Last night I attended an elegant book signing for prolific interior designer Charlotte Moss’ latest book, “Charlotte Moss Decorates,” her seventh to date.
Moss is one of those inspirational women who seems to do it all, well. She has a thriving career with big-name clients such as Michael Bloomberg, she writes, lectures, licenses products and is a dedicated volunteer to several arts organizations including the New York City Ballet. I got to know Charlotte when I wrote about her for Richmond Home.
Moss’ new book is a gorgeous, 200-pager examining 11 of the rooms she created for designer showhouses. Since there were no clients involved, these may be her most personal projects. She walks the reader through her inspiration from Lee Raziwell’s multi-patterned living room to West Wycombe Park, a Palladian country house in England. Moss is an avid scrap-booker so she also shows spreads of the clippings, photos and other elements that inspired her rooms.
Here’s a peek into the party…
Elaine Stritch (who played Jack’s tough-as-nails mother in “30 Rock”) just happened to walk into the left-hand side of this photo while I was photographing the exterior of the new Ralph Lauren shop on Madison and 72nd Street, where the party was held. Lauren just opened the shop on Oct. 15 as his flagship womenswear store with the home collection on the fourth floor, where the party took place.
Abigail and Paul Vogel, bookbinders who Charlotte uses to create custom scrapbooks and to leather-bound libraries for clients. (Here’s a post I wrote about their work.)
The party squeezed into the fourth floor with white-gloved waiters passing Champagne, white wine, and bites of seared tuna on pomme frites and spinach-and-roast-beef rolls.
A waiter moving down the spectacular stairs at Ralph Lauren. Lauren purchased two town houses combining them and adding this staircase to give the mansion a grander feel. I think it worked. The stairs are lined with black-and-white fashion photos, plus equestrian, garden and architecture shots (some rather large). Beautiful idea. I’d love to copy that some day in my own elegant stairway.
Charlotte signs a book for the fashionable New York society staple, Deeda Blair (seen here pointing).
Charlotte’s associate Matthew Kowles (left), Marcia Bell, manager of the home floor at Ralph Lauren, and Architectural Digest editor Margaret Russell, who made a fashionably late appearance.
The exterior of the Ralph Lauren shop at the close of the party.
Read more CultureFix posts about Charlotte Moss.
