Elle Decor USA May 2022

In the entrance of Casa Portaluppi, the renowned architect’s descendants (from left), Filippo Taidelli, Piero Castellini Baldissera, and Nicolò Castellini Baldissera. E L L E D E C O R 99

THE In France’s picturesque BY JAMES MCAULEY Luberon region, Lorraine PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOANNA MACLENNAN and Patrick Frey, scion of a renowned textiles empire, have refreshed an 18th-century farmhouse and turned it into a warm and welcoming retreat. FAMILY

A view from the garden of an 18th-century farmhouse in Provence, France, which was restored by its owners, Patrick and Lorraine Frey. For details, see Resources. STONE E L L E D E C O R 101

elcome to the structure affords a sense of protection and warmth—or Luberon—la France cooling, depending on the season. “The house has very profonde, the strong walls; that’s really its charm,” says Lorraine. mythic France of the Patrick was adamant that air-conditioning be banned imagination. This is here, even in the languorous heat of summer. the heart of the par- ticular section of In every aspect, the couple has maintained the rustic Provence that nature of the house: They have left the rough stone walls as they have always been—either exposed or W unfolds over rolling whitewashed—and they’ve kept the original floor plan of hills and into fields small, intimate rooms. The way they enliven that style is of lavender, dotted with ancient stone villages that time through textiles and fabrics, Patrick’s passion. In the liv- has forgotten. Think red poppies, olive trees, and purple ing and dining room, for instance, the white walls are skies at dusk. The Luberon is not a fancy place in the complemented by wooden furniture and fabrics in vari- way of the Côte d’Azur to the south, but it is a luxurious ous shades of green—sofas upholstered in mint for the one: tranquility being the most elusive luxury of all. living room, curtains in sage for the dining room. There For precisely that reason, the interior designer is a wooden dining table in the same color, surrounded Patrick Frey and his wife, Lorraine, have made the by wicker chairs. The effect is impromptu elegance. Luberon their country home. Patrick runs the firm founded by his father, Pierre Frey, which designs tradi- Textiles, as one might expect, bring the house to tional fabrics, carpets, and furniture. In a centuries-old life. “I only used linen, cotton, piqué—things that are stone house that previously belonged to Lorraine’s par- very natural,” Patrick explains. “We played very much ents, the couple has created both a retreat and a refuge, with the color, using old hues, to preserve as much of one that celebrates the colors and textures of Provence the charm as we could. The same goes for the ceramics, with some signature touches of the family brand. which are painted and rustic. Taken together, it’s all “You have to keep in mind that this house is a meant to feel a little outside of time.” maison paysanne at its core—it was a farm in the begin- ning,” Lorraine says. “I believe that houses should pre- Upstairs, the bedrooms maintain a sense of calm: serve their true history and should remain in their white walls again, but with beds decorated in some of simplicity.” Patrick agrees. “We’ve done it in a style Pierre Frey’s more playful designs—patterns in mustard that’s somewhat minimalist, but it’s not a precious or yellow and magenta pink, and even a red toile. The furni- fragile house,” he says. “It’s what I call a true house. Of ture is meant to honor the region, to remind you of course it’s contemporary and full of color, as we love where you are. “We started a collection of Provençal color, but really it’s timeless.” fauteuils—always elegant,” Lorraine says. “If we are in The house is built of ancient stone, and you can see Provence, we should use Provençal furniture.” the weight and strength of its construction throughout. Built to withstand the so-called mistral, the frigid blast Outside, the house has a stunning garden, in keep- of arctic wind that comes down from the north, the ing with the landscape of the Luberon, which is insis- tently wild. The gardens are well groomed but not Patrick and Lorraine Frey manicured, left alone in their unkempt beauty. Patrick on the terrace. tends to the olive trees: “We cultivate our own olive oil here—just for the family, of course. Every November, we have them all come down and get the oil we make.” One of his favorite corners of the property is an open-air room next to the pool, built in the original stone, where they installed an enormous banquette cov- ered by a translucent canopy that cascades down from the high ceiling. “It’s a place where you can take a nap after lunch or read a book,” Patrick says. “It’s like our very own radassier.” The word is fitting—a radassier is a type of long sofa whose name comes from an old Provençal word meaning “to chat.” The point here is being together: For the Freys, conversation is part of the art of life. “We have many children and grandchildren,” Patrick says. “This is a family house, a very happy house.” ◾

A tinted concrete staircase leads from the living room to the second floor. Philippe Hurel sofa in a Pierre Frey fabric; vintage iron table and straw lamp. E L L E D E C O R 103

The curtains, pillows, and custom daybed in the sunroom are all in Pierre Frey fabrics. Vintage side table; photographs by Johanna de Clisson.

A sitting room features the original stone vaulted ceiling. Custom sofa in a Pierre Frey fabric; chairs by Guillaume Delvigne for Pierre Frey; console by Julie Prisca; photograph by Hans Silvester. BELOW LEFT: In a guest room, the bed cover, canopy, and pillows are all in Pierre Frey fabrics; vintage rattan trunk; rug by Pierre Frey. BELOW: A garden path leads to the swimming pool. E L L E D E C O R 105

SOCIAL In the Harlem townhouse they lovingly restored, an intellectual couple has created a dramatic environment for entertaining their friends and neighbors. BY KATE BOLICK PHOTOGRAPHS BY STEPHEN KENT JOHNSON STYLED BY BEBE HOWORTH

The living room of James Fenton and Darryl Pinckney’s 1890s Harlem townhouse, which was designed in the Neo- Renaissance style by Frank Hill Smith and renovated by the couple with archi- tect Samuel G. White. Regency mirror by Thomas Fentham; walls in Benjamin Moore’s Sunshine. OPPOSITE: An English desk anchors a library dedicated to books on the decorative arts. Decorative wall painting by Jane Warrick; artworks by Claude Mellan (left) and Jacques Callot (right). For details, see Resources. STUDY E L L E D E C O R 107

A view into the living room from the second-floor landing, which fea- tures original oak trim. Nineteenth-century German armchairs; sofa, Crate & Barrel; antique piano, Steinway & Sons; rug, Peter Pap. T he musical and literary salons that classic essays on interior design edited by Fenton.) The the British poet James Fenton and the house was designed by Boston architect Frank Hill American writer Darryl Pinckney Smith and built in 1890 for a founder of Arm & Ham- host in their Harlem townhouse are a mer. Its aesthetic is a riff on the Lombardo Romanesque delight not only for their guests, but style, with a column of four oval rooms adjoining a also for passersby. Temperatures five-story rectangle with an ornate arched Neo- willing, they throw open the wide- Renaissance-style entryway. Ten thousand square feet, paned windows so that the gentle 18 rooms (including two kitchens), all of it wrapped in a strains of a Chopin sonata can sound out from two rosy facade of thin Roman bricks. grand Steinway pianos in their living room. But time had not been kind to the place. After that When the couple first viewed the residence, in original owner sold the building in the 1930s, it became 2010, they had no way of knowing that music would a medical facility, a home for the Harlem Community be central to their lives there, as neither of them is a Art Center, a place of worship, and an indeterminate musician. Instead, they are both belletrists: Between number of single-room-occupancy units, until falling them, they’ve written poetry, essays, and novels as well vacant for nearly a decade. Those wide-paned windows as reported from war zones. (They both have books were boarded up with plywood and plastic, concealing a forthcoming: a memoir by Pinckney and a collection of flooded interior chopped up beyond recognition. 108 E L L E D E C O R

James Fenton (left) With the help of architect Samuel G. White, and Darryl Pinckney in Fenton and Pinckney restored the building’s many the latter’s study. treasures. Beneath decades of paint and plaster they discovered vivid stained-glass windows as well as Fenton and Pinckney marble and onyx fireplaces. Fenton ran wild with wall added modern coverings, choosing bold wallpapers for some rooms and painting others in rich jewel tones. His love of appliances to the striking colors was encouraged by his old friend, the kitchen, but kept the late British painter Howard Hodgkin, who preferred patina of the room’s them to plain white walls as a backdrop for artworks. existing subway tile. The decorative painter Jane Warrick emblazoned several rooms with intricate faux finishes, faux bois, Chairs, made from and friezes. For their quieter salons, 14 or so people recycled Coca-Cola will gather in the kitchen around a long table— harvested from an old farmhouse in Hudson, New bottles, by Emeco; York—to give readings, while Fenton tends to five or floor paint, Black more pots bubbling on the burners. Forest Green by Benjamin Moore. “James has a magical visual sense,” says Pinckney, who happily defers to his partner in all things domes- tic (including cooking). “His first playground was between the flying buttresses of Lincoln Cathedral in England. He brought up this great wreck from the urban deep and saved it.” The couple finally deemed the house ready for a warming in April 2014, when 120 friends came to celebrate Fenton’s 65th birthday, the first of their musical events—Champagne at seven, concert at eight, catered supper at nine. The pianist Jeremy Denk was among the renowned musicians on the lineup. “There were people floating around the library, up and down the stairs,” Denk recalls. “The place never seems to end.” Nor do the books, which number around 10,000, organized according to lan- guage and subject in a sprawl of many rooms. As for their beloved guests, the couple’s intellectual passions have attracted a loose-knit, multigenerational “family” of New York creatives including writer and critic Joan Acocella, ballet star Mikhail Baryshnikov, and Booker Prize–winning novelist Salman Rushdie, to name just a few. “Listen- ing to live music in a smallish group of people who knew one another, I felt like one of Mozart’s friends, or his patrons’ friends,” Acocella says. “The music seemed more personal, acute, something I’d better pay attention to—almost like speech.” Now all of that is over. The pandemic put a stop to the concerts, and growing division in the country ended Fenton and Pinckney’s desire to stay here. Ear- lier this year, the couple put their home on the market. Once they find a buyer, they’ll pack up and look for a new house in England. “I hope the new owner will be as happy here as we’ve been,” Pinckney says. ◾ E L L E D E C O R 109

The stucco ceiling and mahogany walls in the dining room are original to the home. Chairs, Robert Kime; Turkish tablecloth; pendant, Fortuny. OPPOSITE: An oak staircase leading to the fourth floor. Lithograph by George Grosz.

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A third-floor bedroom features a Breccia marble fireplace. Bedding, Missoni; rug (at foot of bed), antique Indo-Persian carpet fragment. E L L E D E C O R 113

RESOURCES Inside the dining hall at Casa degli Atellani, the Castellini family compound in Milan (page 90). Items pictured but not listed are A vintage table Bed paint: Farrow & Ball. Blankets: Hurel, philippe-hurel.com. Sofa from private collections. and chairs on the John Derian, johnderian.com. fabric: Pierre Frey, pierrefrey.com. back patio of Alyse Rug: Form Atelier, form-atelier.com. PAGES 104–105: Curtains, pillows, TRUTH IN DECORATING Wall paints: Farrow & Ball. and daybed fabric: Pierre Frey. A rc her - Coit é’s Photographs: Hiroshi Sugimoto, Sofa fabric: Pierre Frey. Chairs: PAGES 42–43: Me and General upstate New York sugimotohiroshi.com; Robbie Guillaume Delvigne, guillaume Design, meandgeneraldesign.com. home (page 82). Lawrence, robbie-lawrence.com. delvigne.com. Bed cover, canopy, Bed linens: John Derian. pillow fabrics, and rug: Pierre Frey. SHORTLIST Artwork: Peter Brooke-Ball, Chair: Kendall LeCompte, kendall peterbrooke-ball.com. lecompte.com. Vase: Tiwa Select, SOCIAL STUDY PAGE 50: Sight Unseen, PAGES 76–77: Desk, shelves, tiwa-select.com. sightunseen.com. and pendant: Apparatus Studio. PAGES 106–107: Wall detailing: Wallcovering: Phillip Jeffries, IT’S ALL RELATIVE Jane Warrick, janewarrickstudios STUDIO VISIT phillipjeffries.com. Screen: Naga .com. Wall paint: Benjamin Antiques. PAGES 78–79: Sectional Architecture: Piero Castellini Moore, benjaminmoore.com. Interior design: Lisa Perry, fabric: Houlès, houles.com. Wall Baldissera, pierocastellinibaldissera PAGES 108–109: Sofa: Crate & lisaperrystyle.com. panels: Callidus Guild, callidusguild .com. Design: Nicolò Castellini Barrel, crateandbarrel.com. Exhibition space: Onna House, .com. Carpet: Stark. Curtain fabric: Baldissera, nicolocastellinibaldissera Piano: Steinway & Sons, steinway onnahouse.com. Pierre Frey, pierrefrey.com. Pendant: .com. To tour Casa degli Atellani: .com. Rug: Peter Pap, peterpap.com. PAGE 55: Bed: Haiku Designs, Apparatus Studio. Rug: Apparatus casadegliatellani.it. Wall paint: Benjamin Moore. haikudesigns.com. Rug: Christopher Studio; CC-Tapis, cc-tapis.com. Table PAGES 94–95: Quilt: C&C Milano, Chairs: Emeco, emeco.net. Range: Farr, christopherfarr.com. and lighting: Apparatus Studio. cec-milano.us. Bluestar, bluestarcooking.com. Floor Wallcovering: E’litis, elitis.fr. Screen: and wall paint: Benjamin Moore. HIS NEXT ACT Naga Antiques. PAGES 80–81: THE FAMILY STONE PAGES 110–111: Chairs: Robert Kime, China: Rosenthal, rosenthalusa-shop robertkime.com. Pendant: Fortuny, Interior design: Gabriel Hendifar, .com. Chairs, rug, and pendant: Interior design: Patrick and Lorraine fortuny.us. PAGES 112–113: apparatusstudio.com. Apparatus Studio. Screen: Naga Frey, pierrefrey.com. Bedding: Missoni, missoni.com. PAGES 70–71: Sofas, ottoman, Antiques. Pendant, chairs, sconce, PAGES 102–103: Sofa: Philippe tables, pendants, and throw: and wall panels: Apparatus Studio. Apparatus Studio, apparatusstudio ELLE DECOR (ISSN 1046-1957) Volume 33, Number 4, May 2022, is published monthly FROM LEFT: FR ANCESCO L AGNESE; SIMON UPTON .com. Rug: Stark, starkcarpet.com. KITH AND KIN except for combined issues in December/January/February and June/July/August, by Hearst, Curtain fabric: Decortex, decortex 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019 U.S.A. Steven R. Swartz, President & Chief Executive .com. Artwork: Sutter Antiques, PAGES 84–85: Top and shorts Officer; William R. Hearst III, Chairman; Frank A. Bennack, Jr., Executive Vice Chairman; Mark E. sutterantiques.com. PAGES 72–73: set: Totême, toteme-studio Aldam, Chief Operating Officer; Catherine A. Bostron, Secretary. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc.: Table, chairs, banquette, and .com. Plates: Dudley Waltzer, Debi Chirichella, President & Treasurer; Kate Lewis, Chief Content Officer; Kristen M. O’Hara, pendants: Apparatus Studio. Vase: dudleywaltzer.com; Galerie Patricia Chief Business Officer. © 2022 by Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All rights reserved. ELLE and Naga Antiques, nagaantiques.com. Dorfmann, patriciadorfmann.com. ELLE DECOR are used under license from the trademark owner, Hachette Filipacchi Presse. Sweater: Prada, prada.com. PAGES 86–87: Pendant: Ikea, ikea Periodicals postage paid at N.Y., N.Y., and additional mailing offices. Canada Post International Pants: Nanushka, nanushka.com. .com. Wall paint: Farrow & Ball, Publications mail product (Canadian distribution) sales agreement No. 40012499. Editorial and PAGES 74–75: Bedding: Zak+Fox, farrow-ball.com. Sofa: Ligne Roset, Advertising Offices: 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019. Subscription prices: United zakandfox.com. Pendant and ligne-roset.com. Pendant: Flos, flos States and possessions: $15 for one year. Canada: $41 for one year. All other countries: $60 for nightstand: Apparatus Studio. .com. Photograph: Joshua Woods, one year. Subscription Services: ELLE DECOR will, upon receipt of a complete subscription order, joshuawoodsphotography.com. undertake fulfillment of that order so as to provide the first copy for delivery by the Postal Service PAGES 88–89: Shelves: Vitsœ, or alternate carrier within 4–6 weeks. For customer service, changes of address, and subscription vitsoe.com. Rug: Christopher Farr, orders, log on to elledecor.com/service or write to Customer Service Department, ELLE DECOR, christopherfarr.com. Artwork: P.O. Box 37870, Boone, IA 50037. From time to time, we make our subscriber list available to Matt Jones, studiomattjones.com. companies who sell goods and services by mail that we believe would interest our readers. If you would rather not receive such offers via postal mail, please send your current mailing label or exact copy to Mail Preference Service, P.O. Box 37870, Boone, IA 50037. You can also visit preferences .hearstmags.com to manage your preferences and opt out of receiving marketing offers by email. ELLE DECOR is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or art. None will be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope. Canadian registration number 126018209RT0001. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to ELLE DECOR, P.O. Box 37870, Boone, IA 50037. Printed in the U.S.A. 114 E L L E D E C O R

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MY KIND OF ROOM A children’s room designed by André Arbus for the 1937 Paris exhibition “Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne.” THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT Designer Christine Gachot delights in an image of a room by André Arbus that, with its sophisticated lines and Jack-in-the- Beanstalk design, is in regular rotation on her mood boards. “THIS CHILDREN’S ROOM BY ANDRE’ ARBUS HAS ALWAYS BEEN The whole setup encourages a sense of imagination. FONDATION ANDRE´ ARBUS. © 2022 ARTISTS RIGHTS When I first saw the house by Paul Rudolph where I SOCIET Y (ARS), NEW YORK/ADAGP, PARIS inspiring to me. It has a balance of sophistication and playfulness—I like it when an elegant room doesn’t take am now living with my husband and my sons, I immedi- itself too seriously. The two perfectly made twin beds ately went to this image. Rudolph liked light and air and are so charming, and I love how the inner edge of each openness. That’s how we approached Boris and Jack’s bed is aligned with that narrow tall window. The multilevel room in our home. We try to encourage our primary design gesture is that tree house–like platform sons’ interest in the design of their rooms and to create lined with netting for safety and accessible by rope ladder. space for exploration.” —As told to Rima Suqi 116 E L L E D E C O R