And this is why I adore the homes of the fashionably inclined: “I think that is the mark of a good apartment; you can never really be done—It’s like a proper wardrobe." Always progressing, always in flux, just like the person who lives there. Simply gorgeous! Thank you APT for sharing the addition link to the Vogue article as well.

What does Mao mean to you Lauren? From NY TIMES 1996:
"Perhaps no man is responsible for as many deaths in this century as Mao. More than 50 million people starved to death in the vast famine he visited on his country in 1960 and 1961. And 30 years ago, fighting for his political life, he issued a stream of exhortations that led China into the Cultural Revolution -- 10 years of madness, forced labor, exile, countless suicides and millions of killings."
The moral vacuity of having a mass murderer's face on the wall because of the color scheme ruins it all. - You like some red, black and white with a hint of brown and some Buddhist sun-signs ? How about this portrait of Hitler?"

...but back to the discussion of the decorative design. It's hard to tell how the space is used from the picture angle, but it feels a little to tight for me. I think she has a great eye in terms of texture and interest but the scale is worrisome for me...i can feel a twinge in my shin from always bumping it on that slab of coffee table, for instance.

Mao? Really? The really crappy Mao artwork really screws up the last picture for me. It's like, "Wow, great wallpaper, beautiful lady, great sitting area, great pillows, great... Mao??" It's amazing how one piece of artwork can really throw a place off... well, for me at least.

......You know, at least it's not one of those "Keep Calm and Carry On" posters--THEN, I would've preferred the Mao pieces.

Without doubt, Lauren has put together a very cohesive arrangement. It interesting that although the animal theme, and the South-West allusions are manly in a kind of Burt Reynolds way, she makes it more feminine and more hers, by adding arrangements of colored glass and flowers. Her sense of color is good, and the quality of the furniture seems very high. I suppose that, to get back to my earlier point about the suspect use of massmurderers as decorations -which I am sure she will take down and thank me for pointing out before she has any Chinese guests- one is left wondering whether the place is only for effect, or whether it is a more organic outgrowth of her proper sensibility.

MsDonna, can one successfully decorate a place if one is using pictures of mass-murderers as decorations? No, because a place should be about who you are, not just an arrangement of space and color. Actually, perhaps I am wrong about this, after all, a racist or cruel joke may be very funny, so why could not using Mao as a decoration by fun and elegant? In any case, it raises interesting issues in the intersection of ethics and interior decoration. Who knew? Ha, ha.

I saw this on the Vogue site and I really love it. It really seems like a place that she lives rather than 100% designed by someone else. I would not want to live there but its still really beautiful and interesting. And just to point out that if you deride someone, you should do it right...She is not a model, she is a socialite (that might be more annoying to you? idk). Models actually work :P

As for the Warhol paintings of Mao, they are part of pop culture. My parents actually went through the Cultural Revolution in China and neither of them would be offended by this art. I often find Westerners more offended than most Chinese people. In fact if you take that negative attitude of Mao and went to China, I'm sure most Chinese would be furious at you.

If anything, I find people who feng shui their house or put bhuddas in them more annoying than seeing a painting of Mao.

The apartment is interesting, without a doubt, but I'm not in awe. The hippopotamus bar is admittedly amazing though. Re: the screen prints, I think the intention was less "Mao" and just more "Warhol", you know? Although if I had it my way (a.k.a. if I had a few million dollars; I'm assuming hers are originals) I probably wouldn't choose a Warhol at all. :P

The hippo is da bomb! Too bad it goes for $100k plus. Argh!

I'm with Patrick. As someone who suffered the wrath of a dictatorship earlier in life, I find the Mao portraits appalling, much like the pop culture fascination with Che Guevara. Surely, people would gasp if they saw Hitler on the wall. This is no different.

I love her desk. It's rare that you see a work space that really looks like someone works there. This one does. It's cluttered but attractive.

I'm with everyone who hates the Mao pictures, and I also get annoyed with the Che obsession of the last few years. And since we're on the subject of people plastering there homes with images that they don't sully understand, I'm also annoyed by all the buddha imagery and busts in the contemporary homes of pretentious non-buddhists. You should not be able to find religious/political iconography at your local Pier One.

*Fully understand. Sorry, frustration makes my fingers clumsy.

that wallpaper is awesome, although the mao painting sucks and so do polka dots and leopard. a model should know better!

The vinyl collection is an EPIC win, the earthy furnature is a bit of a fail.... unless you live in the woods..

I am more disturbed by the real giraffe skull on the coffee table, than a picture of Mao.
But I have to say at least the decor isn't as predictable as one one imagine for a socialite and billionaire's wife.

I'm with the consensus here regarding the offensive response to the mao fixture. undoubtedly, art is supposed to push emotive boundaries and provoke controversy, but not when it is glorifying a part of history that - as an act of evil - caused such heinous destruction to humanity. we can think of countless hypothetical pieces of art that would seriously offend, so why stir up such irrevocable pain and upset? this is an historical symbol of an era of wrath; I decided to show this space to friends of mine who are survivors of mao's terroristic reign and, to no surprise, they gasped in disappointment and disgust as they remembered this heinous vile mass murderer and the reign of complete fear, terror and death he damned on their country, their people. Do we really need to continue to hurt people in the name of (shock) art? Regardless of niche's (et al) softened perspective of mao and his "cultural revolution", no person of this calibre of sin should be immortalized and idolized, warhol-style, high up above us on a focal living room wall, and by choice no less!! sadly, it's quite telling about who this person, Lauren, really is... who we are collectively as we continue to choose to endorse another design "trend" of offensive, immoral and ignorant taste. Where is the universal awareness, the ethical boundaries and moral discretion in design? we all have global responsibilities and important conscientious choices to make in life. Unfortunately, in the name of vogue decor, AT has selfishly chosen, yet again, to completely disregard any concern for other peoples' feelings and emotions, by posting and sharing this controversial space containing an appalling symbol of unspeakable crime, hate and evil.

Agreed on the Mao pictures--it indicates she's either ignorant or insensitive to suffering (maybe both?). I'm surprised only one other person noted her poor clothing choice in the last picture--black and brown, polka dots and tiger? It just rounds out a bad photo.

an image of mao as a tribute to warhol? really??? what next....??

Wow. what blatant blasphemy! i am constantly perplexed at the level of collective ignorance here on apartment therapy. how can one possibly defend a contentious piece of work like this that is representative of an event in history that was an act of pure evil. With the suggestion for the rest of us to just "chill out" as a biting dash of smart-alecky disrespect. I am embarrassed for you. The glorified image of mao and your insulting actions are incredibly offensive, especially to a whole culture of people who, you may not know, suffered terribly under the fierce iron-hand tyranny of mao, general death. A select few of you come across as unbelievably uncouth and heartless by defending a hollow, brutish argument that this is an edgy example of "trendy warhol-expressionist pop art" (rather fitting coming from someone who shallowly stated: "I love Los Angeles. I love Hollywood. They're so beautiful. Everything's plastic, but I love plastic. I want to be plastic." )
I suggest some of you look beyond your narcissistic dense bubble worlds and do some extensive, comprehensive (compassionate) history reading and enlighten and educate yourself on significant global events of past and present. Knowledge is power. And I kinda see why they say history repeats itself...