Books |
Decorating in Detail
Alexa Hampton
By
Published: Nov 05, 2013
Category:
Art and Photography
Mark Hampton knew everything. He’d read it. He’d seen it. He’d heard it. And because he had some kind of trick memory, everything he knew was instantly available to him. It was thrilling to be his friend, to learn about art and books and design from him.
And more: I met the Hampton daughters when they were in their teens, and promptly adopted Duane and Mark’s parenting philosophy (take the kids everywhere, don’t marginalize them at a kiddie table). Several apartments later, my library still lives in bookcases that Mark designed. I have seen Kate act since she was in school plays. Alexa, who took over her father’s firm after his death, consulted on our last apartment; the chintz curtains she had made for us there don’t work in our new one, but I took them with us, just because.
And now, all these years later, I’m writing about Alexa.
In case you suspect I might be a stenographer for the Hamptons — I did, after all, review Duane’s book, Mark Hampton: An American Decorator — I’m actually a book behind. I failed to write a full review of Alexa’s first book, Alexa Hampton: The Language of Interior Design, which breaks design down into 4 elements and presents 18 examples as a sensible tutorial.
Now comes “Decorating in Detail,” a picture and text book that takes you, in considerable detail, through seven homes that Alexa has decorated. They are not McMansions. They’re not small. They are, in a word, not the kind of spaces that you and I occupy or may want to (I’m hopeful, if a 10,000 square foot palazzo is your dream, that you have it. Need a butler?)
This doesn’t mean you can’t learn from the residences of the rich — in fairness to the 1%, they’re at least smart enough to know they can’t decorate for themselves so they choose a designer on the level of Alexa Hampton. You just have to look at these houses and apartments with a critical eye and a sharp sense of personal taste.
As Alexa says, “One of the biggest mistakes people make is to try to copy something expensive on the cheap, which inevitably ends up looking cheap… Only do what is appropriate for the budget you have.” And she’s clear that the decorator’s art has limits. What makes a home, she says, are books and art. Without them, you’ve got nothing more than… a showroom.
So you’re looking here, as the title suggests, at the little things that, if missed, become annoying flaws. Hanging curtains. (Think this is small? We debated this for weeks until an artist friend pointed out that the higher the curtain, the higher the ceiling will appear.) Lighting. Fabrics. Closets. Kitchens. Where you want lamps. Color as theme and as accent. [To buy “Decorating in Detail” from Amazon, click here.]
As it happens, I wrote about one of these homes for Architectural Digest. (For the tour — and, okay, my text — click here.) It was charming. The owners had an idea, and Alexa Hampton delivered it. Improved on it, in truth, and not in some grand way — the use of an upstairs hall as an office for the kids is just plain smart. Practical smart.
One other tip. To start to create like Alexa Hampton, take pictures of your home. Get a Sharpie. Draw sketches over the pictures of what you’d like your rooms to become. For less than a dollar, you’re on your way. That simple? If Alexa Hampton is to be believed, once you grasp some key precepts, it can be. Almost.
