Up from Giancarlo Giammetti's Rome we dash to Ireland, specifically, Glebe House, the County Donegal house of the late Roderick "Rory" Cameron. Cameron, as you know, was the legendary aesthete and author whose prowess in decorating is still marveled at and written about today. After selling La Fiorentina, his South of France villa in which he lived with his mother, Enid, Countess of Kenmare, to the Harding Lawrences (who, as you also know, hired Billy Baldwin to decorate the villa), Cameron bought Glebe House, a former church rectory that was built in 1790.
What is notable about Cameron's Irish rectory house is that its interiors were decorated in a light, bright manner that was reminiscent of La Fiorentina. The walls of Cameron's dining room might have been papered in a William Morris print, for example, but the room's white trim, pale curtains, and painted furniture alleviated the heaviness that William Morris prints sometimes introduce to a space. The "mix" at which Cameron was so adept is very much in evidence here, too. As the House Beautiful writer noted, "Cameron again takes his decorating cues from any time, any place, all objects so exquisitely arranged that no one piece claims dominance." Cameron's rooms almost always exhibited balance, harmony, and subtlety, all three of which can be difficult to achieve when decorating.
As lovely as this house was (although according to The Blue Remembered Hills, Billy Baldwin deemed it a failure,) it seems that Ireland wasn't felicitous for Cameron, who eventually pulled up stakes and headed to Ménerbes, France, where he built his greatest domestic creation, Les Quatre Sources. Perhaps the seeds of Cameron's Irish discontent are captured in these photos, which convey a house more in keeping with the South of France than the misty Irish countryside. It's almost as if you get the sense that Cameron wasn't totally comfortable in this new, foreign environment. Nevertheless, the photos show the home of a man who was truly an arbiter of good taste and great decorating.
The entry hall of Glebe House was an introduction to Cameron's myriad collections. The 11th century Buddha, placed on one of the Queen Anne walnut tables, was a gift from Somerset Maugham.
The floor of Cameron's library was covered in green felt, a treatment that was used in other rooms of Glebe House. Over the fireplace was an Oudry painting, while the sunflower andirons were English Art Nouveau. The contemporary cocktail table was by Albrizzi.
The drawing room included Louis XVI chairs covered in "removable upholstery" and a Georges Jacob music stand. The pillows on the sofa (and possibly those on the Louis XVI chairs as well) were made of Indonesian batik cloth.
Amongst the William Morris "Arbutis" wallpaper was a dining table that once stood in La Fiorentina. The table was set with Cameron's favorite Moustiers china and Louis XV crystal.
Cameron slept in a c. 1830 four-poster bed that once belonged to his aunt, who was a Tiffany.
Once a bedroom, this space was converted into a master bathroom by Cameron. The leather Louis XV chair, the Kashmir rug, and the Chinese screen gave the room a sense of luxury and refinement.
This cheery guest bedroom was papered in a different William Morris print: "Honeysuckle".
All photos from House Beautiful, January 1975, Feliciano photographer.
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