Emmerling - Eclectic Country

Eclectic

Country

Mary Emmerling

photographs by Reed Davis

Eclectic Country

Digital Edition 1.0

Text 2015 Mary Emmerling

Photographs 2015 by Reed Davis

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any means whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except brief portions quoted for purpose of review.

Gibbs Smith

P.O. Box 667

Layton, Utah 84041

Orders: 1.800.835.4993

www.gibbs-smith.com

ISBN: 978-1-4236-3861-2

To my husband, Reg Jackson; my daughter, Samantha Emmerling, and Nicholas Hall; my son, Jonathan Emmerling, and Rosy Lum Emmerling; and my brother, Terry Paul Ellisor.

I have wanted to do this book for a long time. When Carol Sama Sheehan and I were at Country Home Magazine for ten years between 1997 and 2007, we had many long discussions about doing this book together when we left. I am sorry to say that six years later, Carol passed away. This book is for her.

There are so many people that helped put years of memories together. I express gratitude:

To Judy Scanlon, my best friend in Washington, D.C. She moved to New York City for the Worlds Fair and made one phone call to me asking to move in and be her roommate. I got a job at Mademoiselle magazine that lasted thirteen years and produced great friendships that continue to this day, including Sandy Horvitz, Mary Randolph Carter, Andrea Quinn Robinson, and Edie Raymond Locke, our editor-in-chief.

To friends I have met doing stories about them: Martha Stewart, Buffy Birrittella, Duane Michals, Lyn Hutchings, and Mary Higgins.

After thirteen years, I went to House Beautiful as decorating editor and met so many friends through the magazine and books: JoAnn Barwick, our editor-in-chief, Joe Ruggiero, Chris Mead, Tricia Foley, Ann Lawrence, Emelie Tolley, Jody Thompson-Kennedy, Peggy Kennedy, Jason Kontos, Katrin Cargill, and Carol and Mark Glasser.

When I opened American Country Store on Lexington Avenue, a wonderful woman, Patti Kenner, walked in and became not only a fast friend but also my best client. Nancy Thomas made great folk art; Lester Breininger made wonderful redware platters that told stories. Bunny Mellon and Jackie Kennedy were just a few of the new friends I was meeting from across the country.

I worked freelance at Ladies Home Journal with Kimberlie Waugh, Peter Vitale, and Harry Greiner. After seven years, Chris and I closed the store and opened in Easthampton. I was offered the Mary Emmerling Country Magazine and worked with a new group of talented editors: Jill Simpson, Doug Turshen, Kayo Der Sarkissian, Melissa Crowley, and Kevin Crafts.

To the crew at the HGTV show Country at HomeCheryl Masur and Taryn G. Vanderfordand to all the people whose homes we photographed.

To the whole staff of Country Home Magazine, where I worked for ten years, but especially Paul Zimmerman, whom we lost to a car accidentI still think of him all the time, and Jen Kopf Zimmerman, who was married to him; Carol Sama Sheehan; Sandy Soria; Catherine Sass Boone; Beth Eslinger; Diana Dickinson; Shaila Williams; Jane Perdue; Lisa Holderness; and Jessica Hundhausen Derrick.

Always, to Jim Arndt, who introduced me to Madge Baird, my editor at Gibbs Smithwhat a fabulously talented, smart, and fun editor! To trade publisher Suzanne Gibbs Taylor and freelance book designer Sheryl Dickert.

To Carly Thompson Homer, who helped with editing, typing, and organizing. I couldnt have done it without her!

To Reed Davis, the best, most talented photographer that I worked with at Mary Emmerling Country Magazine and Country Home Magazine.

The friends from Round Top: Beverly and Tommy Jacomini, and now their family and children, Tommy, Susie, Vivi, and Thomas; Kathy and Harry Masterson, along with their children Kay, Cochran, and Garrett; Joanie Jacomini Herring, along with her husband, Laffa Herring, and their son, Lafayette. They have all given beyond Texas hospitality for forty wonderful years.

To Emma Lee Turney, who started it all and made Round Top famous.

To Susan and Bo Franks, who took over the Original Red Barn when Emma Lee retired and started their antique shows there, and to Ashley Ferguson at Marburger.

To all the wonderful dealers and friends I have met at all the Round Top Antique Shows: Richard and Janet Schmidt, the most talented jewelers at Round Top; Mary Daly, who helped me find houses for this book; Cindy Thorp; Mary Baskin; Bess Baskin; Wendy Riva; Larry Sheehan; Shannon Vance; Vincent Pearl; Danny and Dina Neil; and Nevena Christi of Rocketbuster Boots and Ann Fox.

To wonderful friends and dealers in Santa Fe: Kateryna and Jerry VanHeisch, Nathalie Kent and Jim Arndt, Randy Rodriquez and Donis Quin, Brett Bastien, Jules Barth, Terry Schumeier and Gloria List, and Wendy Lane at Back at the Ranch. In Scottsdale and Phoenix: Jim and Sharron Saffert, Tim and Devin Thompson family, Susan and Doug Rose, Brie Rose, Bev Burch of Willows, Linda Criswell of Bungalow, Alicia Flatin of Bungalow, Billi Springer and Jim Hatfield, Heather Moeller and Sweet Salvage, and Mishawn Roggeman.

And last but definitely not least, to all the wonderful homeowners that let us into their fabulous lives: Dana Aichler, Dot Dimiero and Alexander Molinello, Paige and Smoot Hull, Beverly and Tommy Jacomini, Kathy Jacomini Masterson and Harry Masterson, Linda and Mike Plant, and Rachel Ashwell.

P eople often come up to me and tell me they love my look. Im always flattered, but part of me is wondering, Which one? Since my first home was published in the New York Times Magazine a thousand years ago, my definition of Country has never stopped evolving. Refreshing it and finding new things to add to it are what make it so much fun.

When I was starting out, the classic Country look was popular again, thanks to the Bicentennial, but it sorely needed an update. Being in the magazine business, I always knew where country was going and always had an opinion about where it should go. In August of 1977, House and Garden ran a story about my take on country called A New High: Country Cottage 10 Floors Up. My name was forever linked with that wonderful word.

As I look back, its a happy blur of eclectic collections and details that warm my heart: striped fabrics, framed American flags, folk art, leopard touches, blue-and-white china, wooden watermelons, watering cans, dried flowers, straw hats, baseball hats, redware, glass kerosene lanterns, chandeliers, English antiques, pumpkins, dried wildflowers, topiaries, linens, shells, birds nests, sea grass, rag rugs, ladder-back chairs, farm tables, antique rattan, white upholstery, hooked rugs, glass bottles, country blankets, homespun, quilt pillows, gingham, bandanas, barrels of red geraniums, local paintings of lighthouses or beach scenes, and candlesthere can never, ever be too many candles.