The Great House in Barbados and the Rothschilds

 

Continuing on our Caribbean theme, another important estate on the island of Barbados is known as The Great House.   Built on 1 1/2 acres at Turtle Beach on the west side of the island, the house is famous for its former owners - Sir Evelyn de Rothschild and his then wife, Victoria.   Though the main house is built of coral stone and resembles a centuries old plantation, it was built in 1988 by Ian Morrison, one of Barbados’ busiest architects.  The main house has an airy, open feel with a master suite on the first floor and three bedrooms on the second floor, each with its own bathroom and verandah.   Four chattel houses were added to property to further the appearance of age: chattel houses were typically found on the sugar plantations in the Caribbean and they housed the workers, or slaves.   At The Great House, each Chattel House has one bedroom – two “Pink Chattel” bedrooms and two “Blue Chattel” bedrooms – making a total of 8 bedrooms on the estate.    At the entrance of the property is a gatehouse with the offices, quarters and laundry room.   And of course, there is a fabulous swimming pool and beautiful gardens that lead down to the beach.  The house, currently for sale at over $27 million, was recently redecorated by Barbados and English interior designer Lynne Pemberton.   Pemberton herself is quite a character – an author of racy novels, she has renovated and owned  several hotels on the island, and has quite a busy career as a designer there.   Pemberton brought a sophisticated island look to the house and used Ralph Lauren linens in the bedrooms.  The former owners, the Rothschilds, are now divorced and  Rothschild’s current wife  Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild made national headlines this political season when she suddenly dropped her democratic ties and endorsed John McCain.  The Clintons, whom she vigorously campaigned for, and with whom she even spent her first honeymoon night with in the Clinton White House,  must not have been too pleased to see her nightly on Fox TV trashing the democrats and O.  The Rothschilds are great friends with the Obama’s new decorator, Michael Smith, who worked with them on their gorgeous New York apartment.   It would be interesting to listen in on all those conversations between Smith and his clients!  While, the newly decorated The Great House is beautiful, the older pictures from the Rothschild era are available to compare and contrast.  Unfortunately, there is no record of who the original designer was, but it does make one wonder if Smith had a hand in it possibly?     The owner today is a hedge fund honcho, Nick Niell, from England – perhaps selling because of the economic downturn?    The house was bought for much less back then – figures  are reported from $3 million and up, but nowhere near the now asking price of $27 million.  Good luck to Mr. Niell.   Without further ado – here is The Great House, now and then!

 

 

THE SITE PLAN OF THE GREAT HOUSE:

Site plan of The Great House – showing the main house, two gazebos, dining room,  and chattel cottages.

 

 

 

NOW:    The front entrance to The Great House with its classical columns and pediment.  The round tower behind is the stairwell.  The building is made of local coral stone – most older buildings were made of this material, but today, it comes at a great expense.  The stone ages quickly and is a perfect surface to give a new home a patina.   Through this front door, the eye goes up towards the main living room, out to the terrace and down in a straight line to the gazebo and deck on the beach.  This classic axis is repeated in the gardens of Ascott House in England, the country house of Sir Evelyn de Rothschild.

 

THEN:  The entrance at night.   Here you can see the checked fabric on the sofas.   Be sure to notice those chairs at the front door!!!!

 

The main building with the three bedrooms on the second floor overlooking the pool.  The walkway connects the main building to the four Chattel Cottages on the right of the pool.   The open air verandah and bar area is shown on the right of the photograph.

 

 

NOW:    The open air sitting room and bar area overlooks the pool  Beautifully furnished in classic island rattan with seagrass matting, the crisp black and white striped pillows pop against the white slips.    What a wonderful space!  I love the old black and white photographs framed in cream mats and the hat stand, with all it’s straw hats ready for the beach.   The verandah is beautiful - the raised wood ceiling with rafters and beams, the wood ceiling fans, the shutters instead of windows – what a great place to meet before dinner for drinks and appetizers.

 

Another view of the outside sitting room, or verandah.

 

THEN:   Two views of the same space before redecorating.  The rattan coffee table remains but is used as a side table now.   All these formal chairs have been replaced with rattan furniture.  The dhurri rug was replaced with seagrass, but the barstools remain.  Amazing – the huge TV in the corner!   This fabric was one design used on the verandah.   Below is another, probably earlier version.

 

 

THEN:   An older view  when the rug had not yet faded – yet the flower arrangement looks more faded here.   I wonder if this is how the Rothschilds had it?  There’s no doubt I like the way this room is furnished today better, but this is not a bad second from the early 90’s.’

 

 

THEN:  Another view showing the banquette and striped chairs in green with pink accents.  The hat stand remains!

NOW:  A close up of the bar.   The house is available for rent and comes with 16 employees!

 

NOW:  This view shows the dining area off the piano room – decorated in French styled bistro chairs with the black and white striped pillows.   The bar area and verandah is to the right, off this porch.

 

 

 

NOW:  The entry stair hall with marble floors and stone treads.  The marble is a surprise here – but I suppose with the Rothschild’s – nothing is too grand, even for a beach house.   Today the stairway is clean and bare, but before – it was different:

 

THEN:   A dated lantern with yellow frosted glass and prints lining the stairs;  I think it looks better today – bare!   I do love the inlayed medallion which matches the one placed in the pediment outside.

 

NOW:  Inside the main house, the piano room, redecorated in white and light blue, with black accents and seagrass.  I adore the bobbin chair and the black and white photographs.  These windows face the pool area and the view towards the beach.

 

Another view of the piano room showing the round table with slipped armchairs.   Blue and white with black accents is perfect for a sophisticated beach decor.

 

Another view of the piano room.   Whoever did the styling for these photos was really awful I think.  Instead of looking casual, a lot of the rooms look plain messy.  The stylist loves to use shoes in his/her pictures too.   Hey – straighten those pillows!   This view looks outside the back side, as opposed to the beach view.

 

Ah – this picture is better styled.   A nice touch to create a summery, beach feel in any house is to use large candles in glass hurricanes – the more the better.  The seagrass is another good summery element, as are the white slips and navy accents, along with blue and white ticking as seen on the table chairs.   Blue and white porcelains add to the beachy ambiance, and wicker and baskets are essential to create the summer atmosphere.

 

THEN:  The piano room during the 90s.   Much more formal and less beachy.   Check out those arm covers on the wood frame chairs!  Wow!!!!  It looks like a napkin!  RULE:  Don’t use arm covers.  If you HAVE to, have the upholsterer make tightly fitted ones that are almost impossible to detect.  Notice how dated the throw pillows are – flat and small.  I prefer larger, down filled pillows – I usually order them in a 22” size with a 24” inset – it makes the pillow really luxurious.     And this reminds me of why I loathe trim – check out the trim on the chair cushions, why????  Why did we ever do this?????  RULE:  Do NOT use contrasting trim or welt on upholstery – it looks like marks-a-lot.  Trim on upholstery should be subtle and beautiful – this is neither.      Leave the trim for the throw pillows OR the skirt.    Differences – THEN:  the walls are painted a yellow color and there are curtains.  NOW – the walls are white and the windows are bare – giving a very beachy, clean feel to the house.  Myself, I would have used beautiful flowing white linen curtains here, but that’s me.  I always like curtains in any room!

 

A poor photo – but another picture of the earlier piano room – looking towards the back side, not the beach.   Check out the trim on the cushions to understand what I mean when I say marks-a-lot!  The fabric is beautiful, but the trim takes away from it!

 

NOW:  The main living area.  When you walk through the front door, pass the stairs, you reach this room.  The view out the window leads to a porch with a long walkway down to the beachside gazebo.  The sightline runs from the front porch down to the beach.  It must be heavenly!   Again – I love these interiors for a sophisticated beach house – white linens and aqua touches with a wonderful set of palm tree prints.  White and khaki pillows and what looks like an old chintz fabric lumbar thrown in.  Seagrass and rattan and white linen – it doesn’t get any better in my book!   Out the window on the porch is a rattan daybed.

 

Another view of the main living area, showing the stair/entry hall through the double doors.   In the corner is an Oly Studio styled armoire.

 

Yikes:   The view of the main living area showing the opposite sofa.  OK  - this is terrible!  The sofa doesn’t fit on the wall!! RULE:  never, ever, ever place furniture on a wall that is too short!!!!!!  Floating a love seat or chair would have been so much better here – or even just a small console.  Through the doorway is the piano room.

 

The daybed on the porch with wonderful striped and paisley pillows ala Barclay Butera.  The designer brought the living room out onto the open terrace with a large rattan coffee table and two comfy chairs.  At the end of the sidewalk is the gazebo that leads to the beach deck – creating a straight axis that runs from the front door to the beach – only thoughtful architecture and landscape design creates this. 

 

THEN:  The main living area with checks and painted wood furniture.  This is so different from today, but I really like it.  The arrangement is totally different with two floating sofas and it IS better with the two chairs on the short wall, left.  There is probably a huge TV in that armoire!   Also, there are white linen curtains here which today’s designer removed.  I love the wood curtain rods with the pineapple finials.  What I don’t love is the floral border around the seagrass.  RULE:   never, ever use a floral border or a dark border around a seagrass rug!  The border becomes the focal point and will date the rug in a few years.  The border says this rug is from the early 90s – without it, it would still be current.   Notice the gazebo at the end of the walkway – all lit up for drinks at sunset – so romantic!

 

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NOW:  At the end of the axis from the front door to the beach is this gazebo, perfect for sunset watching.  Furnished with blue and white pillows and teak furniture.   Lovely.

 

 

 

THEN:  Dated outdoor furniture in the gazebo.  The NOW picture seems so much more attractive!

 

 

Past the gazebo, on the beach is a deck – at night they set up tables for eating beachside.  Those palm trees are incredible!!!   The photographer really captured the moment with the sailboat off in the distance framed by the palm trees.   Since the house is on the western side of the island – the Caribbean side, which is much less windy than the eastern Atlantic side, the sunsets are phenomenal!

 

 

And looking back towards the beachside deck, the gazebo and onto the house.

 

 

Beautiful!

 

 

NOW:  The dining area is separated from the main house, off by itself in a shuttered building with a vaulted wood beamed ceiling.  The kitchen is attached to this building.   Not sure about these chairs – they could have found some more attractive ones, imo.   The chandelier is also not what I would have used in a sophisticated beach decor.

 

NOW:  Another view showing the slipped host chairs.   Not too sure about those mirrors either.  Or the table.   The table and chairs appear cheap – certainly not something you would see in a $27 million house!   I would have used an antique Swedish table, painted, with antique painted or slipped chairs.   There should be one fabulous mirror flanked by sconces – instead of these two, plain, horizontal ones.   Or, there could be a huge, wonderful antique buffet-a-deaux – with open doors, showcasing a large shell collection.     RULE:  horizontal mirrors drag a room down, vertical ones raise the room up, making it appear taller.     This room could be magnificent – not dressy – but with good antiques, it could be beautiful.   Instead – it is boring.   

 

THEN:   The dining room back in the early  90s – much better!  The lighter cream colored chairs are more casual – the whole look is more casual.  Not sure what that light fixture is – but it’s better than the crystal chandelier used today.

 

 

NOW:  Past the dining room, on the beachfront is another gazebo – the dining gazebo.  Here the chandelier is capiz shells – well suited for the beach.  The chairs are rattan. 

 

THEN:  The dining pavilion in green with an odd hanging fixture.  Very dated with very uncomfortable looking chairs.  The shades and lanterns have since been removed to streamline the look.  Today – the dining gazebo is much better.

 

 

The Bedrooms:

 

NOW:  Bedroom #1.  There is one master suite on the first floor in the main building and three bedrooms on the second floor.   This bedroom is located on the second floor – bright and cheery – with Oly Studio styled armoires.   The walls are coral stone and the floors are painted wood planks. 

 

 

Another view of the bedroom.

 

Bedroom #2 – whites and mirrored furniture with a shell mirror taken from the “before” decor.  The mirrored tables appear to be from Oly.

 

THEN:   This bedroom used white furniture and appeared cheaply decorated for a Rothschild.

 

THEN:  another view of bedroom #2 before.   The architecture in the three upstairs bedrooms is wonderful with the coral stone walls, trellis shutters, and French doors leading to the private balcony that is attached to each upstairs guest room.

 

NOW:  Bedroom #3 – nice linens and curtains.  But the star is that dresser – I think it’s beautiful!!!!

 

 

THEN:  Bedroom #3, the daybed is now in a Chattel Cottage and the shell mirror goes to bedroom #2.

 

THEN:   Each upstairs bedroom has its own balcony – decorated with white wicker chairs.  I like these, but I prefer the darker rattan used today on the balconies – more streamlined.

 

This is the downstairs master suite with a beautiful mahogany four poster bed and  West  Elm vanity table and chair. Love that vanity mirror with sconces!

 

 

Styled differently with the shoes! and a sofa.

 

THEN:   The master bedroom with the same bed, styled more English-Anglo and much simpler with heavy wood furniture.   These palm prints ended up in the main living area downstairs.  Today, the curtain rods are painted white for a more summery feel.

 

THEN:  The terrace off the master bedroom leads to the main living area – to the left.  Today, the interior designer uses rattan chairs with white upholstery on the balconies and terraces off the bedrooms.

 

The four Chattel Cottages – newly built to resemble century old employee and slave housing seen on old sugar plantations in the Caribbean.   Each cottage contains a bedroom, two pink and two blue themed rooms.

 

 

The Chattel Cottage bedrooms – with the shoes and bathing suit styling!    This daybed was taken from an upstairs bedroom.

A charming photograph of the shuttered windows and door at a Chattel Cottage.

Oh my!!!!  Who is this?   This is the London Bachelor from last year with Shayne Lamas who eventually got the final rose!  The final three girls flew down to Barbados and they all stayed at The Great House.  Though the location was unannounced, the reality TV bloggers studied each frame and then looked at every villa available for rent to determine where they were staying.   It was quite a detective job.    Here they are eating in the gazebo, well, kissing – the chairs are the same from the gazebo.  On the show, this bachelorette asked London boy if there were palm trees in England!  Yes – she did.    The blond winner is the young daughter of actor Lorenzo Lamas.  

The Rose  Ceremony on a terrace at The Great House.  The trees were colored greener on the show than they are in real life – apparently the island wasn’t lush enough for the producers.

On the reality TV blogs – they took shots off the TV to compare with stills from The Great House’s web site – to prove that’s where The London Bachelor was being filmed.   And yes – you can see the shot above matches the pictures from the pool area of The Great House!    Must be some bored bloggers out there!  (moi included!)

Remember the rule – no trim on cushions!   Perfectly modeled here by Shayne Lamas' mother, Michelle Lamas from the London Bachelor.   Oy!

So, where does Sir Evelyn de Rothschild live now since he pulled out of Barbados?   Well, a lot of places.  Here, the handsome banker is shown with his third wife, the infamous Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild, a multimillionaire in her own right through her telecommunications businesses.   They married after his divorce from Victoria – whom he shared The Great House with.  They are pictured here in their London townhouse- the art studio of the famous artist John Singer Sargent. 

Lady Lynn de Rothschild made headlines last year when she suddenly became a republican.   She was quoted as saying she changed parties because she thought Obama was an “elitist.”   Surely, she can’t be serious!    Who’s the elite one here?   Married to one of the world’s richest man, with a mansion in England, a townhouse in London and an apartment in New York.  I tried to find where their vacation home is now, but no luck – anyone know?

NOW:  The elegant London townhouse of the Rothschilds.   Famous for being the former studio of the artist John Singer Sargent.   Contemporary furnishings and art mix with priceless antiques.   David Mlinaric is the designer.  Mlinaric also helped Sir Evelyn’s cousin, Lord Jacob de Rothschild with his famous Waddeston Manor.   Sir Evelyn says that this house was the only one in London he ever wanted.  When it came on the market, he snapped it up.

 

THEN:   Sargent’s studio – looks like the bottom window was closed off for light purposes.  What a glorious window!   See a fascinating account of blogging sleuthing about this studio and the Rothschild connection by Things That Inspire and Brilliant Asylum.

Another view of the main studio.  Amazing how they have used seagrass here!  This makes me never want to hear another client say seagrass isn’t “good” enough for them!   If it’s good enough for a Rothschild……

THEN:  A side view of the studio – showing the classical pilasters on each side of the door.   When the Rothschilds bought the studio, many of these features had been r

The breakfast room – this room, the kitchen and the office are in a newly built part of the studio.  The sculpture is by Rodin.  Notice how the blue goes from the large to the small painting in to the kitchen.  I wonder if these chairs are part of the set of 14 chairs in the dining room.  They look like they might be.   All this art work and gorgeous furniture and all I can see is their seagrass is cut too short!!!!!  Seagrass should be custom cut 3 to 10 inches from the wall.

 

NOW:  The studio is seen on the right – the new building built by the Rothschilds with the kitchen and office is to the left. 

THEN:   The studio is the building on the left.  Over 100 years later, the building looks remarkably the same.

Ascott House, not the Ascot where the women were funny hats, but the country house where Sir Evelyn de Rothschild lives with his lovely wife, Lynn.  Yes, you know – that non-elitist Lynn!   Part of the house was donated to the National Trust and is open for tours.   The gardens are absolutely gorgeous.  Here, a fountain of Venus overlooks Ascott House.

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The other side of the fountain, looking over the Chiltern Hills.   The estate is so large that a highway was recently built going right through the property.   Sir Evelyn planted a forest of trees to hide it.   The road separates the house from the stud farm.  Aw…..

The garden is one of the prettiest I’ve ever seen.  This is the secret garden.   The topiaries on the estate are amazing.   And there is a one garden where the hedges are trimmed to spell out a saying.  Incredible.  As at The Great House in Barbados, most walkways are set up on an axis that draws your eye to the end of the path.   All these images are from flickr.com.   If you want to see more of the garden, go here.

Just to give you an idea of the size of the estate!

 

And here, Sir Evelyn and Lady Lynn have an apartment in New York City, designed by none other than Michael Smith, the Obama’s new White House designer.  Interesting to imagine what that man knows!   This apartment was published in Elle Decor, Oct. 2003 and is featured in his books.   Here is a glimpse of the living area – so typical of Smith, antiques and a warm, cozy ambiance.   This room looks so livable, anyone would feel comfortable here, not just a Sir or Lady.

The dining room – so Michael Smith.  He repeatedly uses de Gournay wallpaper in dining rooms to great effect.  Notice the beautiful pediment over the paneled wood doors – beautiful! 

And finally!  The kitchen in NYC.   This looks like a kitchen that is used!  That collection of copper pots is making me see green,   This kitchen resembles an English country house space where the owners never venture out to where the staff works!

I hope you’ve enjoyed a glimpse into the life and houses of the Rothschild’s.   Thanks to Style Court for the NYC pictures and Things That Inspire and Brilliant Asylum for the great detective work on the Sargent Studio in Chelsea.

The Glumleys

 

 

When Princess Margaret turned over ownership of her Mustique home, Les Jolies Eaux, to her son David, Viscount Linley, little did she know he would end up selling it and with the profits move his vacation spot to Provence.  The Princess was said to be bitterly disappointed when Mustique sold and that sale was the start of a series of events that have thrust Linley into the English tabloid limelight.    Linley, who calls himself a “carpenter” is actually quite a gifted furniture designer and heads up the eponymous LINLEY which sells his Bespoke designs and offers interior design services.   Twelfth-in Line to the Throne, Linley is married to the fabulously wealthy heiress Serena, with whom he has two children.  He is considered one of the hardest working Royals, but, leave it to the English who feel his work ethic is just a tad too common for a member of the Queen’s family.  Fleet Street finds Linley an easy target and the carpenter rarely fails to live up to his reputation as being money-hungry.  The Mustique house sale proved to be just one event in a long line of grievances the public has against him.  He is also criticized for moving too often – at least four times he and Serena have sold their family home and moved on, something that is viewed as an unseemly money-making scheme.   (hey - I’m just reporting it as it’s been written!)     Everything, it seems,  boils down to his unrelenting drive to make money and lots of it, fast.   Nothing seems too insignificant to pass up for the mighty dollar - when his father gifted Linley with his favorite Aston-Martin, Snowdon was irate that Linley promptly sold it to make a quick profit.   The final straw  for the British public came with his mother’s death.     Her family was faced with a 3 million pounds death tax bill and apparently, there were no funds with which to pay it, something the English found hard to believe.  To raise the tax money, Linley, then on the board of Christie’s, planned a sale of his mother’s personal possessions, similar to the one Jacqueline Onassis’ children had, and even closer to home, similar to the auction of his great-uncle and aunt, the Duke and  Duchess of Windsor.  Unfortunately, the sale of Princess Margaret’s possessions made David Linley public enemy #1.

                                                                                                                                                                            

 

Happier times in Mustique.  Linley entertains friends at his mother’s house.  Photo by Slim Aarons. 

 

Princess Margaret and her son, David Linley vacationing at Mustique.

Once the sale of Princess Margaret’s estate was announced, the public, Linley’s father, and even the Queen of England were reportedly aghast over such personal laundry being aired.   The sale, which took place in 2006, lasted two days and netted $25 million, far more than the death tax bill.  The profits were divided between Linley and his sister Sarah Chatto, along with a small sum earmarked for charity.   Several pieces in the sale caused much concern.   One item had to be taken out of the auction altogether, a piece of an iron balustrade from the Princess’ Kensington Palace garden that had originally come from Ascot.  The balustrade was deemed to be part of the palace and thus, it was against the law for Linley to dig it up and sell.   Additionally,  it has been revealed, there was another object that was quietly taken out of the sale, a Lalique Crucifix given to Margaret by her mother, The Queen Mother, who in turn had been given the object by Princess Beatrice, Queen Victoria’s youngest daughter.  It is believed that Queen Elizabeth herself requested the crucifix not be sold.    Other items, 47 in all, had been given to the Princess on Royal tours - the Queen proclaimed those proceeds must go to a charity, and not to Linley’s or his sister Sarah’s pockets.  Most items were personal effects such as endless cigarette cases, pill boxes, and sentimental Christmas gifts from her mother, The Queen Mother and her grannie, Queen Mary.   And, there were the numerous pieces of furniture, jewelry, dishes and silver up for auction.  The most unglamorous item up for sale has to be the clear plastic umbrella! 

 

 

Someone actually paid $4,411 for these three plastic umbrellas!!!

It was reported that before the sale, Lord Snowdon contacted Christie’s asking if his son had the right to sell all their wedding presents, since he was still alive and had not authorized it.  Christie’s deferred to their new board member and allowed the wedding presents to go on and be sold.    But, there remained two items in the catalogue that sparked the most outrage at Linley’s greed.  The first was his mother’s wedding tiara that was put on the block, and the second, an important and beloved portrait by Pietro Annigoni, painted of the Princess in 1957.  The painting matched one of the Queen’s and its sale caused endless talk of disappointment at Linley’s apparent lack of respect.  Before the auction, Linley, perhaps feeling guilty, had three copies of the Annigoni painted –  one each for Linley, his sister and the Queen.  At the auction, a private buyer purchased the portrait, which later Linley confessed was himself.  But, did he really buy the painting back for sentimental reasons or was there another, less honorable reason?  When the firm that painted the three copies was restoring the original Annigoni, they discovered the artist had painted on the portrait a tiny, hidden self-portrait, along with a whiskey glass containing a dark heart (perhaps it was, people speculated, Margaret’s breaking heart – over a lost love?)   Once these secret details were revealed, the painting was suddenly more historically significant and of course, valuable – something that only Linley knew at the time.  Regardless of his motives, the portrait now hangs in his house where Serena likes to show visitors the secret details.  This year Linley loaned the Annigoni to the National Portrait Gallery for the public to enjoy.  

 

 

The Annigoni portrait of Princess Margaret that caused such an uproar when it appeared in Christie’s catalogue.  Linley secretly bought the portrait back at auction and recently leant it to the National Portrait Gallery, where it is being shown.

The Annigoni portrait of Queen Elizabeth, painted in 1955, is considered the “sister” to Princess Margaret’s portrait.  These two paintings are thought to be the best done of the two Royals - so much so that many years later, the Queen sat for Annigoni again.

Cecil Beaton photographed the Princess in front of the Annigoni portrait in 1958.  In this picture, the Princess is wearing the Asprey Art Deco Pearl and Diamond necklace, given to her on her 18th birthday by her Grannie, Queen Mary.  The necklace was a personal favorite and she was professionally photographed wearing it many times.  At auction, it sold for $509,312.

 

The Christie’s sale happened two years ago, but the press is still overwhelmingly negative about Linley.  At various events, it is reported he appears rude and distracted, and rumors have started about the state of his marriage, once considered one of the strongest Royal unions.  At his cousin Peter Phillip’s recent wedding, Linley and Serena both seemed so unhappy, their pictures ran with the headline, “The Glumley’s,”  a nickname that has stuck.  Apparently, Linley, despite being set for life from the Christie’s sale, has business worries.  His company is a labor intensive business and turning a profit is hard fought for.  Russia, home to many oil rich billionaires, came to his rescue and one particularly wealthy Russian named Sergei Pugachev infused LINLEY  with enough cash to spread his empire throughout Europe and Russia alike.  All these business dealings take Linley away from home more than usual, and Serena, who is said to love being  a stay-at-home mom, sorely misses her overworked husband.   Hopefully, things will get better this summer, in Provence, where they are able to spend time together at their country hideaway.

 

“The Glumely’s” – David and Serena at his cousin’s wedding.  Their sour expression in the photos fueled speculation about the state of their marriage.

 

Princess Margaret’s wedding tiara.  The crown breaks down into a necklace and several pins.   England was in an uproar over this item being sold.

 

 

This photo of Princess Margaret, taken by her husband of two years, was first seen in 2006 at a showing of Lord Snowdon’s work.  He said his wife’s hair was set for a ‘posh dinner” and when she took her bath – he snapped her.  Defending the shot, he said “she was so beautiful, so beautiful and great, great fun,” he couldn’t resist finally showing the world his photograph.  Who can blame him?  With a quote like that, one wonders why they ever divorced.   The tiara she is wearing is her wedding tiara, the great Poltimore tiara which she purchased a year before her wedding for 5 thousands pounds.   The tiara was made by Garrard in the 1870s for Florence, Lady Poltimore, the wife of the second Baron Poltimore.   At the Christie’s auction, an anonymous woman from the far east paid $1,704,576 for the pleasure of wearing it.  Where?  One can only imagine.

 

 

 

Two interesting items sold at Christie’s auction were the original drawings Oliver Messel did for Princess Margaret’s Mustique home.  I would LOVE to own these!!!  But at $13,240.00 – they are just a little out of my price range.

 

 

 

One of the items that made the most money for Linley was this original Faberge clock.  It was given to Margaret by her “Grannie” Queen Mary.   The final price paid?   $2,281,600!!!!  This was not the only Faberge item in the sale, there were several, but the clock was the most prized piece in the collection. 

 

This piece, the Cartier “Rose” pin was a sentimental favorite as Margaret’s middle name was Rose.    The pin was created in 1938 and had a final sale price of $282,624.

 

 

 

 

Here is Princess Margaret wearing her Cartier Rose pin.   Oh, no – wait – that’s MOI!  hehe – and no, it’s not real!!!    When I bought the pin, I was told it was a copy of the famous Cartier Rose pin. 

 

 

 One of my favorite pieces sold is this watercolor, with inscription, “H.R.H. Margaret Rose, 1935,”  by artist Frank Owen Salisbury.  The final price at gavel was $15,439.   If you are interested, Christie’s still has the entire catalogue of the Princess Margaret Sale with all the final prices up on their web site here.  It’s a fascinating peek into the life of the English Royals with direct ties back to Queen Mary.    Be sure to take a look!

 

So, what DID the Linley buy with the money he made from selling his mother’s Mustique house?   In 2005, Architectural Digest paid the Linley’s a visit at their country house in the south of France.  Enjoy!

 

The Linley’s at the former hunting lodge Chateau d'Autetin in the Luberon region of Provence.  Their car is too adorable.

 

The summer house consists of three buildings that are in different states of repair.  Here, the main house is at front, the guest house behind.  The property is over 650 acres.

 

 

This view on the dining terrace is fabulous, but the view east is covered by a forest of trees – putting the property into the deep shade, robbing the Linley’s a gorgeous sunset view, Linley reports.

 

 

 

The guest house living area is simply but elegantly furnished with seagrass and antique French bergeres.   The tall cabinets are by LINLEY, as is the desk. which he built when he was just 13.

 

 

In the guest house:  Linley designed the console table and the sycamore clock and lamps.  The six drawings by Cecil Beaton flank a Carl Toms in the middle and a Matthew Rice in the top middle.  

 

 

Another close up of the guest house living area.  The large painting was bought by Serena for David in China.  The 19th century Italian commode and the side table were both inherited from his great uncle, Oliver Messel.

 

 

 

The mud room in the main house has a collection of hats and a stick with a basket for collecting truffles.

 

 

In the main house is a copy of Horatio Nelson’s chair made by LINLEY.  The console and vases are also his. 

 

 

 

In the dining room hangs a drawing by Messel over a chest of drawers, also from Messel.  The fruit urn is from LINLEY. 

 

 

In the guesthouse bedroom is a mirror and chest of drawer’s from Messel’s house in Barbados.    This room looks utterly charming!

 

 

Family portraits of David with his Royal Family are displayed on the desk in the master bedroom.

 

 

 

In the master bedroom is a model of Villa Cornara by Palladio.  The model is actual a jewelry box by LINLEY.

 

 

The pool with its stunningly beautiful views of the hillside of Luberon.   This property is wonderful – and decorated very nicely.  The houses are available for rent – but, I could not find the realtor with the listing, tried though I did.  The interior design was a surprise and much more to my taste than the design work LINLEY does for clients.  Here are just a few pictures off his web site, advertising their interior design services – so you can see the difference between LINLEY’s professional work and his personal work:  

 

 

 

At London’s Claridge’s hotel, LINLEY designed the rooms and the suites, pictured above.    Besides residential work, the firm designs hotels, and specializes in private airplanes and yachts.

 

A room at Claridge’s – designed by LINLEY.   All rooms are filled with furniture designed and produced by LINLEY.

 

A development on Singer Island in Miami.

 

 

The Retreats in Kenmare, Ireland.    As is evident, his professional interior design work is very different from his country house in Provence!  The design is very masculine, with a heavy use of woods and paneling.   There is an art deco, contemporary feel to his designs, though much of his furniture is based on classical lines.

 

And finally, for more information about LINLEY and to order his products online, go here.