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Tara Bernard
From the portfolio Tara Bernard. Photography courtesy of Tara Bernard & Partners
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Tara Bernard
From the portfolio Tara Bernard. Courtesy of Tara Bernard & Partners
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Tara Bernard
From the portfolio Tara Bernard. Courtesy of Tara Bernard & Partners
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David Nightingale Hicks
By the late designer David Nightingale Hicks. Photo courtesy of DavidHicks.co.uk
Were you among the 60,000 or so viewers in St. Louis who couldn’t resist Downton Abbey, the British costume drama that took fans inside the (real-life) Highclere Castle and the lives of the (make-believe) Crawley family? Whether the aristocratic characters were waltzing, quarreling, or falling in love, the drama was only heightened by the gorgeous interiors and grounds of their Yorkshire manor house. (Even the tiresome Lavinia succumbed to Spanish flu in a magnificent hand-painted bed that almost made the sappy scene worth watching…).
Even if you have a passion for all things British, do sumptuous silks and tasseled velvets have a place in 21st-century lifestyles? Without a "downstairs" staff to iron the linen tablecloths and polish the sterling candlesticks, the classic English drawing room might seem as lost to the ages as the Titanic. But British design is much more than grandmother’s Wedgwood displayed on the Sheraton sideboard.
The design portfolio of Janine Stone demonstrates an elegant sophistication, expressed in a sleek-surfaced, contemporary kitchen or a romantic and traditional bedroom without a glimpse of chintz. The late designer David Nightingale Hicks, whose client roster included the Prince of Wales and a Saudi king, was best known for his use of bold and graphic color. And award-winning designer Tara Bernard often incorporates modern art to create rich, luxurious spaces worthy of any aristocratic gathering.
It’s all so gorgeous, it might even tempt the old money to replace that tattered Chesterfield sofa with something (gasp!) new.
