My husband dropped me off to explore Casa Amesti for our first visit. He was picking up some new film and thoughtfully thought I’d like to view this first morning on my own; the home of Frances Adler Elkins where many of the rooms are almost exactly as Frances left them——one of the major decorators of the 20th Century who presaged significant interior design changes. The bright morning sunlight disappeared as I opened the pale blue and beige glazed door of this 1833 adobe house to step into a dusky hall onto the used brick floor as the door closed behind me….
In essence I was a lone sightseer adjusting to the dim light as silent tranquility surrounded me. The museum-worthy rooms beckoned. I loved that first moment of awareness and the mind-boggling treasures I was about to experience; too much for one blog to detail, but hopefully some “Casa Amesti highlights” to show a bit of what her breakthrough eclectic designs achieved.
As in all adobe houses with 2′ thick walls, I entered into diffused light lighting my way as candle wall sconces and chandeliers called my attention to intriguing 18th century portraits of Spanish royalty. One period table held a blue and white Ming urn holding seasonal plants.
The long hallway opened onto a library, guest rooms and traversed the depth of the Casa and toward the rear French doors, a white plaster elk’s head peered at me from his lofty height.
My husband arrived, camera ready as did the three chefs who began preparing daily lunches for the Old Capitol Club members. We had permission for a week to photograph and research with the caveat of leaving the Casa during Club member hours, lunch and late afternoons. 
Frances thrived in her bubble-like environment of treasures that kept growing and growing through her sharp, observant skill set. Yearly buying trips to Paris, a stay at her Palazzo in Venice brought entire antique bookcases, parque flooring and much more from French chateaus. Spirited meetings turned into deep friendships with her avant-garde boundary-pushing designer friends CoCo Chanel, Jean-Michel Frank and the Gioacometti brothers.
Frances chiefly lived on the second floor of Casa Amesti where her bedroom, her daughter Katie’s bedroom and her brother David’s bedroom suites were located along with the dining room and the Sala, the main nerve center where guests were treated to convivial festivities.
When Katie was a little girl, she said, “I remember peeking into the Sala to see buckets of champagne, heaps of crepes, great big trays filled with splendid food…”
Climb the stairs with me and view the Casa’s amazing second-floor hallway guiding us to the Sala.
We are surrounded by a rich nineteenth century panorama of a blue Zuber and Cie 1834 wallpaper. 
Ingenious chandeliers made of French wicker baskets painted and wired for lighting spearhead our way.
THE SALA: David originated the extensive alterations to the main living/reception Sala included replacing the floor boards with new highly polished redwood boards, repairing the plank ceiling, adding steel floor supports, installing closets, bathrooms and french doors, an overmantel from England, new Dentil moldings, and painting the original stucco walls a lustrous white. THE SALA
The first commission David designed as a young architect for his Uncle in Lake Forest, IL
He did not start out small!
It must have been incredibly romantic to enter the Sala at night. Lamps and candle chandeliers enfolded guests into the glowing candlelight.
It was amusing to think that as we stepped into the Sala we were entering the same room that CoCo Chanel entered way back in the 1920’s. Frances’ unprecedented style of decoration included using the vibrant colors of blue, yellow and white, introducing Chinese Oriental rugs, French Provincial and English Antique furniture and a collection of Ching Dynasty 1622-1722 Turquoise Monochrome figures on demi-lune tables on both sides of the fireplace and more and more.
An English Regency wine tasting table circa 1820 had a pivoting shelf for liquors with a net sling to hold the empty bottles along with a brass rail to hold linen cloths.
David Adler designed the fireplace mantel and crown molding around the room. Wedgewood dolphin candlesticks, stag corbels and an 1783 oil painting “Saddle Horse” completed the handsome fireplace.
In the room’s center, a 19th century Georgian partner’s desk held silver candlestick lamps and lapis desk appointments. 
House guests and visitors had never seen this manner of mixing periods and trailblazing styles in one home. This was the 1920’s and eclectic decor was here to stay. Friends and visitors were inspired and asked for help in their own homes creating a profession for Frances who quickly became an interior decorator with an outstanding future. Her future offices would eventually include a staff of sixty.
Dinner was served in an adjoining dining room. A dumb waiter in the butler’s pantry between floors sent up Clementine’s meals. 
Clementine, Frances’ private Basque cook who traveled with her sent up her dinner treasures on the dumb waiter.
(When we met with Katie in her Hillsborough home, she told us the story of one Parisienne visit. When there, Frances had to have a kidney removed. Not being able to cook and hoping to surprise her mistress, Clementine enrolled herself in classes at the legendary Cordon Bleu cooking school definitively increasing the fame of dinner parties at the Casa Amesti.)
Dinner was served on Ming Dynasty plates. her table decor included small hand-made red decorative beaded trees created by her close friend, Misia Sert, the best friend of CoCo Chanel. (Misia was known as “the Muse Who Inspired Icons of Art” by Toulouse-Lautrec.) The table is English Regency-1899, the crystal chandelier-1900 and in one of two corner cabinets yellow French creil china depicting scenes of Napoleon’s campaigns.
Join me as we walk downstairs to the rear garden and the Solarium. Although the bedroom suites adjoining the Sala and hallway are creative and design-worthy, other highlights attract. The death of David Adler’s wife at a young age meant that he began spending more time in Monterrey with Frances. They traveled to Granada, Spain and were influenced by a courtyard at the Alhambra. They copied the design creating their own serene formal garden at the Casa in 1919. 
An early photograph of David and Frances.
A gentle drizzle was seeping through the dense foliage and sections of leafy canopy over us on that first visit. As we walked through the arbors it felt as if we were in an ancient cave where antique fountains popped up surprising us on our trek.
On the garden’s left is the original 19th century building that once housed the laundry, heating plant, wine cellar, servant’s quarters, and garage where the roof is home to a sweet watchdog viewing the scenery. 
Frances maintained this garden until her death in 1943.
Walk with me to Frances’ Casta Amesti’s office in…
The Solarium!
Frances had her brother design a solarium where she had her home office. It is an amazingly stunning room. Graceful white metal curved mullions of lovely shapes hold glass sections that are not on the surface but the glass must be inserted into the shapes.
Architecture by David Adler——Interior by Frances Adler Elkins
Frances and David Captured History
It’s been a privilege to have you walk with me this first day and see why,
it was invariably full circle——they always returned to Casa Amesti.
Sy’s Salient Points:
The Old Capitol Club Men’s club leases the Casa Amesti property. It is open only to members and their guests.
Frances created a design movement that encapsulate and promoted the work of exciting new American design companies.
One hopeful client lamented, “…if she turned you down as a client, you were better off leaving the state!”
Through Katie Boyd, we heard her Mother’s voice as only a daughter could bring their Mother to life.
The avant-garde designer, Jean-Michel Frank, a close friend of Frances was a first cousin to Anne Frank.
CoCo Chanel who seemed to be famous for just about everything she said and did, made this comment, “Fashion passes; style remains.” In making that statement, surely CoCo could have been thinking of her close friend, “FRANCES ADLER ELKINS”
Resources: Katie Elkins Boyd,——Blogs: “A Daughter and her Mother,” “Frances,” ASID Conference Lectures——Baltimore, MD., Sheila Yates,——Steven Salny,—— Scott Powell,-—— various University lectures, Sheila Yates,——Wikipedia
Happy Birthday Darling Blaire and Wondrously Festive Holidays To All