Farewell Mario Buatta, The Beloved Prince of Chintz

Mario Buatta died peacefully in his sleep on October 15. He would have been 83 this month. Buatta was one of the most influential and iconic decorators in history, and the tremendous impact he made within the world of interior design will never be forgotten. As a young girl in the 1980s, Buatta’s English country fantasyland of vibrant color, chintz, antiques, ruffles, and bows played a profound role in igniting my passion for interior design. He will forever be my favorite designer. Known not only for his immense talent, but also for his wit and playful sense of humor, “The Prince of Chintz” made this world a more beautiful, colorful, and happy place.

One of my favorite Buatta interviews was conducted by Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel in 1981. She commented that his work appeared to be “…something that has evolved over a long period of time… implicit in that view is that decoration is not fashion.” She asked, “But so many people revive periods… the 50s and the 60s seem next. Where will you be then?” Buatta’s response? “Right here in the 1980s.”

Fast forward nearly 40 years, and Buatta never deviated from his signature style. Last year in an interview he told me, “I look at my book, and I look at my past jobs and they all look the same to me because they all have the same feeling – they don’t have the feeling of having been done yesterday. You can’t put a date on them. There is something in my brain that works that way.”

Consistency over his 50+ year career played a key role in establishing Buatta’s icon status. “He was one of the first decorators to have a clear brand. I think it was a big part of his success – aside from the natural genius, of course,” noted Emily Evans Eerdmans, esteemed coauthor of Mario Buatta: Fifty Years of American Interior Decoration.

In addition to decorating the homes of America’s rich and famous, Buatta licensed myriad home goods over the years including his own line of floral fabrics, wall coverings, curtain patterns, furniture, and needlepoint kits, inspiring a nation-wide chintzification. He even made an appearance in the award-winning Absolut Vodka advertising campaign in the 1990s: “Absolut Buatta.”

“When a decorator’s name is employed by Architectural Digest parlance as a verb (‘Buattafied’) and an adjective (‘Buattaful’), they have achieved impressive renown,” noted Luzanne Otte, a close friend Patricia Altschul, Buatta’s long-time client and friend. “When the invocation is positive and occurs during their lifetime, they have indubitably earned the status of icon.”

There will never be another Mario Buatta, and his passing symbolizes the end of an era. He will be deeply and forever missed, and his legacy will continue to influence and inspire future generations. To learn more about Buatta’s life and career, please read my 2017 interview with him here and Luzanne Otte’s tribute here. For more Mario, past features from The Glam Pad are linked below:

• THE MAGIC OF MARIO: THE LIFE AND LEGEND OF MARIO BUATTA
• MARIO BUATTA’S TIMELESS ALLURE
• A COUNTRY ESCAPE BY MARIO BUATTA
• A PREVIOUSLY UNPUBLISHED MARIO BUATTA APARTMENT!
• MARIO BUATTA AND PATRICIA ALTSCHUL EXUDE SOUTHERN CHARM IN CHARLESTON
• PATRICIA ALTSCHUL’S HOME IN CHARLESTON HOME + DESIGN
• SOUTHERN CHARM WITH PATRICIA ALTSCHUL
• PATRICIA ALTSCHUL’S MANHATTAN MAISONETTE: DESIGNED BY MARIO BUATTA
• MARIO BUATTA DECORATES A GLAMOROUS MANHATTAN HIGH-RISE
• PALM BEACH ENTERTAINING, MARIO BUATTA, AND A PAGODA POOL HOUSE
• MARIO BUATTA DESIGNS A 1930S JOHN STAUB HOUSE IN HOUSTON

• Born in 1935 in Staten Island
• Childhood home was contemporary; absent limited exceptions for family heirlooms, anything old was considered second-hand
• At age 11, he purchased an 18th century Sheraton writing box on layaway
• Studied architecture at Cooper Union, and took evening courses at Pratt and Columbia
• Two years after his mother’s death, enrolled at Parsons School of Design’s summer session in London
• Key personal influencer – Aunt Mary, his mother’s sister, who decorated every room in a different style and constantly evolving designs
• Key professional influencers – John Fowler and Nancy Lancaster of Colefax and Fowler, Billy Baldwin, Keith Irvine, Sister Parish
• Professional career began at B. Altman & Co. and Elizabeth Draper, Inc. as a junior decorator
• The moment of inspiration occurred upon viewing Nancy Lancaster’s yellow drawing room in 1963
• Local news reporter, Chauncey Howell, bestowed the sobriquet, “Prince of Chintz, ” in 1984
• Noteworthy clients include Patricia Altschul, Mariah Carey, Nelson Doubleday, Malcolm Forbes, Henry Ford II, Billy Joel, Ann Johnson, Geraldine Stutz, Barbara Walters
• Arguably, the love of his life was a plastic cockroach, Harold

Mario Buatta

(October 20, 1935 – October 15, 2018)