Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/831573
the era are buried throughout the book collection. One day while sorting through them, Hoak found a childlike pen-and-ink sketch of a face on the back of an envelope, dated 1967 and inscribed to the pianists with a note about its origins. The sketch had been done during a Japanese game introduced by Jerome Robbins to his friends and played on his porch, where the players make a drawing of someone without looking down at the paper. The sender of the note remarks that it's Bill de Kooning's sketch of a friend. "At the time, the de Koonings ran around with these guys. You can sense it comes from his hand, it has such a distinct style," says Hoak, who has carried his massive literary trove from house to house for more than 20 years. "I've tried to be a good steward of the books." As Hoak and Perkins have sold their other homes in the Hamptons and in Florida, this old French house in Houston just might be the last stop. "We love it here," says Hoak. This page, clockwise from top left: In the dining room, a metal faux-coral chandelier and antique French table, both from Mecox. Blue-coral centerpiece. Custom woven-rope dining chairs. Antique equine prints. On the second-floor landing of the cottage, Dorothy Hood's Mytho Glyphs, circa 1980. Vintage rug and bench from Mecox. An original chimney from 1931 was reclaimed and recessed for the stove and oven. In the cottage dining nook, zinc-and-wood table, teak chairs, buffet, and early Christopher Spitzmiller lamp. 65