Remembering Mica Ertegun, in Her Own Words
EDITOR’S NOTE: The design community is mourning the passing of the legendary Mica Ertegun, who died December 2 at the age of 97. For more than 50 years, the Romanian-born, New York–based interior design maven created elegant interiors for the top echelon of society in New York and abroad. Through the design firm MAC II, which she founded alongside her socialite friend Chessy Rayner, Ertegun created interiors that were austere, often exotic, and always tasteful. She was married to Atlantic Records cofounder Ahmet Ertegun for 45 years, and together they embraced a wide circle of friends, throwing celebrity-studded dinner parties and donating generously to culturally significant philanthropic projects, including the atrium for Jazz at Lincoln Center, the restoration of the fourth-century Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, and $41 million to humanities scholarships at the University of Oxford (a donation that earned Mica an honorary title from Queen Elizabeth II). The following article originally appeared in the June 2013 issue of ELLE DECOR.
As one of New York’s most enduring tastemakers, Mica Ertegun has turned heads for more than half a century with her impeccable personal style. Her social circle has encompassed the Kissingers, Oscar de la Renta, and the many rock and rollers (from Aretha Franklin to the Rolling Stones) whose careers were set ablaze by her late husband, the music mogul Ahmet Ertegun. But interior design is where this style-setter has left her most definitive mark. With her firm MAC II (which she cofounded in 1967 with her friend Chessy Rayner), she pioneered a style whose central hallmarks—a pared-back elegance, ethnic touches, and outstanding objects and art—have more than stood the test of time.
Early Days
• I was born in Romania, but in the 1940s I became a refugee and ended up on a chicken farm in Canada. Even though I was poor, I tried to make my home attractive. If you have taste, you can always put something together.
• I moved to New York after marrying my husband in the 1960s. I did not have much to do, so I enrolled in decorating school. My good friend Chessy Rayner had worked for Vogue and was brought up very well. We started MAC II together. We had a lot of fun. Unfortunately, she died much too young.
• Billy Baldwin was a nice man and a great friend of Chessy’s. His style was simple and it felt new. He was the first to use straw on furniture. We started putting it on walls and on tables. At one point, we were doing entire rooms in straw—it was hysterical. I wouldn’t do that today.
Rock On
• When I was starting out, people wanted the kind of furniture their parents and grandparents had. The rock-and-roll era changed everything. Things got looser. Modern furniture came into style. I’ve always preferred simplicity and no clutter.
• Because my husband worked in the music business, our firm decorated Keith Richards and Patti Hansen’s house in Weston, Connecticut. Keith wanted lots of bookcases for his library. We also did Carly Simon’s apartment on Central Park West. She has a good eye and great taste.
Home Front
• I have homes in New York, Paris, and the Hamptons, but my house in Bodrum, Turkey, is one of my favorites. It’s on the sea. We first bought the facade of one house, which was a ruin, in 1971. I didn’t know anyone there and wanted to be able to have houseguests, so we went to look at a neighboring house, which was for sale. We got tomatoes thrown on our heads; some of the family members didn’t want to sell. But we did buy it in the end.
• In Europe, people like to stay home and eat. That is what I prefer. But in New York, for a long time we designed very expensive kitchens that nobody used. People went out to restaurants every night. That has changed. People stay home more, and as a result, today’s kitchens are larger and more inviting.
• The internet has made it so much easier for interior designers. You can get things quickly and inexpensively. We can put together a simple house in two days. But I would never buy something special, like a carpet, on the Internet. You have to see it in person.
Five Decorating Essentials
• Comfort. You need to be able to relax when you come into a room.
• A soothing color. I don’t use strong color or a lot of pattern. I prefer to have a room’s color come through in beautiful objects or art.
• Good lighting—both ambient and for reading.
• Solid-color fabrics. You can tire of a print. I redecorated my bedroom in Paris recently with a print, a subdued pale green–and-white pattern. I hope it wasn’t a mistake. I don’t like to wake up and see a million colors. It’s not restful.
• Unique objects. Every room should have one or two unique objects, such as a painting or a nice mirror.
Matters of Taste
• I think it is important to give credit to others. No one is a genius on her own. I’ve worked with two designers—John Conrad Schaberg and Mica Duffy—for more than 35 years. They are my right hands.
• I prefer it when clients take an interest in the design of their home. Only they can give their home a personality. Everybody has taste. Sometimes it’s good; sometimes it’s bad. If it’s bad, I try to change it a little bit.
This story originally appeared in the June 2013 issue of ELLE DECOR. SUBSCRIBE
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