Category Archives: Mario Buatta

Winter Gardens

L’esprit du jardin d’hiver is in the air, a quest for a life-affirming sanctuary in colder climes. Russian royalty dedicated palaces to Winter, as with the sixteen-hundred room Winter Palace of the Romanov’s in St. Petersberg. Emperor Nikolai I decreed that Russian artist Eduard Gau create watercolor renderings of the Winter Palace’s interior, the Russian Empire’s […]

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Puttin’ On the Ritz

 Now if you’re blue and you don’t know where to go to, why don’t you go where fashion sits? Puttin’ on the Ritz Puttin’ on the Ritz, a turn of phrase coined by Irving Berlin in 1929 for the song of the same name, was a slang expression to indicate “dressing stylishly”, inspired by London’s […]

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Throwback Thursday: Mario Buatta Kips Bay Showhouse Room

For this Thursday’s throwback room we revisit a cozy retreat decorated by Mario Buatta for the Kips Bay Showhouse sometime in the 1970’s. In a glance we recognize his trademarks – an abundance of floral chintz, painted furniture, slipper chairs and chinoiserie. But, what of the bows, you ask? They’re there, above, painted on to […]

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The Allure of Orange

Orange as a color for decorating, or sartorial considerations for that matter, doesn’t often enter my design vocabulary for whatever reason. However, autumn is my favorite of the seasons and I practically become giddy with excitement at the first sign of autumn’s golden yellows, glowing oranges, and fiery reds. The color orange radiates warmth  and […]

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Hello, Yellow!

The color yellow has been getting its due lately. In just the past few months it seems to be popping optimistically from the pages of shelter magazines and design books. Perhaps it is a reflection of the times in which we live, with sights set on a brighter future, or a longing and remembrance of […]

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