Thursday, April 16, 2009

Gloria Vanderbilt Turns Back Time

Gloria Vanderbilt has done a room for the 2009 Kips Bay Decorator Show House in New York.

She has recreated the bedroom she had at age sixteen.

It's a fascinating read in today's New York Times HERE
There is one thing that puzzles me: Why do so many writers describe the Swedish Mora/Moro clock as a Swedish grandfather clock?

We love Gloria, who always has a child like approach to decorating, and in the art work she creates.

Her signature style of the exuberant use of pattern and color gives her design work energy and verve.


Do you remember your favorite bedroom as a child?


Mine was one my mother decorated for me when I was around nine or ten years old.
The walls were pale pink, the ceiling silver. One accent wall had wallpaper with ballet shoes printed on it. It had a white background with pink and yellow and turquoise in the print.
I had a canopy bed all tricked out with sheer white ruffles.
The curtains were crisscrossed organdy Priscillas that blew ever so gently when a summer breeze caught them.
I had a four foot long ballet barre attached to a wall with a full length mirror behind it.
I also had a portable TV, a big deal then. It was pale yellow.
There was also a silver dresser, a white desk with a white antique ice cream parlor chair, and a skirted vanity and skirted bench in the same print as the wallpaper.
Mama could decorate!
I have often thought of recreating this room, much in the same way GV recreated hers.

12 comments:

  1. How interesting! Loved this post (and the one about the Grey Gardens sets, too--just ran out of time yesterday to leave a comment). My childhood bedroom was all purple, from top to bottom. My mom didn't know how to decorate, so she chose a different color for each room and made everything match. :-)

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  2. Oh my goodness, I just looked at the sidebar and noticed your number of followers just hit the big One-Zero-Zero. Or Uno-Thero-Thero if we were in Barcelona, and wouldn't that be fun?

    My favorite childhood bedroom was my first one, which had been painted a deep 1950's pink. The bedspread was thick chenille: a large, raised, open design in white with raised colored flowers in the center of each pattern repitition. I can't remember the curtains, but there were wide metal venetian blinds original to the the 1947 house. The floor was hardwood with pink, fluffy throw rugs. There was a double bed with a glossy wooden, very masculine looking bookcase headboard that may have been Daddy's bachelor furniture (it had a matching dresser which also eventually ended up in my room). One window faced east for the morning sun and a view of the backyard and pasture. Two windows faced north and included the fragrance of my mom's gardenia bush and a view of Jimbo's bedroom window - a neighbor I had a crush on for years - which facilitated a volley of nighttime poses and loud 45rpm record playing for each other over the course of a couple of summers. I could hear the cacophony of clucking chickens, barking dogs, and all other manner of whinnies, quacks, snorts, meows, bahhhh's, gobbles, moos, peeps and more. Always an insomniac and night owl, I can remember lying there awake in the dark, plotting my future against the backdrop of late night A.M. radio and the sad whine of trucks on Weedpatch Highway.

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  3. your childhood bedroom sounds delicious. i have a few that were pretty cool. one involved pink walls and red shag carpet. the other was a bit more laura ashley. but everything coordinated; wallpaper, bedspread etc..all to match the cheap blue wall to wall in the room. i still have a bit of the wallpaper leftover in a roll somewhere. i am constantly changing my daughter's room. never fully satisfied of course b/c i ALWAYS spy something i like better and i change it. poor dear will be schizo before she is 6.

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  4. Since we are all going down memory lane - aged about 13, my first bedroom (without having to share)chose the colour scheme myself. Mostly dark purples (including the carpet) my mother protested stating that' purple is the colour of funeral parlours how will you get a good night's sleep'? - but allowed it anyway :) I loved that cosy little room and slept just fine.
    Nice post Valorie x

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  5. I am going to try to squeeze in a visit to the Kips Bay Showhouse this weekend - I will be in NY with my daughter but have limited time for my own agenda!

    I always dreamed of having a beautiful pink bedroom with a canopy bed (in white), but alas, my frugal parents never indulged in my whims (other than frilly white blanket cover).

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  6. Oh, you lucky girl. I dreamed of having a canopy bed....but I did have the white and gold French Provincial bedroom set from Sears. In fact, my mother still uses it! I absolutely love your blog. My day is complete when I can check in with The Vamp! Carla

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  7. ADORABLE pink ballet room!
    THat movie Grey Gardens sounds very interesting!

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  8. wow, love the silver ceiling and walls!
    I wonder which of the boys is anderson cooper? I don"t remember if he was the younger of the 2...
    thanks for the flashback.

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  9. I wore her perfume in my early
    20's. Great post!

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  10. Mine was all purple and white washed French Provincial. I shudder to think of it now, but remembering my red corduroy Gloria Vanderbilt jeans fills my heart with a smile!

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  11. fantastic post! ... i have some a.c. stories for you ; )

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  12. Paul darling,
    Please do tell!
    You know my e-mail.
    xo xo

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