Wardrobes and Armoires

It was the sort of house that you never seem to come to the end of, and it was full of unexpected places. . . . they looked into a room that was quite empty except for one big wardrobe, the sort that has a looking-glass in the door. There was nothing else in the room at all except a dead bluebottle on the window-sill.
"Nothing there!" said Peter, and they all trooped out again - all except Lucy. She stayed behind because she thought it would be worth while trying the door of the wardrobe, even though she felt almost sure that it would be locked. To her surprise it opened quite easily . . . She immediately stepped into the wardrobe  and got in among the coats . . . 
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis

This post is for everyone who has ever wanted to find a wardrobe that leads to a magical land. I'm still looking . . . 

"A walk-through armoire connects the master bedroom with the master bath."
St. Joseph, Louisiana, home of Rebecca Vizard, founder of B. Viz Design, and her family.
Architect: Michael Carbine. 
Photography by Brie Williams.
Garden and Gun (June/July 2013).

"In master suite, armoire, urns and side chairs from Charlotte Moss Interior Design. Phillip Jeffries wallpaper with paintings of Paris from designer's personal collection. Chair fabric by Vervain. Armoire fabric by Rogers and Goffigon."
Interior design by Charlotte Moss.
Photography by Tria Giovan.
Veranda (December 2008).

"In the media room, a pair of robin's egg blue armoires from Nancy Price Interior Design hold the owners' book collection. The curtains are Donghia's Omen Damask in Hemlock-Dark Brown."
Jackson, Mississippi, home of Nancy and John Price.
Interior design by Nancy Price.
Photography by Eric Piasecki.
House Beautiful (March 2008).

"A custom lattice armoire with sandblasted glass doors by Oly provides storage for linens and toiletries."
Master bath in Washington, D.C.
Interior design by Barry Dixon.
Photography by Edward Addeo.
"A Relaxing and Romantic Home Spa" by Melissa Feldman.
House Beautiful (October 2010).

"The first antique that [Stephen] Stirling ever purchased was this painted armoire, now used as a pantry in the family's kitchen. Originally built in the 1840s, this Creole cottage sits between a sugarcane field and Bayou Teche in Franklin, Louisiana."
Home of Stephen Stirling and his family.
Renovation by Stephen Stirling.  
Photography by Brie Williams.
Garden and Gun (June/July 2014).

"The master bedroom, lined in a pleated blue fabric by JAB Anstoetz, is highlighted by a showstopping antique Venetian headboard, which features a ruched-velvet edge. Painted-mirror doors accent the 19th-century French armoire, and the carpet is by Codimat."
New Orleans townhouse of hoteliers Frances and Rodney Smith.
Interior design by Nicky Haslam.
Photography by Pieter Estersohn.
Text by Liz Smith.
"Bayou Blend" produced by Howard Christian.
Architectural Digest (August 2014).

"A mirrored wardrobe makes a small bedroom seem bigger."
House in Belvedere, California.
Interior design by Erin Martin.
Photography by Luca Trovato.

"An armoire built into one wall provides storage without eating up floor space."
San Francisco home of Joe and Kim Boswell.
Interior design by Julie Massucco Kleiner.
Photography by Werner Straube.
"House with Vibrant Color and Light" written by Amy Elbert.

"For his dressing room, [David] Jimenez rejected built-ins in favor of a large antique armoire. The double pedestal table is a Palm Springs thrift shop find that he painted black."
1907 Kansas City home of David Jimenez.
Interior design by David Jimenez.
Photography by Jose Picayo.
"Quintessential Kansas City" by Lisa Cregan.
House Beautiful (August 2007).

"French chairs from Williams-Sonoma Home. Cocktail table, West Elm. Biedermeier armoire."
1905 Edwardian home in San Francisco.
Interior design by Patrick Wade and David DeMattei.
Photography by Jose Picayo.
"Bay Area Browns" by Frances Schultz.
House Beautiful (March 2008).

"The living room is a chic mix of old and new, casual and formal. The neutral palette showcases an antique chinoiserie armoire and a gilt console. 'I wanted them to stand out, and everything else to be part of the background,' Sikes says. Ralph Lauren Home Antibes chairs mingle with a Billy Baldwin slipper chair from HB Home and an Ansley chair by Suzanne Kasler for Hickory Chair."
1920s house of Mark D. Sikes and Michael Griffin.
Interior design by Mark D. Sikes.
Photography by Amy Neunsinger.
House Beautiful (December 2011 - January 2012).

"In a 1,400 square-foot Alabama cottage, designer Melanie Pounds designed an Ultrasuede armoire to compensate for small closets in the master bedroom."
Interior design by Melanie Pounds.
Photography by Thomas Loof.
House Beautiful (July 2010).

"The dining room has a light blue ceiling, a favorite Hadley hue for the upper plane. The American Empire mahogany armoire is topped by a Tibetan gong. Next to them are two works on paper by Connecticut artist Mark Sciarillo, also a metalworker, who made the sculpted bronze base of the living room's coffee table. The vellum lampshade, the Eyelet gold-on-ivory wallpaper, and the chairs are all Hadley's designs."
Interior design by Albert Hadley.
Photography by Fernando Bengoechea.

"Leave cabinets open. An open armoire is more interesting than a closed one. Let people into your secret world."
Interior design by Dan Marty.
Photography by Victoria Pearson.

"Designer Samantha Lyman wanted to give a new California kitchen some historic pieces like this antique armoire. It was originally only 12 inches deep inside – not big enough for large platters and big bowls. So Lyman set it into the cabinetry to give it more depth. The cabinet-maker removed the back and extended it to 26 inches inside. Then, Lyman painted the interior a darker color to conceal the difference."
Interior design by Samantha Lyman.
Photography by Lisa Romerein.

"Overhead dangles a 1950s American brass-and-crystal chandelier that looks like a giant dandelion, and one wall displays a portrait of a startlingly beautiful nun graced with a Brigitte Bardot pout. It’s artist Tony Scherman’s irreverent depiction of Catherine Millet, the author of the racy 2002 memoir The Sexual Life of Catherine M."
Apartment of Milly designer Michelle Smith and her family.
Photography by Roger Davies.
Styling by Carlos Mota.

"The master bedroom wall covering is by Paul Montgomery, and the cocktail table and settee are by Todd Hase Furniture; the armoire and armchairs date from the Qing and Ming dynasties, respectively."
Water Mill, New York, home of Todd and Amy Hase. 
Photography by Roger Davies.

"I wanted to fill a long wall in our breakfast room with tall cabinetry to store all our china and glassware. Andrew said it would turn the room into a pantry." —Jeffry Weisman, Interior Designer
"My dream was to build a false armoire that would open to the garage and my studio. A waste of space, according to Jeffry! In the end, we built what looks like an armoire: the center panel is a secret passage with tall storage cabinets on either side. Win-win!"—Andrew Fisher, Interior Designer
Photo courtesy of Jeffry Weisman and Andrew Fisher via House Beautiful.
"8 Couples' Decorating Dilemmas" by Julia Lewis.
House Beautiful (May 2013).

1 comment:

Post a Comment