4/07/2011

More is More, Especially with Malachite

As you might've read about a few weeks ago, I recently had the privilege of going to a luncheon hosted by SFERRA at Tony Duquette's Dawnridge estate. Touring the home that the late designer and his partner, Hutton Wilkinson, decorated was inspiring to say the least. Every inch of the property was captivating...every space was full of rich color, texture, and artistry. So when Hutton was giving the grand tour, my ears perked each time he mentioned that something was still in production. One of the items he noted was an insanely gorgeous malachite rug that Roubini produces. You can see it at Dawnridge in this photo.

Anyhow, I would kill to have the rug in my living room, but alas that's not in the cards at the moment. So, I'll be living vicariously through the following board...

You might've noticed that I can't get malachite out of my head lately! There's just something completely mesmerizing about it. Clearly, I'm not alone in my fixation on the material. Tony and Hutton's love affair with malachite certainly plays out in many ways at Dawnridge. It is featured on a variety of surfaces...floors and walls, case goods and soft goods.

To pay homage to his colleague's signature use of malachite, Hutton has produced a collection of Tony Duquette fabrics, which includes a malachite print.  Using some of Tony's original, hand-painted malachite fabric remnants, Hutton updated the design by including more colors and now the fabric - 3325 Gemstone - is available through Jim Thompson.





Malachite is also a staple in the Tony Duquette jewelry collection...apparently it was one of Tony's favorite stones to work with.


Finally, while we're talking about all things Tony Duquette, did you see that the sconces used in the board are from the Tony Duquette Collection by Remains Lighting? The set is based on original designs or fixtures created by the late designer. Besides the sconces used above, I especially love the Splashing Water lamps and sconces...


Whether you love it or not, you certainly can't be bored in the world of Tony Duquette! I'm grateful to Hutton Wilkinson for not only hosting me at Dawnridge, but more importantly for doing such a remarkable job of keeping Tony's spirit alive and relevant today. There is nobody in the world that could have done a better job of honoring the great designer's legacy. It's not often that creativity and ingenuity co-exist with exquisite taste and a formidable work ethic. Those qualities seem inherent in both Tony and Hutton and I'm so glad they had so many years of fruitful collaboration together. Cheers to Hutton for continuing to create, design, and beautify the world...and also for inspiring the rest of us to do so too!

4 comments:

  1. I just bought a teeny tiny malachite box and I'm obsessed with it- also just did a board with the Rug Company cream malachite rug- just can't get enough of it either. What I really really want is that mirror you featured the other day from Made Goods- ADORE it!!

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  2. Christine, I'll have to check out the Rug Company one...haven't seen that and I'm sure it's more in line with my budget than the Roubini one! Also, I'm totally with you on the Made Goods mirror. It is SO PRETTY!

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  3. Definitely more is more with the gorgeous necklace...love it!!

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