Skirted Tables

My dining room with its silk skirted table

A few weeks ago, a popular design blogger wrote that she really hated skirted tables. What caused her to write about this hatred? The answer: the skirted table shown in the picture below:

Bedroom by Miles Redd with the offensive skirted table

I'll admit, it's not the best skirted table around. There's a lot wrong with it: the fabric's color for one thing, the shapeless drape, for another. The blog about this offensive skirted table started a very lively debate. Everyone, every single person, who left a comment agreed - this skirted table was just awful. The discussion centered around whether there was a hated of all skirted tables outright, or rather just this particular version alone. Oh, the revulsion! - People worried about what was hiding under the skirt? Why use that awful pea green fabric? The room is too jumbled - what's wrong with the designer Miles Redd?!!?? One person ashamedly admitted to owning a skirted table just to hide his jumbled stereo wires.

There was just one brave person who disagreed with everyone about skirted tables and left a comment defending them. That person? Of course, it was me. You see, I adore skirted tables. I've had one in some shape or another in every place I've lived for the past thirty years. I place them in clients' houses. I've even removed perfectly good dining room tables and replaced them with skirted ones (and yes! most husbands fight me tooth and nail over that one!). So, today, I write this in defense of the skirted table.

You see, a skirted table done CORRECTLY, can be a beautiful asset to a room: dreamy, romantic, and useful. They make wonderful vanity tables in bathrooms. They also make great nightstands in bedrooms and side tables in living rooms. They ARE wonderful to hide stereo wires under and are especially useful to hide the often impossible to disguise subwoofer. I especially like a rectangular skirted table, with a tailored cover and a thick glass top, flanking both sides of a large king bed. Another place I like to put one is in the entry hall as a center table where it provides a place to put books and accessories. Ditto for the library. But, my personal favorite destination for a skirted table is the dining room. A square room is a perfect spot for a round table. The softly draped fabric adds instant warmth to the dining room and can be a wonderful alternative to too much wood in the room. When a dining room is lacking in architectural interest, a skirted table can add something decorative to a plain box.

A skirted table is not a "cheap" alternative to a wood table. Far from it. Now, it CAN be cheaper if you order it from someplace like Ballard Designs, but I don't do that. I custom make all my skirts. The preferred fabric is a heavy weight linen or silk. The heavier the fabric, the more luxurious the drape, just like with any wonderful curtain. I always line and interline my skirts, with one lining being a blackout one. This adds to the weight, which adds to the richness. Plus, you don't want the sun shining through the skirt like it's missing a petticoat. I puddle my skirts about 3 inches. That way, you can pull the skirt up with your hands and let it fall to the floor in graceful folds. I don't use glass on the dining room table. To protect the fabric when I'm having a dinner party, I put a waterproof liner on top of the skirt and then cover it with a white tablecloth. That way, I don't have to worry about wine spills ruining an expensive Bennison or Kime fabric. Also, I don't like to use particle board tables under the dining table. They're too flimsy and don't have a feeling of permanence. Instead, I prefer to buy heavy duty conference tables.

Despite me being the only commenter who stood up for the skirted table, I'm not alone in my love of them. All the great designers use them to perfection: Saladino, Stefanidis, Easton, Moss, and Buatta to name a few. Personally, that's good enough company for me!

The incomparable John Stefanidis. Here he drapes a center library table, piled high with books. The table is an octagon with tassles hanging in each corner.

The master, John Saladino, with a skirted dining room table. He's layered three different fabrics here in this famous New York apartment.

In Mario Buatta's most famous Kips Bay Showhouse room: a skirted vanity table in orange, constrasts with all the blue and white.

Another Kips Bay Showhouse bedroom: this time Charlotte Moss, in what appears to be an ode to Buatta, contrasts her blue and white bedroom with a chartreuse skirted table, shown at the far right.

A recent cover of House Beautiful featured this Markham Roberts' dining room table with two layers of fabric.

The famous Keith Irvine combines a lacquered library with a dining room.

Popular Houston designer Pam Pierce has her skirts sewn differently, and the result is beautiful.

Markham Roberts, again. This time he uses different toppers to distinguish the two dining room tables.

The debonair Juan Molyneux uses a skirted table in a traditonal way.

Bunny Williams skirts a dining room table in a flowery print - gorgeous celadon painted paneling.

John Stefanidis, again, with a skirted nightstand.

Francophile Diane Burn often uses skirts - here in a previous home, she drapes a scarf over the skirt.

Again, Diane Burns, in her current home. I counted three skirted tables in all.

Suzanis make great table covers.

My antique wine tasting table is covered with a vintage suzani - probably for winter only. I miss seeing the graceful lines of the table.

A center table in the foyer. The six sides are highlighted by the contrasting trim.

I love this French dining room with a mattlesse topper and slipcovered chairs. Love the chandelier too.

A checked fabric lends a casual look to this dining room.

A gorgeous silk fabric dresses up a vanity table.

In Belgium, a simple tablecloth adds quiet elegance to a dining room.

Here, a rectangular table is skirted in a tailored manner and used as a buffet.

Ann Coyle uses creamy linen for her skirt.

Here, cool linen is tied over a bed table to further soften the atmosphere.

A skirted table is used in a combination living room, dining room.

Here, three layers of fabric top a round table.

Dallas designer Cathy Kinkaid uses a fringed skirt in an entry hall.

Kenneth Lane, the jeweler, drapes silk over a table in his large, eclectic living room.

Jeffrey Bilhuber uses checks everywhere in his NYC apartment.

A round, damask fabric covered table softens up a square dining room.

A beautiful fabric is used as a topper over a side table in this living room.

Mismatched chairs add a whimsical touch to a linen covered oval.

Checked topped nightstand used in a classic toile bedroom.

Here a small fringed skirted table is used as an additional place to eat.



Sculpture tops this center table covered with silk taffeta.

In a French styled home, linen covers a breakfast table.

Outside the same home, a skirt covers a rectangular table.



Jose Solis uses two fabrics on this dining table. Contemporary chairs add an unexpected touch.

The ultra hot Belgian Axel Vervoordt often uses skirted tables in his designs.

Again, Axel Vervoordt.

In another blue and white bedroom, another beautiful skirted vanity.

In a French home, a rectangular table is covered in linen.

In Belgium, beautiful antique furniture, chandelier and skirted table.

In Belgium again, here the table is skirted in the same fabric as the chairs giving the room a somewhat contemporary feel.

And last, a skirted table graces a foyer.

Martyn Lawrence-Bullard

Palm Springs, California: The Colony Palms

Those wishing to spend the night with the debonair and extremely handsome L.A. designer, Martyn Lawrence-Bullard, can now do so at the Colony Palms Hotel in Palm Springs, California that he recently decorated. Lawrence-Bullard, co owner of the interior design firm Martinys-Tripp was born in London but came to America to become an actor. That career soon fizzled, but Martyn remains connected to the big screen by designing interiors for many of Hollywood's biggest stars. Though not quite a household name, he has achieved some recognition in America and is currently named to Architectural Digest's famed list of Top 100 Designers. Lawrence-Bullard's style includes lots of ethnic touches from Morocco, Italy, Spain, and the Near East. He favors red paisleys and uses this design motif often. One of his signature looks is a heavily carved, wooden, four poster bed. Why would anyone choose Martyn to design a hotel in Palm Springs - home to the mid century design revival and all things hip from the era of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin?


The current owner of the Colony Palms Hotel, Steven Orhen, states he hired Martyn to oversee the $15 million renovation after seeing his home in a magazine. He admits that Martyn is not the typical contemporary designer that Palm Springs attracts. Martyn's home, which captured Orhen's attention, was built for the legendary Rudolph Valentino and is furnished in an eclectic style with liberal Italian and Spanish influences. Orhen could see a connection between Martyn's home and the Spanish influenced architecture of his once popular Palm Springs hotel. The hacienda styled hotel was built in the 30's as a gambling den by a reputed mobster. Later it was purchased by the Howard family, famous for owning the racehorse Seabiscuit. Ohren, the current owner, is a Palm Springs resident who was intrigued by the hotel's architecture. He bought the crumbling relic hoping to turn it into a first class boutique hotel.


Today, open for just a few months, the renovation is complete. Lawrence-Bullard's design plays up the Mediterranean feel of the architecture. He infused the hotel with warm colors such as olive greens, ochre yellows and terra cotta oranges. Some rooms are housed in individual casitas with Spanish tiled roofs. Trend worthy suzanis turn up in the bedrooms along with Moroccan styled mirrors and tables. There's a spa and a highly touted restaurant for guests, along with swimming pools, both public and private. Martyn Lawrence-Bullard, whom no one would claim is shy, has no self-promoting web site and his appeal is still somewhat limited to the Californian area. But, with the opening of the Colony Palms Hotel, along with all the publicity it is receiving, Martyn seems poised on the brink of super stardom.

Colony Palms bedroom by Martyn Lawrence-Bullard. Suzanis hang behind beds, floors are tiled and covered with seagrass matting, black and white ticking bolsters and drapes, Moroccan frames are to the side of the bed. Notice the ruffled hem detail on the desk chair.

Close up of another guest room. Here the suzani is different, as are the side tables.

A third room with a Moroccan styled banquette in the patio.

Close up of bathroom sink. Note the "rug" of french tiles and the mother-of-pearl chair holding towels.

Ticking covered chair with nailhead detailing, Moroccan table and frame. Suzani pillow.

The hotel pool and bar at dusk.

Colony Palms Restaurant with banquette and hanging pendant lights.

Picture of Lawrence-Bullard's home that attracted the owner of the Colony Palms. Built for Valentino - this picture features the red, white and black that Martyn used throughout his house. Red paisleys decorate the sofa's skirt. Here Martyn uses the same black and white ticking and suzanis (in chair) just as he does in the hotel.

Californian home designed by Martyn. Note the turned wood, four poster bed. Antique red paisleys cover the bed and the chair. Both the bed and paisleys are trademarks.

Family room in the same house as above.

Breakfast room with oriental rug, red paisley, and french lantern.

Living room that shows the eclectic mix that Lawrence-Bullard prefers: eastern and Spanish antiques mixed with contemporary art.

Martyn Lawrence-Bullard modeling at the hotel. Too bad he's so unattractive! ha!

Interview: Mimmi O'Connell

A few weeks ago, I wrote (see here) about a favorite designer of mine, Mimmi O'Connell. Working out of England, she has a very distinct decorating style whose appeal transcends across the globe. Her "look" consists of the use of casual fabrics such as mattress ticking, lots of black iron furniture, accents of Oriental antiques, visual symmetry, a strong contrast between light and dark, and a sense of sophistication that comes from the unusual rather than the expected. She is a master at using texture in her designs. Her accessorizing plays an important part: sparse, large pieces are spotlighted. She has a penchant for four poster beds piled high with down pillows and snow white sheets of expensive high thread count. Mimmi was a pioneer of what is called fusion design - eastern and western combined, antique furniture mixed with bamboo blinds, seagrass matting used with fine blue and white porcelains. She fueled her designs with Oriental imports she bought for her famous store: Port of Call. That name, alone, conjures up visions of red lacquered boxes, baskets large enough to use as coffee tables, iron lanterns burning spiced candles, and bamboo furniture placed in a living room instead of a garden room. That's Mimmi.

When I wanted to write about Ms. O'Connell, I had trouble finding images or even information online. I finally stumbled onto her web site by going on Google, not the google-based AOL search. Thrilled to find her web site filled with pictures of her work, I posted a story about her which enlisted a large commentary from readers who had never heard of her work, but who knew her look and loved it. The response was overwhelmingly positive. So, imagine how thrilled I was to hear from Ms. O'Connell herself! She was gracious and full of thanks for the mention. She agreed to an interview and even sent me a list of what is vital to her designs. Also, she offered up the web site for her Italian home, which is available for rent. What better way to spend a vacation than in a home designed by the incomparable Mimmi O'Connell. All photos here are of her Tuscan villa, formerly a schoolhouse totally renovated by Ms. O'Connell.

A guest room in Italy: the ticking, the iron bed, the oriental chairs, the symmetry, the contrast: Mimmi!

1. Ms. O'Connell - tell us something about your background - where you were born, where you grew up, where you went to school?

I was born in Torino, Italy, grew up in Switzerland and Buenos Aires (Argentina) and I hold a Swiss passport. I went to Geneva University reading Political Sciences. I took Art courses at Sorbonne University in Paris (France), Perugia (Italy) and Sotheby's in London.

2. How did you get started in the design business?

To make my Bank Manager happy! - I was always short of money. I showed a certain talent doing up my houses and people used to say: you should do this professionally and get paid! I've always been very disciplined, blessed with extraordinary energy and loved, loved dearly what became my profession! Designing houses is not puffing up cushions!! You have to visualize finished rooms, be patient with workers and clients and keep in mind that you are a service, not a star. Humility and a sense of humor have helped a lot along these years!! I looked at houses, palaces, cathedrals, farms all my life, wherever I've been visiting. Places have inspired me and traveling has helped a lot.

3. Who are those in the business that inspired you early in your career?

Pauline Rothschild, the American wife of Philip Rothschild, had the best taste I can remember. All the grand houses in England and Ireland with fabulous furniture, never pompous and then the Far East: China with the purity of the Ming style, the beginning of minimalism. Always Bali, from the magic of the island 30 years ago with the perfection of their bamboo houses to the sophistication and today's grandeur of the Aman Resorts: the huge hall of the Amanusa with scented baskets of tuberose flowers and the impeccable, exquisite style of the Amankila, the best hotel on a beach I have ever seen.

4. Tell us about your company Port of Call! What gave you the idea to import oriental furniture? What were the obstacles, what were the successes?

I lived and worked in Hong Kong in the '90s for 2 years and, when I came back to London, I started Port of Call. (note: the company Port of Call was started in 1975, the gallery opened in 1994) That was the beginning. The shop was pretty, different and people liked it. I did not realize I was starting a serious trend!! Port of Call has been a very successful shop and a very successful company, sophisticated, yet simple and the eclectic mixture of furniture did and does work very well! There have been no obstacles, just a lot of people copying, taking and making my ideas more commercial along these years. I sold Port of Call gallery and company in 2006. I go on working as a Design Consultant and I am very busy.

5. You have such a wonderful and defined design sensibility. Your choices of fabrics, your use of antiques and iron furniture, the oriental accents --- did you always favor interiors with these elements?

I always loved fabrics, textures and red color. There are a hundred shades of white and a hundred shades of red to choose from if you want to be difficult. Gray and black are divine only when their quality is perfect. I love velvet silks and Fortuny fabrics from Venice, French silks from Lyon, marvelous embroidered Ottoman textiles, Irish linen. I am, sometimes, extravagant in the lining. I want the inside as chic and precious as the cover. That is why I use the striped cottons a lot. I never, never use lining as such. Iron furniture taste comes from my childhood in the Italian countryside. We always slept in fabulous iron beds. I love them, you can dress them up or leave just the frames. They are chic to die for!!

6. What do you think of the younger generation turning to mid century modern design and retro?

A lot of people are turning to mid century design, but it is not my idea of simple luxury!! There is an incredible freedom of choices in today's design.

7. After great success in Europe and England, do you care about conquering America too?

I always loved U.S.A.! How can you not be overwhelmed by the mineral beauty of New York, by the real perfect deco of South Beach in Miami?, by the chic of your flag?! I loved New Orleans as it was. Your south is divine and you all marvelous people! Of course I would love to work in America!

8. And lastly, what do you see in the future for you and your interior design business?

To be a Consultant to some super projects bringing new ideas and a different soul wherever is requested.

The beautiful, fun loving and energetic designer.


"The World According To Mimmi"

My work is evolving toward a mood “less is more” that is not minimalism but a need for order. I like rhythm in homes and disciplined elegance. Rooms where there is a subtle fragrance of rare sophistication and the arrangements of furnishing is so good to look really casual. I design with the full eclecticism of Oriental, European 18th and 19th century and contemporary furniture in mind, complemented by marvellous soft furnishing.

Mimmi's details:

• Fireplaces wherever possible with logs in large country baskets.
• Pure and dramatic benches in precious woods from Northern China to sit on.
• Candles, candles, candles at night mysterious and sensuous lighting!
• Oversized tables somewhere full of books or clean, as sculptures.
• I like bedrooms, with impeccably crisp white linen. Lots of pillows piled up and no bedspreads. They can look sober and innocent! I will always fit double beds in small guest bedrooms. They are comfortable, even when there is little space left for anything else.
• I like wonderful, simple curtains with tape borders, bias borders, unlined or the most extravagant, rich, voluptuous layers, always spectacular! I like them flirting with light and shadows. Curtains have become a signature in a lot of places I have decorated.
• Books in large oversized bookshelves along walls.
• Kitchens that are kitchens, not metallic displays, where it is wonderful to cook and eat casually. Meals should always be a sensuous and fun occasion to gather friends sharing the pleasure of food.
• Outdoor furniture used indoors: folding old garden chairs that make serious furniture looking bearable and less pompous. Wonderful Javanese teak tables and chairs. They all look good indoors.
• Flowers: only one colour and really tight together: all red, all purple, all white, all yellow!
• Fabrics: from crisp linen and cottons to the most extravagant silks from Claremont in London. I buy textiles wherever I travel: batiks in Java, old silks in Bangkok, silk velvets in Venice and in Como, old precious textiles at London specialised fairs. The romance with fabrics and textures has been a long faithful affair throughout my life!

Upholstered twin beds in Italy. Chairs serve as night tables to hold piles of books that Mimmi loves.

The villa in Tuscany with its comfortable and inviting living room filled Mimmi's favorite books, and a basket filled with wood awaiting a fire.

A departure from the iron bed: bamboo. Black and white ticking.

Orange and black guest room in Italy. Mimmi's candles are an important element to her.

The great hall filled with tuberoses at the Bali Hotel: Amanusa. One of Mimmi's favorites.

Mimmi's favorite beach resort: In Bali, the Amankila

Entrance to the bedroom suites at the Amankila.