Audrey Carey Koehler died on July 19 at her home in Southampton. She was 81.
The daughter of Walter L. Carey and Frances McKeever, she was born June 4, 1927, in New York City and grew up in Southampton and Santa Barbara, California, where she attended Santa Barbara High School.
A graduate of the New York School of Interior Design, she established her own decorating firm in the 1960s, which she ran for more than thirty years.
A frequent exhibitor at the annual Designer Showhouse for the Rogers Memorial Library, she counted among her many charitable activities, Les Boutiques de Noel, the New York holiday shopping bazaar to benefit Cancer Care, and co-founded Parrish Presents, the annual holiday bazaar that benefits the Parrish Art Museum in Southampton.
In describing the 1983 Hamptons Designer Showhouse, Suzanne Slesin of The New York Times wrote, “The many small rooms hidden at the top of a series of stairs are among the most successful. Audrey Koehler’s, which the decorator designed around a number of horse and hunt paintings by her husband, Henry, is particularly pleasing because of its intensely personal point of view. A red riding coat hangs in the corner and riding boots stand under the low wall. A gentleman’s watch and keys on the dresser help give the room its nicely lived-in look.”
She is survived by her husband of 44 years, artist Henry Koehler of Southampton; two sons, Alexander Mason of Southampton and Maryland, and Anthony Mason of Rye; and five grandchildren, Taylor, Christopher, Emily, Olivia and Nicholas.
A private memorial service will be held later this summer in Southampton.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the Parrish Art Museum, 25 Jobs Lane, Southampton, NY 1196, or East End Hospice, P.O..Box 1048, Westhampton Beach, NY 11978-7048 would be appreciated by the family.
on Jul 22, 2008