The Gross Dissection of a Lovely Room...by Alex Papachristidis

photo:Roger Davies for Elle Decor.
Alex Papachristidis's own bedroom is full of quirky, personal details.

Of all the pretty rooms in design books, my favorites, inevitably, are the rooms that are owned by the designers themselves. This is because these spaces have all the élan of their commissioned houses, and yet are apt to show more personality, quirkiness, uniqueness--all of which, I suppose, is just another way of saying that these personal places reveal the collector that lurks within each designer.

Case in point: this bedroom in the home of Alex Papachristidis. I've always loved this room for its blend of elegance and humor; the room is pretty, graceful, quirky and clearly personal--all very appealing attributes and the sort of things that transform a house into a lovely home. What inspired me to select this room at this particular moment was that, over the weekend, I caught sight of the same set of Beatles' portraits, circa 1968, up for bidding at Christie's in London at their Rock and Pop Memorabilia Sale on June 14th (yes, tomorrow!). The portraits, commissioned by the Express newspaper, have an estimate of ~ $650-$975. The lot also includes a black and white poster, not shown.

Set of four individual  portraits, circa 1968, at auction at Christie's
UK, June 14th, estimate, ~$650-975.

Oh...you're one of the three people on the planet who does not love The Beatles, you say? Okay, well, the sale includes lots of interesting rock and roll memorabilia. I've included a few other posters, below, that would look amazing, particularly when paired with an antique desk.

Original 1966 Bob Dylan poster, at auction
June 14th, estimate ~ $500-800.

A Santa Barbara concert poster, circa 1967,
estimate ~ $650-975.

A boxing style concert poster from Munich, Germany, 1980,
at auction June 14th, estimate $975-1,300.

Now, on to the desk. Small desks like this are great in a bedroom to use for jewelry and make-up, not to mention penning the occasional note (remember those?). Below are a few of my favorites available in the ensuing days.

19th c. lady's writing desk, at auction at Sloans & Kenyon in Chevy Chase,
 June 19th, estimate $700-900.

Neoclassical style roll top writing desk, at auction at Sloans & Kenyon in Chevy Chase;
 June 19th, estimate $800-1,200.

George III tambour writing desk, at auction at Bonhams & Butterfields,
Los Angeles; June 14th, estimate $3,000-4,000.

Continental Rococo inlaid walnut desk, at auction at Bonhams & Butterfields,
Los Angeles on Jun 14th, estimate $3,000-5,000.

A bergère makes the whole vignette so much cozier and more appealing. Many of these are sold in pairs. Don't worry: you'll always find a place for an extra seat...or three.

Pair of Louis XVI style bergeres. At Sloans & Kenyon in Chevy Chase on
Jun 19th, estimate $500-700.

A pair of French provincial style bergeres,
at Bonhams & Butterfields in San Francisco on June 19th,
estimate $600-900.

A 19th c. French mahogany bergere, at auction
 at Christie's New York on June 22nd,
estimate $700-900.

A mixed lot of four bergeres: spread them all over your house!
At Christie's in New York on June 22nd, estimate $1,000-1,500.

Okay, onto the splash of blue, which nicely picks up the highlights on George Harrison's shoulder.

Foo dogs have become ubiquitous. Who cares? I love them anyway!
 A tall, gorgeous pair, at Austin Auction Gallery on June 26th,
estimate $100-200.

A pair of Qing Dynasty turquoise porcelain vases,
at Michaan's Auction in Alameda, California;
 June 20th estimate $600-800.

A turquoise and aubergine Qing dynasty vase,
at  Showplace Antique + Design Center in New York,
 June 26th, estimate $600-800.

Your splash of blue can also come in the form of a useful garden seat. This color is pretty as well and I love the variegated glaze.

Pair of hexagonal garden seats, at Skinner, in Boston;
June 16th, estimate $200-300.


Interestingly, Alex has a garden seat by his bed, as you can see, along with lots of other goodies.

photo:Roger Davies for Elle Decor.

...but I digress. Let's get back to our inspiration.

photo:Roger Davies for Elle Decor.

Ahh. I'll leave it to you to take care of the swing arm lamp, the petite brass table and the blue and white mug. As for the dogs, well, they really do seem to travel in packs. Christie's has a ton of dogs up for bidding in New York at its Interiors Sale on June 21-22nd. Below, a sampling...

A pair of polychrome terracotta dogs,
estimate $1,200-1,500.

A French bronze of a reclining dog,
estimate $800-1,200.

Terracotta hounds,  estimate
$1,200-$1,500.

Reclining terracotta hounds,
estimate $800-$1,200.

Terracotta boston terriers,
estimate $1,200-1,500.

But if you're really not a dog person, here are few more options to throw your way...

A painted plaster model of a sphinx, at Christie's, New York, on June 22nd,
 estimate $800-1,200.

A cluck of chickens, at Christie's in New York on June 22nd
estimate $800-1200.

In closing, I add one more photo of Alex's  bedroom for your viewing pleasure.
Okay, the room has now been dissected (at least a corner of it): now, go and stitch it back together!

photo: courtesy of Alex Papchristidis Interiors.