Kathryn Ireland’s New Hideaway Retreat

 

We’ve had some great guests on the Skirted Roundtable over the past year and a half.   We’ve talked with a lot of different people in the industry – magazine editors, design bloggers, authors, stylists, shop owners, and fabric designers, but I have especially loved having the chance to interview the interior designers I have long admired.   Our first  “big” interview was with Vicente Wolf, which I actually missed (the only one I ever did miss!)  Next, we interviewed Charlotte Moss.  My nerves were shot for that one, I was so excited to be talking to someone I absolutely worshipped! 

 

Kathryn Ireland at her Ojai ranch.

 

Since then, there’s been Alessandra Branca, Bobby McAlpine, David Easton, Mary Douglas Drysdale, and Suzanne Kasler, – to name some of the other designers that have made me giddy.   Saturday, we will be interviewing someone that has me foaming at the mouth!!   Trust me, I never – even in my wildest dreams – thought I would one day be chatting with the likes of David Easton or Alessandra Branca!  Never!!!  I guess the lesson here is never give up on your dreams and never stop trying.   This week’s guest ranks right up there on my list of favorites. 

The interview almost didn’t take place.  Kathryn Ireland is a busy, busy lady and our wires got crossed a few times before the four of us were all able to sit down at the same time and talk.   It was a late night for Linda and me, but it was still dusk for Megan and Kathryn, being as they were both on the west coast.   Kathryn Ireland!!!!   How many times have I lingered over the rows of her fabrics hanging in the Decorative Center?   How many samples have I checked out over the years?   I’ve clicked onto her web site more times than I would care to admit, as Ireland was one of the first interior designers to have a decent web site with lots of photographs and press clippings.   You could spend hours there looking at it all.    I bought both her books and quickly devoured them.    In short, I love Kathryn’s aesthetic and have for years and years.  And now, here she is – on my telephone – well, my Skype.  To say I was thrilled would be an understatement.  Kathryn was a tad more laid back about meeting me. 

  

 

Kathryn Ireland’s casual and comfy living room was recently updated.  I love her suzani covered chairs!! 

It’s such a perfect space with its barreled ceiling, stucco walls and casement windows. 

 

Kathryn had just arrived home from work just before we started and was exhausted – you could hear it in her voice – but she quickly rallied and had us all laughing, talking about the “neck lift” she wants.  A friend came over and handed her a glass of vino to help her relax.   I could just visualize her sitting in her wonderful living room – all comfy on her down filled sofa – munching on crackers and cheese, and gazing at the roaring fire.   She’s a star with a bigger than life personality.  She is charismatic and self deprecating at the same time.    Her clientele roster is filled with names of A-listed movie stars.  She even teases about her "name dropping,”  but she can’t help it if her clients are famous.   Her style is casual.  Rarely have I seen her do a “dressed” up room, but she does do them – perfectly.  

 

A dining room – one of the dressier interiors from Kathryn.  Isn’t this gorgeous?????  The curtain rods are perfect, as are the curtains, the striped French chairs are also perfect, as is the crystal chandelier.  Just look at the darling casement windows, the sconces, the beams!  I would eat in this room every day if I lived here.

 

During the interview, we talked about her ranch in Ojai which she rescued from years of neglect and turned it into a much loved vacation spot.  Her book  “Creating A Home” is all about the ranch and the process she went through to transform it.   Once it was finished, she had planned to sell her house in L.A and her farm in France and live in Ojai 24/7.   Unfortunately, her 3 teenaged sons vetoed that idea and she was forced to sell it – to actress Reese Witherspoon.   Kathryn reveals that Reese bought everything – all the furniture, accessories and dishes, including the forks!  Must be nice Reese!  

 

  

The Ojai ranch started out as stables for the Libbey family in the 1920s.   

Added onto by Wallace Neff, the ranch had been neglected for over 30 years when Kathryn bought it.  She spent 3 years restoring the property.

 

 

 

The same view as above – today!

 

 

 

 

A wider view of the central gravel courtyard.  The kitchen is to the right, bedrooms to the left, and the main living room is in the middle.

Spread throughout the property are numerous guest houses, stables, a swimming pool, and other charming buildings.

 

 The main living area.   Kathryn used many of her own fabrics in this house – especially those from her new Mexico Meets Morocco line.

The tiles on the stairs are original.  Upstairs is a balcony that overlooks the two story room.

 

 

Looking towards the fireplace.  The Juliet balcony leads from the large center rotunda.

 

 

In the interview, Kathryn told us that once she sold the Ojai property, she wanted a getaway somewhere closer – so she chose her own back yard. 

She turned her garage and pool area into a private retreat.

 

 

The swimming pool’s pillows are from the Mexico Meets Morocco fabric line.

 

 

Kathryn’s garage was turned into her own personal retreat.  She said she really feels like she is out of town when she stays in her private room. 

I love the lamps and lampshades – they look like the ones from her master bedroom. 

 

 

Kathryn sells this bed on her web site.  It’s beautiful!  Hard to believe this was once a garage.

 

 

 

The table and rug are Moroccan. Here the curtains are plain linen.

 

 

 

Now, the curtains match the wallpaper, which is from her new line of papers.  It looks great when paired with the matching fabric.

 

 

 

The lampshade is changed in this picture.  The side chair is also sold on Kathryn’s web site.

Here you can see the rug is layered over seagrass.  

 

 

 

I have always loved this bedroom by Barry Dixon, but it wasn’t until I read Kathryn’s blog, that I noticed the fabric on the walls and pillows is hers!

It’s in the Quilt Collection, called Paisley Stripe. 

 

She was recently a guest of Dixon’s and got to stay in the “Kathryn Ireland Bedroom.”  This is one of my favorite fabrics of hers.

Remember when it was recently seen on this blog?

 

Remember the master bedroom in the Crested Butte condo that Jenny Johnston did HERE? 

She used Kathryn’s Paisley Stripe fabric also.

 

 

To listen to this week’s Skirted Roundtable with Kathryn Ireland, go HERE.   You’ll enjoy it! 

Also, note, our sponsor, Hot House Estate Treasures, is offering Skirted Roundtable listeners a 30% discount, so be sure to check that out on the Skirted Roundtable blog!!!!

And to visit Kathryn Ireland’s web site and blog HERE.

 

Houstonians, don’t forget this Sunday is the Southampton Holiday Home Tour. 

For more information, go to the end of the blog story HERE. 

 

 

 

A Good Weekend To Read and Celebrate Hard Working Women:

 

 

What a weekend this will be!  Amazon has been wonderful to me today!  I received two new, long awaited books delivered to my front door – no hassles, no bothers, no long lines, no gas guzzling, no red lights.   Ah, the beauty of Amazon, my most faithful love.  These days I order almost everything from Amazon, not just books.   I have ordered light bulbs, shoes, a microphone (for the Skirted Roundtable) and even a new laptop!  And if you just  happen to need one – you can order a chandelier from Amazon.   I’m not aware of anything you can’t buy from this fantastic company.   Alas, they make it too easy to spend money.  They keep your credit card on file and you just have to hit –SEND – and it’s delivered, usually the next day.  Amazing.  Just amazing.   I had preordered these two books and had no idea when they would be released,  so it was a complete and delightful surprise that they arrived just in time for this long weekend.    And, at first glance, they are both winners.    The first book is Rachel Ashwell’s – the Queen of slipcovers, pink, turquoise, and crystal –  her newest effort is Shabby Chic Interiors HERE.  The cover is so beautiful,   I could stare at it all day – the pink, the gilt, the settee, the crystal, the peonies.  And  there is Rachel, as always, looking ravishing in her favorite low waisted jeans.   Oh, Rachel, it makes me sad to think about your current financial woes!   How disappointing it all must be for you!   Hopefully, this book will be a new start for her company, certainly she has no place to go but up at this point, it’s all such an awful shame.   The book certainly looks promising – perhaps her best effort since this one:   

 

 

The Shabby Chic Home (HERE) is almost ten years old now (!) and it remains a favorite of mine.  I love books that tell the story of one house – from its run down, unattractive beginnings to its perfectly furnished and remodeled finish.   Both this book and the new one are certainly my kind of design books.    If you have never read The Shabby Chic Home, it makes a perfect companion to Rachel’s newest book, which is very similar:  the story of her latest house – room by room, just like her fans like.  The pictures in Shabby Chic Interiors - by Ashwell’s favorite photographer Amy Neunsinger - are gorgeous and worth the price alone. 

 

 

I don’t want to ruin it for you, so I’ll just show you a few vignette pictures from Rachel’s newest book Shabby Chic Interiors.   Here, the kitchen with its charming wall mounted faucet – I love this!   Only Rachel can make washing dishes look romantic.

 

 

Pink, green, and blue- Rachel’s palette. 

 

 

Her bedroom is my favorite room in the new house, the curtains are a luscious silk taffeta in a very, very pale amethyst.  

 

 

White marble and English styled faucet.  Notice the old fashioned drain stopper - so Rachel.

 

 

Rachel has a wood cart just like the one in my office!  She calls hers a shoe cart, I call mine a wine bottle cart.  Who’s right I wonder? 

 

 

 

The other book Mr. Amazon Man delivered today was Kathryn Ireland’s second, Creating a Home (HERE.)    I wrote about this book a few months ago HERE when it was available for preorder only.   But, it’s out now and it looks beautiful!   The photography is bright and bold – all of her newest fabrics look tempting.   It’s a book for me, that’s for sure – the story of a dilapidated old ranch in Ojai California that Ireland takes under her wing and transforms into a fantasy country estate – although, in the end -  she couldn’t afford its rehab and had to sell.   My favorite series of pictures are of Ireland, dressed in a ball gown, posed around the swimming pool with her three teenaged sons.   Her middle son decides he is through with the photo shoot and the look on her face as she bribes him, scolds him, pleads with him is priceless!    What those pictures say about the manipulation of the family members during those “fun” totally uncandid photographs speaks volumes.   It made me think of all  that Martha Stewart’s daughter must have had to endure as a child – after all, Martha’s husband bolted from that media storm as soon as he could. 

 

 

 

Some of the pictures have been seen before in a few magazines, but the majority are new.   I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for Ireland to sell something she had poured her heart and soul into.  She writes that she bought the ranch thinking she and her boys would live there fulltime – the only way she could truly afford it.   Her boys resisted – they had no wish to move from Santa Monica - dashing all of Ireland’s hopes and dreams. 

 

 

The master bedroom suite, separated from the main house.  I love how the three flooring surfaces come together here: tile, wood, and seagrass.

 

Both Ashwell’s and Ireland’s books are remarkable for this:  they tell the story of two highly independent women, both from England, who came to America on a lark and penniless.   But, through hard work and gritty determination, they both reinvented themselves and became international successes.    Ireland and Ashwell share so much biographic history – it truly is uncanny.   And what better weekend than Labor Day to celebrate what hard work and toil can bring to you – regardless of where you are from, and how little you have to start with.    And though Ashwell is currently suffering through this  economic downturn, I have no doubt that she will rise again, like a Phoenix.   Hopefully, just like Ani DiFranco, another true American success story, says here:

 

Thirty-Two Flavors:

And god help you if you are an ugly girl
'Course too pretty is also your doom
Cuz everyone harbors a secret hatred
For the prettiest girl in the room
And god help you if you are a phoenix
And you dare to rise up from the ash
A thousand eyes will smolder with jealousy
While you are just flying past

 

From our house to yours - I hope you all have a safe and healthy Labor Day Weekend.

Wow, THAT Was Quick! Ireland sells out to Reese.

 

 

Legally Blond Reese Witherspoon, new ranch owner?

This year two major design publications, House Beautiful and Vogue Living both did large spreads on Californian interior designer and fabric entrepreneur Kathryn M. Ireland's new country ranch.  The 6 acre + spread, a fabulous Wallace Neff designed ranch style compound in the Ojai Valley, was bought by Ireland just two years ago from comedian Harold Ramis' estranged wife.  Ramis owned the property for a considerably longer time than Ireland.  The Real Estalker is claiming that newly single, academy award winner Reese Witherspoon has purchased the Ojai ranch from Ireland at reportedly double the price Ireland paid for it.  It's touted as a very private estate, at the end of a single country lane, so the paparazzi will have a hard time stalking Reese there.  Apparently the home is not visible from the street and that is part of the appeal of the ranch for Reese.    

So, all these real estate dealings has left one wondering, did Kathryn  Ireland use the two magazine spreads in House Beautiful and Vogue Living as just a big real estate advertisement for her property?  And that's not all:  not only did Ireland allow House Beautiful to showcase the ranch she planned to sell asap, she also outfitted all the rooms with her new fabric collection - a bright assortment of suzani inspired designs and other various ethnic prints.  Was the House Beautiful spread, besides being a real estate brochure, also just an advertisement campaign for her new fabric collection?     The House Beautiful spread was always puzzling as it came so soon on the heels of the Vogue Living story of the exact same house - sans the new fabric collection.  Somehow, it all leaves a bad taste in one's mouth.  Of course magazines are all about the advertising dollar, but when the stories themselves are just advertisements and self promotions - where is the integrity?  Whatever the motive, the stories themselves were fascinating.

The Ojai ranch spread is, one must agree, a gorgeous piece of property.  I also must say, I'm just a little bit green over the idea of it being sold to the Legally Blond actress Reese.    I would be most happy to be buying it for my own family (that is, if I won the lottery.)  The property, with  its 1o outbuildings is full of the lost romance of California - it is a hacienda of a bygone era when California was once a natural heaven populated with Spanish missions.   There are now a lot of pictures of the ranch owning to the two magazine spreads and it's current status as a For Sale property.  The pictures taken from the two magazines are very different in style.   And when you view the magazine spreads alongside the real estate brochure, it's interesting to see the difference that furniture and fabric and good old styling can do to a home.    And so, here, are all three versions of the ranch that Kathryn Ireland owned for a nanosecond.    Which version of the Ojai ranch do you like best?

 

I.  The Vogue Living Magazine version:

 

The Ojai Ranch originally designed by Wallace Neff.  The property has about 10 outbuildings.  To reach the bedrooms from the living area, you have to walk outside - there isn't an inside hall  to the bedrooms!  Shown above is the central courtyard where several buildings unite.

The wonderful two storied living room with its tall ceilings and Juliet balcony.  All the iron used for the stair rails, drapery rods and doorknobs was forged on the property. 

 

II.  The House Beautiful article:

Arched wood doors with original iron hardware forged on the property.

 

Another view of the living room - styled for the House Beautiful photo shoot by Kathryn using new fabrics from her line.  The bright chair to the left is a Robert Kime chair and fabric.

A vignette from the living room - drapery fabric is from the Kathryn M. Ireland fabric collection, of course.

 

Western wear clothes are stored in the outdoor passageway that leads to the bedrooms.

A bedroom with a built in bed  - dressed all in Kathryn M. Ireland fabrics.

 

The master  bathroom updated.  Rug by Kathryn Ireland.

The master bedroom newly outfitted with Kathryn M. Ireland fabrics and seagrass rug.

Another bedroom with the new suzani inspired fabrics by Kathryn Ireland.  The long pillow is made of antique suzani fabric.

A view of the buildings from the back terrace - an outdoor hallway to the bedrooms is shown on the left.  Notice the outdoor light fixture on the right over the door.

Off the back terrace, a guest room building connects with the bedroom wing.  Note the hammock in the front yard.

 

Closeup view of the above pictured walkway to the bedrooms - this walkway was highly stylized for the House Beautiful shoot with rugs and lanterns and dog!

An outdoor hall made of wooden planks and stuccoed walls leads from the living room to the new media room.

Outdoor furniture and pillows in Kathryn M. Ireland fabrics.

Wine in the courtyard with guest of honor Mary Emmerling on the right, front.  Kathryn Ireland is holding up the fabric on the left.

 

III.  Real Estate Brochure Used to Sell Ireland's Ranch. 

Notice how different the ranch looks in these pictures without all the styling and bright accessories and colorful fabrics by Kathryn M. Ireland.

  

Closeup of  the courtyard with the fountain in the middle, the turret, and the living room to the right.

More outbuildings.

And even more.

The stables.  No ranch is complete without horses!

 

Another view of the guest house off the bedrooms' wing.

The walled swimming pool which Ireland had installed during her brief stay at the ranch.

 

Another view of the big wood doors looking out towards the courtyard.

 

A picture from the Real Estate brochure - without the styling - as the ranch truly looks.   Up these stairs to the left is a sort of mistral's gallery.  This living room space was the original hayloft.

Same view, with styling, taken from the House Beautiful shoot - Fortuny pillows.

 

The Real Estate brochure - without the styling - as the ranch really is.  This room is the former carriage house that now houses the family area and the kitchen.

   The same space, highly stylized by House Beautiful.  Fabrics and pillows from Kathryn M. Ireland fabrics.

 

The courtyard - contrast this all white picture with the two colorful pictures of the courtyard above.

The kitchen as it truly is without the colorful styling.

From House Beautiful - kitchen and breakfast room - all bright and colorful for the magazine.

The view of the above carriage house/kitchen and family room from the outside. The large stone fireplace is encased in crawling ivy.

Three views of the living room - above, as it really is, no styling - for the real estate brochure.

 

The living room as it was styled for Vogue Living magazine.

 

The living room - highly styled for the House Beautiful shoot.  Which view of the living room do you prefer?

 

So, I am sure you are worried what is Kathryn Ireland going do to now that she's selling her California ranch?   Not to worry.  She still owns her country estate in France, all 50 acres of it.  Pictures below.     Kathryn spends each summer at her French estate, which is probably why she sold the Ojai Ranch -- when did she have the time to go there anyway?  Not that the estimated cool $3 million she stands to make on the Ojai Ranch sale made a difference.

Kathryn's house in the French countryside.

 

A close up of the front porch styled with fabrics from Ireland's line.  And yes, that does appear to be the same dog pictured at the California ranch.

Inside the wonderful French country estate.  Furniture is dressed in neutral linen slipcovers.

 

The farmhouse kitchen in France.

A bedroom in France.  The bed wears Ireland's famous "Quilt" fabric that was the inspiration for her starting her own fabric company.  Dogs, styled by Kathryn.

A guest room at the French estate.    Bedrooms all have wall to wall seagrass floor covering.  I love the way the mosquito netting is finished off on the top.

A romantic cave like porch on the french estate set for dinner.   The tablecloth is made out of Ireland's checked fabric that is a mainstay of her fabric line.

 

With all the property that Kathryn Ireland owns, her Santa Monica home remains one of my favorites.    An older home, with stucco walls, arched windows and doorways - the house is filled with southern California romance while retaining an air of English charm - charm that the English born and bred Ireland infuses in all her interiors.  Here are a few pictures of her  Santa Monica house - at different points in time, of course!

   

The living room - plump sofas piled high with pillows.  Kathryn's easy English decorating is her trademark.  Nothing is too pristine to be hands off.  With three sons, her house has to be accessible and comfortable.

The same area, photographed from across the room.

 

A more recent picture of the same space.  The mirror has moved to above the sofa.  The sofa now wears stripes.  The chairs wear a bold suzani patterned fabric.  New lamps sit besides the sofa on the left.  The black coffee table remains the same.  The draperies appear to be the same, but on close inspection, they are fuller and creamier than in the previous picture.

The family room at her Santa Monica home.

Ireland recently remodeled her kitchen.  She torn out the Mexican pavers and replaced them with limestone floors.  The dogs, remain the same though.

 

The breakfast room, newly remodeled.

The breakfast room, as it was before - with the Mexican pavers.

 

The masterpiece of the house - Kathryn's bedroom.  What a bed!  All fabrics by Kathryn M. Ireland.  Gorgeous!

 

The woman behind all the houses, the decor,  the fabrics, the three sons, and the two dogs:  Kathryn Ireland.   The sofa wears a different fabric here than above, but  - if you owned your own fabric company - wouldn't you reupholster all the time too?

Note:   Kathryn M. Ireland has a wonderful web site filled with all the press articles (and there are many) of her work.   You can also see pictures of her fabric line.  AND, Ireland now has a blog (yes!) - at the Huffington Post.  She doesn't appear to write for it very often, but it gives a fascinating glimpse into her hectic, but fulfilling life.  Read it here.