New Exhibition Showcases Fabulous Interiors by Elsie de Wolfe and Charles Duveen

The Planting Fields Foundation will hold a new exhibition this spring. Fabulous Interiors by Elsie de Wolfe and Charles Duveen will showcase the works of the two most successful early 20th century interior designers from March 29 to September 30, 2014. The exhibit will be held at Coe Hall Historic Museum which is a part of the Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park, Planting Fields Road, Oyster Bay.

The exhibit will not only feature the works of the two notable interior designers, it also aims to create a dialogue on interior design practices.

Elsie de Wolfe was an American socialite and an actress who switched careers in 1905 to become an interior designer. The exhibit will feature her work on the 1915 tea house in the Italian Garden as well as other old photographs of de Wolfe’s projects. According to Henry Joyce, the co-curator of the exhibit and executive director of Planting Fields Foundation, “The tea house room is a masterpiece of de Wolfe’s most creative interior design. Despite its diminutive scale it is one of the Planting Field’s great treasures.”

De Wolfe’s works are known to have rejected the dark Victorian interiors which were prevalent at the onset of the Industrial Revolution. Instead, she focused on producing revivals of the romantic and airy characteristics of 18th century French interiors.

The exhibition is open and free to the public daily from 12:30 pm to 2:00pm.

Duveen’s work which will be exhibited at the Coe Hall will feature his projects from the early 1920s. Rooms will be shaped in Duveen's style with furnishings supplied majorly by Charles of London.

Gwendolyn L. Smith, a co-curator of the exhibit said “These kinds of details recorded in the archives, of which there are many more, enable us to recreate the rich and fascinating history of the building and decoration of Coe Hall, one of the few great surviving mansions on Long Island.”