It is a sad design day.  The legend, Mario Buatta died.  

He was special to me and my family.  He designed my childhood home that we recently moved into. He was a true gentleman but even more he was a character.  He was a prankster with a wonderful sense of humor. He often had a toupee on sideways or backwards as he met you in a restaurant, a roach in his pocket and my husbands favorite…he insisted on introducing my husband to people as “Marshall Fields” instead of “Marshall Phillips.”He obviously was a true design icon with exquisite taste. He loved color and pattern and put together the world in which I likely was drawn to the same design aesthetics in my own way.  I introduced him to Chic-fil-a when I was in 3rd or 4th grade. He was a big fan.

I know heaven is a much prettier place today and someone has a roach on their shoulder. 

Decorating Legend Mario Buatta Has Died via Town and Country

Known as the “Prince of Chintz,” he was a champion of pattern and color.

The design world has lost a legend: Interior decor Mario Buatta, known affectionately in the industry as the “Prince of Chintz” has died.

Over the course of his impressive career, which began in the 1950s, the New York-based interior designer worked with a slew of celebrities, including Mariah Carey and Barbara Walters, who appreciated his love of floral fabric and English country style. His work was influenced by iconic designers like Sister Parish, and his eye-catching sensibility embraced the power of color and pattern.

“I loved working with Mario on designing my NYC apartment,” Carey told ELLE DECOR today. “He was a wonderful collaborator with an eye for beauty, and he truly helped make my vision for a home complete.”

In a March 2011 ELLE Decor interview, Buatta opened up about his daring design style. “Color is a mood setter,” he told Ingrid Abramovitch. “It can make you feel great. But people have a fear of color. They’re afraid of what their friends will say or not say.”

In 2013, Mario Buatta: Fifty Years of American Interior Decoration was published by Rizzoli. The monographed documented the designer’s successful career, and offers insights into Buatta’s start working for department store B. Altman & Co in the 1950s. Buatta, who grew up on Staten Island, loved rooms that felt lived-in and decorated over time. “You can’t treat decorating as fashion; it’s not like a dress you can push to the back of the closet,” he said. “A room is an investment in money and time. No room is a still life. It should look like it happened over years.”

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