In the misty afternoon hours leading up to a private booksigning event for author David Byars last month, an intimate luncheon is held in his honor at the Central West End home of attorney Russell Jackson.
The magnificent 18th-century French-style mansion, built in 1911, is an idyllic setting for Byars’ stay in St. Louis as a guest of the Saint Louis Fashion Fund. During his time here, the author visited with the designers at the Fashion Incubator, downtown. Byars, who’s based in New York City, penned Our Time at Foxhollow Farm, a chronicle of life on a historic estate in New York’s Hudson Valley.
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“I just love these lacquer walls,” Byars marvels, noting the dining room’s oxblood hue and mirror-like surfaces that took weeks to get just right.
The home’s lavish architectural details, made all the more alluring by designer Jimmy Jamieson, stir plenty of discussion, with guests pausing from time to time to snap a photo or inquire about a collage by artist John Morse or a Jazz Age portrait by photographer William Gottlieb. Most riveting is a discussion of the history of the house, which incurred extensive damage during a house fire in the 1980s.
See also: Vogue editor David Byars can’t wait to explore St. Louis’ history, architecture
As talk of gold-leaf moldings and de Gournay wallpaper burbles, lunch is served. Larysa Enk, a friend of the host, has prepared a three-course meal. “This is my hobby,” says Enk, who’s originally from Ukraine. “My husband and I travel to restaurants around the world just to learn about what they’re doing.”
With jazz pianist Adaron Jackson playing in the background and guests dining on a first course of kabocha squash seafood chowder, it’s apparent to all that the day simply can’t get any better than this.
