Along with Mario Buatta and Albert Hadley, Mark Hampton was one of the most revered American decorators of the twentieth century. Indiana-born and -bred, with a degree in art history and fine arts, Mark began his career working for some of the greatest interior designers of our time. He cut his decorating teeth along the curves and lines of modernism with David Hicks, then with Parish-Hadley and McMillen, where, in his own words, he “slipped away from modernism into the world of decorating that looks to the past for its inspiration.” He subsequently opened his eponymous design firm in 1976 and went on to design for clients such as Brooke Astor, Estee Lauder, Jacqueline Onassis, in addition to his work on the White House, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, and the American Academy in Rome. Rooted in traditional themes, Hampton’s interiors were formal without ever looking stuffy, and will forever serve as a source of endless inspiration at Maison Carlyle.

Mark’s work lives on through his daughter, renowned interior designer; Alex Hampton, who helms her father’s eponymous firm, and through some of our favourite books; Mark Hampton: An American Decorator, and Mark Hampton On Decorating, each filled with abundant beauty and magical watercolours by the late designer.