Beautiful in Beverly Hills
by habituallychic
03 . 22 . 11I was going through more old magazines recently and came across another classic. Around 1936, interior designer Elsie de Wolfe designed a beautiful home in Beverly Hills for Countess Dorothy di Frasso. Jose Iturbi bought the house furnished from di Frasso around 1947. It remained intact until just a few years ago when pieces were sold at auction. Just before then, House & Garden published gorgeous photos by Simon Watson of the glamorous home that hosted many chic soirees.
Chinoiserie wallpaper and bamboo outlined mirrors clad the living room.
The home also featured many Chinese antiques.
Wallpaper detail.
Custom mirror panels line the dining room which I’m sure looked beautiful in candlelight.
A closer look at the dining room walls and 19th-century tortoiseshell and mother of pearl commode.
The sunroom features artwork commissioned by Charles Baskerville.
Loving this backgammon table.
Beautiful California light streams through the windows.
The house has a lovely timeless quality that confirms that good design never goes out of style.
The bedroom features 20th-century hand painted Chinese wallpaper panels.
Elsie de Wolfe designed the Art Deco bedroom suite of furniture for the room.
The master bathroom below complements the colors of the bedroom and include a custom Art Deco tub chair that still looks chic today. The pink tile not so much but I guess not every design element remains timeless.
Photos by Simon Watson
27 Comments
I love the airiness of these rooms, a condition that often seems lost these days.
The Renaissance painting does jar the eye though, seems out of place. But if you own it, use it!
oh I love the floral wallpaper. thanks for sharing!
http://cassylately.blogspot.com/
Stuh. Ning.
Looks like Ruthie Summers did it today. I want to go to there.
I love the teal chinoiserie wallpaper in the living room and bedroom…works so beautifully with the hints of red in the first and the peach bedcover in the second…thanks for sharing, heather..xx meenal
I loooooove old Hollywood. Great post. If I decorated my apartment the way I REALLY wanted to it would have lots of elements of old Hollywood glamour. My boyfriend frequently nixes things that are “too girly” though 🙂
Apt.1208
Very Hollywood glamorous. I love the muted tones.
I am mad for the bamboo trim on top of the wallpaper….no one else has done that yet. At least as far as I recall. It’s time!
The game area is lovely, and the backgammon table is beautiful. Was there a source in the magazine for it?
http://www.livethefinelife.blogspot.com
I too love the backgammon table. I’ve never seen one like that before. Nicolex
I LOVE the chinoiserie wallpaper. Many of the great designers of today create rooms that will be equally chic in the years to come.
Janet Hild (froghilldesigns.blogspot.com)
What a treat!
Oh what à treasure..look at the bathtube…and Teheran wallpapers, thans for sharing, amazing/ Marie
These interiors are so timeless and really look like they could have been done today!
I just adore the wallpaper and the bathroom is really wonderful!
Lovely post!
Sigh….beautiful and timeless!
Seriously stunning. For me, it’s all about that bathroom. That’s totally insane. Pruxxx
Elsie de Wolfe was a genius.
That Elsie! Give her a healthy budget and look what she can do. Absolutely fabulous. I could move in tomorrow and not miss a beat.
This one’s definitely going in my inspiration file. So much chinoiserie goodness and very chic!
The glam of old Hollywood…Loved the wallpaper and other furnishings…I can imagine the rooms at night…Filled with stars…
It has always been one of my favorites. A real classic, and so inspiring!
Thanks for sharing!
Michael
Beautiful! I especially love the hand painted Chinese wallpaper in the Master – I adore the faded colors – do you think they were always these tones or softened over time?
xo Allison
http://www.spicerandbank.blogspot.com
I’m in love. Can I move here?
Crush!!
That might be Gracie in the BR! My dad–Gracie Chairman, Brian Gracie– says there’s “an excellent chance, especially with the Elsie D connection. We didn’t have much competition in those days, and Pop Gracie and she worked often together. And, the scenic looks vintage, but not antique.”
Thank you for sharing the entire house to us – the overstuffed sofa looks so vintage, but perfect in this home – love it. I hope you are well and having a great week. 🙂
thanks for this post! I really like the floral wallpaper, the backgammon table and the game area is absolutely stunning! I’m in love with this house! I would like to live here!
http://www.ryze.com/go/MichaelLibow
I happened upon this post and wanted to add this for those who continue to find it: Marlene Dietrich rented this house from Countess DiFrasso in the ’30’s. There are a few pictures and much description of her time in the house in the Dietrich book,”Marlene Dietrich by Her Daughter Maria Riva”. Many publicity photos were taken of her at the house as well. Much of the furniture, including the the backgammon table (at the time there were several–Backgammon parties were popular in Hollywood then), the stepped end tables, and leather chairs are in the photos from Dietrich’s time. Judging by the high contrast in the black and white photos in the book, the wallpaper was much darker then but it seems to have faded beautifully. Since this article appeared the house has been remodeled, and I’ve heard it’s been completely stripped of all the original elements pictured here, though I can’t confirm.