What type of home would you expect a Ringling (yes, as in the circus) family member to inhabit? We were surprised by what we found when we saw interior designer Katherine North's two bedroom Russian Hill flat...
Despite North's connection to circus life (including a month spent traveling with and managing the business), her home is remarkably low key, with memorabilia from her family's storied past found in small accents, like a cluster of black and white photos and a clock belonging to her grandfather. We like the subtle touch and thoughtfully collected items from North's past, though we must admit it wasn't quite what we were expecting. Read the SF Examiner article and see more photos here.
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Comments (9)
Well, Ringling has a legacy of abusing animals, especially elephants, so I would expect some sort of dead animal carcass or tortured animals. Cute dogs, though. Sorry, but it's true.
Debbie Downer, much? What I meant to say was, "I like the orange art on the wall."
Visit http://www.circuses.com/ringling.asp to see how Ringling truely treats their animals. If you want to see a cruelty free cirus act go to the Cirque du Soleil http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/
Y'all need to calm down. Its a blog about smart design. Not about airing the family crimes of the House of Ringler.
thanks so much for the link... it's great to know and I completely disagree with pollymagoo... it's ALWAYS a good time to educate no matter the blog...
I was just in Sarasota and toured the Ringling Museum. It's quite impressive. While you are in Sarasota you can also take a Modern House tour and see designs by Paul Rudolph
http://www.modernsarasota.com/
Read about the current trial in federal court at http://www.elephants.com. Animal rights groups are suing the company that owns Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Feld Entertainment, saying bull hooks harm the 54 Asian elephants, an animal protected by the Endangered Species Act. Founder of the Elephant Sanctuary, Carol Buckley has testified in this trial regarding PTSD trauma to captive elephants in circuses and zoos. I hope that readers of Apartment Therapy will take a few moments to get information about this issue.
Ringling Brothers is NOT a legacy to be proud of. I think it's fine for us to bring that up in this forum, since in the Examiner article, Ms. North talks about how great the circus and its employees are.
I'm sorry AT but I have to agree. I love this site and what it represents and I am very disappointed, and feel a little betrayed, that you would highlight someone's home that is tainted with animal blood. Ringling is the epitome of animal cruelty. It would be different if say, she was related to the Ringling family and chose not to associate herself, personally and financially, with the business due to ethical reasons. I would admire her for that! But that's not the case. Ms. North strikes me as a hypocritical and egocentric individual for posing there with her dogs as though she's some kind of animal lover when she actually worked there and claims to be so proud of the circus. Shame on you and shame on her. Boo.