Cocktail Reception honoring Sponsors and Upper-level Members   April 29, 2022

Acclaimed Birmingham architect James F. Carter will be a special guest when Stephanie and Spence Wilson welcome Sponsors and other upper-level Decorative Arts Trust members to their extraordinary home for a cocktail reception featuring  music by Breeze Cayolle.

Birmingham Architect James F. Carter at Brooks Museum Apr 30, 2022

Decorative Arts Trust will welcome Birmingham architect James F. Carter to Brooks Museum for a lecture open to members and guests. . Carter, who has clients in major cities throughout the South, will discuss his design process while illustrating his talk with images of his acclaimed homes, including in Memphis.

Ceramic Designer and Author:  Christopher Spitzmiller, Mar 31, 2022

Renowned ceramist Christopher Spitzmiller is known to friends and Instagram fans alike as the ultimate weekend farmer. He will take Decorative Arts Trust participants to Clove Brook Farm with tips for flower arrangements, garden planning, and entertaining.

Special Event for Patrons and other Upper-level Members Apr 14, 2022

The home of artist and DAT board member Sue Layman Lightman and her husband Steve Lightman will be the site for the Spring Patrons' event. Their light-filled home will welcome guests for cocktails and light hors d'ouvres.

Entertaining in the Gilded Age: Biltmore House and Downton Abbey Feb 9, 2020

The entertainments at Biltmore House, Asheville, North Carolina, built by George Vanderbilt, were a source of much intrigue for Gilded Age society. Biltmore curator Leslie Klingner will describe the many parallels between life at America's largest home and Downton's beloved Highclere Castle.

Duchess of Rutland, Her Grace Emma Manners Mar 4, 2020

Belvoir Castle and estate has been the ancestral home of the Dukes of Rutland for nearly 1000 years.. The 11th Duchess, Emma Manners, has left her mark on the estate with a thirty-year program of house and garden restoration.  . She will give an illustrated tour of some of the house's stunning interiors including the Private Apartments

Holiday Event for Patrons and Upper-Level Members   December 14, 2020

A private home in Normandy Park will be decorated for the holidays and ready to welcome Patrons and Upper-level Members for wine and light hors d’oeuvres as we celebrate the season together on December 5th.

Important Gift Revealed  Oct 17, 2019

Head of Judas Iscariot by Nicholau Chanterene, c. 1527-45, is carved from Anca limestone, likely for Lisbon or Evora Portugal. A native of France but active in Spain and Portugal, Nicholau Chanterene is attributed with bringing the Renaissance style to the Iberian peninsula. This generous gift from the DAT to Brooks is one of the few sculptures by Chanterene in near perfect condition and is the only known work by this artist held in a US institution.

Fall Kickoff  Sept 26, 2019

Decorative Arts Trust will launch the 2019-2020 program year with an event in a beautiful designer home in the Gardens of River Oaks. Join other members, new and returning, for wine and hors d'ouvres  from 6:30 to 8:00 while celebrating the start of our 40th year of giving to Brooks Museum and the community.

DAT Brings Ray Booth to Art By Design May 11, 2019

Decorative Arts Trust will team with ArtsMemphis to provide a glamorous finale to Art By Design, the wildly successful fundraiser now in its fourth year. You'll want to join the festivities for a Champagne Brunch with featured speaker interior designer Ray Booth.

Annual Meeting May 7, 2019

This year's Annual Meeting will take us to the historic Beverly Hall.  The Colonial Revival mansion was built in 1905,  designed by Kentucky architect W. J. Dodd and constructed by the local firm of Joes and Furbringer in what is now the Central Gardens area.

Madeline Stuart: No Place Like Home ,Nov 14, 2019

The daughter of a Hollywood movie directo) Stuart grew up as a show biz insider and is a leading member of the Los Angles design community. Equally at home from a Fifth Avenue apartment to a Rocky Mountain retreat, Stuart stresses above all the marriage of integrity and beauty.  She was selected for the inaugural A-List of Elle Decor magazine in 2009 and has been included every year since

Behind The Throne: A Domestic History of the British Royal Household Apr 18, 2019

Despite the castles, crown jewels, and other trappings of the monarchy, English royals have many of the same issues as average people. Adrian Tinniswood OBE will uncover the reality of five centuries of life at the English court, taking us on a remarkable journey from one Queen Elizabeth to another.

Today's Garden with Landscape Architect Gavin Duke Apr 14, 2019

Gavin Duke, partner in the prestigious landscape architecture firm Page/Duke, will discuss some of his signature landscape and garden designs. He combines landscape architecture with other arts to design gardens and living environments for people, plants, and animals.

Tale of a Tapestry Mar 24, 2019

 Less than a quarter century before King Henry VIII abolished the Catholic Church in England and dissolved the monasteries, church officials in Canterbury commissioned a set of six magnificent tapestries to hang above the choir of Christ Church Cathedral. Dr. Rosamund Garrett, Curator of European and Decorative Arts, will recount the epic tale of war, revolution, and multiple thefts that marked the 600-year journey of this important art from Kent to Provence.

 

Suzanne Kasler: Sophisticated Simplicity Feb 21, 2019

Suzanne Kasler, named an A-list designer by both Architecture Digest and Elle Decor, is known for rooms with a foundation in tradition, beautiful palettes, and timeless sophistication. Author of the bestselling Suzanne Kasler: Sophisticated Simplicity, she'll share a wealth of original ideas for the design professional or anyone with a passion for interior design.

Nina Campbell to Speak to Decorative Arts Trust Jan 26, 2019

Renowned for her contagious wit and brilliant sense of style, Nina Campbell is one of the world's most respected and influential interior designers.  In addition to private commissions in England and abroad, Campbell has created successful fabric and wallpaper collections. Her famous retail shop for home accessories and gifts in London's Knightsbridge area has remained a favorite for more than thirty years.

Addison Mizner: The Architect Who Transformed Palm Beach Nov 8, 2018

Addison Mizner transformed Palm Beach and South Florida with his visionary architecture. He designed, among many others, the landmark Everglades Club in Palm Beach and the Boca Raton Resort and Club in Boca Raton.  Stephen Perkins and James Caughman will examine Mizner's life and origins and explore how the events of his life influenced his marvelous architectural legacy.

Sonia Purnell, "A Woman of No Importance" October 27, 2018

Sonia Purnell, best-selling author of A Woman of No Importance, will recount the true story of Virginia Hall, an American debutante, who became the leader of one of the largest networks of WWII French resistance fighters. Discounted over and over by the U.S. State Department during World War II, she was called the "most consequential woman in the war" and honored with the French Croix du Guerre and the British Order of the British Empire.

Winston Churchill: Young Titan Oct 20, 2018

In modern history, Winston Churchill conjures the memory of the cigar-smoking lion of World War II. Few recall that at the age of 40, he was considered washed up, his best days behind him. Michael Shelden has produced the first biography focused on Churchill's formative years, a time of high drama, intrigue, personal courage, and grave miscalculations.  Michael is currently a professor at Indiana State University.

Special Event for Sponsors, Donors, Associates, and Benefactors Oct 11, 2018

Before the beautiful raised Louisiana cottage home of Lois and Chris Canale was built at 199 West Cherry Circle, there was a farmhouse on the site. Designed by architect Oscar Menzer in 2009 and decorated by Linda Kay McCloy, this impressive home will provide a welcoming location for a cocktail reception as the summer breaks its hold on Memphis. .

DAT Goes To The Country May 26, 2018

The 2018 Annual Meeting will take place at the family farm of Lucy Lee, West End, in north Shelby County. This 157- year-old home is perched on 100 acres and borders a lovely lake. The home has undergone recent renovations and will provide the perfect setting for a backyard barbeque picnic.

A Conversation With Marshall Watson Apr 7, 2018

New York-based interior designer Marshall Watson is best known for creating classic, light-filled and elegant interiors with a modern sensibility. Internationally recognized. Winner of Traditional Home's "Designer of the Year" award and featured on Luxe's 2017 Gold List, Watson's work has been featured in numerous publications.

The Rothschild Family As Collectors, A High Victorian Legacy at Waddesdon Manor Mar 17, 2018

The Rothschilds became the most powerful banking family of the 19th century. .Baron Ferdinand, the builder of Waddesdon Manor, looked to the chateaus of France for his model of the perfect country home.  He became a Member of Parliament and was a trustee of the British Museum. Ulrich Leben is the Associate Curator of Furniture, The Rothschild Collection, at Waddesdon Manor. He will recount some of the history of the collection including stories of the many fascinating guests who visited.

Let's Talk Design! Mar 1, 2018

Join in a lively discussion about interior design, architecture, and creating environments in Memphis in this decade. .Designer and Decorative Arts Trust board member Lana Zepponi will moderate the panel featuring Greg Baudoin of Greg Baudoin Interior Design, Ann Parker of Parker Design Studio, and Barry Yoakum of Archimania. You will view images of their recent work and hear what inspires them and their clients to create unique and stunning homes and offices.

Papier Peints with Carolle Thibaut-Pomerantz Feb 3, 2018

Carolle Thibaut-Pomeranz has served as art consultant to corporations, collectors and designers for over twenty-five years, in the field of European Decorative Arts of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Within this field, her expertise is French Antique Wallpapers from the late eighteenth century to the Art Deco period. Pomeranz has pioneered the rediscovery of this unique art form within the decorative arts.