A sad loss this week in the world of interior design. As reported in the NY Times, a staple in the industry, John Hutton, passed away last week. Hutton was a biggie, from serving as Design Director for Donghia for almost twenty years, to catering to celebrities like Steve Martin and Ralph Lauren in designing the places they live, as well as putting together interiors for places like the American Center in Paris and the Sony showroom in New York. Here's some about his early career from his obituary:

He also worked as a design director for Louis Maslow & Sons in New York and for Randolph & Hein in San Francisco, where he was discovered in the late 1970’s by the interior designer Angelo Donghia, who also owned a fabric company. When Mr. Donghia decided to open a furniture division in 1978, he hired Mr. Hutton to run it.

While at Donghia, Mr. Hutton produced more than 200 designs, most of which are still in production. Perhaps his best-known piece is the Anziano chair. Originally designed for the American Academy in Rome, the chair has a bent-wood seat and back and metal legs. Another Hutton classic is his Ghost chair, whose lines were inspired by the sheets one sees worn on Halloween.