Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1543537
G racie hand-painted w a l l c o v e r i n g s , founded in New York City in 1898, are still family owned and in the hands of fifth-generation siblings Jenn Gracie and Mike Gracie, and Jenn's son Zach Shea represents the sixth. Designer Alexa Hampton has enjoyed such a meeting of the minds with Gracie over the years that the two design legends have launched a collection of 10 stunning wallcoverings. "The collaboration was the result of two a Legacy Hand-Painting Gracie x Alexa Hampton Above: The Vatican Maps wallcovering is featured in the entryway to Hampton's own home. Left: Coromandel is a nod to Chinese lacquerware screens. legacy style can be carried forth with a contemporary vision. A stroll through the Vatican Gallery of Maps astounded both women; its stunning topographical renderings of the Mediterranean country's coastlines in rich, vivid hues and golden details resulted in the Vatican Maps wallcovering, which is now featured in the entry to Hampton's own home. Celestial Blue is inspired by the ceiling of the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua and the clock in St. Mark's Square, with its cobalt-blue background and golden zodiac medallions. Gracie's hand-painted artistry is on display in Mirrored Lattice, which mimics a clouded mirror by randomly covering a light gray textured treatment over handmade silver tea leaf, which is then hand-painted with a thin, octagonal bamboo lattice. Coromandel is a nod to Chinese lacquerware multi-panel screens with large-scale birds and flowering trees atop a handsome deep brown-black background, with a low-gloss lacquer finish. Alexa Hampton and Jenn Gracie are special guests at the PaperCity Designer Dinner at The Halles in Round Top, Monday, March 23, 6 pm, and both will sign their newest books at Red Antler Bungalows, 4 to 6 pm. Alexa Hampton for Gracie, at Moxie Interiors, 2031 W. Alabama, moxie-interiors. com; graciestudio.com. Anne Lee Phillips generations of love between our firms," Hampton says. "Gracie is always top of mind for me as one of the design world's most precious resources. Add to that, Jenn Gracie and I are good friends, and the collaboration became inevitable. We were determined to make beautiful things together while having fun." As stewards of family companies — in Alexa's case, Mark Hampton LLC, the design firm of her late father, who was named one of the world's top 20 designers of all time by Architectural Digest — heritage and timelessness are guiding watchwords. The collection showcases how 54