couple weeks ago, I was power-shopping for fabrics at ADAC.  Although there is a VERY-nice restaurant upstairs, this designer was SO appreciative of the lunchtime offering at the KRAVET showroom, as I was scurrying to get to a client's house by mid-afternoon.

Check THIS out: EVERY day, the nice people at Kravet have a little "spread," (pun intended)....... in their showroom.  This day, there was this uber-tasty cucumber number, with fresh crackers, and the usual pretzel-sticks, candy, and fresh ice water.

Sometimes, you just need a little-sumpin' to get you through mid-day, and Kravet always come through in that department.

Peggy Flanagan, as usual, helped me find the PERFECT buttercup yellow fabric, among others,.......and I learned that Peggy has passed the Kravet Showroom Manager torch to Debbie Nelson, which is: A Good Thing!

Peggy is starting a 4-day work week (I'm GREEN with envy) to simply get a little more out of Life (think: long weekends EVERY weekend!).

I'm happy for Peggy, and congratulate Debbie on her new position.

Over-and-above the fact that Kravet has wonderful fabrics, their staff is always there for we designers on the run........so thanks, Kravet, for exemplary SERVICE,....and THANKS FOR LUNCH!!!

Keeping Calm and Carrying On..........

...Mark.

French, but not 'Frenchy'......

Here's a photo of a coffee-table I JUST PURCHASED from Judy Rohrer, my sales representative at Baker, Knapp & Tubbs, ADAC.

It's from FRENCH HERITAGE, a fabulous furniture-maker that STILL makes fine furniture in FRANCE!  I sold French Heritage product for over 14 years at Beverly Hall Furniture Galleries; the woods, metals, and the way they FINISH their product is A+ all the way!!!

When I was at ADAC last month, spec'ing BAKER furniture for a Design-Client, I spotted THIS baby,......and noticed that it had an original retail price of: $8000.00.  It had been marked-down (as it has recently been edited from their line)  to a price I simply couldn't resist.  I BOUGHT it, and have it in my Home Studio, awaiting the RIGHT CLIENT who needs: a FINE, hand-waxed wood coffee table AT THE PRICE OF ONE OF MUCH-LESS quality from one of those catalogues you get in the mail.

MY price for this coffee-table is: $1799.00!!!!!!  Remember: original price $8K (I even left the original price on the piece).  SIZE:  47"wide x 32.5"depth x 16.5" height.

Here are some additional photos I personally shot, showing the SLIDE-FEATURE which opens and closes over handy-storage areas for your many magazines and books.  Drawers on one side that slide-through from either-side (great for games, cards, junque,......) and a nice storage shelf (perhaps for art books, tissues, etc.).

Size: 47"w x 32.5"d x 16.5"h; shown decorated in my Home Studio. 

GREAT side "pockets" for your periodicals!

Another shot of this WONDERFUL coffee table; my price: $1799.00!!!

This is a GREAT opportunity for someone who just-might need a new coffee table for their Family Room or TV Room.  It would look great in-front of a fabric OR leather sofa........

As I mentioned, it's here, safe and sound, at my Home Studio in Atlanta.  I'll be happy to get an affordable quote to SHIP it ANYWHERE in the USA; just let me know!

As always, Keep Calm And Carry On!

....Mark.

PINTEREST: A Plethora of Ideas!!!!!

I've been "pinning" on Pinterest for a little over a year, now.

Several months ago, I noticed that contrast-shoestrings seem to be a NEW IDEA in the shoe industry.  Many of the pins I saw were from shoe companies that were a little-"young" for me.........But I can up with this (I thought ORIGINAL until I saw a DIOR-HOMME pin 3 weeks after I found red-shoelaces and spent a rainy Sunday afternoon lacing some old shoes, some over 20 years old)........

In any event, "original" or not, I am a very happy-camper with my now-new brown shoes!  I've received MANY compliments at ADAC, Scott's, eating-out.........everyone seems to think that they're Über-Cool and SOOOOO me!

Suffice it to say that THIS designer keeps up on TRENDS.......but I must say that, as an Interior Designer, I sometimes hear from design clients that they want that trendy Ikat fabric or lucite end-table; sometimes these trends work,...sometimes they don't.  It all depends on that personal-look that you want to have in your home.

Let me know if you're PINNING on Pinterest; and, of course, if you ARE, follow me to see what I post.  It's fun and something to do when I come home at night, too-tired to read.

http://pinterest.com/marksunderland

Keep pinning, y'all!!!!!!

Mark.

Brown Jordan: My FAVOURITE outdoor furniture!!!!

I've always loved selling Brown Jordan outdoor furniture, but, when I visited Ernest Gaspard and Associates at ADAC last week to preview for a client, Audrey showed me the NEWEST collection:  ELEMENTS.

"Designed by Richard Frinier for Brown Jordan, Elements was created to bring thought to what can be achieved using the various elements of good design and stylish forms. Uniquely shaped and artfully crafted pieces, combining a new, hand-woven and mohair-textured Resinweave® with powder-coated aluminum frames, set the stage for functional and flexible exterior and interior spaces. The woven surfaces of the sectional, and its corner, coffee and occasional tables were designed to use a moveable thin-lined flat tray made of powder-coated aluminum, which slides easily in two directions for ease of use and also provides an interesting contrast in texture and tonal color."

Many of my traditional clients are asking me to propose something more "transitional" for their patios, porches, and pools.  It's something like people who get a brand new kitchen......they almost-always want cleaner lines in the counterstools and barstools they request from me. 

Well, I THOUGHT my client might like this new Elements Collection, and, after taking her to ADAC last Friday, she REALLY liked it.  I deem it perfect for the lifestyle she leads (she's an executive, ....and, as I almost always do, I glanced through her clothes closet a few months ago,....and let's just say, she doesn't shop at Talbot's anymore......not that there's anything wrong with Talbot's).......her clothes are smart, sophisticated, and savvy).....and the product I propose needs to reflect her current tastes in life; it's a Lifestyles Thing...........

I ordered all on Monday, getting things going, and within 2 months, she'll have a beautiful new patio filled with this transitional furniture.  We ordered:  the rectangular dining table with 6 dining arm chairs, .....and created a custom-sectional using the corner piece with a Sectional chair to the right and that Uber-Cool RAF (right arm facing) sectional piece to the left of the corner.  Two 20" square tables, and VOILA.......an updated look for someone who LOVES to entertain!!!!  

Peruse through the entire Brown Jordan collections......I also have some other favourites:  Campaign Sling, Venetian, Eastlake, ....and many others.  Prices and availability upon request.

I look forward to hearing from some of you who just might need a new look OUTSIDE. 

My cell number is but a "dial" away:  404-274-5091

Here's to Better Weather ahead.......

...Mark.

It's All-About Texture

...just thought I'd blog about a project I'm currently working on.

My new clients, who live in East Cobb County (Marietta, Georgia), met me last month at Scott Antique Market, where I exhibit each month.  They picked-up one of my cards, and later that weekend, checked out my Design Portfolio on my website and on the Elle Decor Registry.

They liked my work, and, although they do not need a STICK of furniture, they're doing a lot to perk-up their wonderful home built in the late-80s.

This photograph shows how I'm incorporating TEXTURE as well as COLOUR into their "soon-to-be-new" Dining Room.

The grasscloth wallpaper on the left: a well-priced paper from Ernest Gaspard and Associates, ADAC.  Of course, The Hangman, Inc. will install, as always.

The fabric shown is one I found at an "off-the-bolt" fabric store.  The soft sage-greens really compliment  the tones in the wallpaper.  We're re-upholstering their 8 Dining Room chairs in this geometric-woven fabric.

And, to save money on custom-made-draperies,......I'm installing that wonderful "tortoise" woven wood shades in the windows. The simplicity of these woven wood shades (unlined) should really provide that fresh, simple look that my clients were going-for! http://www.kirsch.com/products/natural-shades/

It's simply "a texture-thing" sometimes........

I'll post "after" photos when the project is completed next month.

Cheers,
Mark.

Buying an Area Rug,....Rocket Science? .........pretty-much; read why:

The selection and purchasing of an area rug for your home can be one of the most-daunting parts of the home-decorating process.  Just ask me,.....fifteen years ago, I had little knowledge, if any, on the way antique rugs (or reproductions, for that matter) were made,.....why some were priced in the hundreds of dollars, others, in the thousands.

In the past 15 years, I've tried to learn as much as I can about how rugs are made, where they are made, and what they are made from.  I ask a lot of questions, especially to those who make area-rugs their business.  I take notes, lots of notes.  I attend seminars.  I read books.

 Sometimes I get lucky at Estate Sales. This is an Heriz rug from the late-1900s. It's about 9x12; right now, it's at my rug dealer, getting professionally-cleaned. He appraised it between $5000-6000. I'm selling it for $2500

If there were an "Associates Degree" in Antique Rugs, I would probably have one at this point in my career.  Rug dealers at ADAC and Scott Antique Market have personally expressed to me my "extensive knowledge," sometimes saying, "Mark, you know more about antique rugs than any Interior Designer I deal with."

When you hear this as a decorator, it validates the years of LEARNING the PRODUCT-KNOWLEDGE that is SO important in proposing and selling to one's clients.  "KNOW what you SELL" is something I remember from years-back at Beverly Hall Furniture Galleries, where I worked for over 14 years.  As I learned the differences of quality-made furniture, I learned that there are MANY differences in the way area rugs are made. A rug " is not a rug is not a rug" to 'butcher-paraphrase' Gertrude Stein.

In a blog, I cannot begin to explain this complicated-Industry.  For centuries, rugs have been made in the Middle-East, in India, and in China.  Some are HAND-KNOTTED,... others,....."HAND-LOOMED" or machine-made.  Some are knotted on a wool-ground; others on a cotton-ground.  Some rugs get their colour from natural, vegetable-dyed threads; others use synthetic dyes.  Some rugs take over a YEAR to make; others can be loomed in a few days.

 

(1) This is a Sarouk Ferahan, my absolute FAVOURITE type of antique rugs, period. As they were only produced for about 15 years in the late 1800s, they are rare and highly collectible. I own one like this one; it has definitely increased in value since I purchased it.

 (2) Here's a peek of my own Sarouk Ferahan, now in my Home Studio under my 10' stainless steel industrial kitchen work-table.

Get the picture?  ........and I haven't even mentioned the ETHICS (or lack-thereof) involved in the Rug Industry.  Suffice it to say, many of you reading this have probably at one time or another been ABSOLUTELY INTIMIDATED by the whole process, and end-up getting a sisal or seagrass area rug if any rug at all.

This is a great example of a NEW rug (an original Oushak made in Oushak, Turkey).  

Vegetable dyes are used and they LOOK old, but are a fraction of the price of an antique Oushak.

One of my favourite clients bought this antique Tabriz years ago.

Hiring an Interior Designer that you TRUST can be one of the most-rewarding experiences of your lifetime.  As I mention in Spectacular Homes of Georgia, "The difference between a GOOD designer and a GREAT designer is this: a good designer makes your house look pretty; a GREAT designer does so WHILE SAVING YOU MONEY".  Hundreds,....then thousands of dollars over the years.

Rug purchasing alone, whether it's that one perfect rug for your dining room, or replacing your existing-rugs (relocating them in secondary places, if possible) and trading-up to rugs that perfectly-compliment your home and furniture, can provide a "finishing-touch" to any home,....and, if done correctly through research and knowledge, can become a very rewarding and pleasurable experience.  Saving money should be part of the Process.  Just remember:

Cheers!
Mark.

Noblesse Oblige; The Duchess of Windsor As I Knew Her

Last week, I attended another wonderful event at ADAC......a lecture and book-signing by Richard Rene Silvin, author of Noblesse Oblige: The Duchess Of Windsor As I Knew Her.

As many of you know, I collect (and sell) personal items and books on The Duke and Duchess of Windsor, so I definitely was not going to miss THIS! ....and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Noblesse Oblige is Silvin's personal description of the Duchess' last valiant battle to protect her young protégée while he was running a famous hospital in Paris, France. The detailed memoir sits atop an easily absorbed history of both protagonists as the author rejects historians' claim that the Duchess was a ruthless, conniving and superficial woman. Instead he validates TIMES MAGAZINE'S decision to honor her as the first Woman of the Year, who, it has been said "out-Hollywooded Hollywood" while making Greek tragedy seem trivial.

I had forgotten that TIME tidbit,......and the entire presentation by Mr. Silvin was a warm and passionate story told by one who knew Wallis personally.

Here is a taste of Mr. Silvin's book:
"As usual, I met Wallis at Le Bois in order to escort her to dinner. When I arrived, one butler dressed in black tails and two footmen, in red jackets; stood erect as yet another footman opened the carved metal double doors. The butler showed me into the main living room. Once again, I noticed how the beautiful nineteenth century home was cozy, if a bit cluttered. Wallis had referred to it as a ' miniature palace' and, thanks to her tireless ingenuity, it certainly was. It gave visitors an immediate sensation of being both grand and warm. It was inviting unlike a palace or castle. 'Le Bois' or 'The Woods' sits in the middle of a large garden with mature trees in the Bois de Boulogne, Paris' beautiful park on the edge of the city. Amazing one-of-a-kind antiques filled the home to capacity and memorabilia of the Duke's brief tenure as King of England could be seen everywhere: a beautiful collection of Royal silver and gold boxes and his abdication document were on display. Equally prominent were pictures, sculptures and mementoes of the couple's many adored pug dogs."

I, of course, attended the famous Sotheby's auction years-ago in New York. Although I couldn't afford ANY of the Duke or the Duchess's clothing (handkerchiefs went for $1500+ EACH!)......I amassed several wonderful lots of their personal things,....a Collection now worth over $100,000.

Here are a few of the Duchess of Windsor's personal items: a small, shell-topped basket, a carved wooden owl with blue glass eyes, and a woven, wicker basket in the form of a Bahamian-lady. These charming artifacts were made for Wallis by people who knew her in the Bahamas (Edward was "thrown a bone" by his Homeland and was Governor of the Bahamas). She cherished these homemade little items, and displayed them throughout her dressing-rooms along with her priceless antiques.

Tropical shell basket made for The Duchess of Windsor by a Bahamian friend. Shown in front of custom shadowbox, which measures: 8.5" W x 5" D x 8.5" H.  Sotheby's NYC provenance.

Charming, hand carved owl with blue glass eyes; owned by The Duchess of Windsor, given to her by a Bahamian friend. Provenance: Sotheby's NYC.  Shown in front of custom shadowbox, which measures: 7.5" W x 5" D x 8.5" H

 Basket in the form of a lady, made for The Duchess of Windsor by a Bahamian friend. Provenance: Sotheby's NYC. Shown in front of custom shadow box, which measures: 10.5" W x 6.75" D x 12" H

As Mr. Silvin reminded his audience, she was a very-kind soul, and cherished her relationships with the "common-folk."

Scalamadre hosted a delightful luncheon after Mr. Silvin's lecture, where he signed many-a-book for his audience. I personally cannot wait to spend a day in my gardens reading his wonderful memoir.

Thank you, ADAC for another informative day for we-interior-designers who love learning more about beautiful interiors and beautiful people.

Cheers,...... Mark.