Maureen Footer, NYSD

Maureen Footer, via New York Social Diary

While I had purchased the Maureen Footer book on decorator George Stacey, I then loaned it to a friend, and haven't seen it since!  I had forgotten about this wonderful piece done on her on the NYSD...Maureen has lamps by Chris Spitzmiller in her charming, euro influenced New York flat, which happens to be a studio!  Maureen is a beautiful and elegant woman, and I hope to get a chance to meet her one day. 

Hailing from San Francisco, Ms. Footer represents a certain, smart, type of girl, my kind of girl, with a wonderfully honed eye, based in the classics.  Like I am forever saying, Classics Are Forever.  Not unlike Alicia Silverstone in Clueless!  :)  (see the Vanity Fair write-up on Clueless in the latest issue).  But, I digress.

Wasn't Maureen clever to use that fabulous tapestry as a focal point?  She does not own a television. If you read my blog posts, you may know that I too, wouldn't own one, if they hadn't been given to me over the years.  I still take a perverse kind of pleasure in watching my world's smallest flat screen.  I think the screen itself is no more than 10 x 17 ! Inches.  !

Style is creating a Proustian, elegant ambiance in a Manhattan studio apartment. See more of it on NYSD HOUSE click on Maureen Footer under Decorator Series.  Enjoy!  DF *****

* * * * *   

Mark Hampton On Fireplaces

From "Mark Hampton On Decorating" 1989 Random House

Continuing in the theme of mantels and fireplaces, I was perusing my library for images of decorative treatments of mantels- and came across this amazing Mark Hampton watercolor rendering, from his 1989 book "Mark Hampton On Decorating" -which has a whole chapter devoted to fireplaces. Above, the blue room is from George Stacey's work for Vincent Astor in the 1940's.  There is a new book by Maureen Footer coming out on the work of George Stacey- see The Devoted Classicist for more information.

Above, Marks' rendering of fashion designer Christian Diors' Paris house, resonated with me because it shows an English leather chesterfield facing the fireplace- something we're planning for my new Naples flat.  While the famous decorator Georges Geffroy retained the Louis XVI mantel, I found it an odd coincidence that I just happened upon this image after we had already purchased an antique chesterfield, and a new Louis style mantel, albeit Louis XV- !  Mr. Hampton died, after an illustrious career, in July, 1998, and his work is being carried on by his elegant daughter, Alexa, who is also coming out with a new book- stay tuned for more to follow- Cheers!  DF *****