Great Design - 1950s
Photography by Robert Emmett Bright, Derry Moore, Peter Vitale, Julius Shulman, Roger Wade, Courtesy Musee des Arts Decoratifs de Montreal, Larry Dale Gordon, Michael J. Jonieg, Russell MacMasters1/6Thomas Molesworth
"Nobody really did western furniture as such until he did," Mimi London says of the eccentric Thomas Molesworth. "He glamorized it." Above: A den for a residence in Cody, Wyoming, features an Art Déco-style radio built into the desk.
Photography by Robert Emmett Bright, Derry Moore, Peter Vitale, Julius Shulman, Roger Wade, Courtesy Musee des Arts Decoratifs de Montreal, Larry Dale Gordon, Michael J. Jonieg, Russell MacMasters2/6Nancy Lancaster
"I happen to have been fortunate enough to live in some lovely houses in America and England," said Nancy Lancaster, who bought the decorating firm Colefax Fowler. Above: Lancaster's famous yellow studio in London.
Photography by Robert Emmett Bright, Derry Moore, Peter Vitale, Julius Shulman, Roger Wade, Courtesy Musee des Arts Decoratifs de Montreal, Larry Dale Gordon, Michael J. Jonieg, Russell MacMasters3/6Marian Hall
Hall melded Parisian elegance with 18th-century salon-style seating in the living room of Mrs. George Angus Garrett's Washington, D.C., residence. "The house was for beauty, but also for people," Nancy Pierrepont recalls.
Photography by Robert Emmett Bright, Derry Moore, Peter Vitale, Julius Shulman, Roger Wade, Courtesy Musee des Arts Decoratifs de Montreal, Larry Dale Gordon, Michael J. Jonieg, Russell MacMasters4/6Georges Geoffroy
"It's like seeing, for the very first time, what you think you've seen before," Jeffrey Bilhuber says of Jansen designer Georges Geoffrey's modern take on historical revival. Above: The library at Quinta Patiño, in Portugal, is a replica of a 17th-century lacquered and gilded university library.
Photography by Robert Emmett Bright, Derry Moore, Peter Vitale, Julius Shulman, Roger Wade, Courtesy Musee des Arts Decoratifs de Montreal, Larry Dale Gordon, Michael J. Jonieg, Russell MacMasters5/6Paul Laszlo
Lászlo's own house, which he built and decorated, was a showcase for contemporary design and modern conveniences. An exponent of "California modern," he was influenced by the Europeans. Much of his work was custom-designed for commerical projects.
Photography by Robert Emmett Bright, Derry Moore, Peter Vitale, Julius Shulman, Roger Wade, Courtesy Musee des Arts Decoratifs de Montreal, Larry Dale Gordon, Michael J. Jonieg, Russell MacMasters6/6Piero Fornasetti
The living room of Piero Fornasetti's summer villa on Lake Como bears the prolific designer's signature touches. The metal armchairs and sofa are painted to resemble bamboo, and Neoclassical and Surrealist imagery abounds. A self-portrait hangs above the chest.
