Madeleine Castaing, and Emily returns

I am so happy friend and fellow blogging wonder Emily Eerdmans is back! Blogging that is-
Little does she need the exercise in wordsmithing. Her books-5 of them: Classic English Design and Antiques, Regency Redux, The World of Madeleine Castaing, Mario Buatta: Fifty Years of American Interior Decoration-with the "Prince" himself, and her newest, Wendell Castle: A Catalogue Raisonné-to be released in July-give her all the workout she needs.
But, I'll not question it-I'll just enjoy it.

 read Emily's latest posting here.

 Her Castaing book-the definitive one on the grande dame-and the first-is my favorite. It's spellbinding. Castaing is such a giving subject-and cause for my own (as always) whimsical meanderings.
This weekend, it just happens to be the lady's summer wardrobe for her country house Lèves.

find Emily's books here

the Prince's Book

of Perfect.

A book-A treasure-make that treasury of Mr Buatta's Wonderful World of Rooms.

It's biblical in proportions and oh so wise in words. Thanks to a perfect pairing of Mario Buatta and the incomparable Emily Evans Eerdmans, the book called MARIO BUATTA, Fifty Years of American Decoration- should be placed atop your book stack-never another to be placed above it... you get the picture. What a divine book to have right now-when many of the rooms I see in magazines seem to be published in black and white- and not the Good black and white. I long to toss a comfortable pillow made in a print-or two or three of them-even better! The warmth of rooms is missing in most-but Let Us Pray for the return of some Joy in rooms-like the rooms of Mr. Buatta.
Of course-my true motto is Live and Let Live-but Come On- Live A Little!

The decorator Mario Buatta agrees. You must remember- I -as a college graduate novice designer (the current preferential title) grew up revering the Prince's rooms, but for me and Mario-we prefer to be called decorator. It is what I love to do best- make rooms beautiful. "Designers" have created some mighty chilly rooms-sterile even. If it must be chilly -make it a room full of chintz, books, magazines, dogs (always), sweaters, a fire and a hot toddy.
Sweet Dreams!

Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Altschul Residence, Centre Island, NY—living room. 

© Gordon Beall / Architectural Digest © Conde Nast Publications

It would be so easy to tuck in to a Buatta sofa with a good book, how about MARIO BUATTA... and doze off with visions of the English countryside dancing in our heads. Better yet-I'd love to sleep for days, years, I'm thinking Fairy Tale Princesses-the Princess and the Pea, Snow White, in a Mario Buatta bed...Once Upon a Time, there was A Prince who Loved Chintz... so that song has already been written, really and truly- there is a song-(lyrics in the book).

Former Residence of Mario Buatta, New York, NY—bedroom. © Richard Champion

Mr. Buatta's Bedrooms: dressed beds-as in days of yore, for a feeling of warmth-even if the heat is on, saturated color, bamboo shades, 

period appropriate curtains, English antiques-Chinoiserie please and something warm underfoot to step out on in the morning.

Painting of Mario’s 1984 Kips Bay show-house room. © 1984 Jeremiah Goodman

The venerated Nancy Lancaster, from Virginia, brought the English country house style to England and Mr. Buatta brought it back to the States...and they lived happily ever after. I love a story that credits history, one that revers the greats. Mr. Buatta's story-along with Nancy Lancaster (a fairy godmother perhaps?) includes the characters, John Fowler (the Sage), Sister Parish (no relation), and Rose Cumming (La Folle de Chaillot) - all contributed to the Prince's Fifty Years of Interior Decoration.
The story is told with beautiful narration in over 490 pages of Buatta's work. It's Big-its Bold-its Beautiful.

Mario Buatta in front of  painting. © Jason Schmidt and Nest magazine/ Background painting. © Sander Witlin

Born into the jazzy interiors of Art Deco-his father was a bandleader-Mario heard a different drum-something like Strass's 1896 Also sprach Zarathustra opening "Sunrise, (that's Kubrich's 2001 A Space Odyssey's opening theme to your modern ears). His aunt Mary was a chic Auntie Mame type and supportive of his elegant dreaming scheming ways- taking him on her decorating trips and encouraging his aesthetic. He started collecting in earnest at the wise old age of 11.

Today-it might be said he is forever young and seeing his work in this full bodied book it looks fresh and Joyous! Not a Mario Buatta Revival-heavens no-but an  Ah Ha Moment, & Of the Moment. Yes- that's it and that's Right- because Mr. Buatta never left the building.

Thank you to Rizzoli for an advance copy of this fantastic book-you can find it everywhere this fall!

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Maureen Footer: about books

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photograph by Mary Hilliard

 Maureen wearing a signature gold charm bracelet "collected from my travels--Vietnam, Morocco, an elephant custom made in Jaipur, gold zori from Japan, an English seal, a pyramid and a scarab from the bazaar in Cairo, the Parthenon from Athens, bluefooted booby from the Galapagos, etc. I am so attached to it. It could not be replaced without retracing my footsteps."

Last month when I was in New York for several days-I got to catch up with Maureen Footer. I met Maureen along with Emily Eerdmans two years ago and we've stayed in touch. Maureen had a luncheon at her apartment on Saturday-with guests-Emily,Christopher Petkanas and Tim Sheridan.

Maureen has mastered the art of the Luncheon with aplomb-(sorry I did not get a photograph of the beautiful setting-as usual). What was prettiest were the table linens-her napkins were family heirlooms. There was lively conversation-talk of design,books,blogs and design-and books, etc etc.

a wonderful Library designed by Maureen

Maureen is a noted interior designer with a number of published projects. Her newest project though is her book to be published by Rizzoli in 2014. I can not wait to read it. Entitled George Stacey and the Creation of American Chic-it seems a great fit-as she is quite Chic-always looks smart & at ease whether dressed in an evening gown or something casual. On Saturday, Maureen was wearing a leopard print skirt -vintage YSL, a white Lacoste polo & Roger Vivier's Belle du Jour pumps called so because Deneuve wore them in the movie of that title-voilà -classic chic.

The subject of her book,George Stacey is perhaps best known as mid century society's crème de la crème decorator-specifically Babe Paley. Babe was famously photographed by John Rawling for Vogue in her Kiluna Farm Stacey decorated living room wearing Charles James in 1950. The Paley art collection is arresting-as is Mrs. Paley-but Stacey's decoration is equally so. The crimson gown must have been selected as complement to Stacey's seductive study in emerald-canary and cerulean. Stacey worshiped at the altar of high WASP-with women like Babe as his acolytes-his rooms gave off a decidedly French soignee.

“The look of being too deliberately dressed, with everything cautiously matching, always bores me. I like the sudden shock of non-sequitur color. Color, in fact, is my weakness.” Babe Paley. Stacey must have agreed. I asked Maureen for a tease about the book-and not wanting to reveal too much-(as any seasoned designer will tell you is A Don't) she sent me a portrait of Stacey with this description.

This Hans Van Nes Stacey portrait mirrors Stacey’s design sensibility in the 1930s, it’s an interesting portrait  and their work together was significant for both of them. I also love the over scaled baluster (so Stacey!) and how its echoing shadow and negative space is filled in by Stacey in profile. The sophistication of the work is the very same sophistication we see in Stacey’s work in the 1930s. Do you not just adore his suit?

 George Stacey and the Creation of American Chic

George Stacey photographed by Hans Van Nes

(photograph provided by Maureen Footer)

 

Van Nes was Stacey's charming partner in their antique business & went on to become an established photographer in the 1930s & shot some of the early projects that brought Stacey recognition and publication in Town and Country, House and Garden, and Vogue. One can imagine the symbiotic artistic relationship the two probably shared:  Van Nes knew Stacey’s aesthetic well and how to capture it to full advantage on his lens.  Perhaps even more important, George learned how the camera reads space and how to work intuitively with volume, light, contrast to design  incredibly photogenic rooms.  Not only did editors gravitate to his rooms like catnip, but great  fashion editors and  photographers used Stacey rooms for fabulously seductive fashion photographs.

Can't Wait for Maureen's book! I've longed to know more about Stacey ever since I saw the Babe Paley Rawlings photograph.

Now-In keeping with my promise to bring the best books-new and old to you this December, I asked Maureen what was in her stacks to be read.
Here's her list:



 Emperor of Scent by Chandler Burr (that's for my perfume OBSESSION)

Faithfull by Marianne Faithfull (for my Rolling Stones fix)

 The Age of Comfort by Joan Dejean about the evolution of 18th c French interior architecture

Charlotte Moss's book Charlotte Moss: A Visual Life -just picked up at her book signing. 

American Lady (in French) about Susan Marie Alsop, a post War picture of Paris. just translated into English.

I've read the Alsop biography, and the Dejean book and Charlotte's book too. I am getting ready to read Emperor of Scent-after exploring Maureen's recommendation. Maureen and I are of like minds on a number of things-definitely books-along with good design-and great friends.


I've written about Maureen before-HERE are several post links.
Maureen Footer Design HERE.