Dream House The Lady In Yellow

The Lady In Yellow



If you are like me, this cover of Veranda is instantly recognizable as an interior done by Mary Douglas Drysdale, the iconic interior designer from Virginia. In the 90s, Mary was featured on this cover of Veranda and for several years, this color combination became her trademark. Who could forget those gorgeous silk plaid curtains? I never did. In fact one of my earlier jobs had curtains exactly like this in a shameless attempt at copying her!

Mary is known for using classic antiques mixed with contemporary art work. Her interiors aren’t exactly minimalist, but clutter is banished in favor of over scaled accessories: a large rooster, a sunburst mirror (before they were “in”), and wind vanes – all favorites of Mary’s.

Here, the yellow had become deeper – more vibrant, leaning toward orange. During her career – Mary has been on over 60 covers! An amazing achievement for someone with a small overhead - her staff numbers only four.

Yet, as often as Mary uses classic architecture and furniture, she also is comfortable designing using Americana motifs such as quilts and wind vanes. She is as competent designing a large mansion as she is a centuries old stone farmhouse. This yellow and white bedroom shows the quilts Mary is known for, along with her famous plaid curtains and the large sunburst mirror.



Beautiful period antiques mixed in with contemporary art – a trademark. Mary’s interiors often have classical architectural elements – elegant moldings and columns. Mary does it all – she is actively involved in the plans from the ground up.

Modern art work mixes with traditional furniture. Mary loves to paint floors. Rarely is a floor finished with just a plain wood stain. Here the plaid curtains have become stripes.

Gorgeous architectural elements - something Mary likes in her interiors. She studied in Paris for three years before she opened her interior design business. Notice the gorgeous gilt wind vane!

At her centuries old stone farmhouse, Mary was inspired by her neighbor’s pumpkins for her kitchen palette.

Yellow becomes orange! Mary admits she loves white backgrounds with bright pops of color.

A recent Veranda cover story showed this guest room in soothing greens with pops of pink.



Mary says that many fabrics she uses are actually put together by herself using several different pieces sewn together. In this recent project, the grand entrance hall is white with small pops of soft yellow and black accents.



In the same house, the formal living room is all creams and ivories. Notice the beautiful painted floor!



Mary Douglas Drysdale – a legend of our times, highly intelligent, hugely talented, and wonderfully talkative - visits the Skirted Roundtable this week. Be sure to listen – you’ll be as enthralled as Linda, Megan and I were. As always, your support and comments are most appreciated!!

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Dream House The Lady In Yellow

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