In her shimmering red dress, Marie Aiello introduced us to the DEXTER kitchen, living room, and terrace… complete with red-handled knives, seat belt dining chairs from Phillips Collection, a concrete and crystal bench from Swarovski Crystallized, walls adorned by enlarged lab slides covered in fingerprints, and bassinette from My Urban Child, with a “Dexter’s Little Monster” onesie and a Teddy only Dexter's offspring would want: plushie bereft of head, spilling its stuffing guts, & bound in plastic.





We did a walk through THE TUDORS small study and sitting room, but the designer was not available for Q& A, so we went along to meet Paul Latham,
who shared his enthusiasm for his WEEDS Lounge (Emily covets those green chairs!). Done with exquisite sense of humor, this small space in such a vast pehthouse footprint was appealing…
what’s not to love about an antique meerschaum pipe collection and glass beakers from Amsterdam?




Fun to contrast the Coleman/Sanchez NURSE JACKIE bedroom with Markus Doschantschi’s vision of CALIFORNICATION Hank Moody’s master bedroom: Both quite starkly white, Nurse Jackie’s room was an overdose of humor, from the examination reading table, to the X-ray makeup booth, and starched blue & white bandaged bed against popping-pill wallpaper!

The Moody room held a very hip Sixties-inspired sunken bed, angled ceiling mirrors, and an uncurtained window overlooking the city, inviting voyeurism in both directions. We agreed that Hank would likely have preferred the Kornak/Holly Hunt bedroom: Hank is just too disheveled and unkempt to last in the purity of white surrounds!



Leaving the Hank Moody outdoor Garden of Eden, we wound our way around oversized planters to another fabulous terrace. The space was centered with a large multilayer bench, white fabric-covered blocks with oversized sitting pillows: all backed with a silk-screened Henry, the obverse portraiture of each of his six wives. An attractive young man reclined across one of the seating blocks, explaining the versatility of the outdoor benches in untoward weather: living Divani "extrawall" sofa (Lissoni design and in regular production), they are 90% water resistant, with a built-in drainage system for what little water might get in, rendering cushions ready for sitting at any time! Hellman-Chang developed the outdoor benches from the Studio Lissoni concept design (as well as the indoor table).

When I asked how he came to be so knowledgeable, he introduced himself as Francesco Lissoni, son of Piero Lissoni, co-designer of the terrace and dining room with Nicoletta Canesi. I introduced myself as an official rep for THE TUDORS fan Wiki, and he enthusiastically agreed to answer my questions in his lovely Italian accented English. We attempted conversation outside against piped-in music, teased by glorious wind gusts that prevented the designers from illuminating the terrace with myriad groups of chunky, tall candles.
JA: What is this great music?
FL: Yes, isn’t it great? This is Rick Wakeman, you remember the piano player for the Sixties-Seventies group “Yes”? Its a 1973 compilation called “The Six Wives of Henry the VIII.” He did this as a concept album, one of Wakeman's strongest solo works.
JA: Did he study Henry’s women?

FL: He said he wrote, is not meant to be about them, just interpretations of the women, like personal concepts of them in relation to keyboard instruments.

JA: Great choice, great choice--- You couldn’t have made a better choice for this gorgeous outdoor space-- Henry would really enjoy!
With the wind really gusting, and little light, Francesco invited me inside to the dining room. There he introduced me to his mother, Nicoletta Canesi, wife and partner of the Lissoni Associati Design group. Francesco made it clear that all the pieces were actually designed by Lissoni, from graphics, to carpets, to chairs, etc... and were just made for the Lissoni installation by the various production houses named .

JA (to both): Tudor architecture of Henry VIII was a transition from the Perpendicular Gothic – highly vertical with lots of ornate tracery – to a later Elizabethan Renaissance architecture which was simpler and more horizontal.

Your own architecture and interiors seem more in line with Elizabethan style: buildings, residences and interiors with very clean smooth lines, lots of 90 degree angles rectangles and squares – including seemingly flat planes of water, reflecting pools, clear glass… a kind of asymmetrical symmetry – very horizontal --

Did you use your knowledge of Tudor architecture and interiors for taking on this assignment?

Or did you let the personality of Henry VII influence your designs?

FL: The Tudor architecture was not a factor in the design.

NC: We really were taken with the robust personality of Henry, his confidence, his strength.

JA: So clearly you designed the room as if Henry would actually use the room? Or would it be a tribute to Henry, which people would use in remembrance of Henry?


NC: This is Henry’s room!

FL: We see Henry as a lover, who enjoyed life, who embraced life…

NC: He was enthusiastic, bold…

FL: Henry sparkled! He was brilliance. Which is why this bust of Henry covered in Swarovski –

Francesco pointed to the bust, which was, he explained, created by sculptor Mattia Bosco for the installation. Loved the natural wood block that serves as a stand for the bust... very much like one upon which an Ex-wife would daintily put her head for chopping!

FL: What a process. He sculpts from Holbein’s Henry, then the Fiberglas mold, to wool then covered with the crystals. [note: I wrote to the artist, and just received a reply from Mr. Bosco, who said:

"Thank you so much for your kind words. I’m very happy you liked the bust and that you appreciated the my interpretation of Henry the Eight. I tried to be the most close to the original portraits I found from flaminds painters. As for the steps, I did first the bust in clay, moulding it by hands. I made then the stamp and realized the final bust in resin. As for the Swarovski, at the beginning I was requested to cover all the bust, but I thought it was smartest to cover only some parts. I hope to do similar works for you very soon. I enjoyed it a lot!"]

NC: Isn’t it remarkable?

JA: breathtaking comes to mind!

FL: It is the Henry we seek. The sparkling Henry, full of life and energy.

JA: The huge Henry on the wall and pillows are a lot like Gravestone Rubbings… was that intentional?

FL: No! But I see why you say that. No, it is Holbein the Younger his view of Henry as he painted him, Duggal (Duggal Visual Solutions) took our concepts and do a reverse, do a negative with silkscreen. It is a play on black and white… [points to carpet] See, even the carpet is a play on black and white. If you look close it is like tiny pixels, then you pull back and see Henry surrounded by his wives, this is from a famous painting, too.

JA: (looking closely then stepping back) like newsprint…

FL: Yes, you look close at all the dots, but from afar, it becomes the image.

NC: And the chandelier…

I follow Nicoletta's eyes up to the heavy-looking, masculine, circular lighting fixture, aglow with flameless candles of all sizes and shapes.

JA: It is at once so medieval, and so modern!


NC: The ceiling here is low, it would also work well with a taller ceiling.

FL: Soraya made our concept. Beautiful work. Illumination inside and out, it is too bad the wind would not let us light the outdoor candles! That is how Henry would have had his outdoor space, with candles.

JA: Which leads me to the chairs! Like the terrace pillows. All six wives depicted. Now, Henry denied all of his wives but for Jane Seymour, the love of his life, and Anne of Cleves, whom he had annulled as far as marriage, but treated kindly as a sister. The pillows are of all six of his wives: in BOTH the dining room and the terrace. Are you looking to “punish” or “scold” Henry by reminding him of all six??!!

FL/NC: [laughter, in protest] Oh, no!

NC: No, Henry loved them at the time.

FL: Henry loved each of them in his own way. He did not see the outcome when he met them and fell in love with them. We like to think Henry admired them all.

JA: So then do you think the pillows and chairs would amuse Henry, allowing him to enjoy his infamous actions regarding his wives?

FL: He was King, so his actions stood. Yes, I think he would enjoy them very much.

JA: The chairs are, wow, amazing. Almost wouldn't want to use them!

NC: The Swarovski adds so much.

FL: They are like works of art, each one. Martin Albert Interiors did them for us.

JA: The dripped paint, although colorful and almost whimsical.. still reminds me of dripping blood!

FL: [nods] His Anne and other of his wives, heads cut off.

JA: Exactly!

FL: But, here is Henry’s chair [pointing to the armed chair opposite the bust with dripping crystals]. Perhaps he sits to admire himself. We still see Henry before he ages, before he grows round, we see him in all his glory, sparkling, all about love and life!

NC: Like the wall (directing me to the enlarged black and white entryway) a love letter...

FL: Yes, actual words from a love sonnet or a letter Henry sent to, I think it was, Anne Boleyn. His words are filled with love and promise.

JA: He was romantic in his prime: Do you know the song “Greensleeves”? King Hank was said to have written it. He was highly accomplished in so many pursuits.

FL: No I do not know this. But it is no surprise. Henry was so bright, a strong personality. Sparkling!

JA: Let's get Rick Wakeman, see what he could do with "Greensleeves"!! Aha, another group is coming in, so I will make my exit.Thank you both so much for your time, for sharing your insights and this amazing room with me!

We shook hands after I snapped a picture of the handsome Italian mother and son. Still cannot get the room out of mind… such exquisite details!




I dashed off to catch up with Emily, along the way stopping to meet Jim Biber who did the incredible WEEDS Dining Room and Francine Gardner of Interieurs, who designed the UNITED STATES of TARA Duplex apartment.






With a stop at the Media Room, featuring Time Warner Cable connectivity, I was pleased to chat

with reps from Savannah College of Art and Design, who, through the WorkingClassStudio.com, are marketing the Showtime show-related items, such as that great DEXTER baby onesie, and for THE TUDORS, some wonderful Tudor Rose pillows, and clever coasters representing the Six Wives!


Emily and I finally caught up with each other while she was admiring the awesome Swarovski Crystal Skulls near the fireplace in the DEXTER living room. We scurried back to THE TUDORS Study and Sitting Room to spend some time studying the room, after hearing that the designer had finally arrived. It’s a very warm room in spite of the dark grays of the space. The enhancement of red against white, black and the golden glint of gilded lettering draws the eye around the room, set off by the vivid colors of four framed “stained-glass” kaleidoscopic prints.

Introducing myself as a rep of the Official Showtime TUDORS Fanbased Wiki, I was delighted to meet the engaging and gracious Richard Mishaan, renowned designer, founder of Homer furniture collection (http://homerdesign.com/), and author of the recently published, informative, and beautiful book, Modern Luxury.

JA: An article stated you “skillfully bring together furnishings and objects from myriad periods—Italian neoclassic, seventeenth-century French, African tribal, Art Deco, Biedermeier—in a contemporary fusion style that has become his signature.”

Did you aim for a fusion style with this study/sitting room?

RM: Yes, there are 1940s chairs (Jacques Adnet), a Fifties credenza, contemporary pieces… the chandelier over the game table is 1950s. The sofa pillow fabric is new, but directly made from an authentic 16th century blocks. The sconce is my own design, I’m not sure it comes through…
ccontemporary but aimed to evoke stabbings and bloodletting that is the darker side of Henry (chuckles).







JA: Did you use your knowledge of Tudor architecture and interiors for taking on this assignment? Or did you let the personality of Henry VII influence your designs?

RM: Well, a bit of both, but clearly this is a room for Henry if he lived today. This is not meant to be a Tudor room, nor was I aiming for a Tudor look. But very much so, there are some influences. I was not going for a period room, but all the references are there. For example, the ceilings in this room are different heights. So bringing in the talents of The Alpha Workshops, they created actual sayings by King Henry is these great medieval lettered banners that help give the ceilings the appearance of moldings and equal height.

JA: And I love how the artists brought the gold down to give the essence of moldings on the walls, behind such clean contemporary mirror and chest…

RM: Yes, they do incredible work. The Alpha Workshops is the only not-for-profit organization in the country that trains and employs people living with HIV/AIDS in the decorative arts – from whimsical to retro to restoration, everything from wall treatments to faux finishes. They specialize in on-site decorative painting, so this worked out beautifully to complete the room. The artists did exactly what I wanted, and I think they had a great time doing it.

JA: I read that you are in love with Foyers: utilitarian entryways for the homeowners arrival: to place keys, get mail, and the like…. spaces that greet guests and invariably sets a tone for the rest of the house….

RM (with a warm chuckle): Aha! Somebody read my book!!!

JA: Indeed! Did this notion apply to your design of a utilitarian Study and Sitting room?

RM: No, because this is a room that just is. Yes, a study has a utilitarian quality, but people enter from a variety of ways… so, frankly, no, not so much. You just are "in it," once you are in it!!

JA: Oh, I’m going to quote you on that one!

RM: (laughs).



JA: So when you said you designed the room for a 21st century Henry, did you also mean a young, contemporary royal living today, like UK’s Prince Wills or Harry? Crown Prince Hamdam of Dubai? Prince Andrea (of Monaco)?

RM: Very much so. When you look at this crown sculpture (points to glass enclosed crown atop 2 Tiffany boxes by Reinaldo Sanguino: Gods & Designers series, Tiffany's 1 & 2, 2006), it speaks volumes about how we look at royals today. We have a commercial fascination with royalty… they become almost as commercially iconic as Kleenex or Tide or Downy… household names…or for upper crust, especially the classic Tiffany boxes. We watch them, we study them, with almost obsessive fascination. Look at Prince Wills, he has grown up under our scrutiny…

JA: Oh yes, how about brother Harry, the bad boy!?

RM: (nodding) The old boys’ schools were supposed to be havens, to allow royals to get away with letting their hair down. Not with today’s media…




JA: And our good King Henry?

RM: Henry was the ultimate bad boy… Look at how old he was when he came to the throne… Sixteen! No wonder he made some incredibly startling decisions about those around him, wives, colleagues, advisors… Highly driven by testosterone; vain, impulsive youth…

JA: What about a Princess? Say, Sweden’s Princesses Victoria or Madeline? Princess Beatrice? Would they like and use the Henry-inspired study? In other words, would you have designed the room the same way had King Henry the VIII been Queen Henrietta the eighth???

RM: (laughs) No, no… this is a very masculine room. A lot of features would work, but would need a softer touch. This is decidedly a guy’s room.
[though Emily decided she could adapt to this room quite nicely!! Note her MetHome tote bag...]

At this moment the wind blasted outside, and Richard Mishaan looked out to the intimate terrace just off the Study. A huge paper sculpture undulated in the wind. It is an incredible pleated accordion “softwall” lighted screen from Molo Design that surrounds and defines the sitting room terrace: looking like a giant Elizabethan ruffled neck collar. A brief grimace crosses his face, as the ruff lifts and flattens in the gust.

RM: Oh, my… Well, its wired down, so can’t go anywhere -- but I don't know, will it outlast the wind? Oh, I can’t go out there, I don’t want to look…

JA: Oh, has to be OK: winds be damned, it looks like it will survive… It sure does look like those pleated ruffles, containing the neck of a deep-breathing Tudor gentleman!

RM: Glad people caught that.

JA: Next question: I read about your affection for your grandmother’s Scandinavian ceramic stove that now serendipitously sits in the foyer of your country home as a focal point.

RM: Ooo, you did do your homework!

JA: Yes, I did! I was fascinated by your work! The red credenza makes its own statement as a plane of red that captures the eye, a true focal point – were you influenced by that stove when you selected the red chest for a modern-day Henry??




RM: Well, not exactly, but I see where you are going. When one piece stands out, it has to be great. And this mid-century piece is great. I know, it’s from my own collection. (leads me over to the handsome framed black and white geometric prints). Speaking of Scandinavian, you’d be interested to know these are Scandinavian, 16th century Scandinavian designs.

JA: Oh, wow!! They are wonderful! They remind me of geometric patterns found in the Alhambra, very Moorish…

RM: Yes!! Very much so. Very Moorish. Very David Hicks. Just brilliant. I love them.

JA: And they evoke the geometry of the carpet.




RM: [nods and points to the replay of one of THE TUDORS shows on the Time Warner televised screen]. If you look at the show, yes, its dark, but there is a lot of color. I strived to pick up on the color in the same way.

JA: Yes, the room has a darkness, but it’s much warmer than you’d think from photos! A grey tone, but color stands out.

RM: Like these (directing us to the four prints of colorful rosettes).



JA: They look like stained glass. The great Rose Window of Notre Dame!

RM: They do.

JA: I was amazed to see... when you look close, they are butterflies!

RM: Aren’t they wonderful? An artist named Damien Hirst did them … called “Superstition Series” – which I especially love, because King Henry was so superstitious!!

JA: Plus all Henry’s hypochondria… he kept a box full of herbs and cure-alls of his own devise – can’t say they worked, since his leg wound never healed…

RM: Yes, superstition was rampant in the Middle Ages. We’ve come a long way!

JA: Knock wood… [laughter]. Richard Mishaan, thank you so much for a wonderful time and an incredible room! The SHOWTIME TUDORS fans cannot thank you enough!

RM: [shaking hands] It was sincerely my pleasure. Thank you for coming! Please ask all THE TUDORS fans to tell friends and family and come for the tours – the proceeds will support Housing Works – One of the most incredible nonprofits dedicated to supporting homeless with AIDS/HIV. They do incredible work. I cannot think of a more worthy cause. Tours run every weekend from now until –when?—

JA: October 18th.

RM: October 18th.

With a wave goodbye, Emily and I headed for the elevator, through the DEXTER dining room, where we started. As we scurried by, with one last glimpse of the dark split wood Aiello table, those captivating seat belt chairs. And out of the corner of my eye, I swear, the Traxon-rgb-screened Giant Eye winked at us!


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What: Metropolitan Home’s SHOWTIME HOUSE
Featuring spaces and rooms designed by:
Marie Aiello, James Biber, Christopher Coleman & Angel Sanchez, Markus Dochantschi/Studio MDA, Susannah Drake, Francine Gardner/interieux, Joannah Kornak of Holly Hunt, Paul Latham, Piero Lissoni & Nicoletta Canesi of Lissoni Associati, Kara Mann, Richard Mishaan, Surfacedesign, and Workshop/apd. Each designer’s space is inspired by one of a Showtime series: Californication, Dexter, Nurse Jackie, The Tudors, United States of Tara, and Weeds. Foyer by Savannah College of Art & Design.
Where: Tribeca Summit, 415 Greenwich Street, NYC
When: Weekend Tour Schedule: Every Saturday and Sunday from September 12 – October 18.
Cost: $20 per person admission (no children under 12, no strollers), purchased at the door.
For: proceeds support HOUSING WORKS, the largest community-based AIDS service organization in the US that provides lifesaving services to more than 20,000 homeless and low-income New Yorkers living with HIV and AIDS.