A few weeks ago I was invited to hear David Netto speak at Soco Gallery about his recent publication, François Catroux, and attend a dinner in his honor at the lovely home of gallerist, Chandra Johnson.

It was a magical evening to say the least. 

 David Netto, an author and designer of interiors and furniture, is contributing design editor for T, The New York Times Style Magazine.  His articles have appeared widely, in such publications as The Classicist, Domino, and WSJ Magazine. 

David was witty, charming and mesmerizing as he went through the slides and shared the life and fascinating story of this design great that hasn’t been widely published or recognized yet is truly a visionary.  David has such a vast knowledge of design history and the international social scene in which this designer traveled. I could have listened to him for hours. 

The dinner at Jimmie & Chani’s stunning home (designed by friend and fellow designer Barrie Benson – see it HERE) was pure perfection with a divine dinner and pink peonies the size of basketballs.

A peek at the table…

   

I highly suggest adding this intriguing read to your design library.

What I took away was over the almost 50 year career of Catroux you could not see any trends or date the work. They are timeless while bridging traditional antiques with modern furniture and art. Bravo! 

This first volume on François Catroux is a comprehensive consideration of the work and life of an international master of interior design. François Catroux is an innovator and explorer in interior design, who has always been a master of contemporary style. From his early days as a design prodigy, creating space-age boutiques for a house of couture and apartments that drew from Art Deco and modern design, to chic, mirror-studded interiors rich with glamour and elegant refinement in residences in Hong Kong, New York, and London, Catroux is at home in the vast world of design. His spaces may surprise with the introduction of irregular elements—a chandelier of elk horn or pink florescent lighting in a hallway—but Catroux’s hallmark sensibility combines the majesty and grandeur of high ceilings, elegant moldings, and gossamer draperies with elements that suggest comfort and tasteful, restrained opulence. Go-to accoutrements include sumptuous sofas, rich carpeting, gentle lighting, rooms lined with books, and ship staterooms in warm wood paneling with brass lamps, all measured according to a modern eye. This book looks at Catroux’s career chronologically, featuring his first projects in 1968 through his latest, completed only this year, and includes the interiors of houses and apartments around the globe, from Paris to New York, Hong Kong to Los Angeles. Luxuriously photographed, this volume is more than just a design monograph on one of the great, and so far relatively untold, careers in the history of design—it is also a lively and intimate read about a life lived in great style.

A look at some of the beautiful interiors you will see in the book. 

 

Betty Catroux is as fascinating as her talented husband…talk about style for miles!

Betty Catroux (born Betty Saint in 1945) is a former Chanel model, and fashion icon. She has been cited as a muse by both Yves Saint Laurent and Tom Ford.

She is still strikingly beautiful.

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