via Martha Stewart Living

Frances Adler Elkins (1888-1953) was a legendary decorator of the early 20th century. Her eclectic integration of various periods and styles, from French country to chinoiserie to art deco featuring avant-garde furnishings, created timeless interiors that were modern and fresh, but still retained a classic traditional style.

via The New York Times

Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Frances Elkins was the younger sister of renowned Chicago architect David Adler (1882-1949). When Adler was studying architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris from 1908-11, Elkins accompanied him and they traveled throughout Europe. They met many avant-garde artisans. Elkins was especially drawn to and inspired by the work of the French interior and furniture designer Jean-Michel Frank, and the Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti. Both with whom she would later collaborate and promote. David Adler was the greatest influence on the young designer, and as her tutor, Adler’s mastery of classical design set a standard that would remain throughout her career.

Casa Amesti via Architectural Digest

Frances Elkins’ career began in 1918 after she and her husband, Felton, purchased a rundown 1834 adobe called Casa Amesti in Monterey, California. In what would be the first of many collaborations, Frances Elkins and David Adler transformed Casa Amesti into a masterpiece in architecture and design. Elkins and Adler’s integration of diverse architectural styles and period pieces made Casa Amesti distinctive and original.

Casa Amesti via HGTV

After the fabulous renovation of Casa Amesti, Frances Elkins began decorating friends’ homes in Monterey and Pebble Beach. As her reputation spread, she was commissioned to design many prominent private and public spaces, including the Cypress Point Club and Yerba Buena Club. Elkins was the exclusive importer of Jean-Michel Frank and Alberto Giacometti designs and the first to import country French furnishings. By 1927, Elkins established her own workshop of extraordinary craftsmen, which produced Frances Elkins designs as well as Elkins’ interpretations of fine antique forms in furniture, lighting and accessories.

The dining room of The Reed House via Frances Elkins Interior Design

Frances Elkins and David Adler collaborated on 16 prominent residences and frequently traveled together on European buying trips during the 1920s-1940s. While Adler was meticulous and reserved, Elkins was vivacious and chic. Their combined talents and styles produced some of America’s most elegant and timeless interiors. Most notably, the Mrs. Kersey Coates Reed house on Chicago’s North Shore. The Reed house exemplified the symmetry, balance and elegance of Elkins and Adler while bridging the traditional and avant-garde.

The Reed House via David Adler, Architect: The Elements of Style

The Loop Chair

CIRCA 1770 chairs via The Magazine Antiques

Frances Elkins is notoriously associated with the iconic Loop Chair. The often refered to as the ‘Elkins Loop Chair’, was hailed “The ‘It’ Chair” by The Magazine Antiques. The Elkins version of the Loop Chair was inspired by an 18th Century chair. Elkins is known to have created only eight in the early 1930s for two private commissions (4 for Evelyn Marshall Field and 4 for Mr. and Mrs. Leslie Wheeler). The Wheeler chairs were sold to a neighbor at an estate sale in the 1960s and again by Sotheby’s in 2009. While not an original Elkins design, the Loop Chair exemplifies Frances Elkins’ timeless blending of fine antiques with the avant-garde and solidifies her contributions to 20th Century American design.

Frances Elkins’ Loop Chairs in the Wheeler House via The Magazine Antiques

Inspired Reading…

CIRCA WHO FAB Find!

CIRCA WHO Item # 5519

Set of 6 VINTAGE Loop Chairs

How do you CIRCA WHO?

IN AN ENTRY…

via New York Social Diary

IN A HALLWAY…

via Architectural Digest

IN A KITCHEN…

via Elle Decor

IN A DINING ROOM…

via New York Social Diary

via Architectural Digest

IN A LIVING ROOM…

via House Beautiful

via House Beautiful

via Architectural Digest

via House Beautiful

IN A BEDROOM…

via New York Social Diary

William “Billy” Baldwin (1903-1983) designs were immaculately timeless.  His name became the byword for exemplary American design.  Billy Baldwin’s style was crisp, elegant, simple and practical.

via Architectural Digest

Baltimore, Maryland native, Billy Baldwin briefly studied architecture at Princeton and sold insurance at his father’s agency before making the leap into decorating.  His early influences include Frances Elkins, Jean-Michel Frank, and the paintings of Henri Matisse.  Baldwin worked for the Baltimore decorating firms C.J. Benson & Co. and H. Chambers Co. before catching the eye of famed New York decorator Ruby Ross Wood in 1935.  Billy Baldwin moved to New York to work for Ruby Ross Wood where his career took off.  After Wood’s death in 1950, Baldwin ran her firm for two years before opening Baldwin & Martin Inc. in 1952 with his former assistant Edward Martin.

via Interior Design

Billy Baldwin’s signature style perfectly blended classicism with modernism.  He appreciated a sleek and polished aesthetic.  Baldwin’s approach to decorating incorporated luxurious simplicity with a personal touch.  He never insisted on throwing out everything a client had, instead he believed in using some of the client’s possessions as a way to make sure the home retained their personality.

Billy Baldwin’s clients include Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Diana Vreeland, Greta Garbo, Paul & Bunny Mellon, Nan Kempner, Brooke Astor, and Cole Porter, among many others.

Billy Baldwin designs often included bold wall colors, cotton upholstery and slipcovers, simple draperies, plaster lamps, wicker, rattan and bamboo, Turkish Ottomans, Parsons Tables, X Benches, and especially the Slipper Chair (which he is said to have designed with Pauline de Rothschild’s tall, slender frame in mind) and Étagère Bookcases (the brass étagère bookcases he designed for Cole Porter’s Waldorf apartment were inspired by a British serving cart).

Inspired Reading…

Billy Baldwin’s simply elegant designs epitomize the elegance and sophistication of the 1930s through the mid70s.  Often referred to as the “Dean of Decorators”, his name is synonymous with great American style.

CIRCA WHO FAB Find!

CIRCA WHO Item #4491

Pair of X Benches

How do you CIRCA WHO?

IN A BEDROOM…

via Architectural Digest

 IN A LIVING ROOM…  

via Architectural Digest

via Billy Baldwin: The Great American Decorator

via Architectural Digest

via Billy Baldwin Decorates

via Billy Baldwin Decorates 

 IN A SALON…

Kenneth Salon via Billy Baldwin: The Great American Decorator

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The Cincinnati, Ohio-based Ficks Reed Company was founded in 1885 by Louis Ficks.  Initially established as the National Carriage and Reed Company, the company produced woven reed and wicker baby carriages before expanding their product line.

For over 125 years, Ficks Reed has built its reputation manufacturing high quality furniture using wicker, rattan, woven peel, bamboo, and selected hardwoods.  Ficks Reed has collaborated with world renowned designers including, Dorothy Draper, Paul László, John B. Wisner, and Paul T. Frankl, among many others.  Ficks Reed furniture designs reflect the dedicated collaboration between designer and skilled artisans ensuring attention to details and outstanding craftsmanship.

In addition to fabulous home furnishings, Ficks Reed has also furnished luxurious, inviting environments for prestigious hotels, resorts, clubs, and restaurants for over eight decades.  Ficks Reed hospitality clients include The Greenbrier Hotel, The Breakers Palm Beach, The Arizona Biltmore, MGM Mandalay Bay, Sandpiper Beach Club, Ritz Carlton Hotels, Four Seasons Hotels, Renaissance Hotels, Marriott Hotels, and Hyatt Regency Hotels.

Every piece of Ficks Reed furniture, whether residential or hospitality, is hand worked to the highest quality maintaining their legacy as a leading manufacturer of wicker and rattan furnishings.

CIRCA WHO FAB Finds!

CIRCA WHO Item #3610

Pair of Ficks Reed Rattan Woven Chests

CIRCA WHO Item #3945

Pair of Ficks Reed Large Rattan Barrel Chairs

CIRCA WHO Item #3578

Ficks Reed Faux Bamboo Dresser

How do you CIRCA WHO?

IN A LIVING ROOM…

Lounge chairs & ottomans via House Beautiful

via House & Garden CIRCA 1955

via Ficks Reed

IN A KITCHEN…

Chairs via House Beautiful

IN A BEDROOM…

Headboard & side table via House Beautiful

IN A SUNROOM…

via House Beautiful

IN THE GREENBRIER…

via The Greenbrier

via Ficks Reed

via The Greenbrier

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 Since 1950, Pierre Cardin (b. 1922) has changed the look and business of the fashion industry.  He has designed everything from haute couture to prêt-à-porter fashions, PIA airline uniforms to NASA spacesuits, airplane and automobile interiors, hotels and restaurants, and furniture, lighting and accessories.

via Elle Decor

Pierre Cardin worked as a tailor’s apprentice in Vichy, France as a teen, where he learned the art of tailoring suits.  He moved to Paris in 1945 and worked for prominent couturiers such as Madame Paquin, Elsa Schiaparelli, Christian Bérard, and Christian Dior before starting his own house in 1950. 

Pierre Cardin was the first couturier to design for men, the first to launch prêt-à-porter, the first Western designer to show collections in China and the Soviet Union, and the first to license his name for a non-fashion item.

via Time CIRCA 1974

Pierre Cardin’s sculptural approach to fashion translated seamlessly into furniture designs in the 1970s and 80s.  Pierre Cardin furniture combined the bold outlines and lacquered surfaces of Asian art with the simple geometry and sharp lines of Art Deco.  The sharp edges, flawless lacquering and chrome veneers of Pierre Cardin furniture epitomizes the glamour of the late 70s and early 80s French “disco chic”.

Inspired Reading…

CIRCA WHO FAB Finds!

CIRCA WHO Item #3538

Pierre Cardin Dining Table

CIRCA WHO Item #3458

Set of 6 Pierre Cardin Dining Chairs

How do you CIRCA WHO?

IN A LIVING ROOM…

Cocktail Table via Elle Decor

Cocktail Table via Domino

 Cocktail Table via InStyle

via Bloomingdale’s Book of Home Decorating

IN A DINING ROOM…

Chairs via Nuevo Estilo

Table via Star Tribune

IN LE PALAIS BULLES…

via Palais Bulles

via Palais Bulles

IN AN AUTOMOBILE…

AMC Advertisement CIRCA 1972

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Phyllis Morris (1925-1988) was a Los Angeles based designer and manufacturer of luxurious custom furniture, lighting and accessories.  Phyllis Morris Originals was founded in 1953, a time when Mid Century furniture design favored Modern Minimalism.  According to Phyllis Morris, “Minimalism is for those without much to say.” 

Phyllis Morris was known for her extravagant designs, such as her throne chairs, unique cabinets and signature canopy beds, all hand crafted in California using the highest quality materials.

via Phyllis Morris

One of Phyllis Morris’ first designs was the Poodle Lamp, which she delivered to clients personally in her pink Cadillac convertible. 

Phyllis Morris’ clients include Joan Crawford, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Elvis Presley, Howard Hughes, Aristotle Onassis, Barbra Streisand, and Cher, among many others.

Vintage Phyllis Morris advertisements via Facebook/Phyllis Morris

Phyllis Morris Originals still creates fabulous furniture, lighting and accessories.  Since 1988, Phyllis Morris Originals has been run by Phyllis’ daughter, Jamie Adler.  Phyllis Morris’ signature style legacy has continued and further expanded.

CIRCA WHO FAB Finds!

CIRCA WHO Item # 3165 

Pair of Phyllis Morris Consoles

How do you CIRCA WHO?

IN AN ENTRY…

Entry Table via Billionaire

IN A LIVING ROOM…

Display Cabinets & Cocktail Table via Avenues

Bar, Bar Chairs & Cocktail Table via Avenues

IN AN OFFICE…

Desk & Credenza via Billionaire

IN A BEDROOM…

via Billionaire

via Architectural Digest Italy

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Maison Jansen was one of the most influential design firms of the 20th Century.  Maison Jansen was a Paris-based interior design firm that provided fabulous interiors, furniture, lighting and accessories for over a Century.  Maison Jansen was the first International design firm, serving clients in Europe, Latin America, North America, and the Middle East by 1900.  By the 1920s, Maison Jansen had offices around the world including, London, New York, Buenos Aires, Havana, Cairo, Prague, Rome, and Rio de Janeiro.  Maison Jansen was founded in 1880 by Dutch-born Jean-Henri Jansen (1854-1928) and continued in practice until 1989. 

Jean-Henri Jansen via Design Guide

In the beginning Maison Jansen contracted cabinetmakers to manufacture their furniture and by the early 1890s they began manufacturing their own.  Maison Jansen manufactured contemporary designs and antique reproductions primarily in the Louis XIV, Louis XVI, Directoire, and Empire styles.

 Inspired Reading…

  James Archer Abbott, author of Jansen and Jansen Furniture, describes the Jansen look as “a skillful and seemingly impossible melding of 18th Century French palace historicism, 1920s Hollywood theatrics, and country house subtleties.” 

The White House design proposal via Jansen Furniture 

Maison Jansen’s most published work was a project by Stéphane Boudin and Paul Manno for the White House during the Kennedy administration.

Maison Jansen clients include William III of the Netherlands, Alfonso XII of Spain, the Duke & Duchess of Windsor, King Leopold II of Belgium, the Shah of Iran, Leed’s Castle, Hotel Parr in Vienna, the German Reichsbank, the Rockefellers, Bartolomé March, Coco Chanel, Elsie de Wolfe and the Kennedys, among many others.

Since 1880, Maison Jansen has been synonymous with quality and elegance.  Maison Jansen furniture designs range from period reproductions and reinterpretations to sleek contemporary designs.

CIRCA WHO FAB Finds!

CIRCA WHO Item #3264

Set of 3 Jansen style benches

How do you CIRCA WHO?

IN AN ENTRY…

via Jansen

 via Jansen

IN A LIBRARY…

Swirling Low Table via Architectural Digest 

IN A LIVING ROOM…

Daybed via Architectural Digest

Daybed via New York Social Diary

Desk via Elle Decor

Dining Table via New York Social Diary

 IN THE WHITE HOUSE…

via Wikipedia

via Wikipedia

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British designer, David Hicks (1929-1998), was one of the most influential designers of the 1960s and 70s.  His bold use of color, geometric patterns, and unexpected mixing of antique and modern furnishings with contemporary abstract art revolutionized International interior design.  David Hicks introduced clashing colors, geometrically patterned carpets, large scale objects arranged in small spaces, and carefully arranged compositions of objects and artworks, which he called “tablescapes.”

David Hicks attended London’s Central School of Art.  David Hicks was a talented photographer, painter and sculptor.  While designing cereal boxes for a London advertising agency, David Hicks began his career in interior design in 1954, after a house he designed for his mother was featured in House & Garden magazine.

David Hicks immediately became one of London’s most sought after designers.  His sudden celebrity was further enhanced in 1960 when he married Lady Pamela Mountbatten.  Their wedding was described as the most elegant since the Queen’s (then Princess Elizabeth).

via David Hicks 1970

David Hicks’ early clientele included Vidal Sassoon, Helena Rubenstein, the Duchess of Rutland, and Mrs. Conde Nast.  Other projects include the Prince of Wales’ 1st apartment at Buckingham Palace, carpets for Windsor Castle, wallpaper for the White House, the Presidential Palace for the President of Ghana, a yacht for King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, guestrooms at Okura Hotel Tokyo, suites at the St. Regis New York, and a nightclub on the QE2 ocean liner, among many others. 

David Hicks started to design his own patterned carpets and fabrics when he found none on the market that he considered good enough.  By the 1970s, David Hicks Ltd. was producing wallpaper, carpet, fabrics and linens.  By the 1980s, David Hicks had offices and shops in 15 countries around the world.

Inspired Reading…

David Hicks wrote that his “greatest contribution as an interior designer has been to show people how to use bold color mixtures, how to use patterned carpets, how to light rooms and how to mix old with new.” (David Hicks on Living – with Taste, 1968)  David Hicks created timeless designs.  His dramatic colors, embrace of pattern, and mix of antiques and modern pieces formed the basis of David Hicks style, which has influenced and inspired a generation of designers.

 Most CIRCA WHO Items would be FAB in a David Hicks inspired design.  Here are a few of my current favorites…

CIRCA WHO FAB Finds!

CIRCA WHO Item #3155

Vintage Bench

CIRCA WHO Item #3240

Pair of Nardini Fretwork Lamps

CIRCA WHO Item #2179

Pair of Hollywood Regency Chairs

CIRCA WHO Item #3191

Fretwork Screen

How do you CIRCA WHO?

IN A LIVING ROOM…

via The New York Times

via David Hicks 1970

via David Hicks 1970

IN A DINING ROOM…

via David Hicks 1970

IN A BEDROOM… 

via David Hicks 1970

via David Hicks 1970

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Paul Evans (1931-1987) was one of the most versatile and unique artists of the Mid Century Studio Furniture Movement.  His furniture creations were bold and dramatic.  His furniture designs can best be described as functional art.

Paul Evans via Life CIRCA 1966

Pennsylvania native, Paul Evans was an artist, craftsman, sculptor, and furniture designer.  At the age of 9, his paintings were exhibited in a one-man show in New York.  He studied sculpture, metalwork and textiles at several institutions including the Philadelphia Textile Institute (1950), and the Rochester Institute of Technology School for American Craftsmen (1950).  In 1952, Paul Evans was the 1st American to win the prestigious Booth Fellowship, an award bestowed upon young craftsmen, artists and designers, which allowed him to attend the Cranbrook Academy of Art (1952).

In the early 1950s, while working as an Artist in Residence silversmith at the working history museum Sturbridge Village, Paul Evans frequented the studio of artisan Phillip Lloyd Powell in New Hope, PA.  Evans was intrigued and later inspired by Phillip Lloyd Powell.  Paul Evans moved to New Hope in 1956 and his acquaintance with Powell grew into a business and creative partnership.  Initially Evans was creating table-top sculptural objects.  Phillip Lloyd Powell encouraged Paul Evans to create large scale works.

In 1957, Paul Evans’ work was included in an exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Crafts (now the Museum of Arts & Design) alongside the work of Phillip Lloyd Powell, Wharton Esherick and George Nakashima.  Evans and Powell had a two-man show in 1961 at America House, an exhibition held at the Museum of Contemporary Crafts.

Directional catalog

Paul Evans sold his work through his New Hope studio and through furniture manufacturer Directional.  Paul Evans designed furniture for Directional from 1964 through the late 1970s.  Paul Evans for Directional introduced highly collectible editions such as the Argente series, Sculpted Bronze series, and the Cityscape series, as well as one-of-a-kind pieces.  Paul Evans’ relationship with Directional set the standard for creative manufacture by insisting every piece was made by hand, finished by hand, and supervised by the artist at each step of the process, one piece at a time.

Paul Evans furniture designs have several distinctive styles and range greatly.  From clean lined, such as his Cityscape series and patchwork burl wood and metal designs, to almost folk-like, such as his iconic cabinets with grid patterns filled with an array of metal forms, to Brutalist sculpted metal designs.  The element that is apparent and consistent in all Paul Evans designs is his great sculptural style.  Paul Evans’ dedication to handcraft, quality and uniqueness made his furniture creations true works of art.

CIRCA WHO FAB Finds!

CIRCA WHO Item #1298

Paul Evans credenza

CIRCA WHO Item #1015

Paul Evans style Brutalist coffee table

CIRCA WHO Item #1016

Paul Evans style Brutalist drum table

How do you CIRCA WHO?

IN AN ENTRY…

Hanging Sideboard via Saks Artist Exhibitions

Hanging Cabinet via The New York Times

IN A LIVING ROOM…

Custom Fireplace via New York Social Diary

Bench via The New York Times

IN A LIBRARY…

Bookcase via The New York Times

IN A BEDROOM…

Bed, Mirror & Shelf via Michner Museum

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The garden seat, or garden stool, first appeared in elite Chinese gardens as early as the Sung Dynasty (960-1279). 

   Su Han-ch’en scroll painting CIRCA Sung Dynasty via National Palace Museum 

  Garden seats can be used as either a table or seating indoors and outdoors.  Styles of garden seats range from elaborately ornate to beautifully simple and are usually made of porcelain, ceramic, terracotta, or wood.   Garden seats are a stylish way to add color, texture, or a touch of Chinoiserie. 

CIRCA WHO FAB Finds!

CIRCA WHO ITEM #2761

Pair of Garden Stools

CIRCA WHO Item #2542

Elephant Garden Seat

CIRCA WHO Item #2594

Elephant Garden Seat

CIRCA WHO Item

Vintage Turtle Garden Seat

The versatility of use and vast range of styles make the garden seat a FAB statement in any room.

How do you CIRCA WHO? 

IN A LIVING ROOM… 

via Domino

via House Beautiful

via Domino

IN A DINING ROOM…

via Lonny

via House Beautiful

 IN A BEDROOM… 

via Country Living

IN A BATHROOM…

via Architectural Digest

via House Beautiful

OUTDOORS…

via House Beautiful

via House Beautiful

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Milo Baughman (1923-2003) was one of the leading Modern furniture designers of the 20th Century.  He played an essential role in the California Modern Movement of the late 40s and 50s.

via 1stdibs INTROspective

Milo Baughman was born in Kansas and moved to Southern California as an infant.  At the age of 13, he designed the interior and exterior of his family’s new home.  While serving in the Army Air Forces during WWII, he designed officers clubs.  After the war, he returned to Southern California to study architectural and product design at Art Center School of Los Angeles and at Chouinard (which became the California Institute of the Arts).

After his studies, Milo Baughman worked as an interior and custom furniture designer for Frank Brothers, the first major all-modern specialty store on the West Coast.  He left Frank Brothers in 1947 to establish “Milo Baughman Design Inc.”  He did commissions for many furniture manufacturers including Glenn of California, Pacific Iron, Drexel, Winchendon, Calif-Asia, Mode Furniture, Lane, The Inco Company, James, Directional, and Thayer Coggin, among others.

Thayer Coggin advertisement CIRCA 1971

Milo Baughman began designing for Thayer Coggin in 1953.  Their association continued for 50 years until his death in 2003.

Milo Baughman was also a gifted and dedicated educator.  Early in his career, he was involved with Furniture Forum with Georgia Christensen, one of the first American publications to showcase designers and include information on their designs.  He established and ultimately chaired the Department of Environmental Design at Brigham Young University.  He lectured broadly on the state of modern design at Rhode Island School of Design, the University of Tennessee, the University of Wisconsin, and North Carolina State, among other universities and art schools.

Milo Baughman’s work was included in the 1985 Whitney Museum exhibit “High Styles: Twentieth Century American Design.”  In 1987, Milo Baughman was inducted into the Furniture Designers Hall of Fame.

 set of 6 chairs designed by Milo Baughman

 Milo Baughman defines Modern design as “honest, simple and straightforward.”  His designs are uniquely American, unpretentious and accessible, while remaining innovative and edgy.  His name may not be instantly recognizable to many, but his designs certainly are, and have been imitated for decades.

CIRCA WHO FAB Finds!

CIRCA WHO Item #2251

Set of 6 Milo Baughman chairs

CIRCA WHO Item# 2294

Milo Baughman Dining Table

CIRCA WHO Item# 2586

Pair of Milo Baughman style chairs

CIRCA WHO Item# 2245

Set of 6 Milo Baughman style chairs

How do you CIRCA WHO?

IN A LIVING ROOM… 

Chairs & Sideboard via Urbis

IN A DINING ROOM…

Dining Chairs via California Homes

Sideboard via Elle Decor

IN A BEDROOM…

Lounge Chair via Elle Decor

IN AN OFFICE…

Chairs from the Ugly Betty set via Interior Design

Desk via New York Social Diary

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