Tuesday, August 3, 2010

At home with Valentino.


Who wouldn’t want to see the interior of this fashion designer maestro? According to the feature, Valentino once said, “I am only good for two things in this world, “designing dresses and the decoration of houses. I am not capable to do anything else.” Well, if i dare say so myself Mr. Valentino, i think you’re doing the two things that you were destined to do in this world. Who cares if you can’t do anything else?:-).
With the help of interior designer Jacques Grange, the fashion legend  was able to enliven his once dark and broody Fifth Avenue interior . He accomplished this by adding more natural light and the walls were drenched with white lacquer paint, providing the perfect backdrop for  showcasing Valentino’s enviable art collection.



A butler stands by a grouping of 17th-century Chinese porcelain jars in the dining room. I wish i had a butler, if even, just for one day!



On the table: a Wadi Barud—marble head of Medusa, 19th century; a George V silver jewelry case by James Samuel Bell, London, 1910; a silver pilgrim bottle by Robert Garrard, London, 1875. On the extending shelf: a silver cigar box, early 20th century.


Richard Prince’s The Red Joke (2003) hangs above an Italian lapis-lazuli-and-white-marble fireplace; on the mantel, a Louis XVI-style pedestal clock of ormolu, marble, and glass is flanked by a pair of brass Art Deco lamps.


Willem de Kooning’s Untitled XIV (1982) hangs above a hard-stone-inlaid, ebonized Napoleon III banquette; at left, an 18th-century faience lion sits on a 19th-century marquetry table, in front of a 19th-century Italian geometric mirror.


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Of course, this post wouldn’t be complete without posting a few fabulous dresses by Valentino! Olivia Palermo seems to be the quintessential model for Valentino’s clothes. She wears them so well!

{via-Valentino article; Vanity Fair, Olivia images; style.com,alltheprettybirds.blogspot.com}

31 comments :

  1. Wow, I love the shot of his dining room!

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  2. What an amazing art collection:) Stunnning home:)

    Kisses,sweetie

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  3. I love that his home is ecclectic but classic all at the same time!

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  4. Talk about attention to detail! There are so many amazing things going on in his home and in his garments. I love him!

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  5. Wow, I just love that lapis-lazuli-and-white mantelpiece - such a stunning art collection and of course fashion too!!

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  6. What an amazing home, so very tasteful! Really loved the chinese porcelaine.

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  7. Stunning home, love Valentino:)

    http://minnja.blogspot.com/

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  8. So true, if you're that good at two things, you can pretty much suck at everything else and it wouldn't matter one bit!! I love that zebra chair. What a great piece to add to a living room.

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  9. OWWW to D-I-E for!!

    And I just LOVE that short ruffle dress in Olivia!

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  10. my jealousy knows no bounds for his art work!

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  11. Interesting to see his home, would not have expected a zebra chair! And Olivia Palermo looks fabulous in those dresses.

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  12. I LOVE his house and all of his creations, he is truly a maestro!!! wishing you a lovely day, XOXO

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  13. that second dress is SO cute, i would definitely wear it

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  14. adore him...I wish he was my uncle!
    I remember an episode on Oprah which showcased his country home~ marvelous as well!
    xo

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  15. Gorgeous interior and Olivia looks fabulous!

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  16. A man who of style!!!!
    Extraordinaire!!!
    pve

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  17. it's funny - it's not at all what i would have expected (not that i sit around pondering on what the interior of any fashion legends digs might look like - i may not be "good for" many of the things i have to do in life, but sigh, well, i still have to DO them...:P), BUT in conjunction with those three dress photographs, it just makes...sense.

    what a cool post! :D

    ps - world's. longest. run-on sentence. EVER!

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  18. What a fantastic post! And you're right, he doesn't need to know how to do anything else well :) And Olivia looks exquisite in his creations. Just gorgeous!

    Happy Tuesday, sweetie :)

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  19. I hear ya girl! Gucci forever (the boots - not your post so you know I'm in my right mind!!)

    And now about this Mr. Valentino...oh my. I wanna be bff with him. I bet he has several of these places and I would take just a corner in one; be a house sitter; maybe Olivia could lend me one of the dresses he's made for her?

    I think this is reasonable...

    Carrie :)

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  20. valentino's home is divine...has such a regal yet warm vibe to it.

    http://style-haus.blogspot.com/

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  21. oh no oh no! i'm sorry about your post from yesterday! i loved those pictures! i'm just sad because i don't know how to get my picture back in that area. until i figure it out, i will just be pretty blank!

    i hope you have a good evening!

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  22. Hi Stacey!

    Lovely post! I LOVE his home, absolutely beautiful! He says that he doesn't need to do anything else but make dresses and decorating houses. Well, hello isn't that everything? like you said, If you can do those two things, why would you want to do anything else? The man is a genius at what he does. He is one of my most favorite designers. His home is exquisite! His art collection is AMAZING! And I love that James Samuel Bell silver jewelry case. I also love the zebra chair, I love to throw in a little animal print. Great post!

    Miss Olivia always looks FABULOUS! Hope your having a lovely week! :)

    God Bless,
    Charmaine

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  23. thanks for the encouraging words! it's double-y hard here because I don't know german =( so, we'll see how it goes :)

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  24. Woowww....amazing art collection!!
    I love a marble head of Medusa...

    Thanks for the wonderful post, Stacey!!
    have a great Wednesday.
    nensa

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  25. I never would've expected the interior of his house to look so eclectic!

    And I agree - Olivia looks perfect in his designs! x

    http://pagesixxx.blogspot.com

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  26. The artwork! The interiors! The Butler! The dresses..and Olivia!!! Dying! Think I am going to read this again...:)

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  27. Thanks so much for your comment! I love Olivia, she is one of my style inspirations!

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  28. Love The Red Joke piece - great photos! Glad to have found your site!

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