What does James F. “Jimmy” Jones, Jr., president of Trinity College in Hartford, CT, have in the formal living room of his home? Antique Victorian furniture, of course.
The Hartford Courant has just run an engaging article on Mr. Jones’s life in a fishbowl on Trinity’s campus. Each morning he dashes outside, clad in his bathrobe, to get his newspaper. It’s usually early enough that none of the students or faculty sees him.
Mr. Jones and his wife Jan have lived in the president’s house since 2004. One of the challenges facing the Joneses when they first moved in was how to make their largely antique furnishings work in what was a modern, contemporary home. In the end it turned out to be a good fit.
The formal living room, home to the Victorian furniture which came from Jan’s great-grandmother, is where they often hold receptions. The one and only photo accompanying the article is fortunately of this room. The furniture (see if you can spot all the chairs) gives the space a remarkably comfortable and inviting aspect. The article calls it “warm and welcoming.”
It’s worth remembering what a social world the Victorians lived in. The furniture was meant to say “Welcome!” Furniture designed for function alone simply doesn’t speak to you in the same way.