Divine Design Inspiration: Matisse

By The Inside Source
January 13, 2010

MATISSE

When Domino magazine folded almost a year ago, I, along with countless other devastated fans of the style-savvy, studio apartment-friendly shelter magazine, flew to eBay to scoop up as many back issues as possible on eBay, where there are currently almost 100 copies for sale. While the back issues have retained their value as solid resources and sources of interior design inspiration, I nevertheless miss my monthly dose of fresh ideas.

The feature I long for the most is the one in which the editors would present an inspiring outfit, makeup palette, movie set or culture icon and then conspire to create a fabulous room that
mirrors its look and feel. I’ve always wanted to give the concept a whirl. eBay seemed like the perfect place.

I decided my starting point would be a Matisse painting. I love how the artists portrays sensual yet solid looking women against uninhibited pattern-on-pattern canvases, but they seemed too much for me; even pretending to live in such a vibrantly saturated world gave me pause. So, I opted to take cues from Bathers by a River, a pivotal piece that will be part of an exhibit at MOMA this summer that focuses on the critical period between 1913 and 1917 when Matisse returned to Paris from Morocco and before he departed to Nice. The canvas, textural yet less intricate than other pieces, is dominated by shades of grey and black, with rich green thrown in to represent the grass along the river's edge. As soon as I saw it, I knew, it had the makings of my dream room.

From an interior design perspective, this painting says "Art Deco parlor" to me. Matisse painted Bathers by a River during the time that Art Deco style began to take shape. Like Art Deco furnishings, which revel in shape more than in abundance of decorative detail, Matisse’s work during this period is pared down and tightly composed. The color blocked, geometric background, fluid shapes drawn with strong, black lines, and edited palette are exactly the elements I like a room to have. Grey walls and flooring would provide a neutral backdrop for strong, curvy silhouettes of Art Deco pieces. Accessories could provide texture, color, and light. If I could snag
a copy of the poster for this piece or even identify a Matisse print or poster from the 945 eBay listings that had the same feel as the original Bathers, I'd make it the centerpiece of the room.

If I were to create a room inspired by Matisse’s “Bathers by a River” these are the furnishings and accessories I would use:

Original Antique Sunburst Convex Mirror
(buy it now price, $250)

I’m not one for potted palms, but I
love the palm frond-esque frame
of this starburst mirror, which are shaped similarly to the leafy details
in the painting.

French Art Deco Grand Scale Parchment Buffet c.1930s
(buy it now price, $33,000)

The long, fluid lines of this one-of-a-kind piece echo the elongated figures in the painting and the black and white color blocks echo its background. It would be the perfect anchor in this Matisse-inspired living room.

Pair of French Art Deco Black Lacquer Club Chairs
(buy it now price, $3,800)

The glossy lacquered arms of these high back club chairs curve in just the same way as the derriere of the figure on the left. Like the buffet, the black and ivory color scheme is identical to that of the painting—just the seats a Parisian Deco-inspired parlor deserves.

French Art Deco Jacques Adnet Style Ebonized Side Table
(buy it now price, $520)

This triple tiered ebony side table,
also a French Art Deco piece, looks
like it was made to sit between the
club chairs.

Italian Modern Designer Daybed/Chaise
(buy it now price, $650)

Since I'm a believer in mixing things
up, I’d add this contemporary leather chaise, which is chunkier than the other pieces, but still maintains a somewhat curvilinear silhouette to provide a place for one to recline.

Vintage Space Age Sputnik Chandelier
(buy it now price, $1,049)

Although the space age era evolved quite some time after Matisse painted Bathers by a River, this chandelier would look divine in this parlor. The spiky stalks pick up on the horizontal slashes on the right side of the painting, and the gold color of the chandelier gold color would tie in with the convex mirror frame. Overall, the chandelier would cast a gorgeous luminescent glow over the glossy furniture.

Chinchilla Rex Fur Throw
(buy it now price, $450)

In a room full of rich materials, from ebony and parchment to leather and crystal, a chinchilla fur throw is de rigeur. I imagine it thrown casually over the Italian leather chaise, softening its strong silhouette and topstitching.

Jonathan Adler Giant Dora Maar Vase
(buy it now price, $540)

Matisse’s figures are faceless, while Adler creates a head with a hint of features, but devoid of expression.

18th Century Chinese Green Vase
(starting bid, $65)

Finally, the room needs a decorative element in green. This vase not only picks up on the variegated greens in
the painting, though Chinese, has a distinctly Deco fan shape.

**Photo Credit for featured image: Henri Matisse. Bathers by a River. Issy-les-Moulineaux, spring 1909–10; spring–early autumn 1913; spring–autumn 1916. Oil on canvas, 103 x 154" (261.6 x 391.2 cm). The Art Institute of Chicago, Charles H. and Mary F. S. Worcester Collection. © 2010 Succession H. Matisse, Paris/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Bathers by a River is part of the exhibition “Matisse: Radical Invention, 1913 – 1917,” which will be on display July 18–October 11, 2010 at MOMA in New York City before traveling to The Art Institute of Chicago. Click here for details.

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