D. Porthault

Brian Coleman

• Publisher: Gibbs Smith
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781423644514
• Topic: Design
• Subtopic: Fashion Design

Inspired French luxury for the home. Take a peek inside private upper class homes that reveal why D. Porthault has been the favored French luxury brand for linens and other fabrics for nearly one hundred years. Tour traditional and old-world styles as well as contemporary upmarket decor for younger families. Cheery bedrooms—many with canopy beds and playful wallpaper—flaunt sheets, coverlets, pillows, and shams in gorgeous printed florals. Sweetly decorated nurseries favor blue, pink, and yellow prints. Terry towels show off Porthault's signature scalloped and bound edges. Tables set with cloths, placemats, and napkins feature hand-embroidered, custom designs inspired by nature. Rounding out the Porthault story are some very practical, detailed instructions on washing, drying, pressing, and storing fine linens along with tips for removing stains from natural fabrics. Clothes may make the man, but gorgeous, high-quality sheets make the bed. Brian D. Coleman, MD, divides his time between Seattle and New York. His articles have appeared in magazines ranging from Old House Journal, where he is the Editor-at-large; to Period Living in the U.K. Brian is the author of twenty books on the decorative arts, including the recent titles Farrow & Ball and Fortuny Interiors. Erik Kvalsvik has been the principal photographer of more than a dozen books, including Fortuny Interiors, Barry Dixon Inspirations, and Traditional Interiors. He lives in Washington, DC.

Bedrooms

The bedroom is a personal oasis, a room in which to to relax and recuperate. Porthault’s enchanting designs and colors can enhance that special place, from softening a modern bedroom with delicate, hand-embroidered sheets to accenting an opulent setting with crisp blue-and-white linens. A bedroom can be feminine, with charming pink floral prints, or masculine, with rich chocolate brown and white geometric bedding. Whether it’s a rustic country bedroom with colorful suzani textiles balanced by clean white sheets or a chambre in a French château with intricate lace sheets and gold coverlet on a canopied bed, Porthault brings luxury, romance and individuality to this very private space.

An opulent bedroom fit for a princess by Mario Buatta for Hilary Geary Ross is centered on a silver-leafed, canopied bed that sparkles with Étoiles and Coeurs cotton percale bedding.

Amy Astley’s master bedroom is paneled in cedar for a clean and contemporary look, and is anchored by a panel of Andrew Zuckerman vibrant wallpaper. A Coquelicots cotton percale duvet cover and wavy-finished Coquelicots and Solid Blue with white pillow shams add a cheerful splash of color.

In this Catskills bedroom by Gayle Jenney, the rich colors of a natural fir headboard and an antique suzani coverlet are highlighted by the simple white with blue bordered Etcetera bedding embroidered on cotton percale, with White with navy scalloped shams.

The master bedroom at the historic Château de L’Islette in the Loire Valley is sumptuously dressed with ivory and gold embellished Carnac lace trims on hand-embroidered Fougères sateen sheets. A pair of quilted Perle coverlets adds to the luxury.

Carnac derives its name from a village in Brittany and symbolizes a legacy honored and passed from one generation to another. Porthault designs unique Carnac lace panels—only five meters of which can be produced in a day—all cut and appliquéd onto their linens by hand.

Period photographs of Justine Cushing’s mother and her sisters rest on a dressing table with soft, cotton terry Libellules towels hung on either side; a Liserons cotton percale ...

Table of contents

• Foreword
• Preface
• Introduction
• The Table
• Outdoor Living
• Bedrooms
• Bathrooms
• Nurseries & Children’s Rooms
• Linen Care and Production
• With Gratitude