In the living room, an eclectic array of pieces feels cohesive and serene. French mantel flanked by 19th-century Irish cabinet and leather-wrapped Jacques Adnet chest; vintage light fixture by Serge Mouille; vintage armchairs by Gio Ponti; club chairs by Barrie Benson for Highland House, highlandhousefurniture.com, for upholstery get the look with Artisanal Boucle, Schumacher, fschumacher.com. Art by Joan Mitchell and Hunter S. Thompson. Paul Costello
Chandra and Jimmie Johnson’s Simply Perfect Home
For gallery owner Chandra Johnson and her husband, NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, creating a comfortable home for their two young daughters and busy lives did not mean slouching on style. They’re one of the chicest couples in the South, known for their genuine warmth and generous spirit, and they’re constantly on the go, but are devoted homebodies at heart. So they needed a space that could reflect and make room for that all. Enter decorator Barrie Benson, the maestra of mix-master style.
The living room, with its muted palette of neutrals and pink and glints of metal, has just the right dose of glamour. Vintage sofa by Harvey Probber, for upholstery get the look with Gainsborough Velvet , Schumacher, fschumacher.com.
The painting on the dining room ceiling was commissioned from artist Damian Stamer, who is represented by Chandra’s SOCO Gallery. Vintage Italian chandelier; table lamp by David Netto, davidnettodesign.com. Art on wall by Donald Judd.
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Walls, pelmet, curtains and screen in Pomegranate Print, trim border on walls in Knox Tape, headboard and bedskirt in Knox, sofa in Dorset, Schumacher, fschumacher.com. The miniature folding screen in the corner conceals an unsightly radiator. The pen-and-ink drawings above it are of Tyringham, a Sir John Soane house where Konig’s father grew up. James Merrell
Rita Konig's Pattern-Filled Sanctuary
When we heard that interior designer Rita Konig was in the midst of gut-renovating her family’s beloved Victorian farmhouse in northern England, we couldn’t resist issuing her a Schumacher Challenge: Show us what “traditional” means to you. Her response? A thrilling guest room steeped in classic elements but unabashedly of the here and now.
The armchair came from the late William Yeoward, and Konig chose the upholstery because it reminded her of him. “The big green dot is like a Smartie,” she says, “England’s version of an M&M.” Armchair in Full Circle, antique 19th-century desk chair in Gainsborough Velvet, upholstered walls and curtains in Pomegranate Print, Schumacher, fschumacher.com; lampshade by Matilda Goad, matildagoad.com.James Merrell
A bedroom designed by Rita Konig features a handpainted lampshade on a sconce by Lucy Cope. Upholstered walls in Pomegranate Print and headboard in Knox, both by Schumacher. James Merrell
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Upholstered walls and duvet in Magical Ming Dragon, pillow shams in Magical Ming Dragon, square pillow in Dazzle Ship cut
velvet, curtains in Java Seas, all by Johnson Hartig/Libertine
for Schumacher, fschumacher.com. Paul Costello
Johnson Hartig of Libertine's Magical Abode
Cashmere sweaters covered in glittery sequin skulls. A silk wrap dress in a print of oversize snuff bottles. Jackets embellished with hand-sewn appliqués and crystals and bon mots galore. Johnson Hartig, the designer of the fashion line Libertine, possesses a witty, soulful irreverence that his legions of fans adore for its drop-dead chic. His exuberant new collection for Schumacher expresses the same unfettered style and love for couture details. What better place to showcase it than at his own Los Angeles home?
The sofa and slipper chair are in Jokhang Tiger Velvet by Johnson Hartig/Libertine for Schumacher; spin-art painting by Damien Hirst. Hartig wears Hamish Floral Track Jacket and Pants by Libertine. Paul Costello
Johnson Hartig’s kitchen: Walls in Plates and Platters wallpaper,
tea towel on oven handle in Modern
Toile fabric, napkins on center
island in Magical Ming Dragon fabric, all by Johnson Hartig/Libertine for Schumacher, fschumacher.com; wallpaper also available on shop.livetheedit.com. Paul Costello
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In the living room, plenty of seating at varying heights amounts to a welcoming space fit for a wide range of uses. Vintage chairs in their original muslin, a custom sofa in linen and a fluffy moroccan rug give the neutral scheme plenty of textural variation. trim on curtains in Turret Tape, Schumacher, fschumacher.com; for rug, get the look with Nukka, PFM, pattersonflynnmartin.com.
Francesco Lagnese
Elizabeth Mayhew’s Relaxed Retreat
What do you get when a multihyphenated maven—interior designer, style authority, entertainer extraordinaire—takes up residence in a former 1940s cheese factory in New York’s Hudson Valley? An unexpected and thoroughly relaxed home that’s a nexus of family, friends and fun in the heart of farm country.
When the weather is nice, Mayhew and her husband, Tim, have breakfast on the vintage garden bench on the front porch. The console against the wall serves as an ad hoc potting area. For upholstery, get the look with Cabana Stripe, Schumacher, fschumacher.com.Francesco Lagnese
The Latin plaque — a tribute to the cheese once produced here (“In worthy Poona, virtue”) — and shutters are original to the building.Francesco Lagnese
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The central hall is the fulcrum around which the entire palace plan radiates, and draws visitors from the entryway level to the upper floors. The architectural elements blend Baroque and Neoclassical touches, creating harmony out of the tension between different volumes and forms. The whole space is topped by a spectacular octagonal dome. A pair of marble lions stand sentinel on the stairway landing. On the lower level, in the center niche, is the famed Farnese Hercules statue. Hercules is the conqueror of disorder, imposing calm so that things can flourish and grow.
And ... a Palace!
During his travels through Italy in 1786, Goethe remarked that the Reggia Di Caserta “is in perfect harmony with a region that is itself a garden.” Built by the Bourbon kings of Naples, the royal complex rivals that other Bourbon phenom, Versailles, in its majesty, significance and unrelenting beauty. Yet somehow, it’s still largely unknown.
A back staircase leads to the chapel’s upper galleries. Francesco Lagnese
The private passageways and access points for the Palatine Chapel are
made of humbler materials than the chapel itself but still provide an opportunity for decoration. Trompe l’oeil treatments of the ceiling and walls are full of classical motifs such as coffers, laurel boughs and rosettes. Francesco Lagnese
made of humbler materials than the chapel itself but still provide an opportunity for decoration. Trompe l’oeil treatments of the ceiling and walls are full of classical motifs such as coffers, laurel boughs and rosettes. Francesco Lagnese
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The spring/summer 2020 issue is coming soon!
“One Hundred Rooms to Know and Love”
by Schumacher
The creative team at Schumacher has compiled 100 to-die-for rooms by some of today’s most brilliant designers into a slender and attractive cloth-bound volume.
