We recently had the pleasure in receiving some great cushion photos along with a fantastic article written by Frank Gran, owner of a picturesque 1920’s home he named “Tallulah’s Shack.” Many visitors enjoy its unique interior and history that Frank and partner, Russ, have brought to life in this charming cottage.

Parallel Lines fabric on lumbar cushions

Frank says, “Many homes in this rural area have names. After considering the saucy style and character of this seductive 1927 cottage, we christened it ‘Tallulah’s Shack,’ with a nod and wink to actress Tallulah Bankhead who was a star in the 30′s and 40′s. The cottage has many autographed photos of Miss Bankhead and a replica of an Oscar.”

He ordered these gorgeous custom cushions made with Legacy Onyx outdoor fabric for this beautiful veranda that surrounds three sides of this 1,100 square foot home. These classic black and white fabric cushions add a touch of old Hollywood style to these traditional Adirondack chairs.

Legacy Onyx fabric on Adirondack Chairs

After obtaining these photos and article I was curious to know more about the infamous Tallulah Bankhead.  I did some research and found out some interesting facts and stories regarding this unconventional Hollywood bomb shell.

I was surprised to find out that she was born in Huntsville, Ala., a conservative place for such an avant-garde woman. Her father, a democrat, was a politician of Alabama and served as a U.S. Representative and Speaker of the House. Her mother died not too long after Tallulah was born.

After winning a movie-magazine beauty contest at the age of 15 she convinced her family to let her move to New York where she pursued more acting roles. She developed a reputation for being a girl-about-town and used drugs and alcohol but it didn’t keep her from getting roles and being incredibly witty.

She starred in a Pulitzer Prize winning play called “They Knew What They Wanted” by Sidney Howard. Bankhead’s first film was “Tarnished Lady” (1931), directed by George Cukor. She went on to star in many more films and plays. Believe it or not, she was chosen to play the part of “Scarlett” in the big blockbuster “Gone with The Wind.” She was in her mid thirties at the time and although she read her lines superbly producers felt she was too old to play a young Scarlett O’Hara so Vivien Leigh was chosen instead. Although she missed a huge chance to play O’Hara” she gained plenty of success by winning the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Performance in the 1942 performance in Thornton Wilder’s “The Skin of Our Teeth.”

Tallulah Bankhead on the right

In her personal life she led a very controversial life. She was known for her appetite for the opposite sex but allegedly had relations with many Hollywood women such as Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford and blues and jazz singer Billie Holiday.

Though her career slowed in the mid-1950s, she never completely disappeared from the public eye. Even though she had become a heavy drinker and addicted to sleeping pills, Bankhead still performed in the 1950s and 1960s on Broadway, in the occasional film, as a popular radio show host and in television.

To order any of these fabrics and read more about “Tallulah’s Shack” visit Cushion Source .com