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FRENCH STYLE AT HOME
My office is anchored in 19th century splendor with a Boulle table from Napoleon III’s France, that I picked up at the Nickey/Kehoe warehouse sale. This over-the-top desk is described in design parlance as “clean and classical, standing on fluted legs and decorated with brass inlays in motifs of the Louis XVI style.” Despite its “let them eat cake” appearance, the desk boasts some impressive utilitarian strengths as well: 1. Its deceivingly compact size. 2. A massive drawer that slips away unnoticed amid the frufru.
In my home office space, where once a simple, straight-lined West Elm Parsons desk reigned, now resides this French Boulle desk in all its swirling wonder. The first and most fabulous design rule one learns is to mix old with new. Just like at the best parties, an aging ingenue adds wisdom and refined beauty to the modern conversation. A modern vase or lamp atop a Rococo desk speaks volumes. Or, the opposite, where an antique Art Nouveau piece brings warmth and panache to a slick modern space. Shake it up and see how opposites attract.
Tucked into the tight quarters of a St. Germain, Paris hotel, a helpful concierge plans out a guest’s day in the 6th arrondissement, executed in exquisite detail on a petit, black lacquer Boulle desk with added privacy panel. Back in LA, my Boulle also functions as a sort of concierge, hosting memorabilia from trips gone by. A Chinese lion dog chop, custom made for me on the streets of Shanghai, has my initials carved into its marble base. A vintage brass pocket compass, (the classic traveler’s tool) was picked up at a shop in London. And, for those of us believers, a golden unicorn lamp, originally from Target, but I lassoed it at a Goodwill in Glendale.
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