A Garden in Hell
image credits: Creator:Tobi Seftel Copyright:© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
Billy Baldwin was a legendary American interior decorator whose clients included many famous names like Cole Porter, Jacqueline Kennedy, Billy Rose and Diana Vreeland. Diana Vreeland was an iconic figure in the fashion industry who worked as a columnist and editor for Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue. All it takes is one look at her New York apartment to know that she was a unique and bold character. This house truly exemplifies Billy Baldwin’s philosophy of styling a home - that it should be reflect the client’s personality. She wanted her home to look like a garden; but a garden in hell, to be precise. And a flamboyant garden is exactly what he gave her.
There is a profusion of red in the living room of the moderate sized apartment. For red was ‘the great clarifier - bright and revealing’ according to Vreeland. Everything from the walls and curtains to the carpets and door is vermillion red. Baldwin is supposed to have credited Henri Matisse for his color sense. This particular room seems to be a translation of The Dessert: Harmony in Red onto a three-dimensional space.
Some of us, surely, will find this extravagant use of red odious. But looking at Mrs. Vreeland in that setting makes perfect sense. She seems to complement and complete the space, and vice versa. Every available surface is festooned with a myriad collection of photographs, paintings and personal trinkets. True to his style, Billy Baldwin has also assembled an eclectic combination of comfortable furniture which is his idea of ultimate luxury. The room in its entirety, gives off a feeling of warmth and coziness.
What Baldwin and Vreeland have achieved together as a decorator-client duo is a personal cocoon amidst the bustle of New York city without compromising on her individuality. And this exactly should be the take away from their example - the personality of the user should be the foundation for shaping a home. It could help create more original and inherently luxurious spaces.