Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1433453
MICHAEL S. SMITH AND DE GOURNAY'S HANNAH CECIL GURNEY PACK A POWERFUL DESIGN PUNCH AT WELLS ABBOTT SHOWROOM. By Lisa Collins Shaddock. Photography Jonathan Zizzo. GREAT PAPER ON S how-and-tell got an impossibly chic upgrade during Texas Design Week when the items being passed around the "classroom" (Wells Abbott's delightful Dallas Design District showroom which carries Smith's Jasper furnishings and fabrics) were hand-painted de Gournay papers: samples from the house's new collection with design master Michael S. Smith. Wells Abbott owner Lauren Hudson introduced Smith and director of de Gournay, Hannah Cecil Gurney, in from London. Smith riveted guests with insights into the deep knowledge he acquired while serving on the Committee for the Preservation of the White House during President Barack Obama's two terms in office — for instance, how he completed Mrs. Kennedy's original intention for the curtains in the Oval Office based on designs stored away in the White House's extensive archives. And how he secured a number of important paintings by Obama's favorite artist, Edward Hopper, which were loaned by the Whitney Museum, noting, "It's not every day you get to hang Hoppers in the Oval." Gurney, daughter of de Gournay founder Claud Cecil Gurney, took the group on just as fantastical a jaunt, discussing how Chinese scenic wallpaper took Europe's upper crust by storm in the 18th century all the way to the newest wall coverings collaboration with Smith — which includes a patchwork of Gustavian botanicals inspired by Carl Linnaeus and a meticulously hand-distressed paper inspired by Portuguese tiles — is a standout. Following the talk were his and hers book signings: his, Designing History: The Extraordinary Art & Style of the Obama White House with a foreword by Michelle Obama (Rizzoli); hers, de Gournay: Hand- Painted Interiors (Rizzoli). Seen: Steven Stolman, Joel Campbell, Tina Jeppesen, Cathy Jobe, Tiffany Jones, Adriana Juarez, Natasha Lynch, Ellen Niven, Debra Nelson, Roy Marcus, Cammie Marrs, Barb Mayo, Erika Provost, Bryce Smith, Christine Speare, Lindsay Hair, Sheridan Reeder, Callie Wheeler, Amy Tasch, Melanie Turner, and Amy Walton. Michael S. Smith Hannah Cecil Gurney book signing Hilary Cinque Lauren Hudson Michael S. Smith Sheridan Reeder Callie Wheeler Lindsay Hair Ellen Niven Katrina Couch, Whitney Anderson Janie Clark, Michael Flores Kayla Brown Christine Speare Steven Stolman Stacy Coulter Bryce Smith Adriana Juarez Michael S. Smith Natalia Ramirez