their own home/studio—one of their many homes over the years. This vast building
consisted of work rooms, creative studio spaces, dining rooms, offices and bedroom
suites. Perhaps more important, the home boasted a ballroom that was 100 feet
long, 25 feet wide and had 28-foot ceilings, with a stage at one end and a double
Venetian staircase at the other. The room, referred to as the “big room,” was the
perfect setting for Duquette’s famously extravagant private parties. The historic
Tony Duquette Studios on Robertson Boulevard in Los Angeles became a haven
of grace and charm, and a favorite destination for Duquette’s legendary clients
and friends.
Among these friends was Hutton Wilkinson, who began working with Tony as
a teenager, forging a creative partnership that lasted until Duquette’s death in
1999. Wilkinson now serves as President and Creative Director of Tony Duquette,
Inc. The team’s private clients have included Doris Duke, J. Paul Getty, Norton
Simon, David O. Selznick, Jennifer Jones and James Coburn.
Commercial clients for whom Duquette and Wilkinson have worked include
Elizabeth Arden, the Hilton Hotels Corporation, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company,
Sheraton Hotels and the Music Center of Los Angeles. International commissions
include Barretstown Castle in Ireland, an 18th-century apartment on the Place du
Palais-Bourbon in Paris, and the interiors for the 12th-century Palazzo Brandolini
on the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy.
Duquette’s goal was to inspire individuality and creativity in others. He never
duplicated any of his work. Each job was custom-inspired by the client, the
architecture and his own distinct vision. Said Wilkinson, “His attitude was that
the last definition of luxury was that it’s just for you.”
Though Duquette’s style could hardly be defined, he liked to refer to his work as
“Natural Baroque” because of his use of shells, antlers, coral, bones and feathers.
Tony drew inspiration from countless periods and styles—from Victorian to
Moroccan to ancient Chinese.
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