Adore May 2021

century trumeau from New Orleans Auction Galleries and a Swedish table from Tara Shaw anchors the space. A favorite pair of armchairs refurbished in a large-scale floral print — Sugarbush in Pink Peony by Vervain — delivers a burst of color. Various objects — a ceramic vase from a trip to Vietnam, a metal turned leaf from Mexico, and a stone sculpture found on Magazine Street — are casually arranged on the table. On the opposite wall, a contemporary work by artist Auguste Garufi holds court with an antique settee while a modern table from CB2 sits below some serious Baccarat bling. Throughout the house, placed here and there, are beautiful wooden tea boxes which Stirling has collected since first receiving one as a birthday gift from his mother when he was 14. The library, where Stirling reads the morning paper and the kids do their homework, features handsome boiserie walls and a distinctive fireplace surround in the style of noted British architect, Robert Adam. Emily loaded the bookcases with antique china given to her by her mother and a portrait of Stirling's great Aunt Kate serving as a

sergeant in the Marines during WWII takes center stage above the mantel. Found furnishings were reupholstered — Scalamandré and Vervain fabrics on a pair of bergères and Colefax and Fowler on a giltwood bench. The custom touches — a zesty pleated lampshade, a Turkish rug, and accent pillows — add color and texture and are all from Emily's shop. I could hang out in her living room all day. Light pours in from the side gardens through windows intentionally left bare and the sophisticated wall color, Gray Wisp by Benjamin Moore, is one of those alluring paints that changes hue throughout the day. The room has an opulent marble Louis XV mantel with ornamental bronze ormolu, but things never get too serious. A whimsical candelabra as a fire screen that Stirling purchased at New Orleans Auction Galleries, a pair of buttery yellow Angelo Donghia skirted chairs handed down from her mother, and a sprinkling of contemporary cocktail tables are all part of the mix. The sofa that the triplets routinely climb on, perched to watch the streetcar, is in its original velvet

ADORE • MAY 2021

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