One of the things we admire most here in Texas are women and men with a pioneer, get it done spirit, women and men who can create something from nothing..and when that something shifts in a dramatic way, as it often does through life’s ups and down, are then able to pick themselves up, brush themselves off and go on to create a new life that’s even better than the one that came before.
One of the pioneer spirits we admire most here in Texas, world renowned for her connoisseurship of every detail of creating a gracious life for herself and those she loves, is Carolyne Roehm, who, although she does not hail from Texas, had her gorgeous 170o’s era home in Connecticut, Weatherstone, below, burn to the ground in 1999 and then, after the shock wore off, went on to rebuild it.. and her life.
|
Not only did Ms. Roehm go on to rebuild her 1765 home, Weatherstone, but she’s also penned 2 exquisite books since then, which are rich with personal anecdotes and useful interior design information. You can find those books on her site, here. My personal favorite is this one, A Passion For Interiors, published in 2010, where she describes the process of building and furnishing her Manhattan pre-war duplex on 57th, re-building her Colonial era stone house, Weatherstone, and the process of designing a home she furnished for a friend in Aspen, Colorado.
This hand drawn illustration of her Manhattan living room, below, the one on the cover of this book, above, took my breath away when I saw it. I could not find any information on who drew this for her, but if you know, please let me know in the comments. I love how the books in her personal library are front and center for her in the most important room in her home.
One of the most impressive things I’ve ever read about her, though, here in WWD, was how she hosted interior designer Nathan Turner, pictured with her below, back in Nov. 2012 at her home in NYC, upon the debut of his first book, “American Style: Classic Design and Effortless Entertaining* one day before her own book, her 11th, debuted. That is the definition of graciousness.
Two years after the publication of A Passion For Interiors , in 2012, as she describes in her blog post, here, she decided, after turning 60, to not buy her dream chateau in France, but to spend the next phase of her life in the historic town of Charleston, South Carolina where’s she’s bought and is restoring the beautiful Greek Revival home you see in the opening picture.
I, for one, will be anxiously awaiting the book that chronicles the details in her new home in Charleston. Knowing her, it will be even more beautiful than her now famous double height, more casual, living room at Weatherstone, this one in the illustration below:
which was not present in the original 1765 home but which she envisioned and had built from scratch to her specifications after Weatherstone burned to the ground in 1999. When I see this, it reminds me of one of my favorite of May Sarton’s poems.
The Phoenix Again
On the ashes of this nest
Love wove with deathly fire
The phoenix takes its rest
Forgetting all desire.
After the flame, a pause,
After the pain, rebirth.
Obeying nature’s laws
The phoenix goes to earth.
You cannot call it old
You cannot call it young.
No phoenix can be told,
This is the end of the song.
It struggles now alone
Against death and self-doubt,
But underneath the bone
The wings are pushing out.
And one cold starry night
Whatever your belief
The phoenix will take flight
Over the seas of grief
To sing her thrilling song
To stars and waves and sky
For neither old nor young
The phoenix does not die.
(from The Silence Now, 1988)
And when you have time in your day, please come back and visit this post to watch these two videos of Carolyne Roehm sharing her thoughts about all things home, as produced by writer Bart Boehlert in 2010, who writes http://bartboehlert.blogspot.com when he visited with her in her New York City duplex upon the publication of *A Passion For Interiors.”
See his 9 minute interview Part 1 *Carolyne Roehm At Home* video by clicking on the picture below.
See his 8 minute Part 2 by clicking on this picture:
and to close this tribute to Carolyne Roehm’s wonderful, can do pioneering spirit, and as we enter Spring, enjoy a post on her 11th book, FLOWERS, and a lovely video as she goes shopping with Stacey Holston Bewkes and Susanna Salk on this post on Stacey’s blog: http://quintessenceblog.com.
Leslie Carothers
for
Leslie Hendrix Wood
Decorator
Midland, Texas
Founder, Editor in Chief
Hadley Court
_______________________________________________
You’re invited to please subscribe to Hadley Court’s blog, here, and to follow Hadley Court on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, here, here, here and here.
and if you admire all things Carolyne Roehm, too, please subscribe to Ms. Roehm’s blog at http://carolyneroehm.com
~ Thank you ~
