Frances Adler Elkins
Encyclopedia
Frances Adler Elkins, was one of the most prominent female designers in the 20th century.[1] She was the sister of the famous architect, David Adler. It was through their travels together in Europe that her inspiration began. She also found inspiration in the work of Jean-Michel Frank and Alberto Giacomett.
Her designs were unique to the time, even in comparison to her male counterparts. Her style developed into eclectic and bold through the use of color and furnishings. Elkins had the tendency to mix time periods and styles in nearly every room she completed. During the 1930's, Elkin's reputation had spread, giving her the title "decorator of choice" in San Francisco by the wealthy and prestigious families. By the end of her career, she had worked in collaboration with Adler to complete fifteen large scale houses.
Contents
• 1 History
• 2 Style
• 3 References
• 4 External links
Once finally finished, Frances’ friends were so impressed with the work she had accomplished that they wanted her to help them with their houses at Pebble Beach. Frances didn’t intend on decorating as a career. She didn’t go to college, or have any training on decorating in that matter. The only experience she had was the renovating she did on her own home, Casa Amesti. Even though she knew her experience and knowledge were little she decided to help her friends. One factor greatly influencing her decision to help was knowing that the closest designer her friends could get besides her was at least two hours away. Because of this realization that her friends needed help and so did several others, Frances decided to open her first shop, Casa Blanca. Casa Blanca was located in the Robert Louis Stevenson house on Houston Street in Monterey. Within this shop, Frances not only helped her friends design, but sold expensive antiques and decorative accessories. It wasn’t long and her business took flight, allowing Frances to visit Paris, one of her favorite places, often to sight see as well as getting specific things for her business and wardrobe.
For Frances, simplicity and quality, no matter what the cost, were the hallmarks of everything she did. She loved mixing costly pieces with inexpensive ones in a room and loved the surprise that came from doing so. “She was also noted for mixing traditional furnishings with contemporary designs.” Some of the furnishing most often used by her was designed by Jean-Michel Frank. Perhaps she was one of the first American decorators to promote his work in the U.S.
Though her shop began to flourish and her design style began to become known, perhaps one of the attributes that makes Frances the designer she is was her brother David. He was her mentor and great inspiration. Being an established architect designing the top homes in North Shore Chicago, he could relate to her work. He helped introduce her to potential clients as well making her more known.
Her first contract job came in 1930, when she was asked to design the interiors of the Cypress Point Club. The work she produced there furthered her reputation as a designer and by the late 1930s she was being called upon by wealthy individuals and couples in San Fransisco for decorating commissions of all kinds. She was the decorator of choice for the city’s most prominent families, Including the Haases, Schlesingers, and the Zellerbach. Here, Elkins collaborated frequently with Gardner Dailey, the modernist architect whose houses were especially visible on Telegraph Hill. In fact, she worked with Dailey on her last major commission (the Pacific Heights House of the Schlesingers) before her death in 1953. So with the two working together, they came up with a strategy to make the design a reality. Frances told Dailey to design a box, and she would take care of everything else. The two followed the task and the end design of the interior was breathtaking views of Frances’ ability to use modern design in a comfortable, welcoming way without any cloying sentiment. The outcome was remarkable. Part of what made this happen was Frances’ ability to control her clients Albert and Irma Schlesinger. Albert was one who was determined to have things his way and made several demands for those who worked for him. But in Frances’ hands, it is said that he was “putty”. “Frances knew how to control him and give him more than he even knew he wanted.” Frances had a motto, “Make the husband happy, and the job is done.”
Before this last commission, Frances also decorated the interiors of the Yerba Buena Club, which was built for the 1939 San Fransisco World Fair. She also decorated the first women’s dormitory at the University of California, Berkeley.
Frances Elkins was best known in California. Perhaps her greatest achievement that made her what she is considered today is from the timing she had in her design. She seemed to be ahead of every other decorator in mix of colors, styles, and modern innovation. Perhaps she is one of the most creative decorators in design history as well as one of the most important of the 20th century.
Her designs were unique to the time, even in comparison to her male counterparts. Her style developed into eclectic and bold through the use of color and furnishings. Elkins had the tendency to mix time periods and styles in nearly every room she completed. During the 1930's, Elkin's reputation had spread, giving her the title "decorator of choice" in San Francisco by the wealthy and prestigious families. By the end of her career, she had worked in collaboration with Adler to complete fifteen large scale houses.
Contents
• 1 History
• 2 Style
• 3 References
• 4 External links
History
Frances Adler Elkins was born in Milwaukee, WI in 1888. She did not attend college and married Felton “Pinky” Elkins in 1913. Together they had a daughter Katherine F. Elkins. Frances and Felton divorced in 1924 leaving Frances the responsibility to rear their daughter. She turned to design to make a living where she became quite popular in the California area. A lot of women who were divorced turned to Interior Design for a living to support themselves and their children. She designed residential areas such as the Haas Apartment(CA), the North Shore House(IL) and the Winslow House(CA) as well as commercial buildings like the Del Monte Properties Company(CA). She originally started designing residential houses for friends and social acquaintances before moving towards more of a commercial design. Elkins also collaborated with her brother, David Adler, on 15 different houses. Her brother is whom helped her discover her eye for design. On August 26, 1953, Frances died in a San Fransisco hospital at the age of 65.Career
Elkins’s career evolved shortly after her and her husband, Felton, purchased Casa Amesti, a historic adobe-style house in the seaside town of Monterey, California. Designed by Spanish immigrant, Don Jose Amesti, the house’s exterior represented a typical early Californian mission-style architectural home. Though the house had architectural desirable features, it was far from finished. So with the help of her brother David, Frances began to renovate both the interior and exterior of the home. They even managed to spare some time to work on the garden as well. While this renovation was taken place, Frances realized her marriage was falling apart leaving her and Felton to a divorce. This struggle in her life didn’t keep her from continuing her desire to finish what she had started. Frances completed the renovations of Casa Amesti.Once finally finished, Frances’ friends were so impressed with the work she had accomplished that they wanted her to help them with their houses at Pebble Beach. Frances didn’t intend on decorating as a career. She didn’t go to college, or have any training on decorating in that matter. The only experience she had was the renovating she did on her own home, Casa Amesti. Even though she knew her experience and knowledge were little she decided to help her friends. One factor greatly influencing her decision to help was knowing that the closest designer her friends could get besides her was at least two hours away. Because of this realization that her friends needed help and so did several others, Frances decided to open her first shop, Casa Blanca. Casa Blanca was located in the Robert Louis Stevenson house on Houston Street in Monterey. Within this shop, Frances not only helped her friends design, but sold expensive antiques and decorative accessories. It wasn’t long and her business took flight, allowing Frances to visit Paris, one of her favorite places, often to sight see as well as getting specific things for her business and wardrobe.
For Frances, simplicity and quality, no matter what the cost, were the hallmarks of everything she did. She loved mixing costly pieces with inexpensive ones in a room and loved the surprise that came from doing so. “She was also noted for mixing traditional furnishings with contemporary designs.” Some of the furnishing most often used by her was designed by Jean-Michel Frank. Perhaps she was one of the first American decorators to promote his work in the U.S.
Though her shop began to flourish and her design style began to become known, perhaps one of the attributes that makes Frances the designer she is was her brother David. He was her mentor and great inspiration. Being an established architect designing the top homes in North Shore Chicago, he could relate to her work. He helped introduce her to potential clients as well making her more known.
Her first contract job came in 1930, when she was asked to design the interiors of the Cypress Point Club. The work she produced there furthered her reputation as a designer and by the late 1930s she was being called upon by wealthy individuals and couples in San Fransisco for decorating commissions of all kinds. She was the decorator of choice for the city’s most prominent families, Including the Haases, Schlesingers, and the Zellerbach. Here, Elkins collaborated frequently with Gardner Dailey, the modernist architect whose houses were especially visible on Telegraph Hill. In fact, she worked with Dailey on her last major commission (the Pacific Heights House of the Schlesingers) before her death in 1953. So with the two working together, they came up with a strategy to make the design a reality. Frances told Dailey to design a box, and she would take care of everything else. The two followed the task and the end design of the interior was breathtaking views of Frances’ ability to use modern design in a comfortable, welcoming way without any cloying sentiment. The outcome was remarkable. Part of what made this happen was Frances’ ability to control her clients Albert and Irma Schlesinger. Albert was one who was determined to have things his way and made several demands for those who worked for him. But in Frances’ hands, it is said that he was “putty”. “Frances knew how to control him and give him more than he even knew he wanted.” Frances had a motto, “Make the husband happy, and the job is done.”
Before this last commission, Frances also decorated the interiors of the Yerba Buena Club, which was built for the 1939 San Fransisco World Fair. She also decorated the first women’s dormitory at the University of California, Berkeley.
Frances Elkins was best known in California. Perhaps her greatest achievement that made her what she is considered today is from the timing she had in her design. She seemed to be ahead of every other decorator in mix of colors, styles, and modern innovation. Perhaps she is one of the most creative decorators in design history as well as one of the most important of the 20th century.
Style
Frances' style can be described as sophisticated eclectic with a combination of antique and modern pieces. When working she would try to match the design to the client's personalities and characteristics including color palettes and individual pieces of furniture. Elkins also liked to use colors as contrast as well as pose as unifying factor in the room. She set the eclectic popularity with the play of colors and contemporary furnishings. Her sophisticated style in design created interest for important figures such as blue blood members of the social elite and famous hollywood stars and producers. It varies from country French and English to Chinoiserie to art deco as well as loved by most art appreciators. She even influenced other popular designers like Michael Taylor. She liked patterns and used a lot of stripes and checkerboard in her flooring and drapes.Style in Casa Amesti
Adler and Elkins’s unorthodox integration of diverse architectural styles and period pieces made Casa Amesti distinctive and original. For example, in the sala, on the second floor, the classical details that Adler added—a dentil cornice, fluted door casings and a pedimented overmantel purchased in England—were juxtaposed with the adobe’s thick plastered walls and plank ceiling. The room’s highly polished redwood floors served as a foundation for Elkins’s harmonious mixture of English, French and Chinese furnishings, which she arranged symmetrically, in accordance with Adler’s design principles. A strict palette of blue, yellow and white—her favorites—also unified the interior. The timing of the design for the Casa Amesti was perfect. The divorce of the short marriage had dissolved easily and an early client and started a positive rumor of her work. Her design techniques were beautiful which led her to design many more spaces.External links
- "Frances Adler Elkins." Https://digital.lib.washington.edu. Pacific Coast Architecture Database (PCAD). Web. 27 Oct. 2011. https://digital.lib.washington.edu/architect/architects/1108/>.
- - Frances Adler Elkins