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High Style
A Visit Through Vienna By Jamie Moore
Next, step inside Vienna's sprawling Baroque Imperial Palace to see how six centuries of Habsburg emperors lived. As you might expect, hundreds of opulent objects occupy 22 rooms in the 19th-century imperial apartments of Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth. Dark walnut paneling, gilt accessories and Rococo-style furniture fill one of the rooms used for entertaining. In Elisabeth's study, a single desk and chair sit beneath the vaulted ceiling and crystal chandelier.
Interior designer Kerry Joyce likes rooms to have a sense of history without feeling too unnatural or stodgy. For each client, he spends more than a year collecting just the right unusual or historic pieces. "I like to create a sense of quiet luxury without being ostentatious," says Joyce, owner and president of Kerry Joyce Associates design firm in Los Angeles. "I often juxtapose classic pieces with modern ones."
Monastic Masterpieces
Venture to the Danube Valley just east of Vienna, and you'll find nothing quiet in the luxurious Melk Abbey perched high above the Danube River. At Melk Abbey, endless gilded ornaments and fine frescoes make up the Baroque madness here. In the library, an extra tier painted on the ceiling creates an illusion of greater height, and the slightly-curved ceiling accentuates the effect. Also situated in the Danube Valley, the Klosterneuburg Abbey is home to one of the major masterpieces of medieval art: the Verdun Altar. The winged altar's 51 gold and enamel panels represent Biblical events including the parting of the Red Sea.
The Hills Are Alive