Famous Interior Designers Series - Billy Baldwin
Billy Baldwin (1903 – 1984) was probably the most ingenious of 20th century interior designers. The son of an insurance executive from Baltimore, Baldwin was a strange blend of classicism and modernism. However, his work can be best described as neat, immaculate and mostly hard-edged - there was nothing excessive or unnecessarily gaudy about it. Baldwin’s work would ultimately be recognized as distinctively American, departing from European influences altogether, though he acknowledged the positive impact of European tastes on America. “We can recognize and give credit where credit is due, to the debt of taste we owe Europe, but we have taste, too.”
His early influences include French furniture designer Jean-Michel Frank and a more sophisticated interior designer called Frances Elkins. Baldwin’s choice of materials included cotton, bamboo and straw, while the classic Baldwin touches were dark walls, white plaster lamps, the low armless slipper chair, plain draperies, geometrics, off-white and plaid rugs and corner banquettes. He was also massively against the use of redundant items such as fireplaces and mere appearances of books, not to mention satin. He also didn’t generally appreciate the appearance of naked chair legs.
When it came to furniture, Baldwin was clear that its main purpose was to offer comfort. He often preferred using furniture both old and new, and from many different countries. But whatever he used furniture, he was clear that there should be an aesthetic connection between all the pieces. In other words, he desired quality in everything he used and was hence more inclined towards more modern designs rather than antique reproductions.
The participation of the client and even the dress that would be worn contributed to the overall design of the room. That was one of the reasons he did not prefer taking out all the furniture that existed before the re-design - “…never insist on throwing out everything the client has,” Baldwin said. “Even when they are far from perfect, loved possessions add personality”. This statement shows that he was a firm believer that the existing had a part to play in the creating.
Billy Baldwin began his practice partnering with another important interior designer of New York, Ruby Ross Wood. Together they worked for Brooke Astor and Diana Vreeland. Baldwin described Wood’s mantra as “The final judgement in decorating is not the logic of the mind, but the logic of the eye”. But the two could never be more different in their approach, with Wood more attached to “the comforts of the past rather than the relative austerity of modernism”, according to the fifth edition of Interior Design and Decoration.
Baldwin himself had reputed clients – Nan Kempner, Harding Lawrence, Aristotle and Jacqueline Onassis, the Paleys, and Paul and Bunny Melon – all of whom were impressed by his unique style brought to life by his unique personality.