Inspired by the beautiful carved fireplace that the Endicotts brought back from Egypt in 1932, Donna Terry of Boston
Design and Interiors, Inc. set upon creating an Art Deco room design with Neoclassical / Egyptian Revival roots.
With Howard Carter’s discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922 there was a renewed interest in Egypt and the
exotic- and this event was considered to be one of the major stylistic influences of Art Deco. A decade earlier the exotic costumes and stage sets of the Ballet Russes- with sensuous fabrics, pattern, and color adorning characters depicted from the Orient, Egypt and Africa- impacted the decorative arts and interiors and provided another major stylistic influence of the period. Depictions of Napoleon’s conquest of Egypt appeared in the drawing rooms of London and Paris and murals of ancient Egyptian life were used as decoration on the great ocean liner Normandie.
Luxury Steamship Ocean liners advertised cruises to Cairo and Moorish lands in the 1930’s, and even before passengers reached their destination they would have been exposed to the French Art Deco style that adorned many of the ships’ salons. If the Endicotts had hired Boston Design and Interiors, Inc. upon their return trip from Egypt with their Egyptian fireplace surround and mantle we would have provided a very similar interior design scheme for their drawing room as the one you see today. It is filled with large pieces of striking custom art work made for the space, custom upholstered furnishings using luxurious silks and velvets in pink, raspberry, cobalt blue, and large scale leopard with black accoutrements, antique porcelain and other objects of interest converted into custom lamps, period appropriate tables, chairs and chests and luxurious window treatments in ‘pale pink with black velvet “speed lines”. This room lives well now, and it would have lived well then.
DRAWING ROOM
After returning from a voyage down the Nile River in 1930, William and Louise remodeled the drawing room. They
replaced the mantel and fireplace surround with an Egyptian Revival mantelpiece. It is a copy of a similar mantelpiece at Kernwood in Salem, the gothic revival country place of Frances Peabody. William, Jr’s uncle.
A ROOM WITH A VIEW: To the right, notice the Magnolia Tripetala. Amazing white spring blooms are followed by
giant green leaves with bright red cones in autumn. The Legendary weeping Beech tree, left of the gazebo, was
planted in 1898 when Chamberlain designed and had the arboretum planted, and is a prized possession.
Custom Furniture, Antiques, and Accessories Boston Design and Interiors, Inc.
Draperies Fabricated by J & I Custom Drapes and Upholstery
Rodding Fabricated by Window Imagination
Rugs and Chests Supplied by Manzel Interiors
Custom Art Work Available through Boston Design and Interiors, Inc.
Custom Lighting Created by Boston Design and Interiors, Inc.
Rendering By Donna Terry
Special offer for remaining 2025 dates - mention code "Celebrate25" when inquiring
