If there’s no place like home, there are few places within the home more inviting than a luxurious fireplace and mantel. This is especially the case if the mantel was inspired by a designers’ passionate travels throughout Italy, England and France, observing the decorative arts and architecture there.
“Nothing says ‘home’ to me more than a beautiful fireplace, or is more welcoming to our family and friends,” said award-winning San Francisco Designer Suzanne Tucker, who, along with her husband, Timothy Marks, founded the distinguished California design firm Tucker & Marks.
Suzanne is the author of two books including The Romance of Design (The Monacelli Press, 2009), and has been repeatedly honored as one of the AD100 Top Designers of the World.
Suzanne’s latest creation is a collaboration with handcrafted luxury fireplace supplier Chesney’s to design four new mantels. Lending themselves to both contemporary and traditional interiors, Suzanne has reinterpreted classic elements from her travels throughout Italy, England and France to create four timeless designs, The Bellagio, The Antibes, The Randolph and the Voltaire.
Suzanne shared her perspective on each of the designs with Hadley Court:
“The Antibes is inspired by the joie de vivre of the French Regency style– at once romantic and restrained. This classically proportioned and elegantly detailed mantel is available with and without the trumeau (shown in the bedroom above). The Antibes’s restrained lines and proportions make it suitable for many settings and a wide variety of decorating styles, ” Suzanne said.
The Voltaire, above, “has a graceful elegance that takes its cues from that transitional moment in early 18th Century France when a new interest in comfort and a natural reaction against the formality of Louis IV Versailles caused decoration and furniture to become increasingly light and curvaceous,” she said. “I purchased the antique mantel that inspired the Voltaire on the Quai Voltaire in Paris, and it currently resides in my own living room.”
The Bellagio, shown above, is “a celebration of the Italian decorative arts. It’s inspired by a favorite spot of mine on Lake Como. Its fanciful design with beautifully carved detailing and free-standing columns represents the best of La Dolce Vita: love, laughter and the good life!” said Suzanne. “Its a celebration of classic design, bold and chic with an elegant finishing touch.”
The Randolph, above, “has a beautiful balance between the bold masculine base and intricately carved organic elements, speaking to the English heritage of this splendid, timeless design,” Suzanne said. “It adds a strong architectural presence and a focal point.”
Suzanne said she was drawn to Chesney’s after “working on custom mantel designs with them for many years. This collaboration was a delightfully logical next step, as we are both passionate about fine craftsmanship and sophisticated European design influences.”
The next best thing to a romantic vacation in Europe? Sitting next to one of these exquisite fireplaces inspired by the architecture and ornamentation there. Which one of Suzanne’s creations is your favorite? Let us know in the comments.
Opening and closing photo from tuckerandmarks.com
Mantle showroom photographs by Annie Schlechter
Master bedroom photo by Matthew Millman
Suzanne’s portrait by Michal Venera
Kim Darden Shaver
for
Leslie Hendrix Wood
Leslie Hendrix Wood Interiors
Interior Designer
Midland, Texas
Owner, the Hadley Court blog
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