TheHomeThursday,April22,1993

Eleganceofthe40’s–Rescuedforthe90’s

“ImentionedBillyBaldwin’snameonatriptoLosAngeleslastyear”

…”andapersonwhoshouldhaveknownbettersaidinallseriousness:

‘YoumeanAlecBaldwin’slittlebrother,theactor?Doeshemakefurniture,too?”

But if, SusanDempsey, has anything todo about it, the country’s homeowners and youngdesignenthusiasts will soon be on intimate terms with Mr. Baldwin (no relation to Alec), the dapperdecoratorwhobroughtrichnessoffinish,purityoflineandbrilliantMatisse-inspiredcolortothehomesofsuchclientsasGretaGarbo,ColePorter,JacquelineKennedyOnassisandMikeNichols.Thedrawingsandprototypes forBaldwin furniturewereputup forauction lastyearafterLutenClarey Stern, the Manhattan showroom that owned the rights to them, went bankrupt. MissDempsey, 31, who used to work for the showroom (and who now owns Billy Baldwin Studio)decidedtosavethetreasuresfromoblivion. TheworkofMr.Baldwin,arguablythemostfamousAmericaninteriordecorator,fromthe1940’suntilhisretirementin1973,wasaworthycause.It’sa collection, from the classic Baldwin slipper chair with comfortable, slightly angled back, tostreamlined sofas and tables that look as good next to farmhouse antiques as they do alongsideLuciteandchrome.Thankstoitsbilevelconstruction,thesteptableis“stillmyfavoritebedsidetable,”saidArthurE.Smith,aformerassociateofMr.Baldwin.MissDempsey(isn’taloneinher)appreciationfor“BillyB,”whodiedattheageof80.Mr.Baldwin’sadmirerseagerlycitehisinfluenceontheirwork,nottomentionhiselectrifyingeffectonAmericanStyle.MarkHamptonisaferventBaldwinbooster.SoaredesignersDavidHicks,AlbertHadley, StephenSills, JamesHunifordandVictoriaHagan. “Hewas themaster of red-white-and-blue flag-waving Americamodernism,” said Jeffrey Bilhuber, adecoratorwhosaidMr.Baldwin’stalentlayin“cuttingthroughtheclutterandgettingdowntotheessentials.” MarietteHimesGomez,anotherdesignerwhoisadevotee,agreed. “Hetaughtusthebasics:polishedfloors,cottonupholstery,furniturefreeofdistractingdetails,”shesaid.WilliamWilliarBaldwinJr.wasborninBaltimore,acitywiththeastonishinghabitofchurningoutinternationaltastemakers.TheDuchessofWindsorwasalocalproduct.TheextravaganteditorinchiefofVogue,DianaVreeland,claimedahealthydoseofBaltimoreblueblood,too,asdidPaulinedeRothschild.Bythemid-1930’s,Mr.BaldwinhadmadehiswaytotheManhattanofficesofRubyRossWood,adecoratorofthesocietyset,whereheembarkedonacareercreatingenvironmentsfortop-drawerclientele.TherewasarusticHellenichideawayforJacquelineandAristotleOnassis,a Belle Epoque salon at the St. Regis Hotel for William S. Paley, the founder of CBS and, mostfamously,apartmentsforcelebritieslikeMissVreeland,whogotexactlywhatsheordered:anall-redlivingroomthatshesaidlookedlike“agardeninhell.”Among the pieces reintroduced are his famous slipper chairs, as much a part of today’s designvocabularyastheywere50yearsago.“Everywomenhasthemostbeautifullegswhenshesitsinone,”Mr.Bilhubersaid,“andbetteryet,it’swonderfullytransportable.” exerptfromTheNewYorkTimes