Albemarle Revisited

Our piece last year on Sotheby’s auction at Albemarle House remains our most popular post to date. Now with the estate and Patricia Kluge once again making headlines lets revisit this infamous Virginia mansion that continues to fascinate.


Here in the entrance hall a massive piece of Greek art pottery displayed on a pedestal does double duty as a hat stand, the basket of firewood lends a rustic note to the classical formality.


The doorway to the left of the fireplace leads to the Gun Room with masculine wood trim and a view over the forecourt of the rolling Virginia countryside subsequently purchased by the Kluge’s friend Donald Trump.


The fireplace is flanked by custom Asprey gun cabinets and sports an elaborate gilt convex mirror that pops against the deep green walls. Not far from these finely housed firearms sits a Chippendale dresser set up as a chic little bar for serving after-hunt libations.


A marbleized Palladian window framing a distant piece of garden sculpture, dominates one end of the Drawing Room. The fluted Corinthian columns mirror those flanking the staircase on the opposite entry wall seen in our previous post. This scheme of a curved stair framed by columns and mirrored by a Palladian window is repeated again in the Dining Room to dramatic effect.


Yet more marbleized classical moldings are off set with trompe l’oeil swags of fringed fabric in the series of galleries linking the entrance hall with the main rooms and twin staircases. These faux-finishes that characterize the interiors typify the lavish style of the era.


The Library returns to a more masculine atmosphere with rich wood paneling and a billiard table filling one end. The view through the curtained doorway looks into the stately Roman Gallery furnished with a set of swaged neoclassic stools custom designed by the architect David Easton.


These lavish little jewels complete with architectural detailing, faux finishes, and elaborate trimmings seem to sum up the design philosophy of the whole estate, if not the opulent spirit of 80’s excess that created them. Now these furnishings like all the rest have long been auctioned off while the sprawling red brick manse that once showcased them sits emptily awaiting its fate.

All photos via Sotheby’s.

Porch Perfection

What better way to spend a lazy summer afternoon than relaxing on a well appointed porch, and we’ve yet to come across a finer one that designed by David Easton for Balderbrea his Hudson River Valley country home featured here in a previous post.


Easton flanked his jewel-like home with deep loggias featuring wide lattice panel columns and beadboard wood paneling trimmed with traditional crown moldings. The beautifully designed space is conceived as an open-air living room complete with stone flooring, circular windows, and even a wood burning fireplace to snuggle up to on cool nights.


The floor is covered with simple straw matting and the mix of metal and rattan seating features thickly upholstered cushions with coordinating throw blankets and pillows at the ready. The idea of treating the space as an extension of the interior is emphasized by table lamps and even framed pictures on the walls, while the deer antlers over the fireplace lend a cozy hunting lodge feel.


Of course one of the most important aspects of the well appointed porch are plants and flowers and here Easton doesn’t disappoint with masses of potted plants, vines, flowers, and topiaries on every tabletop and even displayed on brackets along the walls. With a porch like this who would ever want to go inside?

Blue & White at Balderbrae

Our recent posts on the blue and white color scheme and the sale at Albemarle House reminded us our favorite use of blue and white was that used by David Easton at Balderbrae, his Hudson River Valley country house.


This image of the lofty main room shows an envelope of warm honeyed hues punctuated by a symmetrically hung display of blue and white porcelain along the walls. Another favorite decorative device of ours are the corbels used here to display a number of jars and vases. To be honest we love just about everything about this space especially that great round table piled high with books, yet another one of our favorite things!

Sotheby’s Hosts Kluge Sale at Albemarle House

Beginning tomorrow Sotheby's will host an historic two-day sale of the contents of Albemarle House, the sprawling Virginia estate of billionaire philanthropist and vintner Patricia Kluge.
This house sale will be the first in over twenty years to take place on site, with the 23,538 sq ft mansion itself offered at $48 million. Located in Charlottesville near Jefferson’s Monticello, the estate encompasses not only the 45 room red brick mansion, but also 300 surrounding acres of pristine Virginia countryside and formal gardens.
Completed in 1985 by architect David Easton, Albemarle House was by far one of the grandest country estates built in America since the Gilded Age, representing the height of 80’s luxury and excess. Described as “a livable palace” the home was built for America’s one-time wealthiest individual, media tycoon John Kluge, and filled with only the finest in antique furniture and decorative arts.
Mrs. Kluge received the estate along with the largest divorce settlement in history when the couple split in 1990; a story overshadowed by the heavily publicized divorce of Donald and Ivanka Trump simultaneously taking place. Mrs. Kluge was no stranger to scandal however, having stepped down from hosting Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1985 after tabloids uncovered nude photos and an adult film she’d made in the 70’s.
Looking to downsize after twenty-five years in residence Mrs. Kluge is now opening the doors of Albemarle House to the general public, with everything from the patio furniture to her couture gowns available to the highest bidder. Among the lavish interiors to be dissected are the rich wood paneled library and sumptuous yellow drawing room with its columned Palladian arch framing one of the homes pair of gracefully sweeping staircases.
Always enamored by the nautical I’m especially drawn to the huge antique silver gilt nef of a three-masted ship complete with sails, rigging, and over forty miniature sailor figures estimated at $40,000.00 to $60,000.00.

Images by Sothey's

Click HERE for a closer look at the interiors of Albemarle House.