Deep downy upholstery is absolutely what I've always been about.
A lot of people worry about the ' wear and tear ' on furnishings. I feel it's more a matter of people treating the things that surround them with respect.
Too much of what passes for design now is theater. It's one thing to be eccentric- and by the way, most eccentrics tend to be rather well-educated people - and quite another to be a faddist, by which I mean someone who tries to conjure a totally foreign aesthetic in a misplaced environment.
After the design is firmly fixed, the decoration is added. Decorating is the final enhancement.
When Van Truex defined the difference between designing and decorating, he used the analogy of preparing a roast of beef. Design, he said, is the preparation and cooking; decorating is the final seasoning, the savoring.
Design is about discipline and reality, not about fantasy beyond reality.
We're all collectors by nature. But if you're talking about an orderly life, there has to be a stop sign somewhere. Building a collection requires a strong constitution and the ability to resist.
You cannot make a modern apartment out of a traditional space.
The one thing I never get involved with is selecting art or pictures for a client. This is a very personal thing. If the clients have pictures, I will hang them. When they do not own pictures I leave the walls blank.
