Aline, Countess of Romanones, NYC

Aline, Countess of Romanones,
at her desk in her New York City
apartment, circa 1988.
Photo: Peter Vitale for Architectural Digest.

Devoted Readers always enjoy a comparison of similar concepts for interiors, sort of a decorating version of "Who Wore It Best?"  Of course there is no way of knowing if the two women or the two interior designers were actually influenced by the other's apartment, but it is an interesting similarity of general concept for both the New York City apartment of Aline, Countess of Romanones, and the Paris apartment of Beatriz Patino, presented in a recent post of The Devoted Classicist here.


The Living Room in the NYC apartment
of the Countess of Romanones.
Photo:  Peter Vitale for Architectural Digest.

Featured in the April, 1989, issue of Architectural Digest the article was written by the countess, the American-born widow of a Spanish grandee.  The countess wrote that she and her husband had bought the apartment 8 years previous;  she had a son with two small children in the U.S. and she had since used it as a base for her speaking tours on the subject of her books based on experiences as a spy during World War II.  (Some critics have been skeptical about her adventures being entirely true, however).  Her late husband, Luis, Count of Romanones, is credited with putting the apartment together with the help of designer Vincent Fourcade.


Another view of the Living Room of the
Romanones apartment in NYC.
Photo: Peter Vitale for Architectural Digest.

Like in the Patino apartment, the Romanones' Living Room has walls covered in a bold printed fabric paired with a bright raspberry red damask for the seating.  Here, the magazine credits Brunschwig & Fils for the wall fabric and Scalamandré for the fabric used for all the upholstery and the curtains;  both vendors are regular advertisers, by the way.  A Spanish-made Savonnerie-inspired rug covers the floor.  The late count was a painter and his interpretation of a portrait by Goya hangs over the sofa.  Although some of their belongings could be taken out of Spain without permission, the more important art and antiques could not be exported;  additional "fill-in" pieces were bought in New York as needed.


The sitting area of the Master Bedroom
of the Romanones apartment in NYC.
Photo:  Peter Vitale for Architectural Digest.

In the Master Bedroom, a Stroheim and Roman fabric covers both the walls and the sofa with a Brunschwig & Fils stripe used for the curtains.  "Living in reduced quarters for the first time became a game," the countess wrote, "and we tackled it much as if it were a small boat, finding tricks to make closets hold more and to make rooms serve multiple purposes.  Books line closets and are stored under tables and beds.  Everything is near and handy, but what I like most about the apartment is that the décor has a Spanish atmosphere and flavor."

A selection of books by Aline, Countess of Romanones, (previously the Countess Quintanilla, previously Aline Griffith) is available with prices starting at just one cent (plus shipping) from The Devoted Classicist Library by clicking here.