Without question, writing a design book can be a struggle, so it never hurts to have help. For those who rallied to make this book possible, I am sincerely grateful.
Dallas sales representative John Smither tracked down Scalamandré’s leopard silk velvet—coveted for the front jacket—and had it in the skilled hands of Jesus Marroquin sooner than imagined. The next day, Mike Williams delivered a freshly upholstered chair to the spot where Dan Piassick would photograph it. Hours later, a transparency was on its way to Gibbs Smith, Publisher, accompanied by one for the back jacket with a tale that included borrowing floral designer Judy Blackman’s pampered pet.
Meanwhile, homeowners Minnie Doghterty, Allison and Douglas O’Briant, Terry and Ronald Unkefer, (and more), along with designers John Kidd, Rita Madden, Barbara McCutchin, Punita Valambhia and Deborah Walker were priming sites for Dan Piassick and Janet Lenzen’s spotlights. I thank them all for a certain je ne sais quoi that eludes easy definition.
Thank you, too, to Muriel Abeger, Bruno de la Croix Vaubois, Mary Beth Riddle, and Nicole Zarr for always being so supportive of my projects. And to David Sutherland for the privilege of introducing the “Louis Soleil Collection” of innovative upholstered outdoor furniture.
Deserving of thanks, too, are my assistants, Janice Pedersen Stuerzl and Tara Kohlbacher.
The pages that follow are also the result of the efforts of editor Madge Baird, whose interest, talent, and dedication helped shape this book in addition to my other books in this series, and book designer extraordinaire Cherie Hanson. Thanks also to editorial production associate Melissa Barlow.
Is it any wonder, then, that many people breathed a collective sign of relief when Secrets of French Design went to press? Or that I indeed thank Marty Lee, vice president of production at Gibbs Smith, for seeing that bound books arrived in a timely fashion? And Dennis Awsumb and Kellie Robles for helping them find their way to you? Still, my guess is that everyone mentioned knows that it never hurts to have help!
Rusticity meets urban sensibility in a room that pays tribute to the owners’ style. Milk table is by Rose Tarlow; game table is from Panache. The palette is drawn from the antique Oushak area rug, an Oriental of Turkish origin.
Elsewhere in the room shown above stands the Waldo Fernandez daybed, wearing a Jacque Bouvet et Cie linen. The eighteenth-century French armoire is pearwood.