"The Power of Color" for VIE November 2023

“In Africa, where my family lived in dozens of US government-owned houses, we carried our furniture and belongings with us, including bookshelves to hold the thousands of books and records my father collected. But we unpacked without ever changing the interiors: each house had the same bland wall color. I suppose it was because, in those tropical and subtropical climates, the color was outside, in the gardens and views.

As a result, when I had my own house to design, wall color remained a mystery. I was color clueless. But at the time, I figured, ‘How hard could this be?’ If I like light gray, why not use that? However, when the color went on the wall (I was too inexperienced to test different shades), the gray was uninspired and didn’t move me. The truth is, at the time, I didn’t know about the connection between color and the experience you have living with it—my understanding of the role of color came years later….”

Read more about “The Power of Color” in the latest issue of VIE Magazine HERE.

"Influencing through the Art Experience" for VIE September 2023

“When the First Lady of Virginia, Suzanne Youngkin, and her husband, Governor Glenn Youngkin, moved into the Executive Mansion in 2022, one of the first things she did was transform its walls.

As one might expect to find in the country’s oldest continuously occupied Executive Mansion, the rooms were lined with paintings of Virginia statesmen and Virginia landscapes set in heavy gold frames. But Mrs. Youngkin saw things differently. She wanted a broader, newer story to be told about the Commonwealth of Virginia through the work of living as well as historic Virginia artists, and she wanted to reopen the Federal-style landmark, designed in 1813 by prominent architect Alexander Parris, which had been closed to the public since the pandemic.

Mrs. Youngkin asked Judy Boland and Ann Goettman, who sit on the Citizens’ Advisory Council on Furnishing and Interpreting the Executive Mansion (CAC), to realize her vision by creating the Art Experience (https://www.executivemansion.virginia.gov/art-experience/). The duo was an interesting choice: Neither one is a museum curator. But while Boland’s background is in psychology and Goettman’s is in marketing, both are passionate about art. Although the women were not well acquainted at the time, they found themselves agreeing on which artists and paintings to suggest for the first exhibition, Spirit of Virginia….”

Read more in the September issue of VIE Magazine HERE.

"Centuries of Style" for VIE July 2023

“Now that every entertainment event has a red carpet, fashion has become a Who are you wearing?’ moment. But whenever I hear that clichéd question, I wish the answer would be, ‘I am wearing the artistry and craftsmanship of hundreds of people, created with centuries of tradition.’ If you want to see what I mean—if you want to understand how the exquisitely skilled work of so many people behind the scenes ends up on the red carpet—the best place to start is by watching Dior and I, the 2014 fashion documentary that gives us a behind-the-scenes view of the fabled couture house….”

Read more in the July issue of VIE Magazine HERE!

China Galore!

You might wonder what difference can a plate make? Excellent question! Setting a table with imagination — think art installation, think many patterns of plates — may cause all manner of things to happen. Empires have risen and fallen around the dinner table. We ourselves might not be able to mend the world but we can tidy up our corner of it. Dinner by dinner we make life worth living for ourselves and others. One way is by having fun setting the table.

An opportunity has arisen to collect bits and pieces, stacks and sets, china considered best in the world; Richard Ginoi, Haviland, Royal Crown Derby, Mottehedah, Herend, Gien. Charleston’s finest wedding and gift store shut down resulting in a porcelain treasure trove. The owner of Vieuxtemps is selling off a myriad of marvels at a discount. If you relish adding zing to your dinners do something lickety-split. (This post is not sponsored!)

A single dinner plate or a set of twelve is not a big investment but an unremitting delight. Collecting these things pays dividends over and over and over, not in interest payments but in creating settings that facilitate interesting conversations and connections.

Owning multiple sets gives you tools and options to continually create unique settings. Unify the table according to your own rules. Choose plates with a similar feature from different sets, such as all rims, or medallions, or in the same color way. Have fun finding out who notices your roast chicken served on different color bird plates. Design useful centerpieces, lining chargers down the center of the table and topped with food, like serving platters. Fill wide rimmed tea cups with soup, for a first course. Collect dozens of different tea cups to host an annual mother daughter holiday tea party.  

Royal Crown Derby bird plates

Herend tea cups

Different patterns, different chargers...

Different makes (Haviland & Ginori) same color way

Now don’t get me wrong. There is a certain charm to our grandmother’s and great grandmother’s match-y match-y dining tables — do remember that their handbags and shoes, coats and hats, nail and lipstick matched too. That was the way it was. Now we live in a diverse society free to express many moods, create endless experiences and introduce all kinds of people to each other, right from our dining tables. Why not do it in the most imaginative way possible to create a scene and make things of consequence occur at and from your table?

Consider:

- A set of six different color bird plates from ultra-luxury Royal Crown Derby.

- Sets of Herend tea cups and saucers to mix and match for hosting mother daughter holiday tea parties on an afternoon between Christmas and the New Year.

- Six or twelve plain and patterned chargers to mix plus use as serving platters.

- Sets of plates of one make but with different patterns and color ways that work together.

- Sets with central medallions.

For more information:

Email info@vieuxtemps.net

DM via Instagram @UndertheFiggTree

'Learn to Live in Wellness' for VIE March 2022

“Now that people are beginning to invite others inside again, our wellness centers can make them feel cared for, but it starts with ourselves. We do this by letting our true spirits reign. Design is as vital the health of a house as food and drink. People choose paintings for their walls, pieces of music that lift them during their day-to-day activities, or soft lighting and candlelight to change moods.

“How you arrange your personal habitat is a window into why you truly are. Your passions, hobbies, and idiosyncrasies become apparent. The private you becomes known. Houses done by an interior designer and left exactly that way may have less of your spirit roaming around. People fall in love with individuals, not a perfectly done look that is so in style now. People fall in love with quirky individualism and personal expression. When you are reflected in your house, it’s the beginning of finding wellness through the freedom of expressing your authentic self.”

Read more in the latest issue of VIE Magazine HERE!

Suzanne in IBU's Sunday Style

Find Suzanne modeling stunning pieces handcrafted by women in Kyrgyzstan via IBU’s latest newsletter HERE, as well as on their home page HERE! The IBU showroom is located in downtown Charleston, and it’s one of our favorite places to shop for (female) artisan-made clothing and gifts.

"I loved doing this shoot because IBU is an ally to women around the world, supporting weavers, sewers, and designers through the clothes we wear. The Academy is an advocate for creating community… one bite at a time, from kitchen to kitchen.” -SP

A Kitchen Wears Many Hats

Natalie Wood by Martha Holmes, 1944.

In quarantine time the kitchen will serve as dining room, office, playroom, classroom, homework station, living room, winery, even penal colony. It’s a room that is integral to family life no matter the size of the family, one to a dozen. 

Exploit all its advantages. First off:

Order in the Kitchen!

Kitchens crave order. Having multiple people hanging out in the house day and night is a recipe for maximum mess and stress. Coats, backpacks, mail, needs to be put away. After classwork time the countertops need to be cleared to start the nightly dinner. And after dinner — we all know that dirty dishes do not improve with age, so get them done! The silver lining is NOW is the perfect time to reboot the responsibilities of all residents, from tiny to teetering on how to properly wash the dishes, fill and empty the dishwasher, sweep a kitchen floor and mop one too. Keeping the kitchen tidy is vital for mental stability. 

Kitchen Therapy  (Tackling the Frustration of Focusing) 

Your mind may may be all over the place, way worse than usual. It’s hard not to spin our wheels. One way to tame the wildness of the brain is to focus on skills. Bake biscuits, or a pie. These foods, while not slimming, make anyone everywhere feel better. The smell of a baking project perfumes a house and makes inhabitants feel comfortable and loved. And the recipes require attention. 

Another way of occupying your time is by organizing one pantry at a time, or even your cookbook shelf…

Kitchen Gym

Install an iron bar from one short wall to another, or in a corner near the ceiling. Use the bar to do pull ups. Even one, a half one, a fourth of one, will make you strong. And the time commitment? Two seconds. Unless you are superman and can do multiple. 

'Look Your Best Wherever You Go' for March VIE

“The first thing I think about when going to other houses is my shoes. A house party is a time to put on my most beautiful pair. While I sit in your living room, sipping a cocktail, my shoes are enjoying their time in the spotlight. They are not hidden under a table, as they would be in a restaurant. At least among women, shoes are a great conversation starter. They can get half the room onto common ground. They are your pedestal. (But if you feet hurt, you are going to hate your shoes no matter how they look.)'“

Read about Suzanne’s first fashion influences from a childhood in Africa, plus tips for transcending borders with world-class style, in the latest issue of VIE.

Personal Libraries

These are some of my favorite personal libraries seen last week in NYC. Libraries are not the place for interior designers but interior thoughts and tastes.

There is really nothing better than sitting in a room full of books, stacked on tables, lining walls from floor to ceiling. Books call to mind the wild and unpredictable minds of human beings with new ideas, ancient histories, exceptional writers, artists, scientists, thinkers and (let's not forget) home cooks & chefs! A library is the closest we can get to the inside of a brain, showing the many sides of a homeowner.

A tip for keeping your reading shelf in rotation: inscribe your favorite books with a note to a dear friend on what you loved about it & why it reminded you of them, then gift at the Holidays (or anytime of year) for a uniquely thoughtful present.

3 of the "4 Things You Should Never Store Under Your Kitchen Sink -- and 5 You Should" for REAL SIMPLE

“While convenient, [kitchen towels and paper bags] don’t belong under the sink, says Suzanne Pollak. (A leak would ruin them.) Stash them in a nearby closet or another cabinet instead for easy access….

If you want to keep things even simpler, get a few plastic containers or tubs to hold your supplies together, Pollak says. “With containers, you can take out the unit as a whole and easily clean underneath,” she says. Be sure to run the containers through the dishwasher a few times a year. Using clear containers also allows you to easily see what items are nearly used up, so you can stock up before you run out….

There are a few [essential cleaning products'] that you should always have on hand. These include distilled vinegar, Dawn dish soap (in addition to washing pots and pans, you can also use it directly on cabinets to remove built-up grease), and Bar Keepers Friend, says Pollak. Under the kitchen sink is obviously also a convenient place to store sponges, cleaning brushes, and scrubbers. Just be sure to replace them often, as they’re one of the germiest things in your kitchen (gross)—yes, cleaning your sponge is a thing.”

Read the rest of the article by Kelsey Ogletree via Real Simple HERE!

"Walking into a Perfume Bottle" for October VIE

“A ballroom needs structure to contain its empty party space, and a garden ballroom is no different. Four ‘walls’ were a way of containing the area but open to the sky where anything seemed possible: a place for sitting still or dancing among a crowd. One wall was an avenue of thirteen twenty-foot holly trees, and another was a line of five black cement pillars with gigantic pots of pink sasanqua trees shaped like umbrellas. (This was the view from the kitchen table.) Two clipped hedges formed the north and south walls. Four pots of standard orange trees stood in the corners. Ballrooms look grand with a piece of art, so we installed a sculpture — a seven-foot-long hippopotamus bench made of Pennsylvania granite….”

Suzanne writes of her time spent living in the Elizabeth Barnwell Gough house (c. 1780) in Beaufort SC, where she restored the gardens to their original glory with her signature nod to modern. In case any readers are like us — faced with fallen trees and perhaps a future blank slate in your backyard, desperately needing the ultimate yard inspiration after Hurricane Dorian — read the rest of this article in the October issue of VIE Magazine HERE!

"A Culture of Your Own" for VIE September

“There are two things I know for sure. First, never sacrifice your personality for someone else’s idea of ‘perfection.’ You have your own background, beliefs, and set of influences. I have mine. Yours and mine are different, and that is what makes life interesting — to identify what makes us unique and discover what we can each bring to the table, our community, our world. But remember the second thing I know for sure: personal culture has nothing to do with Instagram likes….”

Read the rest of Suzanne’s article, explaining how to develop a personal culture all one’s own, in the latest issue of VIE Magazine HERE!

"An Authentic Voice" for July VIE

“Corene” by Jonathan Green (1995)

“What makes very young people able to turn passions into a living, marrying their gifts with the discipline to create their life’s work? How can they know so early, possessing the confidence and necessary focus to keep them on their path? I dreamed of being a painter but derailed in college, distracted by thoughts like, If I am not Picasso, is it worth it? If my work is not going to hang in the Met, what does that say about me? In I am not ‘in,’ then can I still keep going forward and not give a damn what anybody thinks?

Jonathan Green knew in his very being the irrelevant nonsense of those distractions, which don’t mean a thing at the beginning of a career — or maybe ever. That’s why I love him. He actively chose to master one field (actually three: painting, fashion design, and the social graces) instead of being a jack-of-all-trades.”

Read more about Charleston-based painter Jonathan Green in Suzanne’s latest article for VIE Magazine HERE…

Style Blooms Eternal at the Chelsea Flower Show for June VIE

Queen Elizabeth II at the Chelsea Flower Show. Photo: Prima

“What is it that makes this flower show so special? It’s more than queens and duchesses. Designs, such as one suspended in air in 2011 and one made of three hundred thousand individually crocheted poppies in 2016, are not simply a passive art experience. The attendees of the flower show become active participants. Our visual sense takes in the exhibits like we do the portraits at the Tate or the National Portrait Gallery; beyond our eyes, our imaginations might leap into action and plot changes to our gardens. Some people take it a step further and become part of the show by wearing fashions with a theme. How many times can adults wear their inner passions without looking loony? How many opportunities do we have to be fierce, fabulous, and maybe a tiny bit frivolous? The show is the venue to see the intermingling of artistic visions: the flowers, the garden design, the crowd, and the fashion choices. It is like a natural museum come to life — a living exhibit and a contemporary art installation all at once.”

Read more about the Chelsea Flower Show HERE via VIE Magazine!

The Modern-Day Mary Poppins for April VIE

“Meet Dennise Church — part modern-day Mary Poppins, part house whisperer, part intuitive soul seer who knows when someone needs their hand held spiritually. She flies around the country organizing, advising, and even putting clients to work as she sees fit, transforming and working her magic in ways that a life or business coach does not. Her specialty is making people feel differently about their living spaces, helping them to find stability in the midst of the turmoil in the world….”

Read more about the Dean’s personal M.P. in the latest issue of VIE HERE.

Taking on #Towelgate for Town & Country

“All humor and Twitter one-upmanship aside, how many towels does one need to own? Is the count influenced by how many times you use them before washing? And what of the guest towel vs hand towel debate?

For answers, we turned to a doyenne of the domestic arts—Suzanne Pollak, who runs the Charleston Academy of Domestic Pursuits—and asked for her thoughts on Ali’s bathroom arithmetic…”

Read the article by Liz Krieger regarding #Towelgate and the Dean’s final word on the subject, via T&C HERE…

Self Love Series: Psychic Home

There could be a yard sale in your future…

Getting rid of stuff liberates you. You are left feeling fresh and more in tune with your psychic home.

There are myriad reasons to release items that have no more use in your life, possessions that others can use, objects that just take up space. The most important is you must own your personal style and relinquish anything that doesn’t represent YOU. We want to see people expressing themselves fully...

An empty shelf, a bare wall, a pared down interior feels good! A refreshing breeze rushes into your soul, bringing with it a brand new energy. You become lighter. For those of us who favor minimalism, empty space is essential. For others, letting go is a good exercise. You can always fill in an empty space but it is a fact that everyone owns too much stuff. Who needs dozens of black pants, ten computer plugs, 50,000 jars of cosmetics, 150 cowboy boots?

Unless you are a collector — that’s a different story entirely, a discussion for another day. (Stay tuned for our next post if you are into collecting wine!) Collections are interesting, meaningful, even educational. They bring us beauty and infinite rewards.

Hoarding, however, does not. Even if you are not a hoarder, hanging on to things takes energy. It drains you of your power to access your innermost self. Keeping stuff just in case you may need it one day has no meaning for today. Take the plunge and purge.

Ironing is about Attitude

One day, a very long time ago, one of the top magazine editors in the country, along with his family, happened to be staying with me. He wanted to know where I kept our iron and ironing board, telling me unashamedly that he enjoyed ironing his shirts (or at least he did then.) He shared his ironing tricks; explaining that there was nothing to it: just pay attention to the collar, cuffs, and strip with the buttons. No one saw the rest of the shirt anyway. This man — a haughty, brilliant, intellectual with his finger on the pulse of everything everywhere — did not turn his nose up at ironing. 

So why did I? I am ashamed to confess that I believed ironing was a waste of time. For years I collected antique linens but paid others to iron. Now, I iron myself, and I enjoy it. My ironing sessions are for afternoons when I am doing heavy brain lifting, and need a distancing mechanism. Sherlock Holmes used his pipe smoking and violin playing. A knotty problem for Holmes was a 'three pipe problem'. My equivalent is two dozen linen napkins.

I plug in the iron; remove the linens from the refrigerator (more on that trick in the video below) and find the back and forth of ironing soothing, contemplative, and surprisingly rewarding. In no time at all, my mind disengages enough to solve the weighty problem, plus I have a pile of lovely linen napkins ready and waiting. Like a Battalion Commander planning an exercise, I feel that one detail is completed for a dinner party in the future.

There is something so satisfying seeing the pieces of cloth go from wrinkly to smooth. Near-instant gratification!

XO The Dean

The Ancient Art of Sweeping

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Joseph Solman 1909 The Broom

Sweeping is the oldest form of housework. Dean Pollak remembers seeing West African girls sweep hard packed dirt floors in mud huts throughout her childhood.   

Every house, from a one room mud hut to a mansion with many rooms, needs a broom and a dustpan. Keep in mind, if you are setting up a new house, that wood floors and Persian rugs are more forgiving surfaces than white rugs and light tiled floors.  The dirt simply does not show up as much on the former surfaces.  And remember that the Japanese are really on to something,  82% of dirt is left outside if shoes are removed before entering the house.

Regardless if you ever wear shoes in the house, you are going to have to sweep your floors. Sweeping is quick, easy and efficient, and often, less trouble than dragging out a heavy vacuum cleaner. Using a broom can even be relaxing. The rhythmic sound of a sweeping broom relaxes, inside or out.  The violent noise from a backpack blower or vacuum does nothing but jar and addle listeners. The Deans prefer natural fiber brooms with an angled edge that are not too heavy to manage.

In 1908, Mrs. Curtis, in her book Household Discoveries, maintains that to sweep well with a broom is an art that calls for quite a little skill and intelligence. According to Mrs. Curtis there are wrong ways in sweeping as well as the right away. 

For those of you new to brooming, here's the right way as per the Dean:

• Sweep dirt into a pile.

• Sweep that pile into a dustpan.

• Deposit into the garbage.

• Voila! Clean floors.

Great artists see the beauty in brooming. 

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Edouard Vuillard 1940 Woman Sweeping

MT. VERNON XMAS PUNCH (& other Homemade Gifts)

There is no good reason not to have an arsenal of homemade gifts on hand this time of year, whether to give to hosts of the many Christmas (and Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, etc.) parties you are sure to attend, or to reciprocate when a neighbor shows up with a little surcee for you and yours.  

Homemade gifts, like the Washington family's famed punch, can be simultaneously simple to prepare and yet still spectacular to behold, not to mention imbibe.  For as velvet-y as this punch may seem, it is a nonetheless quite potent mixture of bourbon, rum, Chartreuse, sherry, vermouth, and tea, cured for a week in tightly-sealed mason jars.  

Who knew George was such a party animal?!  You can find the recipe for Washington's Punch in our Archive.  Each jar may be individually labeled and tied up in a cheery ribbon, with serving instructions alongside for the recipient to enjoy at another occasion.

Now, there are a few ways to serve a jar of Mt. Vernon Christmas Punch.  For a small gathering of 5 or less, stick with cocktails.  Simply pour a couple ounces of the base over ice, top with either champagne or soda, and garnish with a cherry.  Why not present a plate of Cheese Coins alongside?

For 6 or more, get out the punch bowl -- we're having a party!  But first, you'll need an Ice Ring.  Simply fill a bundt pan halfway with cranberries, cherries, or any other festive fruit to garnish your punch.  Then run hot water over the pan to loosen the ice, flip it into the bowl, and top with 2-3 bottles of champagne to put it to action.  Like so:

There you have it, Mt. Vernon Christmas Punch, the gift that keeps on giving.  There are plenty of other goodies you can whip up and portion for casual gifting, whether alongside the punch or no.  Try biscotti, bourbon cake, or Raisin Scones.

But, if your kitchen is already sanctioned for other grandiose projects -- we're making Prime Rib for Christmas Eve dinner (more on that a little later this week) -- build your Holiday credit with promises for the New Year: offer to make a series of meals, complete with menu suggestions, for someone extra special, or plan to throw a dinner party in their honor.  Or, simply take all your girlfriends out for a nice lunch and hand out a few fabulous party favors.

Regardless, 'tis the season to let the people you love know exactly how you feel...and to drink lots of punch!

XO, the Academy