eternally classical roehm

HOME & DESIGN
ETERNALLY CLASSICAL 78
SOCIAL AFFAIRS
AROEHM
PASSION FOR LIFE.
By Kevin Bradford King
I
n front of an enormous window,
backed by a dramatic Manhattan
cityscape, a marble statue of Madame
de Pompadour in the guise of Diana, the
Roman Goddess of the moon and the
hunt, holds court next to an 1851 Empirestyle grand piano made by the famous
instrument maker Sabastien Erard, who also
crafted the pianos chosen by Chopin. Full
length portraits by Van Dyck, and Romney
are among the works of art that grace the
spacious dark brown velvet walls. Above the
piano, hangs a magnificent portrait by Franz
Xavier Winterhalter of a Polish Countess;
her voluminous red gown seems to almost
push past the borders of its gilded frame. The
room is resplendent with beautiful objects
symbolic of the classical world; however, it
is the statue of Diana that is most symbolic
of the dual nature of the owner herself, for
it represents both a patroness of the arts and
the restless, Olympian spirit of the artist in
her own right.
Carloyne Roehm is a classicist and a romantic. These two qualities have served as
the bookends for a lexicon of architectural,
fashion, gardening and entertainment elements that have been a well documented part
of her life on which she has built an international reputation. Yet their remains an enigmatic quality about her that is timeless.
Perhaps this is because her love of the
classical and romantic is grounded in a fine
appreciation of history and the times in which
people lived. “When I first had the opportunity
to travel, as a young assistant to Oscar de
la Renta, I’d find myself drawn to the great
country homes, the villas and chateaus, where
I would ponder not only their beauty but also
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the lives that unfolded within their walls; Marie Antoinette at Le Petit
Trianon, for example or Josephine at Malmasion,” says Roehm. It is
that historical aura that permeates her work and persona and resonates
with others.
It is not difficult to imagine her walking with Madame de Pompadour,
tete a tete among the formal parterres of the Pavilion Francais,
discussing themes and decorations for a charming fete for Louis XV,
each attended by their faithful dogs. One sees her emerging elegantly
as the mistress of ceremonies, (like Madame X in John Singer Sargent’s
famous portrait), swathed in black and running her elegant fingertips
across a table top framed by a somber monochromatic background. Her
energy, drive and style remind one of some dazzling heroine created
by F. Scott Fitzgerald, one of those glittering women who captivate the
world in which they move while simultaneously reshaping it.
Her crisp look and iconic style resonate an east coast North
Shore-type of patrician glamour that existed in the ‘30s and ‘40s,
but this blue-eyed Midwestern beauty with a pioneer spirit is a very
modern “citizen of the world” and, like the Goddess Diana or one of
Fitzgerald’s heroines, she is driven by her passions.
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SOCIAL AFFAIRS
A PASSION FOR COUTURE
At 13 Roehm knew she wanted to be a fashion designer, nine years
later, after graduating from Washington University, she headed to
Manhattan to pursue her dream. In the early years, she lived with
three sorority sisters in an un-air-conditioned walk-up and though, at
the time, money was tight, true to her style, she always made sure to
budget for flowers. In a recent Wall Street Journal article when she was
asked which one luxury she could give up if she had to, she replied
“The one luxury I will never give up is men. At first I thought of
flowers, but flowers for me aren’t a luxury---they’re a necessity.”
For nine-and-a-half creative and formative years she worked as
Oscar de la Renta’s assistant, fitting model and muse. In 1984 she
launched her immensely successful fashion house pulling in over $10
million a year in revenue a few years after divorcing husband number
one, Axel Roehm, part of a German chemical dynasty, and marrying
husband number two, Henry Kravis of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, the
private equity firm. (A man now famous for his leveraged buyout of
RJR Nabisco.)
As Mrs. Kravis, she found herself ruling New York society from
sixteen artfilled rooms at 740 Park avenue, among the artists
represented on her walls were Monet, Tissot, Pissarro and Renoir, to
name but a few. Touted in the media as the world’s most prestigious
address, her apartment was also one of the most famous since, (in
both her Park Avenue and Paris apartments), Roehm worked with the
famous interior design team of Denning and Fourcade, the darlings
of high profile clients like the Rothschilds, Oscar de la Renta and
philanthropist Jayne Wrightsman. (They’re work was used as a model
set for the movie version of Tom Wolfe’s novel Bonfire of the Vanities.)
Add to her schedule taking care of four other houses and three stepchildren and she soon found herself pulled in a hundred different
directions by her social, philanthropic, family and business demands on
any given day of the week. Yet, she was undaunted, like a chameleon
in reverse, instead of changing to fit in with her environment she found
the environment changing to keep up with her.
A PASSION FOR ELEGANCE
She appeared on numerous magazine covers; Town and Country,
Architectural Digest, Fortune and the New Yorker, to name but a few, as
one of the “working rich.” She hosted galas and dinners for eighteen
on a regular basis and, with great panache, once hosting a private
dinner party in the Egyptian Temple of Dendur at the Metropolitan
Museum of Art. She was understandably on the best dressed list,
and celebrated as an incomparable hostess and organizer. She is justly
proud of her philanthropic accomplishments during this time; when
she was elected president of the Council of the Fashion Designers
of America she guided its support for AIDS research. In addition,
she was on the board of the New York City Library, involved with
the Metropolitan Opera and a thousand other worthy causes in
between. She juggled interview requests, charity galas, fashion
shoots, (sometimes with her little West Highland Terrier Pookie),
traveling and designing four couture collections per year with grace,
but it was too much for one person. Even her energetic pioneer spirit
was overtaxed. Often she would come back in the early morning
hours only to have to be up again at five or six. To say she was driven
would be an understatement. “For three years, I was out four or five
nights a week. I’ve been out as many as seven nights a week, seven
is lunacy.” Roehm says Although to the outside world it seemed that
she made juggling all the demands look seamless, privately it was, at
last, beginning to take its toll.
Finally in 1991, after the tragic death of her stepson in a car
accident, Roehm closed her fashion house, retaining a small staff to
facilitate the launching of her mail order clothing, accessories, and
gift collection as well as her related in-store boutiques at Saks Fifth
Photographed by Ken Hayden
“The one luxury I will never give up is men. At first I thought of
flowers, but flowers for me aren’t a luxury—they’re a necessity.”
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SOCIAL AFFAIRS
Avenue. In between, she continued to design her ethereal gowns
for private customers. Despite the success of her Saks venture, she
decided to close her business again.
about designing both her new life and the new Weatherstone to
her own specifications. It’s phoenix-like rise from the ashes is one
of the highlights of her latest book.
A PASSION FOR
DESIGN
A PASSION FOR INTERIORS
She was at a crossroads in both her life and career and decided
to move to the magnificent 1
Sutton Place South apartment
looking over the East River
and regroup surrounded by
her “ladies”, as she calls the
life-sized portraits of women
by Rommeny, Winterhalter
and Vigee Le Brun among
others. As always her beautiful white West Highland
Terriers, who have always
been her constant and faithful companions, followed her.
This gave her the time and
space to rediscover herself.
She traveled to Oxford and
studied literature, took cooking classes, and apprenticed
with Henri Moulie, a very
fashionable florist in Paris. All this was important background for
the next stage of her career, creating and sharing her love of flowers and interior design. It wasn’t really a switch in careers from
fashion to interior design as much as it was a shift in focus. “I
discovered that the process is not unlike designing a collection of
clothes. The medium is different but creating a collection of rooms
also involves the vision, taste and style of the designer, as well as
the same tools-line, proportion, composition, color and texture,”
says Roehm.
In the late 1990’s she launched her first book, “A Passion for
Flowers”. This successful volume was followed by a series of
“notebooks,” one for each season of the year, after that passions
followed passions; Graceful living, Parties, and the colors Blue and
White, cumulating in her latest passion for Interiors. In between,
she has been busy lecturing, going on book tours, appearing on
Oprah, sharing her experience and educating viewers on morning
news and talk shows in addition to contributing as a lifestyle arbiter
for the elegant magazine Veranda. Also, since the late nineties,
she has been designing and rebuilding her 18th century Georgian
mansion “Weatherstone” in Connecticut.
About the time she published her first book a fire broke out
at her country estate destroying paintings, antiques and other
treasured possessions. It was both a tragedy and an auspicious
new beginning for, like Scarlett O’Hara and her plantation Tara,
Weatherstone had become a symbol and Carolyne Roehm set
It has been described as her most personal book yet, for it gives us
a look into the psyche of a woman who’s assessment of her self is
as candid as it is refreshing, “
I am as down-home a woman
as you are likely to meet, I’ve
cleaned up after more dogs,
I’ll bet, than any human being
in history-but I do love glamour,” she says. Growing up in
a small town in Missouri as
the daughter of educators, she
was an avid reader and delved
into the romantic worlds of
Jane Austen and Daphne du
Maurier, it is no accident then
that her favorite books always
seemed to include great houses as one of the characters.
She has brought this aesthetic
to her work. “Attaching a
story to an environment is important to me, and if, at Weatherstone, I could be Elizabeth Bennet
or Scarlett O’Hara, in urbane New York, with the city lights and skyline as a dazzling backdrop, the mood should be more 1930’s Myrna
Loy,” says Roehm. It gives her a spiritual connection to the spaces she
designs and inhabits. In her latest book the reader is welcomed into
two of her own residences and one she designed for a close friend.
The first is a breathtaking study of her sumptuous Manhattan
apartment which she moved to in 2004, the proportions of the main
room reminded her of the classical detailing she had created at her
country house. She recalls that when she saw it for the first time it
was as though she had a twin brother and he had lived there. The
apartment is dominated by a living room; perhaps more appropriately it resembles an eighteenth century French salon or English
drawing room, with magnificent proportions and rich decorative architectural moldings, columns and pilasters. The room is enveloped
in brown velveteen and is adorned with magnificent antiques and
paintings. The other rooms and spaces are more intimate in scale,
like exquisite jewel boxes; think the petit apartments of Marie Antoinette at Versailles.
Weatherstone, an 18th century Georgian country mansion came
with all the layers of history Ms. Roehm prefers: Noah Webster
taught school on the great third floor while working on the spelling
book that preceded his famous dictionary. The house was, “Not only
a superlative example of classical architecture, but steeped in drama
and history,” she says. However, when the original house was tragi-
“I discovered that the process is
not unlike desiging a collection of
clothes. The medium is different
but creating a collection of rooms
also involves the vision, taste and
style of the designer, as well as
the same tools-line, proportion,
composition, color and texture.”
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SOCIAL AFFAIRS
Photographed by Ken Hayden
While her grand interior spaces are dictated by classical lines, undraped
windows and dominated by one or two colors, it is in her more intimate spaces,
such as the bedrooms, that one sees a fusion of patterns, colors and curtains.
cally gutted by a fire in 1999, Ms. Roehm decided that she would use
the opportunity to create a country house the way she had imagined it
as a child. While respecting the original architectural framework she
embarked on her new mission. The accident allowed her to innovate,
putting in double height ceilings, an elegant circular staircase and
many elements more regularly found in English country houses such
as the unusual “Wind Man” located above a fire place, a decorative
plaque marked with the four cardinal directions and indicating which
way the wind is blowing outside.
Westbury - a magnificent residence in Aspen that she designed for a
close friend, posed some unique challenges. It boasts ninety-five windows which give the residents the feeling of living in a tree house. The
ever-changing seasonal landscape in Aspen is part of the exterior drama, “When an Aspen tree sheds a branch, it leaves an eye-like spot on
the trunk—so when one looks out, one sees a thousand Aspen eyes staring back”, but Roehm’s interiors have achieved a multifaceted level of
comfort and clarity that complement rather then distract from the everchanging panorama outside. It is at once part romantic Russian Dacha,
Gustavian Hunting Lodge and romantic Swiss Chalet.
While her grand interior spaces are dictated by classical lines, undraped windows and dominated by one or two colors, it is in her
more intimate spaces, such as the bedrooms, that one sees a fusion
of patterns, colors and curtains, like a French parterre encompassing
colorful flowers tucked between its sculptured borders.
The book is beautifully illustrated, rich in detail and artfully written, the lush photographs championing the attention to details of the
artists and craftsmen are particularly striking. Ms. Roehm is a devotee
of traditional craftsmanship “As a fashion designer, sketching ideas
on paper was never as interesting to me as how a garment actually
got made,” says Roehm. But what also makes her books so appealing is her practical advice. For although her art and furnishings are
exquisite, she states that good design isn’t dependent on those things,
for her, taste is in essence a question of texture, scale and the details;
a white sofa, a single chair used as a work of art, a table with a bowl
of flowers, a few books and candles are enough to create an elegant
ambiance. In addition, she adds, it is the warmth of people and their
pets that bring the light and life to a room. Ms. Roehm is, of course,
a great proponent of the classic elements of early Hellenic design and
in addition to using Greek axioms from Plato’s theory of forms interlaced with her personal anecdotes; she underscores the influences
she has learned from the masters of design. No one is more aware
of the artist role in learning from the masters and she considers it her
great fortune to have known many of them personally. Her influences range from Oscar de la Renta and his masterful use of color and
the classicism of Bill Bass, to the interiors designed by fashion legend
Hubert Givenchy and the pure design genius of Yves St Laurent. In
addition she also credits the interior designers, craftsmen, architects
and gardeners that she has worked with in her multiple residences
over the years.
A PASSION FOR A SMALLER
BUT NO LESS ELEGANT STAGE
Although always very busy, Ms. Roehm today finds herself in
a contented place. Like Marie Antoinette at the Petit Trianon,
Ms. Roehm prefers to act on a smaller and more private but no
less elegant stage. One indication of this is the smaller scale
of her dining rooms in both her Manhattan apartment and at
Weatherstone. She still entertains frequently but, while formal
dinners for eighteen used to be a regular part her week, her current
Manhattan dining room only seats eight, which she considers a
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perfect number for a dinner party. “Even when you move up to ten,
the dynamic changes. People aren’t so open- and you can’t get into a
really good conversation together.” Ms. Roehm says. At Weatherstone
the formal dining room was transformed into a room she now calls
the “morning room” because that is when it is most beautiful. It is
dominated by a dramatic floor-toceiling still life by 18th century
master nature painter Jean-Baptise Oudry. “The morning room is
a great place to read the papers. Bookshelves are abundant, which
makes the space a natural one in which to work during the day. If the
mood seems right, I can throw a cloth over a table I use as a desk and
enjoy an intimate dinner. And I have had parties for forty or more
people after dark.” Roehm says.
A PASSION FOR PHILANTHROPY AND CREATIVITY
Philanthropy has always been a very public part of her lifeswork and
still continues to keep her busy. Her focus today is centered on the needs
of her communities in Manhattan and around her Connecticut home;
from the proceeds of her book signings, which go to charity, to her own
garden, which she has reworked to grow food which she donates to the
local food banks, to the animal charities that have always been so dear
to her heart, Roehm is still involved and her philosophy is simple. “ I
think that it is the responsibility of everyone to look after those that can
not defend themselves. From the children to the elderly to the animals,
they are the ones we need to protect,” Roehm says.
As for the connection between her beautiful books and her legion
of fans, the philosophy is also simple. Perhaps world famous talk
show host and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey sums up the classic and
lasting appeal of Carolyne Roehm’s work best. “When ever I have a
stressful day, I just want to open up one of Carolyne Roehm’s books,
look at beautiful things and dream.” SA
“Whenever I am having a stressful day, I just want
to open up one of carolyne roehm’s books,
look at beautiful things and dream.”
–OPRAH WINFREY
THE FORUM OF ROEHM
Represented in your impressive art collection are some of the most stylish
portrait painters of the last three centuries, from Vigee Le Brun to Winterhalter
and Romney, what is it that attracts you to those periods in history and to
those particular artists?
Coming from a fashion background, I love the way these artists depict
fashion, women, and the environment. I feel that these artists are so
gifted in the way that they tell a story with their paintings, you get a social
documentary of the time with each one.
Which painter would you most like to have been painted by?
Bronzino because I love the way he depicts women, jewels and textiles. If I
wanted something whimsical then I would pick Gainsborough
Name one thing, (I realize how hard that is), that you love most about each of
the following decorative genres: Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Empire, and
Victorian.
Renaissance– I love the richness and beauty, and my idol is Michelangelo
who had it all, architecture, sculpture, painted as well as a vast knowledge.
Having recently been in Florence to study the Renaissance Michelangelo,
Rafael and Da Vinci take my breath away; Baroque– I love the
extraordinary richness of the detail and the bold scale; Rococo– Lightness
and Femininity; Empire– I prefer to focus on the classical influence of the
end of the 18th century and beginning 19thc because I have a classicist’s
soul. While I used to collect empire I now feel it is too restrictive and dated,
it needs to be mixed with the Directoire or with the less heavy style of the
Gustavian period in Sweden; Victorian– I loath this era.
When decorating for some one else, given that many people really are not sure
exactly what they want, what is most important for you to know about the
person who will inhabit your spaces?
That they will allow me to be a benevolent dictator with their best interests
at heart.
You are known for your love of rare books. You have in your collection Marie
Antoinette’s almanac from 1775 and volumes once owned by Madame de
Pompadour and Madame Du Barry. You own a full length portrait of Lady Emma
Hamilton by George Romney. One suspects that you feel a personal connection
to women who once glittered on the public stage in other ages. What do you find
most fascinating about those women in the eighteenth century?
The women that I find the most interesting are the courtesans of France,
Italy and England. Not only were these women beautiful but educated
enough to beguile the powerful men of the time. Whether they were from
an aristocratic background or the daughter of a fishmonger their political
acumen was on par with the men that they captivated.
Who are some of your role models and icons from history?
Madame du Pompadour because of her creativity, intelligence and love
of the arts. I also admire Catherine the Great who had the guts, style,
charisma and vision that made her bolder than any male ruler in Europe.
I have always loved the character of Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and
Prejudice. Saint Francis of Assisi for his ability to see the beauty and grace
of all animals. Ayn Rand is another inspiration.
Pets are a very important part of your life, especially dogs and horses. I read
the touching memorial to your dog Ruffie. (As the proud owner of a border
collie named Nicky and having recently lost my Rottweiler, Tara, I can certainly
relate.) Tell me about your current and past pets and how you feel about exotic
birds as pets.
My animals are my life - I’ve never met an animal that I haven’t loved, but
dogs definitely have a special place in my heart. The only thing I don’t like
about my dogs is that they don’t live long enough. There is no worse feeling
than missing the love and presence of their unrestricted hearts. I really love
the intelligence and joy of a border collie. Funny you should mention birds
because I have a number of pictures and paintings of birds that I really
love. I have never owned a bird, but I have a number of friends that do and
I find them amazing.
When you were president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America you
used your influence to guide support for AIDS research. The New York Public
Library and Metropolitan Opera were two of your causes as well. What other
philanthropic endeavors have you been involved with over the years?
I’m no longer involved with those causes and I now focus my philanthropy
on the local needs around my Connecticut home. I am a volunteer (along
with my trusted pup Lucky) and supporter of The Good Dog Foundation.
I also support the Little Guild of St. Francis (a local animal shelter), Noble
Horizons (a retirement complex) and many others. With the help of my
Mother I have changed some of my gardens to grow food that we donate
throughout the year to local food banks. To this day, all book sale proceeds
from the numerous book signings I have attended have gone to charity.
What causes do you feel most strongly about today?
I think it is the responsibility of everyone to look after those that can not
defend themselves. From the children to the elderly to the animals, they are
the ones we need to protect.
You seem to have done everything and done it exceedingly well. Your books
have proven that you are truly an educator at heart. Are there any frontiers
that you might consider challenging for the future? For, example, politics,
advertising, television or are your waiting for your next inspiration?
For a long time I wanted to do a television show that encompassed all the
lifestyle elements, giving them historical context and showing the viewer
how to interpret them in the modern world. But I don’t think the interest was
there and reality television won the day. With regard to the future, there may
be a time that is right for me to pursue these interests, who knows!
What is your favorite destination on earth?
In the garden with my dogs
What is a day in the life of Carolyne Roehm typically like?
The only thing that is always typical in each day is that it’s busy!
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