Inside Marshall Watson’s Exquisite World

I had the absolute pleasure of spending an evening recently at the beautiful Hillwood Museum hearing Marshall Watson’s lecture on The Art of Elegance (available here). Firstly, if you haven’t visited the former home of Marjorie Merriweather Post in northwest Washington, D.C., I encourage you to book your visit now. The mansion, estate, and 13-acre gardens are a dream.

Hillwood is a lush, green oasis in the middle of Washington and is worth a full weekend of touring, though you can see some of the highlights over the course of a few hours on a Sunday afternoon. There are several upcoming events that you won’t want to miss, like The Artistic Table (going on now) and Orchid Month (coming in March). For those of you outside of Washington, no need to worry. I’ll be covering both on the blog in the coming weeks!

French Drawing Room at Hillwood (photo courtesy Hillwood)

In addition to having some truly memorable exhibitions, Hillwood hosts some of the best of the best from the world of interior design, like Marshall Watson.

Marshall Watson’s experiences as a painter, theatrical set designer, actor, and interior designer all contribute to his uncanny ability to translate clients’ stories and tastes room by room. He fully embraces every project and client, so no two projects are the same. Still, you can see his vision, passion, and skill throughout his portfolio.

That evening at Hillwood, Watson invited us into one of his most intimate projects – his home in East Hampton.

(Photo courtesy The Garden Conservancy)

Watson’s love of symmetry, balance, and proportion is illustrated throughout. The long reflecting pool enhances one’s arrival onto the stunning property once past the carriage house, leading the eye upward towards the home. And what a sight to behold. The home was designed by Watson and is a combination of pieces from Federal, Greek Revival, and Shingle styles.

(Photo courtesy WAG Magazine)

The bright, golden yellow room above is my favorite in the home. The Swedish wall clock hanging in front of the mirror above the mantel is such an elegant touch. I adore the sunny, welcoming upholstered chairs – and the intricately detailed wallpaper, which is best described by Watson:

Rich yellow walls, stenciled in a seventeenth-century French pattern, are glazed with seven layers of shellac, enveloping the room in warmth. The classic columns, doors, and casings are painted in gloss to capture the shimmer of the sea.

Watson joked about the challenge that he almost always faces: how to hide the TV. And don’t we all? I, too, am still looking for that lovely antique armoire to conceal our ever-growing screen.

Of course, who couldn’t love the beautiful Palm Beach project that graces the cover of his wonderful book?

(Photo courtesy 27 East)

The stunning blue curtains above make a lovely statement against the gold walls and white columns in what Watson describes as a very “Slim Aarons-style.”

Watson’s mix of informal details is decidedly whimsical in the living room. Playful, informal elements like plaster sconces detailed to look like horseshoe crabs, a mirror trimmed in “antlers,” and frog clips in the style of Chanel jackets on the backs of chairs play off of the classic formality of the room’s hand-painted wallpaper panels, stunning marble fireplace, and Greek key pattern that repeats throughout the room.

(Photo courtesy of Quintessence)

Watson’s description of the intoxicating beauty of Palm Beach, too, is pure joy to read:

How can you not embrace the wonderfully cheeky ostentation of Palm Beach? With enormous manicured hedges surrounding French chateaux and Italian palazzi, there is a disorienting juxtaposition of over-the-top formality and an extremely informal climate. Similarly, the residents really put on the dog, but there’s a sense of humor to it, a chic, Slim Aarons-style lightness to go with the Lilly Pulitzer and the helmet hair. This duality carries over into the decorative milieu, which can swing from an elevated northern elegance dipped in white to colors that were not made by God. It is a land unto itself. And, always, a celebration.

My favorite project in Watson’s book, which I was not prepared to love as much as I do, is his Cabo Hacienda. Watson has a way of inviting the indoors out and coaxing the outdoors in. To me, this breathtaking project truly captures this incredible ability of his.

(Photos of Cabo Hacienda courtesy of Marshall Watson Interiors)

The dining area was hands-down my favorite part of this particular project. I love the turquoise background of the cabinets and the doors and windows that open throughout to let warm sunshine and coastal breezes in.

Watson’s way of speaking is as beautiful as his book is written. He even offered advice to this new homeowner of a newer-built townhouse: mind proportion and scale, and keep things appropriate. I invite you to pull up a chair and an Arnold Palmer and get lost in Watson’s magical world.

Cheers!