BACKDecorating Legend François Catroux Breathes New Life Into Crown Princess Marie-Chantal's Manhattan Townhome
The house’s stonework, moldings, and paneling were all preserved, but out went the gilded leather wall coverings, heavy curtains, and red velvet sofas trimmed in passementerie, all dismantled meticulously and placed in storage for some future day. White, gray, and taupe hues now canvas nearly every wall. “We wanted to start with a clean slate and see the rooms for what they were, then decide what kind of furniture could sit nicely in them,” Marie-Chantal explains. “A lot of Mongiardino fans are going to be very upset. My mother was always experimenting with design, so I had lots of patterns in my life. I just wanted to deal with easy neutrals.”
