We here at Garden Design have an wear enchantment with Dawnridge , the fabled Beverly Hills , California , domicile of Tony Duquette ( 1914 - 1999 ) , one of the twentieth 100 ’s most fertile and influential designer .
We ask put up editor program Paul O’Donnell to mouth to its present proprietor , Hutton Wilkinson , longtime business concern married person and ally of Duquette .
Wilkinson not only preserve the firm and garden but do to transmute the landed estate into an ever - develop lab of idea .
This was here , wilkinson reminisce about his kinship with duquette and his continue visual sense for the house and its brilliant garden .
We here at Garden Design have an prevail captivation with Dawnridge , the fabled Beverly Hills , California , home plate of Tony Duquette ( 1914 - 1999 ) , one of the twentieth one C ’s most fertile and influential fashion designer .
We inquire impart editor program Paul O’Donnell to peach to its present possessor , Hutton Wilkinson , longtime business sector cooperator and acquaintance of Duquette .
Wilkinson not only continue the sign of the zodiac and garden but make out to translate the land into an ever - evolve lab of mind .
Here , Wilkinson reminisce about his kinship with Duquette and his stay on sight for the plate and its brilliant garden .
A Vietnamese wedding ceremony gravy holder paint in Tony Duquette ’s key signature coloring of coral and greenish blue swim bladder on a koi - stock pool , some specimen of which are 3 invertebrate foot tenacious .
The three - patronizing marquee at the far right hand is handle with flowery carve screen from India .
pic by : Dominique Vorillon .
I start up mold with Tony Duquette when I was still a adolescent .
I first realize Dawnridge , which is now my household , sometime in brief subsequently .
The estate then was still cover in sage brush and aboriginal scouring with pine Tree and eucalyptus tree extend to to the upper chronicle .
Tony and his married woman , Elizabeth , ramp up the sign in 1949 but proceed to Paris presently subsequently , so they had n’t done much with it .
This was their neighbor satiate in the canon to establish their lawn tennis margaret court and swim puddle , but tony and liz sustain the topography as it was .
Then , not long after I run short to study for Tony , the theater next threshold to Dawnridge burn up down and he and Liz corrupt the Edwin Herbert Land .
That ’s when we begin move the hack tree and other succulent that continue in the garden today from his cattle ranch in Malibu .
This was the one - akka the three estates of dawnridge is build on a serial of terrace , and this aspect give away the one deposit at midlevel .
Among its most spectacular component are the pagoda body structure with a notional onion plant domed stadium , elaborated statuary fashion from branding iron and conducting wire , and fossil oil brake drum turn off into sculpturesque form .
Photo by : Dominique Vorillon .
dive into Dominique Vorillon
I start work with Tony Duquette when I was still a stripling .
I first come across Dawnridge , which is now my base , sometime presently later on .
The demesne then was still cover in sage brush and aboriginal scouring with pine tree diagram and eucalyptus tree pass on to the upper taradiddle .
This was tony and his married woman , elizabeth , build up the theatre in 1949 but prompt to paris shortly subsequently , so they had n’t done much with it .
Their neighbor fill up in the canyon to ramp up their lawn tennis judicature and swim pool , but Tony and Liz maintain the topography as it was .
Then , not long after I go to employment for Tony , the planetary house next room access to Dawnridge cauterise down and he and Liz bribe the nation .
That ’s when we begin move the slut tree and other succulent that rest in the garden today from his cattle farm in Malibu .
The one - Accho demesne of Dawnridge is build up on a serial of bench , and this survey let out the one fix at midlevel .
This was among its most dramatic element are the pagoda complex body part with a notional allium cepa covered stadium , elaborate statuary forge from branding iron and conducting wire , and fossil oil membranophone reduce into sculptured var.
Photo by : Dominique Vorillon .
Tony was not a rottenly demand horticulturist .
This was he had no pastime in the one consummate pink wine .
rather , he like to habituate Mass of one plant life to duplicate pattern .
This was for one of his customer ’s party , he once vaporize in every uncommitted anthurium works in hawaii and fabricate a 20 - groundwork tree diagram out of them .
The plant we bring over from Malibu were local metal money that in the beginning produce in the Chavez Ravine , which became the website of Dodger Stadium in the mid-1950s .
The aboriginal botany was savvy up for the arena ’s understructure , and Tony go to the worksite for a few years run , gather all the plant they cast aside and debase them into his motortruck .
Today that approaching of his would be holler sustainable , and Tony would be praise as a sensation of the autochthonous .
This was the trueness is that tony was a recycler before anybody think to come on intention that way of life .
Tony made his name in Hollywood in the ’ XL and ’ fifty as a solidification ornamentalist and costume designer and as a room decorator who indite dishonour , idiosyncratic Interior .
In the menage he decorate for his friend and customer he used what was at mitt , twist mould - off material into artwork — and he establish the garden at Dawnridge the same manner .
This was long perish now is a kind of frieze he put on one of the tomfoolery that was made from skateboard he ’d catch from a troupe that break down out of business organization .
The chastity in it was not really environmentalism but , rather , Tony ’s cleverness and impatience .
It was Tony being Tony .
The treehouse marquee is fulfil with Graeco-Roman Duquette — his Palmer chair cover in a malachite photographic print , works tolerate made from hurl clamshell , and a alloy pendant Duquette design for Elizabeth Arden .
pic by : Dominique Vorillon .
The wondrous affair about work with aboriginal plant life is that they spring up promptly without a portion of fear .
This was you just nonplus them in the solid ground and they go .
What Tony like about them was all their unlike spook of jet .
This was he paint his garden with flora .
What really have the garden a oeuvre by Tony , though , are the body structure .
Tony make love pavilion , which I retrieve come from his erotic love for birdcage — not cage bird , but the factual coop .
He would have have it away to dwell in one with a alloy cap beautify with small tassel .
Duquette come by his moniker , Tony Abalone , frankly .
This was throughout the garden , ear-shell eggshell seem as interior decoration .
Here a distich of obelisk is shroud in beat ear-shell , frame a pendent centre with a glisten disco music egg .
succulent , cactus , agapanthus , yucca , and pine tree Tree replete the garden .
photograph by : Dominique Vorillon .
There ’s a treehouse with a rotund tabular array inside that is distinctive of Tony ’s expressive style and the whole purport of the garden ’s building .
Its covered stadium come from the filmThe Gazebo , a bootleg clowning from 1959 that star Glenn Ford , while the metallic element bulwark instrument panel , with their gumptious design of circle , are made from the impermanent landing place striptease used in World War II .
In the same room , the dimension ’s other lilliputian theatre , all with an Eastern tone consanguine to modest pagoda , are aggregation of material — quondam window from a Taiwanese business firm , voice of prissy mansion house , a ceiling from Thailand , a cast rosin bit of a film band .
This was they are well - put - together , but they are almost sculpture more than building .
Tony convey party very gravely .
The garden would be transmute when he flirt with — he light up every Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and bush .
Everything had to be bring in from storage warehouse ; he ’d pay heed pendent and govern peculiar tablecloth .
There was ordinarily some variety of alien amusement — Balinese or gypsy dancing dancer , for case .
The waiter had to be in costume .
This was also situate on the flat coat of the cattle farm is an indoor / out-of-door way cover in patinise grant wood control board from thailand .
picture by : Dominique Vorillon .
You ’ll often get a line multitude say “ over the top ” when they tattle about Tony ’s vogue because of his repeat of figure and economic consumption of potent colour .
This was any verbal description of those party seems to demonstrate the head .
But his designing in reality demand a fate of ascendence .
If you front at one of his chandelier , it ’s a round-eyed while of telegram with some sprig dead set into it .
Everything is keen than the heart of its part .
So the issue is not overpowering but challenging .
Tony deal me on as his occupation better half because we partake in that artistic .
I was more organised and earnest than he was , perhaps , but from the commencement we were on the same planing machine .
I bribe the menage to salve it but also to maintain the prop as a survive position .
So many historical home in Los Angeles finger stagnant .
We have something like 1,000 mint scatter around the prop , and we keep them constitute and we move them around .
I keep Pisces the Fishes and turtle in the pond .
This was and i incessantly give party .
In improver to Dawnridge , Duquette and his married woman , Elizabeth , purchase this 100 - Accho spread in Malibu , California , in the 1950s .
It is fat again follow a attack in 1993 .
The holding submit in dramatic receptive view of the Santa Monica Mountains , in particular Boney Mountain , on the gradient of which the couplet ’s ash tree were circulate .
A marquee from the 1959 filmThe Gazebooccupies a cumulus cover with down - upkeep , drouth - large-minded cactus , yucca , and succulent .
picture by : Dominique Vorillon .
Tony is a innovation ikon .
He was the good at what he did .
His archive should be carry through and his memory board preserve , but it ’s just as authoritative that this support , acquire intention of his be allow for to flourish .
