The apartment of Princess Yasmin Aga Khan

A very elegant flat in the heart of Manhattan. It is the apartment of Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, daughter of actress Rita Hayworth and the late Prince Ali Khan. In this apartment, collections of Ballet Russe costume sketches, Oriental rugs, family photographs and heirlooms, arranged casually and with a great deal of flair, create the unmistakable signature of Princess Yasmin Khan. The influence of old-world tradition is evident throughout. “I have a genuine appreciation for art and antiques and I enjoy collecting things with a past or family history. They become part of me and create the only atmosphere in which I feel truly at home,” she says.

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In the living room, careful placement enhances favorite objects, including an English chair and a Japanese lacquered chest on stand, both 17th century. The lounge chairs are covered in embossed velvet, and the ottoman in cotton. The piano is a Steinway. Through the doorway, an entrance hall wall covered in grasscloth on silver paper sets off a Persian mirror.

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In the dining room, fabric wallcovering complements one of two Kirman tapestries given to the princess by her father. A mounted Chinese vase adorns the table. I really like the colours of this dining room!

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Artworks in the living room range from a T’ang ceramic horse to watercolors by Pavel Tchelitchew, part of a collection of Ballet Russe costume designs. The 18th century lacca contrafatta commode was made in Venice.

Interior Designer: Samuel Botero
Source: Architectural Digest

Palazzo Pucci

The Renaissance palaces of Florence have such a class! Among them, the 14th- and 15th-century Palazzo Pucci, a palazzo that belongs to the same family since it was built. Marchesa Cristina Pucci di Barsento, widow of Emilio Pucci, still remembers how astonished she was when she first entered the house, back in 1959: ‘I was very young and quite astonished: It was a heavy house, even severe, like Florence’. Still, what looked like a timeless palazzo outside was a living house inside.

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But, while Emilio Pucci revolutionized couture with vibrant colors in optical patterns, the aesthetic of the clothes never entered the residence. In the brown room, for example, the silk draperies and wallcovering were made at Antico Setificio Fiorentino, a silk workshop founded by the Puccis and other families in the 17th century; Emilio Pucci took it over in the 1950s.

The dining room of the Palazzo Pucci. The late-18th-century fresco, by Luigi Ademollo, depicts Aenes leaving Troy. Marchesa Pucci and her husband added the Venetian chairs. The crystal glassware was made for the family in the 18th century.

The 17th-century bed in Emilio Pucci’s bedroom. Made in Lucca, it was among his favourite pieces. The gilt woodwork on the headboard echoes the embroidery on the canopy.

The Wedgwood room was created by an English artist in the late 18th century. The palette and Neoclassical plasterwork were inspired by the signature ceramics. An 18th-century marble sculpture of the goddess Diana is at center.


Source: Architectural Digest