Interior designer and decorative arts historian Thomas Jayne takes on the redoubtable Edith Wharton and her co-author Ogden Codman, whose 1897 book The Decoration of Houses is acknowledged as the Bible of American interior design. Wharton and Codman advocated for classical simplicity and balance, replacing the excesses of the Gilded Age. In Jayne’s view, “The Decoration of Houses is the level-headed, indispensable book on the subject. It is not an overstatement to say that it is the most important decorating book ever written.”
Thomas Jayne possesses a unique dual vision—he keeps one eye focused on the aesthetic traditions of the past, and the other looking forward: innovating, creating, and imagining interiors to suit modern sensibilities. His reverence for traditional ideas does not restrict Jayne’s understanding of what makes a beautiful room—rather than seeking to replicate and repeat the exact décor from past, Jayne finds inspiration in the distinctive histories of the spaces in which he works. In every project he undertakes, he draws on his rich academic background in the decorative arts to design interiors that harmonize with their historical settings, yet also connect intimately to the active and modern lives of families who call these remarkable buildings home.
The Finest Rooms in America: 50 Influential Interiors from the 18th Century to the Present is a selection by Thomas Jayne, one of America’s best decorators and scholars of American design. It is a definitive record of the finest American interior design with an authoritative text and luxuriant color photography. The book includes a complete cross section of extant rooms covering a broad range of American periods and styles, beginning with the Tea Room at Jefferson’s Monticello and continuing to the present, concluding with Albert Hadley’s modern sitting room.
The Well-Dressed Window: Curtains at Winterthur is a unique compendium of design and textile history and an invaluable resource for designers and homeowners alike.
Today Henry Francis du Pont, the force behind the transformation of Winterthur from a family house to the premier museum of American decorative arts, is recognized, along with Henry Davis Sleeper and Elsie de Wolfe, as one of the early leaders of interior design in this country.
This post features videographer Simon Blake’s film celebrating twenty five years of Jayne Design Studio. Along with Simon’s Winterthur Museum tribute posted earlier in the month, our anniversary film is the centerpiece of a series he made about the Studio and our philosophy about decoration. In the course of the next year I will share other films Simon has produced. Thank you, Simon, for your vision.
A few images from the video, including one of me in 1990 on the terrace of my first apartment.
Read more about Simon Blake.
I am fortunate to be able spend each day searching for beautiful objects that will enhance the environments I design for my clients’ comfort and enjoyment. It was during my graduate studies at the Winterthur museum, where I was trained as a curator and a historian, that I was exposed to the artistic and historical significance of objects. I was privileged to have access to the collection formed by Henry Francis du Pont – an extraordinary man who was a decorator, a curator, and an historian and someone very much in the forefront of the newly emerging field of material culture studies. With an unparalleled eye for beauty and the ability to select the perfect object as the focal point of a room, Mr. du Pont’s design philosophy profoundly influences my career.
Last November I was asked to be the honorary chair of the 52nd annual Delaware Antiques Show, which benefits the educational programs at Winterthur, where I gave a talk about my 25 years as a decorator. During my presentation, I recalled my graduate study as a Winterthur fellow and how my time there greatly influenced my work and paid tribute to Henry Francis du Pont. The director Simon Blake recorded some of my thoughts about du Pont and Winterthur in this video, My Time at Winterthur, which was prepared not long before the show.
I was also invited to submit an essay for the 2015 Delaware Antiques Show catalogue by the organizers, and I chose to write about Mr. du Pont. I hope you will enjoy this tribute to one of my personal heroes.
Click on link at right for the article: Debt of Inspiration by Thomas Jayne
Jayne Design Studio received the 2014 Stanford White Award in the field of Interior Design and Decoration – Residential for Drumlin Hall, a new classical house in the Hudson River Valley area of New York designed by Peter Pennoyer Architects. Named in honor of Architect Stanford White (1853-1906), of the distinguished New York firm McKim, Mead & White, the Stanford White Award recognizes achievement in architecture, interiors, landscape, urbanism, and building craftsmanship & artisanship throughout New York, New Jersey, and Fairfield County, Connecticut. The award is given by the New York chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture and Arts.
Established in 1982 by Arthur Ross (1910–2007), and Henry Hope Reed (1916–2013), the Arthur Ross Awards were created to recognize and celebrate excellence in the classical tradition. The awards have recognized the achievements of architects, artisans and others dedicated to preserving and advancing the classical tradition. Jayne Design Studio was the first decorating firm to be granted an award in the newly created category of Interior Design in 2013.
ELLE DECOR’s A-LIST is the magazine’s salute to the country’s top talents-designers who continue to excite, inspire, and intrigue. Jayne Design Studio has been honored to be on this list since 2013.
Since 1990 Architectural Digest has been naming the world’s preeminent architects and designers to a select group known as the AD100. An arbiter of excellence, this exclusive list recognizes establishment icons and enterprising trailblazers whose work is as inspiring as it is influential. Jayne Design Studio has been honored to be on the list since 2012.
