ARTICLES
A SELECTION OF ARTICLES BY CHRISTOPHER MASON
in The New York Times, The Magazine Antiques, New York magazine, Architectural Digest, Town & Country, The World of Interiors, and AirMail.
Click here to contact Christopher about writing and editorial assignments.
What's in a Dame? Has Being Knighted Lost Its Prestige?
Ardent fans of Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch may still be reeling from his defeat in the high-stakes competition of this year's Oscars, when fellow Brit Eddie Redmayne won for his compelling portrayal of Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything.
Wolfe's Den: Tom's archive at the New York Public Library
When great American writers go to heaven—or to some infernal rotisserie—their papers generally wind up at the University of Texas at Austin, purchased for princely sums by the Harry Ransom Center. Mindful of this curious literary migration, Tom Wolfe, now 83,
Ballyfin: Ireland's Finest Country House Hotel
Set in the foothills of the Slieve Bloom mountains in County Laois, 60 miles southwest of Dublin, the Neoclassical mansion of Ballyfin was erected in 1827 to trumpet the wealth and prestige of Sir Charles Coote, Premier Baronet of Ireland. When the Coote family fell on hard times after World War I
For the Baron of Yonkers, a Gothic Revival
DRESSED in ripped jeans, a black leather jacket and a bandanna wrapped around his unruly mop of black hair, Kohle Yohannan seems an improbable lord of the manor. But there was no mistaking his proprietorial glee on a recent windswept afternoon as he led a tour of his home
In Moscow, a Battle for a Modernist Landmark
MOSCOW—A FEW hours after Viktor Melnikov died of cancer at 91 on Feb. 5, his estranged younger daughter and nephew appeared on his doorstep with a retinue of lawyers and bodyguards to try to seize control of his house in the center of this city. “My father’s body was still warm,” Ekaterina Karinskaya, Mr. Melnikov’s elder daughter, recalled bitterly
Christopher Mason Sings of a Persian Queen
With his lyrics that satirize the rich, powerful and social of New York and Washington, CHRISTOPHER MASON might seem an incongruous choice for Purim party entertainment.
David Easton Restores a Palm Beach Landmark to its Former Glory
When Palm Beach, Florida, was heralded as a subtropical paradise in the early 1900s, Charles Munn Jr., a social arbiter known as Mr. Palm Beach, hired superstar architect Addison Mizner to build a Mediterranean Revival mansion for grand entertaining. The fête set flocked accordingly.
Alexa Hampton Renovates a Manhattan Apartment in the Pierre Hotel
Among the perils of buying a prewar New York apartment are the ravages wrought by previous generations of ambitious owners, who have ripped out original moldings or installed newfangled—but rapidly obsolete—features to keep in step with changing fashions.
A Savoy Sensibility Takes On South Beach
''I HEARD a bloodcurdling scream as hot water gushed up and scalded her behind,'' said John Pringle, recalling the poignant discomfort of the wife of the Governor of Jamaica when a newly installed toilet erupted on the opening night of Round Hill.
A Savoy Sensibility Takes on South Beach
When Mario Buatta drew his last breath at 9:12 p.m. on Oct. 15 at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, the celebrated interior designer, 82, known for his exuberantly colorful work, riotous persona and matching sobriquet, the Prince of Chintz, seemed at peace.