Washington Winter Show 2023

40 I t is sometimes said that Bunny Mellon’s design philosophy can be summarized in the simple maxim ‘nothing should be noticed,’ but this hardly does justice to her exquisite taste or the breadth of her creativity. Any familiarity with Bunny Mellon’s world soon reveals that none of the unique constellations of spaces, objects, colors, and textures she created were accidental. All were carefully considered. Sophisticated and widely read, Bunny Mellon could readily accommodate Mark Rothko from her own time, alongside Jan van Kessel the Elder from three centuries before. She recognized how seemingly disparate ideas, objects and materials could be artfully combined into a uniquely harmonious and comfortable whole. The sweep of Bunny Mellon’s artistry sees its fullest expression in the estate, garden, and home that she shared with her husband Paul in by Philippa Hechl and Peter Crane The Agile Mind and Discerning Eye of Rachel ‘Bunny’ Lambert Mellon Oak Spring Garden Library, east wall, with a hat designed by Patricia Underwood and a Louis XVI style chair with the letter B. Oak Spring Garden Foundation, Upperville, Virginia. Fred Conrad, photographer.