The 5 Best Decorated Rooms in America

Filed under: Design, etc, Architecture

From modern to traditional, designer Thomas Jayne hunts down the finest rooms in America for a new book. Here, he shares his favorite five. (Surprise: Some are pretty modest!)

Titling a book The Finest Rooms in America is an ambitious proclamation, but Thomas Jayne delivers a thorough and satisfying portrait of some of the most striking American interiors in this new book. Jayne sought out many qualities in these interiors from the 18th century to the present, including originality, inventiveness, craftsmanship, authenticity and of course, comfort.

While Jayne labored to narrow his choices down to just 50 interiors for the book, ShelterPop asked him to whittle his list down even further and share his five favorite rooms in America. Though he says every room in the book is a favorite, Jayne obliged; here are his picks.

Dining Room, Magnolia Mound, Baton Rouge, LA (left)
Jayne selected the dining room at the Magnolia Mound Plantation, a lesser known southern home that is a rare example of French and West Indian architecture of the period, for it's simple Neoclassical approach. He also chose it to drive home the point that "scale does not preclude great decorating." In other words, small rooms are beautiful too. While much of the furnishings in the room are original, the Reveillon wallpaper is a replica by Brunschwig & Fils, which was put up in the 1990s.

Dining Room, Mary Cooper, New Orleans, LA (right)
Proof that many different styles can be considered "fine," Jayne selected a decidedly more humble dining space: The dining room of Mary Cooper. The 1830s New Orleans house, which was featured in the now-defunct Cottage Living magazine, is furnished with clean, minimal pieces, like the ladder-back chairs and farm table (shown above).

"This house is definite proof that you don't need a great deal of money to make a beautiful room," says Jayne, who hopes it, "encourages people to seek refinement at all financial levels." Jayne says that he admires Cooper and her partner Tomio Thomann for, "making a conscious decision to live a certain way, and then thoughtfully reflecting it in their home."

Dining Room, Kingscote, Newport, RI
The third dining room on Jayne's list is by far the most well-known, The dining room above is part of a renovation of the Kingscote mansion by the legendary firm of McKim Mead and White. Jayne notes that the room is "prime example of Stanford White's handiwork, who was as much a decorator as architect." Most notable perhaps is the wall of decorative glass, which was an entirely innovative and novel touch at the time. Says Jayne, "The photographs only hint at its sublime qualities. In person it is luminous and water-like... It retains its power to draw and move visitors with its beauty, artistry and originality."

Dressing Room, Vizcaya, Miami, FL
A true slice of luxury, the Vizcaya villa was built as the summer home for industry titan James Deering. The dressing room was created with the help of Paul Chalfin, a New York artist, who Jayne notes learned his trade from Elsie de Wolfe. Of the many candidates for the book, Jayne says that this particular room has "a sense of balance and refinement that went into combining a selection of materials that by themselves would seem overwhelming were they not so deftly handled."

Despite the luxurious marble, silver and embroidered details, the room doesn't feel overdone. However, Jayne suspects it's true draw lies in the "subconscious attraction" of a perfect square with a canopy. "There is some kind of vestigial ancestral comfort derived from feeling like you are enclosed within the safety of a tent," says Jayne.

Sitting Room, Albert Hadley Apartment, New York, NY
While Jayne considered the sitting room of the dean of American decorating, Albert Hadley, to be one of the finest rooms, he reveals that Hadley himself was hesitant to include it because he felt it wasn't grand enough. Thankfully, Jayne persuaded Hadley, as this room is a true gem. "While Mary Cooper exhibited the idea that refinement is not about money, Albert's room shows that it is not about grandness of scale," says Jayne. "It is relatively simple, so much so that it inspires people to try their own hand at achieving such results. Of course, Albert did it with incredible dexterity and greater ease than any of us could ever expect."

Fun Fact: The red dots on the spines of books (above left) connote that work by Hadley is featured within.

All images from The Finest Rooms in America: 50 Influential Interiors from the 18th Century to the Present by Thomas Jayne (The Monacelli Press, 2010)


For more great decorating ideas, don't miss:
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- Decorating Styles 101: Comfy and Casual
- Best Colors to Paint Kids Rooms

 

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