The Disciplined Modernist: Albert Hadley
Albert Hadley in his Manhattan pied-à-terre: photo by Patrick Cline
In contrast to his partner Sister Parish's love of chintz and needlepoint, Albert Hadley had a disciplined modernist eye. Hadley believed in "never less, never more," for his elite clientele at Parish-Hadley. The Nashville native used his Manhattan pied-à-terre’s living room as a design laboratory. During the 1980s, Hadley covered the walls with metal leaf tea paper and the black floor showcased one of his signature hooked zebra rugs. From Sister Parish, he learned to incorporate antiques as pieces of sculpture into his interiors.
Hadley’s Manhattan living room in the 1980s: Photo by Oberto Gili/Condé Nast
Born in 1920, Hadley received his education at Parsons School of Design in New York. There he encountered modern design legend Van Day Truex who became his mentor. A gift from Truex, a mid-century standing lamp was a whimsical touch in Hadley’s home office of 2010. A minimalist steel table with an H-stretcher from the 1970s served as his desk. For seating, Hadley selected German ebonized klismos chairs from the thirties, each upholstered in a different brilliant colored silk. On the ceiling, silver hologram paper casts an ethereal glow.
Hadley’s study in 2010: photo by Patrick Cline
While Hadley experimented with design in his apartment's living room, his restrained bedroom remained constant. A low bed with upholstered headboard and footboard in black fabric and red piping displayed a scarlet Hudson's Bay blanket. Hadley passed away in 2012, his exquisite jewel box of a home sold and its curated furnishings went to auction. His modernist eye lives on in the many designers he mentored at Parish- Hadley along with the fabrics and wallcoverings he designed now available through Sister Parish Design.
Hadley’s New York bedroom: Photo by Fernando Bengoechea
