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(Photo: Björn Wallander) |
Ann Pyne is used to complicated decorating missions. She’s president of the venerable McMillen, Inc., now in its 90th year and renowned for its work on the highest of high-end projects. In short, she’s a veteran of perfection. But even she was surprised by how long it took to find the right beige fabric for the lining of the bed hangings—one that perfectly matched the background of the custom Gracie wallpaper. “It took ages,” she says. Months passed looking at samples, then cuttings, before the firm finally committed to an order of 89 yards of silk taffeta from Stark’s Old World Weavers collection for the lining. The material would be draped, tasseled, and as carefully fitted to the bed as a couture dress is to the body. “Getting the right color seems easy, but it isn’t,” says Pyne.
The Sheraton-style bed was originally found by Pyne’s client, Emily Frick, at Hyde Park Antiques. For contrast, it’s placed atop a sisal carpet. “A fancier rug would have distracted from the bed and the paper,” says Pyne. The elaborate pleating and rosette on the underside of the canopy are the work of DeAngelis, Ltd., a Queens-based custom workroom. “This kind of decorating falls lame if it’s not the best,” says Pyne. “It’s not easy to do, and you have to have the best craftsmen do it.”
- The custom wallpaper is from Gracie.
- The chest and settee are 18th century.
- The long tabs have trompe l’oeil fringes; the underlayer is trimmed with tassels.