Thomas Jayne: A Calming Sense of Age

By Donna Sapolin

When New York-based interior designer Thomas Jayne speaks it is with erudition and civility—two qualities on which he places a great deal of emphasis but, which, in times of slipshod manners and diminished historical awareness, might be regarded as throwbacks to another era. However, much like the environments he shapes, his values and approach are a breath of fresh, rejuvenating air. Though his interiors are packed with fine vintage pieces, new fabrics and wit-filled accents make the rooms feel timely, warm, and welcoming.

The designer is an expert in antiques and knows the attributes that distinguish one historical style from another and also the ways in which the stylistic movements that occurred simultaneously in separate countries differed from one another. It’s hard to imagine that his clients wouldn’t gain important lessons in the decorative arts when working with him. While discussing a townhouse project located in New York’s Carnegie Hill district, Jayne takes care to define the differences between French Regency and English Regency, lest they be confused. He is a natural teacher who clearly relishes what he knows and how that knowledge manifests in the room settings he creates.

“We are good at making settled interiors that blend old and new for a calming sense of age.”

When Jayne took the townhouse on, it featured an abundance of oak woodwork manifested in catalogue ornamentation in various states of wear. The home had been divided up into apartments and, says Jayne, “not only was nothing complete in it but the client wasn’t in love with the 1890’s brownstone architecture as a setting for her collection of 18th-century English furniture.” So, working with architect Basil Walter, he and his team documented the existent parts, put them back together, and supplemented them to create an abridged interior based on Soaneian precepts. Finally, the millwork was painted to look like a luxury hardwood—one that would be look lighter than oak and older than mahogany.

In the front sitting room of his Carnegie Hill townhouse project, Jayne strove to create a welcoming atmosphere geared to short visits. “It is intentionally spare because you don’t want to be over-elaborate in your first space,” he says. An oil painting by Bo Bartlett provides a perfect bridge between old and new. It is flanked by 19th-century Italian candle-burning sconces and hangs above a custom settee (one of a pair) wearing both suede and brocade—“I like the fact that it has a 19th-century quality to it but still looks fresh,” says Jayne. He helped develop the area rug used here—a woven flatweave from Stark Carpet.

The front hall of the townhouse features a new 7-story staircase created to eliminate the dangerous straight-drop of the original. With its metal, glass, and gilded chicken wire balustrade, the stair provides a riveting contemporary focal point that manages to let the daylight admitted through a top-floor skylight pass through the core of the home. The center of each metal panel in the balustrade was painted to resemble wood.

A late 19th-century Persian rug leads the eye toward the adjacent parlor. The large 18th-century English console belonged to the homeowners; 19th-century Chinese blue and gold garniture tops it.

Thomas’ Favorite Products on Decorati
Table from Doris Leslie Blau	Headboard from Vivre	Scroll by Winter Works on Paper	Andirons by Philip Nemo Iron Works
Lounge Chair by McGuire	Textile by Clarence House	Wallcovering by Rinekwall	Print by Winter Works on Paper
Textile by Galbraith & Paul	Panel by The Squires Company	Side Table by McGuire	Lounge Chair by Mimi London, Inc.

The client sought a classic parlor in which to entertain—one in which there would be no media equipment. This room demonstrates how Jayne shaped a backdrop for the homeowners’ 18th-century furnishings within a 19th-century context. Architect Walter and Jayne devised a mirrored panel system to back an English fireplace surround that, he says “is of the same vintage as the home, but is much more sophisticated.” A pair of 18th-century sconces and a round mirror were installed atop the panel system, which, says the designer, “would have been non-sequential to a fault had we retained the original architecture of the space.” A gilded iron bird leg table along with a 19th–century wooden Egyptian revival head and a Giacometti lamp in the main seating area “offer relief from all the antiquity here,” says Jayne. The designer purchased the pair of tufted-back vintage chairs and reupholstered them in a Holland & Sherry wool fabric.

“I love the wit of having things that are obviously contemporary but that don’t jump out, things that have a definite but subtle presence.”

Facing the fireplace, a custom sofa upholstered in a diamond-patterned silk fabric sports a lineup of pillows wrapped in a Claremont velvet. Jayne used the latter, he says, to ‘turn a phrase’. “It’s always great to pair silk with velvet to create a sense of contrast,” he adds. “And I tend to go for lacquer-colored red pillows versus orange ones.” The red pillows are trimmed in a gold theatrical tape. Further enrichment of the mostly neutral setting derives from pillows covered in a blue-and-gold brocade from Etro. A cloisonné enamel vase rests atop a vintage pedestal formed of mirrored panels in a gilt wood frame. Alongside, an early 19th-century English Regency bench provides extra seating. The coffee table is a customized John Boone model that comprises a mahogany top and gilded iron legs. In front, a neoclassical early 19th-century Baltic chair from Cove Landing wears Angus Wilke silk upholstery. A Sultanabad rug from Darius and light beige striaed walls enhance the wood-infused shell.

“Some sort of pelmet and traditionally shaped curtains were necessary for lending the guestroom an appropriate scale,” says Jayne. But he wanted them to capture as much light in the south-facing room as possible. To that end, he shaped a treatment that offers the proportions of old-fashioned curtains without their typical solidity—one made of sheer fabric edged in a pink-and-green silk trim from Scalamandre. A pale Farrow & Ball wallpaper complements his solution, providing both whimsy and texture. “It goes beautifully with the striped flatweave carpet,” says Jayne. The red lacquer side tables, the clean-lined bed upholstered in a Claremont linen viscose textile, and the spare table at its foot serve as modern counterparts to the curtains, a pair of 18th-century English armchairs, and a 19th-century light fixture.

In the girl’s bedroom, Jayne lined an entire wall in mirror-fronted, touch-latch cabinets, creating a wealth of storage that leaves the space clutter-free and larger in feel. The designer purchased the bed from a catalog but added pizazz with a captivating green paint treatment and a whimsical feather-topped canopy.

Located on the top level of the seven-story home, the study incorporates a profusion of woodwork made of quarter-sawn polished oak. Leather-covered panels inserted between wood features line the walls. The central skylight is based on a design at the Soane Museum in London and integrates clear glass as well as yellow and red panels. Referencing the skylight, colored glass elements also appear in the staircase. The mix of custom upholstery and antique pieces forges a spry yet comfortable atmosphere—one conducive to desk-work, reading, and relaxation.

Room Photographs by William Waldron.

Headshot by Kerri McCaffety.

RESOURCE LIST:

Master Sitting Room: Fireplace, late Regency antique Siena marble mantel from Chesney’s. Curtains - Claremont - Apricot taffeta. Trim on Curtains - Passementerie woven tape trim in Green, white and apricot. Sheers - Summer Hill 1415, Gossamer in Vanila 02. Firescreen - Custom design with black mesh screen and antique gold finish frame, Morgik Metal. Marshall Field sofa covered in Marshall Field “sommerset” linen in Faience, 910038-02. Client’s own open arm armchairs covered in Claremont “Sackville Damask” in Blue vert with Claremont “Carriage Cloth” in slate on backs. Antiques from client’s inventory - shelf unit, chest and coffee table (repainted by decorative artist.)

Front Parlor: Wall upholstery - Claremont Serge Antique in soft yellow #320-162. Front of settee and armchair - Clarence House 33638-2 Atripalda in blue. Arms and back of settee and armchair - Hermes Rust suede. Sides of settee and armchair - Schumacher “Middleton Linen” in Copper 93195. Fringe on settee and armchair - Clarence House “Frange Mouline” C4234-2007. Curtains - Claremont - Taffetas Fontage, color apricot. Carpet - Darius/Stark Carpet. Antique Seneh area carpet. Floor lamp - Circa Lighting, Candlestick floor lamp in antique brass. Round side table - Antique rosewood drum table from Florian Papp Antiques.

Entry: Table cloth - Claremont, Carriage Cloth in slate. Penn & Fletcher custom embroidery. A. M. Collection - two color custom woven carpet. “Garniture” set on console table from Florian Papp Antiques.

Back Parlor and Back Parlor Detail: Sofa - Custom “Rutherford” style sofa covered in Classic Cloth “Takia” in Chamois 1048/04, Tufted chairs - Covered in Holland & Sherry “Glace” in sable - DE10331. Tufted chairs - trim around bottom edge of chairs, Houles 32463 COLOR 9725. Round Coffee table - “Diego” style from John Boone. Velvet pillows - Claremont “Velours” #1932 with Tassel and Trims gold metalic trim. Pillows - Fonthill, Etro “Amanthea” in bronze/blu, 9000-01. Floor lamp - Bronze metal balustrade floor lamp, Christopher Norman. Sidechair - Cove Landing antiques, early 19TH c. Italian carved giltwood open armchair with lion mask arms, c. 1800. Side table between tufted chairs, antique Meret Oppenheim side table with copper bird’s legs bought from a dealer in California, Senzatempo. Egyptian Head - painted and gilded carved female Egyptian head on Marble bsae, France, c. 1860. Settee and Demilune table - Antiques, from client’s inventory.

Guest Bedroom: Wallpaper - Farrow and Ball “St. Antoine” in yellow, #BP925. Headboard and Bedskirt - covered in Claremont “Serge Antique” in Aqua, 320-141. Curtains - “Madras Sheer” in Ivory from Schumacher, #16680. Trim on Curtains - Scalamandre V161-046. Rosettes and tiebacks for curtains - McKinney & Co. Carpet - Beauvais hand loomed carpet #100 CW10728, camel background with stripes. Sidetables - Linen wrapped custom side table from Urban, Inc, 212 245 5011. Upholstered chair and ottoman covered in Claremont Serge antique #141. Linen Press - Regency, c. 1820, Kentshire Galleries, Antique Baltic chandelier - Nesle.