The Marjorie F. Shushan Estate

Effortless Elegance:
The Marjorie F. Shushan Estate

Esteemed and accomplished interior designer Marjorie F. Shushan never anticipated that an office space she designed as a favor for her husband’s law firm would lead to a decades-long career and a lifelong passion. From Aspen to Miami and New Orleans to New York and Palm Beach, her work has been widely published and landed her a coveted spot on Architectural Digest’s annual list of top 100 interior designers numerous times.

“I don’t think I had any idea that I was going to become a designer. If I thought I was going to be anything, it would have been a designer of clothes—that was my love,” Marjorie told Architectural Digest in 2005.

Marjorie’s trademark sense of style epitomized timelessness, grace and uncluttered elegance. Her interiors masterfully mixed styles and periods, using rich textures, harmonious colors and a mix of antique and contemporary elements to achieve sophisticated, yet practical and comfortable spaces, for her clients. Her iconic aesthetic ultimately led her to produce her own fabrics and launch a furniture line, The Marjorie Shushan Collection.

The Early Years

Marjorie Fischman was born in Philadelphia. Her father was a soda fountain manufacturer; from the family’s own marble quarry in Vermont, he would also make lamps and various other pieces for their home. From a young age, she had a creative spirit, an interest in the arts and a natural eye for beauty.

After graduating high school, Marjorie moved to Boston to attend Emerson College. Her father, somewhat traditional in his sensibilities, agreed to let her live away from home for one year at the insistence of her mother. After completing her first year at Emerson, she returned home to Philadelphia to attend the University of Pennsylvania.

While at the University of Pennsylvania, Marjorie met her husband, Louis G. Shushan, who was on his way to Harvard Law School. Once again, she returned to Boston for a brief time. The couple married in 1950 and in 1952 moved to New Orleans, her husband’s hometown, where they also raised their two daughters. Mr. Shushan practiced law, specializing in real estate, for 42 years and worked for the same firm, Shushan, Jackson and McPherson, since 1955.

The Beginnings of an Interior Design Career

After her daughters went away to college, Marjorie began spending more time in Aspen. Naturally, friends saw what Marjorie did with her own home and began asking for decorating advice. She resisted at first, but when her husband was dissatisfied with his office design project, she stepped in.

“I didn’t really want to do that,” she told Architectural Digest. “So we hired someone. But my husband didn’t like what they did. Then he hired somebody else and fired them too. Finally, I said, ‘I can’t take this anymore—I’ll do it, I’ll do it.’” The project was ultimately published, making it increasingly apparent that Marjorie’s natural talents were more than just a hobby.

A Dynamic Duo: Marjorie Shushan and Kalef Alaton

When a close friend in Aspen was looking for someone to design the interior of their home, Marjorie suggested Kalef Alaton, a highly sought-after interior designer whose work she had long-admired in the pages of Architectural Digest. Known for his eclectic, luxurious and restrained style, Alaton’s signature elegance and creative vision were unrivaled.

Born in Istanbul in 1940, Kalef Alaton was sent to school Paris, where he lived alone in a hotel without family. He frequently immersed himself in museum galleries, historic homes and antique shops, developing a refined eye and historical knowledge. In 1968, he left Europe for Los Angeles, where his innovative and bold design approach quickly caught the attention of the Beverly Hills and the Hollywood elite, landing high-profile commissions that catapulted him into the international spotlight.

Marjorie met Alaton for the first time in 1978 while he was on a site visit at her friend’s project in Aspen. The two hit it off instantly and became fast friends. He saw a kindred spirit in Marjorie, whose work reflected many of the same design principles.

Excited by Marjorie’s immense talent, Alaton insisted, “You need to go to work. You need to use your talent. You need to let it be seen,” to which she replied, “I’m skiing right now, but if you get something I’d be interested in, I’ll work with you.” That call eventually came, and she agreed to begin working with Alaton as an associate. Over the next decade, he became a dear friend and invaluable mentor.

As Alaton’s work became increasingly popular, there was a need for a New York pied-à-terre for him and his staff, including Shushan, to stay in while working in the city. The chic and layered interior of this shared property was published in the May 1986 issue of Architectural Digest, which mentions and prominently features items offered in this sale, including a striking ebonized German table and a charming gilt alligator.

In an essay Marjorie wrote for Designers on Designers, she said of Alaton:

“His concept of formulating an interior was very much like the method of a superbly dressed lady: the perfect tailored suit or simple dress accessorized knowingly with the correct shoes and jewelry, all of the finest craftsmanship… He always knew when it was time to encourage his clients to stop buying. He wanted each project to have the balance that it needed with appropriate luxurious things. His ultimate objective was to create glamorous environments, but ones that were ultimately to be lived in, not merely exercises in glitz.”

Lasting Legacies

Tragically, Alaton passed away in 1989 when he was only 46 years old. Following her mentor’s untimely death, Marjorie established her own interior design firm in New York, Marjorie Shushan Studio, dedicating the decades that followed to honoring Alaton’s legacy and forging her own path.

Reflecting on Alaton, Marjorie wrote, “To this day, the spirit of Kalef whispers to me, ‘Marjorie, give them more beauty and a style of living that they did not dream possible. I promise they will recognize it.’ Sometimes when I return to a former project and discover how little the client has changed the interiors, I smile and know, like Kalef, that I got it right the first time. Kalef Alaton’s presence is forever with me.”

Marjorie died peacefully at her beloved home in New Orleans in October 2023. Her and Alaton’s lasting legacies are intertwined, and their time together transformative for the people they worked with and the spaces they inhabited.

New Orleans Auction Galleries is honored to offer furniture, fine art, decorative objects and more from the Estate of Marjorie Shushan, including beloved pieces from the Collection of Kalef Alaton.