Mark Hampton on Decorating

I spoke with a friend today. He and his family were evacuated from their home earlier this year in the face of the Griffith Observatory fire in Los Angeles. In the rush to leave their home they faced many questions, “What do we take with us?” “What do we save?” Fortunately, no homes were damaged and they were safely back the next day.

“What would I save?” The question lingers. I am looking at my shelves of books. Maybe I would snatch up some of my favorites? One of the saved volumes might be a book that I became familiar with shortly after its printing in 1989.

Mark Hampton was a name familiar to me from many editions of Architectural Digest. For years his work informed and inspired. When his book was released; filled with knowledge, insight and wit (as well as his sumptuous watercolors), it was an easy addition to my small library and suggested reading list.

You can try an architecture book search, but I believe the book is out of print. While revisiting the text, I found it to be just as important and applicable today as when I first opened the cover.