Artwork can inform or act as the inspiration for interior design. Using these six particular black and white Silver gelatin prints by Edward Steichen as the starting point for this seating area helped to provide a design direction that for me, points to the bygone era of Hollywood Glam.
In 1923 Steichen became the chief photographer for Condé Nast’s magazines, Vogue and Vanity Fair, and photographed many of the most successful and famous people in politics, literature, dance, fashion, and Hollywood. These six portraits include Colette, a French writer, actresses Gloria Swanson and Elisabeth Bergner, the model, Marion Morehouse, artist, Brancusi, and playwright, director, and actor, Noel Coward.
To accent the photography I selected Dunn Edwards Silver Polish DE6374 as the wall color. I combined design trends, using the modern and very groovy, tree trunk inspired cocktail table made from cast Aluminum, with an Art Nouveau styled wall mirror. (Its abstract floral design was inspired by The Secession Building of Vienna.)
The two swivel club chairs are upholstered in a wonderfully soft grey linen velvet and their simple lines complement the more organic forms found in the mirror frame and cocktail table. The Macassar Ebony Console Table underneath the photographs is an excellent example of the Art Deco style and works perfectly in a Hollywood Glam/Modernist setting. To tie it all together, I added a Moroccan inspired sculpted area rug in a geometric pattern along with a black and white window sheer that features a geometric diamond pattern with a hint of an Indonesian Ikat design. The two delicate curvilinear table lamps add another layer of organic design to balance out the geometric forms.
