William T. Baker & Associates

07/17/2021

A gambrel roofed beauty under construction at Lake Tahoe. Stay tuned for pictures when it's finished!

06/10/2021

Dyrham Park is an example of a late English baroque style country house set in a large deer park near the village of Dyrham, England. The house, attached orangery, stable block and accompanying parish church are Grade I listed buildings. The contents of the house features many Dutch masters and delft tile.
Wikipedia

06/03/2021

Highclere Castle is the "real" Downton Abbey and is every bit as magical in person as it is on-screen. We had a delightful visit with Countess Carnarvon and enjoyed seeing the family's house and gardens. The 5th Earl Carnarvon was the patron of Howard Carter who discovered King Tutankhamen' unopened tomb in the Valley of the Kings. His personal collection of Egyptian antiquities is on display and is quite interesting.

06/01/2021

Petworth House has the most extensive collection of art and sculpture of any house in England. It's interior architecture includes a paneled room of Grinling Gibbons carvings in lime wood. This room alone is worth the visit.
There is a good presentation about the staff behind the scenes and their stories are told and illustrated with images from the turn of the last century.

In 1670 Josceline Percy, 11th Earl of Northumberland (1644-1670) died without a male heir, and thus his considerable fortune and estates of Petworth House, Alnwick Castle, Syon House and Northumberland House were inherited by his 2-year-old daughter and sole-heiress, Lady Elizabeth Percy (1667-1722). In 1682, at the age of 16 and already twice widowed, she married the 20 year old Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset (1662-1748), whose family seat was Marlborough Castle in Wiltshire. They became one of the wealthiest couples in England.

Today's building houses an important collection of paintings and sculptures, including 19 oil paintings by J. M. W. Turner (some owned by the family, some by Tate Britain), who was a regular visitor to Petworth, paintings by Van Dyck, carvings by Grinling Gibbons and Ben Harms, classical and neoclassical sculptures (including ones by John Flaxman and John Edward Carew), and wall and ceiling paintings by Louis Laguerre. There is also a terrestrial globe by Emery Molyneux, believed to be the only one in the world in its original 1592 state. Wikipedia.

05/30/2021

Ham House is unusual in retaining much of its original 17th century interior decoration, offering a rare experience of the style of the courts of Charles I and Charles II. The original house was altered and redecorated for William Murray, 1st Earl of Dysart in the late 1630s, creating a new grand staircase and picture closet. As a result of his close association with King Charles I, he was able to employ the finest craftsmen working for the Crown. These included the artist Franz Cleyn, decorator and designer at the Mortlake Tapestry Works, whose overdoor inset paintings and ceiling of the Green Closet are said to be the only surviving examples of his interior decoration. He has also been credited with coordinating the new decorative scheme for William Murray. The finely modelled ceilings created by plaster craftsman Joseph Kinsman are also thought to be his only surviving work.

From 1672/73, the house was enlarged for William’s daughter Elizabeth, who with her second husband the 1st Duke of Lauderdale commissioned the lavishly decorated rooms in the style of the Restoration court of Charles II. Much of this original decor survives in the enfilade of rooms on the south side of the house, with ceilings painted by Antonio Verrio, marble and scagliola fireplace surrounds, overdoor paintings and richly gilded carving. The rooms display fine collections of 17th century paintings, portraits and miniatures in addition to the cabinets, tapestries and furniture. The kitchen has been restored and is on display. Courtesy of Wikipedia.

05/29/2021

Osterly was originally a 16th century estate.
Two hundred years later the manor house was falling into disrepair, when, as the result of a mortgage default, it came into the ownership of Sir Francis Child, the founder of Child's Bank. In 1761 Sir Francis's grandsons, Francis and Robert, employed Scottish architect Robert Adam, who was just emerging as one of the most fashionable architects in Britain, to remodel the house. When Francis died in 1763, the project was taken up by his brother and heir Robert Child, for whom the interiors were created.

The house is of red brick with white stone details and is approximately square, with turrets in the four corners. Adam's design, which incorporates some of the earlier structure, is highly unusual, and differs greatly in style from the original construction. One side is left almost open and is spanned by an Ionic pedimented screen which is approached by a broad flight of steps and leads to a central courtyard, which is at piano nobile level.

Adam's neoclassical interiors are among his most notable sequences of rooms. Horace Walpole described the drawing room as "worthy of Eve before the fall."[citation needed] The rooms are characterised by elaborate but restrained plasterwork, rich, highly varied colour schemes, and a degree of coordination between decor and furnishings unusual in English neoclassical interiors. Notable rooms include the entrance hall, which has large semi-circular alcoves at each end, and the Etruscan dressing room, which Adam said was inspired by the Etruscan vases in Sir William Hamilton's collection, illustrations of which had recently been published. Adam also designed some of the furniture, including the opulent domed state bed, still in the house. Courtesy of Wikipedia.

05/28/2021

Enjoying this most beautiful suburb of London. Richmond Upon Thames has a wonderful public park along the river and a town full of classic English architecture. The second image is of architect Quinlan Terry's Richmond Riverfront project built here in the early 1990s. A true neo-urban success.

05/27/2019

Here are a few of our favorite indoor/outdoor spaces we've created for some our fantastic clients.

As the weather shifts, a look at the indoor-meets-outdoor spaces our clients love.

05/27/2019

Happy Memorial Day, friends! We trust you're celebrating the time with friends & family.

05/20/2019

This week we are celebrating southern architectural charm & verdant outdoor spaces. We're kicking things off with Suzanne Kasler's stunning rear lawn for her Atlanta home

The Georgia weather is perfect to take in the outdoor weather. These verdant spaces for Suzanne Kasler celebrate the art of southern grace & charm.

05/14/2019

Our Great American Homes series of books make exceptional gifts to show your appreciation for those you admire

We love receiving a great book almost as much as we love giving them as gifts. Our Great American Homes series makes the ideal collection to show your appreciation for someone you admire.

05/13/2019

For Mother’s Day, a look back at the spectacular spaces our mom would absolutely love.

In the spirit of Mother’s Day we’d love to shine the light on rooms we know our mothers would absolutely love.