31.12.09

Sweet Dreams Are Made of This, or, Strange Bedfellows..

In the years since her death in 1993, there have been attempts to deify Doris Duke as a style icon.  Colorful she may have been, but for me, that ultimate refinement of eye just wasn't there.  However, with all that lovely lolly, she did manage to pick up a few interesting things along the way.


---Like this bed, sold at the Christies auction of her effects at Duke Farms a few years back.  Wouldn't mind having that in my inventory.  But, we've got some serious scale problems going on with the other stuff around it....and wouldn't that chaise block the view of the fire in the Steuben glass framed fireplace?  Edit, edit, edit.

11 comments:

Blue said...

You're right about the scale. The overall effect is messy and rather twee.

Scott Fazzini said...

Ooooohh, I think that I would never get out of bed if I had that beauty in my home!

Reggie Darling said...

You are right about La Duke. Lots of lovely money, not so much in the innate taste department. If I had to choose between the two, though, I'd opt for what she had...

ArchitectDesign™ said...

The bed is beautiful!
I've read that she herself had no taste whatsover, and basically went upon the advice of whatever professional was around at the time, often to diasasterous consequences. Hence she had disparate homes and clothing with no true 'eye' as you say.

The Down East Dilettante said...

I have a couple of clients like that. Almost impossible to guide them gracefully to the right thing. And Architect Design, Trademark, welcome. I've enjoyed your blog for some time now, and glad to see you visit here. Scroll back a little for Mizz Duke's mother-in-law's summer house at Bar Harbor---also purchased taste.

columnist said...

I agree the bed is heavenly. And I too agree that DD's reputation as a style icon seems very misplaced. However close or far away from the truth, the movie with Susan Sarandon & Ralf Fiennes, ("Bernard & Doris) was really rather good. Have you seen it?

The Down East Dilettante said...

Yes, I have seen it, and it was a terrific movie---oh, that red gown!

La Petite Gallery said...

I am a new visitor. Love your post.
I am telling my daughter about you.
Yvonne from Maine.

P.Gaye Tapp at Little Augury said...

An immediate instinct to just move it all around. The bed is to die-but the pictures not. edit indeed. G

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