The Red Shutters Blog

Neo-English Living in New York

The cover story of a recent issue of New York magazine featured interior design in a wonderful way. Entitled “The New Old,” the story is a series of segments on Neo-Country, Neo-Versailles, Neo-English, and several other interesting new-old iterations. The article is a perfect foil for this first blog post, because it neatly frames my own inclusive approach to design.

In the first fifty years of our existence, The Red Shutters (www.TheRedShutters.com) purveyed classic English-themed décor to the exclusion of other styles. But in the past decade, as our client base grew and became more diverse, I have revised our business strategy. Today, The Red Shutters adapts to our customer’s style without imposing any personal style of our own—all in good taste, of course. This means that while we remain experts in classic English décor, we also follow, understand and incorporate new trends and ideas every day, and in beautiful ways.

The best thing about a classic English interior is its purpose: to tell the story of a person’s life. Traditionally, the home’s furniture, rugs, objets d’art and other elements were things collected by the owner from beloved destinations and adventures, resulting in a grand yet very personal look. While my approach has grown ever more flexible, my goal has never wavered: to tell the story of my clients’ lives through the interiors I create with them.

In the May, 10, 2010 New York magazine article, I was particularly intrigued by an interior shot that ran within the article entitled “Neo-English.” (p. 74). The room is the creation of Rita Konig, designer and daughter of Nina Campbell, the grande dame of English decorating.

The room is noteworthy for its excellent balance of old and new. The possessions in the room have a “collected” Old World aura, but they are displayed in a modern white box. The fluffy, fussy too-often floral wallpaper integral to old school English living is blissfully waived. The colors are clean and solid, and the upholstery fabrics too. The light wood floors celebrate the older pieces. International touches flare here and there, elegantly: a Turkish Kilim, a French chair, an old European poster. The sleek Lars Bolander coffee table is mercifully uncluttered, in stark defiance of the olde tradition. The clean lines of the fireplace justify even the owner’s bitsiest collectibles. The Grand Tour clearly happened, it’s just impossible to say when.

In a word, the room is timeless. Even heavy elements such as the stacked books on the floor and the antlers on the wall dance and delight.

I applaud Ms. Konig’s accomplishments. It’s refreshing to see the old and the new get along so well, even in the city that never sleeps.

[Thanks to New York May 10, 2010 for the picture!]