James Duncan is a Decorati Partner and author of “A Well Traveled Aesthetic.”

My grandfather, who was a boy in the early 20th century, told the story of how his family rented a farmhouse in the French countryside. As they planned to stay for a few years, his father asked if he could install indoor plumbing at his own expense. The farmer let him know in no uncertain terms that he considered going to the bathroom in the house to be disgusting. He would give his permission only on the condition that the toilet be removed before they left the house!

Although this took place less that a century ago, it seems a world away from a contemporary America where real estate agents tell us that a luxurious en suite bathroom is one of the most important selling points of a house. And yet one could argue that Americans retain a deep cultural squeamishness about having a toilet in the house by the language they use. While an English guest at a dinner party would ask to use “the toilet” or if they were more posh “the loo” (see Debrett’s U & non-U Revisited), American dinner guests would ask to use “the bathroom,” although it would certainly be a breech of etiquette if they actually took a bath.

The first known private baths and toilets were built in Pakistan in 2800 B.C. The ancient Greeks and Romans also had indoor baths and toilets with running water.

The frequency of bathing has varied over the centuries. In medieval times people washed frequently for fear of the black plague. Some castles had hot and cold running water. But then indoor bathing greatly declined during the sixteenth century as water was thought to carry disease. Furthermore, Puritanism taught that the naked body was sinful and that washing the body had connotations of depraved sexuality! By the 18th century bathrooms were still rare and running water (when found) was cold and ran only to the kitchen.

Until the 19th century, people tended to wash only their hands and feet regularly, using perfume to cover up body odors. The famous 19th century dandy Beau Brummell rejected perfumes and started the fashion among aristocrats to bathe daily. They washed in basins in their bedrooms or in a portable hip bath in a dressing room with water carried up from the basement by servants.

Toilets were found at the back of the house or more commonly in outhouses at the end of the garden.

By the mid 19^th century technological developments and a rising concern about sanitation led to a middle class revolution in indoor plumbing including the flush toilet. The most popular model was developed by Thomas Crapper in 1861, who made a fortune from his invention, but lived to see his name memorialized by the expression “to take a crap!” While toilet paper was commercially available in the United States by 1860, until much later the British used scraps of paper bags and old envelopes!

Home management books in the latter 19^th century suggested that the bath and sink be placed in the dressing room and that the toilet be located in a separate room. And so the dressing room was renamed the bathroom. That arrangement is still often found in Britain and France today. By the mid 1880s when the seals and the flushing mechanisms on toilets were perfected and no longer smelled bad, they were moved into bathrooms.

Once the dressing room was plumbed with hot water, wallpaper was varnished and floors were tiled. More modest houses used the newly invented linoleum (1860). Such protection was especially necessary after the 1890s when showers became common. The early models had attached boilers which generated a large amount of steam and were liable to explode.

While these 19^th century technological innovations led to the creation of the basic bathroom as we know it, it wasn’t until the 1920s with the emergence of Art Deco that the modern bathroom of sleek glass, mirror, porcelain and chrome emerged. Once this happened, the bathroom became an object of beauty, not just for the rich, but for the middle classes as well.

By Buzz Kaplan, Decorati Contributing Antiques Editor and author of The Buzz on Antiques.

MORBIDEZZA is pronounced “mor bee DET zah” and comes from the Italian word for softness.

Morbidezza is a term used in painting (mainly old masters or antique Italian paintings) to describe a technique that exaggerates the delicacy, softness, and fragility of the skin, as shown below in this 17th century Italian oil on canvas of Susannah and the Elders as seen above.

The morbidezza technique is seen here in the masterful execution of the Susannah figure. Her skin appears almost translucent and yet luminous at the same time.

The story is from the Book of Daniel and tells of the virtuous bather startled by spying elders, who are ultimately punished for their lechery. The song “Oh Susanah” has nothing to do with this Biblical story as far as I know.

Buzz Kaplan is a graduate of UCLA where he earned both Bachelor’s and Juris Doctorate degrees. Buzz began collecting antiques in the late 1970’s, while he was still practicing law and for the last 28 years has been a principal of Kaplan & Co., a consulting firm specializing in antique and other investment grade tangible asset collections. His clients have included dealers, major banks, foundations and other institutions seeking guidance in the acquisition and deaccession of 17th and 18th century European antiques as well as investment portfolios in gold, silver and platinum commodities. He is currently Executive Director of C. Mariani Antiques, Restoration & Custom in San Francisco.

Interior Design Web Site Launches Service To Promote Interior Designers

San Francisco, CA (Nov 17, 2009) – Decorati.com, the leading online service for interior design products and services, has expanded its offerings to include Decorati Pro Premier – a new online service exclusively for professional interior designers.  Premier is the first addition to the Decorati Pro level of accounts, and provides added benefits such as an enhanced portfolio micro-site, access to client leads, project management tools, promotion and exclusive offers.

Launched in 2007, Decorati’s mission is to provide access to interior design.  Decorati offers the most comprehensive database of to-the-trade only products, including over 500 manufacturers (100,000 customizable products) typically found in design centers.  Decorati markets to a database of 40,000 design enthusiasts and nearly 8,000 designers have already built a portfolio on Decorati.  Consumers can search the designer portfolios themselves or use Decorati’s Design Advisors matching service.

“Decorati focuses on providing access to interior design, an industry which traditionally has been available only to a limited number of affluent people with access to a designer,” says Shane Reilly, Decorati Founder and CEO.  “In today’s economy and with the influence of the web, more people are focused on quality for the home.  In interior design, products and service are tightly intertwined, so after we provided access to designer products it made sense to provide access to the designers whose talent and expertise can bring the products to life.”

Decorati Pro Premier is currently available at Decorati.com, but will also soon be accessible at DecoratiPro.com.

About Decorati (www.decorati.com)

Decorati is the leading world-wide online resource for interior design. Decorati features a diverse range of top home furnishings products, industry news and designer features, and an active designer and consumer community. Over 500 top trade-only manufacturers with 100,000+ customizable products are showcased in one easy to use site. Decorati’s manufacturer list includes icons of the design industry such as Donghia, Kravet, Robert Allen, Duralee, Dakota Jackson, Schumacher, Maya Romanoff, Odegard, and McGuire, among others. In addition to showcasing design trade-only manufacturers, Decorati also features antiques, sample sales, and designers’ own private collections. Decorati’s Design Advisors service connects consumers with professional interior designers, from small consultations to full-scale projects.

This week’s book giveaway features Andrée Putman: Complete Works by Donald Albrecht. Thanks to our friends at Rizzoli, one lucky reader will win a free copy of this wonderful design book.

Just released, Andrée Putman: Complete Works , is the epitome of chic and there are few designers who have influenced the world of interiors as she has.  This comprehensive exposition celebrates Andree’s iconic designer eye, as, in her own words, an “amateur archeologist of my century”.

To enter to win your own free copy:

Select your favorite room image and tell us why you think it evokes a modern style of quiet luxury.

How to register your entry: Click the link below your favorite photo. You will be taken to our Forums where you can enter your response. Our editors will select ONE WINNER from all entries received by Friday Nov 27th at 5pm PT. Click “more” or scroll below to see all images.

To choose Image 1above as your favorite, Click here and tell us why.

Click more to see the other 3 rooms and links to enter.

To choose Image 2 above as your favorite, Click here and tell us why.

To choose Image 3 above as your favorite, Click here and tell us why.

To choose Image 4 above as your favorite, Click here and tell us why.

How to register your entry: Click the link below your favorite photo. You will be taken to our Forums where you can enter your response. Our editors will select a winner from all entries received by Sept. 18th at 5pm PT.

Click Here To Purchase: Andrée Putman: Complete Works

Click Here to see all entries.

All photographs by Nicolas Koenig.

Decorati Contest Terms & Conditions apply. One entry per person.

World-renowned for designing spaces and products that enliven the senses and engage the imagination, Clodagh has been licensing product for more than a decade. Utilizing all of the elements of earth and stone, the sounds of water, the glowing light of fire, feel of wood, edge of metal and tone and colors of nature, Clodagh’s professional trajectory has remained steadfast: to remain true to herself and to produce quality, inspirational and life enhancing design. She passionately believes that good design can support wellbeing. Constantly seeking to learn more about materials in order to push the boundaries of design, her pioneering use of Feng Shui, Chromotherapy, Biophilia, and sustainable materials has enriched her projects with an unmistakable look, structure and flow that appeals to all the human senses.

A constant proponent for creating relationships with companies sharing her beliefs in philanthropy, environmental mindfulness and human rights, Clodagh has closely aligned herself with some of the most responsible as well as popular manufacturers in the industry-Duralee.

The fabrics of Clodagh’s GLOBAL PASSAGE collection exclusively for Duralee were designed just as Clodagh designs her environments: carefully considered contents with every thread and color chosen for its ability to enhance its surroundings and provide balance. Practical and sensual with a sense of comfort that is not only tactile but also visual, the fabrics featured in the 5 color books of GLOBAL PASSAGE inspire individuality and promote rejuvenation.

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Beginning the color series, the Curry/Jasper color book follows the transition of a fall leaf, from soft gold to deeper crimson. The restorative Cardamom/Grass color book eases the psyche with therapeutic shades of green, while Azure/Reef cleanses the senses with cool aqua and indigo tones. The Charcoal/Pepper color book evolves from luminescent silver to infinite charcoal, and Natural/Peaberry closes the collection with a range of pure crème to a rich bark colorway.

Clodagh’s designs for Global Passage find their inspiration in her experiences while traveling to more than 90 countries. Each design’s origin can be traced back to a memory formed while interacting with distant cultures and landscapes.A few of these stimulating concepts stand out as signature pieces within the collection and call for explanation of their unique provenance.

The journey begins with her reflection on the transcendental quality of weaving in Wicker Work, emulating woven patterning seen in everything from brickwork in Shanghai to woven baskets at a market in Egypt.  Continuing her study of the material world, Channels was created as an arrangement that recalls the mathematical and enchanting quality of a Roman labyrinth in France. Salt Flats takes its cue from a marriage of African tribal cloths and a door discovered while walking through the streets of Amsterdam.

Taking a more impressionistic approach, Brushed resembles the cascaded effect of light in the Adriatic Sea. Cascade, a calligraphic linear stripe, resembles the play of light and shadow created by Sonoran desert grasses that occurs in the American West. Cheetah evokes the motif seen on wild cats during a stay in Africa with the Samburu tribe of Northern Kenya. Recalling the decoration of the Alhambra in Spain, Sahara Desert emulates the calligraphy of Arabic tiles. Stratum draws its motif from the structure of eel traps gathered on a trip to the Philippines. Urchin mirrors the ornament created by underwater creatures on submerged ridges, seen while snorkeling in French Polynesia and Coral Reef resembles coral seen during an adventure in Belize.

A cohesive collection of thoughtful fabrics, the CLODAGH EXCLUSIVELY FOR DURALEE, GLOBAL PASSAGE COLLECTION ushers in a new approach to eco-minded design with the marriage of the progressive green movement and the life enriching principles that have become Clodagh’s signature.

I was honored to be a panel speaker at the San Francisco Design Center, along with PR consultant Alisa Carol and Dwell Magazine editor Sarah Rich (hosted by California Homes Magazine and editor Vanessa Brunner).  We covered lots of topics, including a sneak preview of Decorati Pro Premier – our new elevated service available to designers looking to use the web to promote and grow their businesses.

Here is a list of websites mentioned:

www.apartmenttherapy.com

www.coolhunting.com

www.core77.com

www.designspongeonline.com

www.dezeen.com

www.dwell.com

www.decorati.com

www.grassrootsmodern.com

www.habituallychic.blogspot.com

www.inhabitat.com

www.mocoloco.com

www.notcot.org

www.psfk.com

www.spaceinvading.com

www.swiss-miss.com

www.theselby.com

If you want to recommend other sites, please feel free to do so here, or better yet, join the conversation in the Decorati Forums where we are compiling a great list of design blogs.

http://decorati.com/forum/thread/96/recommended-design-blogs-up-on-decorati

© shane for Shane’s Studio, 2009.

Decorati caught up with “Neo- Modernism” designer Michael Wolk, founder and creative director of Miami-based Michael Wolk Design Associates.

How would you describe your design style?

“Neo-Modernism” is the term we use to describe our style. It is the blending of the exuberance and dynamicism of American modernism with the grace, elegance and refinement of European tradition.

What are some well-known spaces that you have designed (buildings, restaurants, etc…)

Trump Grand Ocean Residences (the Palace and the Royale) Sunny Isles, Florida, Diplomat Hotel Residences, Hallandale Beach, FL, 500 Brickell, Miami, Fl.

What do you consider to be the most significant design innovation of the last 10 years? (It can be a machine/program, particular piece of furniture, an accessory, any product for the home, a fabric, a pattern, a color.)

For my practice, the computer and specifically Cad and Rhino software have had the most impact. The power, speed and flexibility allow me to explore infinitely more variations and design solutions than when we had to hand render or make study models to see potential answers.

How has the onslaught of social media outlets and “design on the web” affected the world of design—for you personally, or in general? Do you see lasting change in design from this movement to new media?

We have clients for the first time coming to us with ideas or products that they’ve seen on one of the many other websites featuring designs. New clients have also found us from our website.

How are you adapting your business model to the current mood of the market and the available technology?

We have used this slowdown to streamline the processes of my office and adapt them to more efficient and effective ways that clients can experience the benefits of directly.

Do you see a trend in clients requesting projects with quicker deadlines? How are you changing your design strategy to accommodate their requests?

The client requests have quickened both in terms of time and volume. They expect deliverables sooner and if they make changes they expect to have alternate solutions immediately. We use the aid of computer technology to keep ahead of the demands.

Is there any difference in working with celebrity clients vs regular clients?

Celebrity clients expect discretion and not a trace of opportunism from the relationship. We work hard to give them that entitlement. Our regular clients get that as well - without necessarily expecting it.

What makes a particular design last…what ensures longevity? Examples?

A design that is of the time, not of the day, that has authenticity and electricity, that is well-bred, that is executed with precision and grace will have longevity.

By Buzz Kaplan, Decorati Contributing Antiques Editor and author of The Buzz on Antiques.

A sconce, pronounced “skahnz”, is a wall mount that is fitted to hold a candle or candles. Here’s a typical pair of 18th century Italian giltwood wall sconces:

And here is another example, this one an amazing set at our gallery:

Aren’t these wild? I love ‘em.

When a simple wall sconce has multiple candles and is more elaborate and complex in design, it’s called a bras de lumíere, as seen here:

And they can become way more foofy like this Empire one, part of a set of six at C. Mariani:

But people in the trade use the word “sconce” to mean a whole variety of things that hang on walls. Most of these items are properly called wall appliqués (pronounced “AP luh kays”) since that’s the generic word for just about any item that mounts up on a wall.

A good example of an appliqué that everyone calls a sconce would be this bracket/shelf and others like them:

These types of pieces are more properly called wall brackets and, although they were indeed used to hold free-standing candlesticks, they were more frequenty used to display porcelain vases, figures, girandoles (I’ll cover girandoles in my next post!), other objet virtu etc. Here’s another of these versatile brackets that are great for flanking mirrors or to embellish a small wall area:

Buzz Kaplan is a graduate of UCLA where he earned both Bachelor’s and Juris Doctorate degrees. Buzz began collecting antiques in the late 1970’s, while he was still practicing law and for the last 28 years has been a principal of Kaplan & Co., a consulting firm specializing in antique and other investment grade tangible asset collections. His clients have included dealers, major banks, foundations and other institutions seeking guidance in the acquisition and deaccession of 17th and 18th century European antiques as well as investment portfolios in gold, silver and platinum commodities. He is currently Executive Director of C. Mariani Antiques, Restoration & Custom in San Francisco.