Gracie Wallpaper Brings Elsa Maxwell to Life in Hand-Painted Murals for a Tribeca Members’ Club

Within the landmark Tribeca building that houses the members’ club Maxwell Social, a series of hand-painted wallpaper murals portray historic highlights from the life of author and “professional hostess” Elsa Maxwell, whose legendary style of high-society entertaining inspired the community-oriented venue. Helmed by Gracie Wallpaper and crafted within their New York City studio, each mural required 60 to 120 hours of hands-on painting time—with casein paints applied to a gold leaf background further embellished with metallic accents.

Jennifer Gracie, the wallcovering studio’s creative director, said the development was as much about period-specific patterns as it was capturing the specific ‘social temperature’ of the time. “Our process began with a deep dive into the narrative of location,” she tells Surface. “We wanted the Paris and New York murals to convey the festive atmosphere of Elsa’s parties—the kind where the decor is as much a guest as the people. By blending our traditional artistic techniques with the spirited, whimsical energy Elsa Maxwell was known for, rooms that feel like a curated memory of Manhattan’s golden age were born.”

“Hand-painted wallpaper has a soul,” Gracie adds. “The way sunlight hits the colors and background changes it throughout the day and evening. The fact that no two rooms are ever alike makes the scenes more art than wallpaper.” Within, the Gracie team illustrated Elsa’s dinner with both Marilyn Monroe and Albert Einstein, as well as her penchant for can-can dancing, elaborate scavenger hunts, and trained seals.

The wallpaper’s installation is as compelling as the production itself. “It is not simply installing wallpaper—precise trimming and placement are essential to ensure meticulous alignment of the scene throughout the rooms,” Gracie says. “Seeing the individual panels finally merge into one seamless panoramic story on-site is always the most rewarding part of the project, and installers like JM Shea, who completed the Maxwell installations, are artists themselves.”

For Maxwell Social creative director Jacob Brown, the murals are meant to open the door to conversation. “You’re surrounded by all this insane luxury furnishing and finishing. Millwork, tile, velvet curtains, all maximalist and custom, but when you kick back on one of the overstuffed couches next to a member, even one you don’t really know, something about the space just sets you up for a killer convo,” he says. “It’s the opposite of hotel lobby vibes. And I have to think these incredibly evocative images of Elsa Maxwell living it up all over the world contribute to that.”

In an elegant space designed to accommodate and encourage social interaction, the murals have much to say. One also can’t help but sense the same magic that imbues Ludwig Bemelmans’ murals at The Carlyle Hotel. “The ethos at Maxwell harks back to an era when high society entertaining was more sophisticated and more fun,” says founder David Litwak, who led the design of the space. “That’s why we love Elsa Maxwell.”