Caribbean Elegance

by Michael Connors

Here is an exotic interior-design book for anyone who has ever dreamed of escaping to a different way of life. The elegant lifestyle, magnificent homes, and varied furniture and decor of the French, Dutch, Spanish, English, and Danish islands of the Caribbean from the late 18th century to the early 20th century are revealed as never before in this sumptuous volume. With some of the most beautiful tropical islands on earth as a backdrop, dazzling photographs reveal the homes of the sugar barons who made their fortunes there. Tables and beds from St. Thomas and Ste. Croix, armoires and chairs from Martinique, cupboards and chests from the Spanish Antilles, settees and cabinets from the English islands; all are works that combine the grace and opulence of European and North American styles with the vernacular island forms and decorative motifs. These gorgeous examples give the reader a unique view of the casual refinement of aristocratic Caribbean living.

176 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2002

About the author

Michael Connors has over thirty years of experience in writing, consultation, appraisals and teaching in fine and decorative arts fields. An antiquarian in the true sense of the word, Dr. Connors is a recognized Caribbean author and has kept a home in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands since the early 1970s. He received a Master of Fine Arts from Universidad de las Americas and a Ph.D. in Decorative Arts from New York University. For fifteen years, Dr. Connors was an adjunct professor of arts at New York University where he moderated, as a conference director, three symposia including most recently “300 Years of New York Furniture.” He also taught decorative arts and appraisal methodology at New York University and furniture courses at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
An expert on the authenticity and evaluation of investment quality period furniture, Dr. Connors has been a Senior Member of the American Society of Appraisers as well as a key resource to dealers, designers, private collectors and museums looking for absolute integrity in Colonial West Indian, European and American furniture. He has appraised furniture and decorative arts in the United States Supreme Court Collection and the Diplomatic Reception Rooms of the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C.
As a liaison to Baker Furniture, he has consulted on the design of two furniture lines: The West Indies Collection, introduced in 1993, and Colonial Legends, introduced in 1998. For both projects, he researched and applied technique, style and craftsmanship of the Colonial trade esthetic. In 2011, he designed and introduced the Michael Connors Caribbean Collection at the High Point, N.C. furniture market. He served on the board of trustees of the Whim Museum in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, for fifteen years, and was Chairman of Collections during which time he was responsible, and is credited, for having brought colonial West Indian furniture forward as an independent collecting field. Presently he is on the board of directors of Fundación Amistad, a non-profit foundation dedicated to fostering mutual cultural and educational exchanges between the United States and Cuba.
In 1987, Dr. Connors established his own company, Michael Connors International, and has since developed a diverse group of trade and private clients. His showrooms have been featured three times in Architectural Digest and in numerous other shelter, style and trade magazines. He is a consultant for an international list of interior designers and architects, and a frequent lecturer at museums, educational and retail institutions.
Dr. Connors is regarded as the exponent and arbiter of Caribbean architecture and decorative arts. His first three books on colonial West Indian architecture, interiors and furniture, entitled Caribbean Elegance, Cuban Elegance, and French Island Elegance, were published by Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Maisons des Antilles was published by French Publisher Flammarion. Caribbean Houses: History, Style, and Architecture, British West Indies Style: Antigua, Jamaica, Barbados and Beyond and most recently The Splendor of Cuba: 450 Years of Architecture and Interiors were all published by Rizzoli International Publications, Inc.. Dr. Connors is a contributor to numerous trade journals, including: The Magazine Antiques, Art & Antiques, Antiques & Fine Art, Furniture History: The Journal of The Furniture History Society and Maine Antique Digest.

Reviews

[MaryRose Boysen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully prepared book. Lots of photographs.