What do interior designers do and why do you need one? We put the question to established names and newbies to the business.

We spend most of our life inside spaces. Having a well-designed room, from its structural flow to the quality of furniture you sit on, its ergonomics, how light passes through it and what sort of storage solutions you have in place all help to improves ones quality of life.

An experienced designer will have the spatial knowledge to work with your home as it is, and also be colour and materials literate to advice on any extension work as well as capable of drafting lighting and electrical plans that your builder will be able to understand, says Angela Connolly, president of The Interiors Association, which has some 200 members. She also runs her own practice, Conbu Interior Design.

She suggests an initial meeting with a client to go through expectations and brief and suggests the client brings along a mood board of visual ideas he or she likes as well as a list of likes and dislikes.

This helps get a better idea of a clients style, she explains, counselling clients to factor in textures, surfaces, colours and acoustics to the list.

We reinvent space, says Philippa Buckley of Studio 44. In a recent project in Sandymount she upgraded a 102sq m (1,100sq foot) three-bedroom home by taking out the chimneybreast and every interior wall of its pokey layout to add valuable space.

By doing so she accommodated a guestWC and cloakroom downstairs, hidden behind a curved wall, created an open plan living area and installed an RSJ (rolled steel joist) along the back wall that enabled opening up the whole back of the house to bring in the light and transform an unloved garden into a bone fide outside room, complete with awning.

The loss of the chimneybreast meant that upstairs she could accommodate a second en suite and a laundry room, complete with bespoke, vented doors, removing ambient noise from the open plan ground floor. The three-bedroom, one bathroom property became a two-bed, but both doubles now have an en suite. Its removal added an additional 1.5 cubic metres of storage to the kitchen downstairs.

This kind of spatial addition and subtraction helps us reinvent how we live,Buckley says.

Its about bringing a fresh perspective, seeing your space through fresh eyes, highlighting potential and adding functionality to your home, says Risn Lafferty of Kingston Lafferty Design. You should call in an interior designer when you fall out of love with your home. They should offer new ideas and open your eyes to its possibility, to make a space specific to your needs. The most value is in the ideas they offer.

A recent KLD example involved a mother in Malahide whose kids had flown the nest.

The house was no longer a family home. Empty nesters dont need as many rooms so we joined rooms together. A dining-cum-reading nook replaced the childrens den, a place where she could now stretch out and read the newspaper. A box room, for example, can become a luxurious walk-in wardrobe.

Hlne Broderick excels at channelling the classic contemporary look, which works especially well in period properties. She recently reimagined an apartment in a Georgian house in Dublin 4, reopening the interconnecting rooms so that the living and main accommodation linked together like a de luxe hotel suite with dual aspect light from the rooms tall sash windows.

Taking inspiration from New York townhouse designs, she concealed the kitchen, closing it off from the living room by shuttering its breakfront custom cabinetry. This allowed its owners to enjoy the period beauty of the living room without being distracted by visible cooking clutter.

You need to fully understand a clients lifestyle to tailor a scheme to their needs, she says explaining that this includes asking a lot of questions, some of a rather personal nature, like asking the parents of one child if they plan to have more, for example, for this will impact on the number of bedrooms the family needs.

Its also important to meet both halves of a couple to ensure both parties preferences are factored in. If they are outdoors people they may have a lot of sporting kit that needs to be accommodated.

Fully understanding the budget available is also crucial. A client may have a wish list that doesnt match his or her budget, for example. Broderick works on a fixed fee basis on bigger projects and on an hourly rate on smaller projects.

A great introduction to how interior designers work is to have one come and do your paint colours for you. Its a smart move for a new colour palette can transform a home.

People have a fear of paint but its not permanent, says Elaine Verdon, who, having done up her own home, moved from a career in marketing to training at the Dublin Institute of Design to better understand planning and flow.

Having set up her decor business, Leo + Cici, two years ago, she offers a two-hour in-home consultation to go though colour palettes for 290, ex travel. This lets her see the space for herself, determine how much natural light there is, and what colour the floors and internal doors already are.

The colours in art and soft furnishings already in situ are a good indication of the colours the potential client already likes, she explains.

For Verdon it means she gets to spend time with the client without them having to invest significantly and usually leads to further work. Its also a very affordable way of fashioning up a space if youre planning on putting it up for sale. General design consultations cost from 500.

Hiring an interior designer should save you time and/or money, Angela Connolly says. He or she will be able to supply products and materials that work with your space and be able to have the works executed by trusted tradespeople whose work they can stand over.

Some designers have a signature style, so if youre hiring them then thats the style you can expect to get, she explains.

But first its important to establish a budget, she says. You can employ one on a per hour basis, on a percentage or on a project basis. Expect to pay upwards of 100 per hour, ex VAT.

A contract is also vital. It should signal involvement, whats been agreed.

Why do we need them?

They will reduce the stress levels, save you time, make sure the project comes in on budget and to deadline, Connolly says.

conbudesign.com; studio44.ie; kingstonlaffertydesign.com; leoandcici.ie; helenebroderickinteriors.com

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Fall back in love with your home with help from the experts - The Irish Times

If this pandemic has taught us anything, its that we live for experiences.

Its why we travel to far-flung locations, go to restaurants and bars, visit museums, and attend events.

Design plays a definitive role in creating experiences. But as Covid-19 continues to hammer the world, designers across industries are rethinking the way we live, work, and play in the era of new expectations. Ahead, we speak to Piya Thamchariyawat, the creative head honcho of EDG Design, the firm responsible for drinking hotspot Barbary Coasts beautiful, transportive aesthetic, on how she responds to the changing world, and how uncertainties are opportunities for creativity.

Can you tell us more about your personal design journey?I was 6 or 7 when my mother put me in a theatre play. I wasnt excited about performing, but the design of the stage blew my mind. I started designing stage sets made out of cardboard boxes for my paper dolls, then put on a small play for my little brother and cousins.

As a child, I dreamt of becoming an artist, so I headed to Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok to pursue fine arts and print-making to the dismay of my parents and family members who were in the public service.

Post-graduation, I had a chance to visit friends in San Francisco, where I fell in love with the city and decided to reinvent myself in the States. Driven by a keen interest in film, cinematography, and set design, I went back to school to have a full training in interior design.

Youve been with EDG for over 15 years. This kind of loyalty is rare in todays world. What kept you going?There are many reasons why I think EDG Design is the best place for me and my career. I joined EDG as a junior designer in 1999 and I loved my job from day one. Its so exciting to see how big weve grown from a 14-person studio in San Francisco to an international team of 40, with offices across California, Singapore and Texas. I have deep respect for our CEO, Jennifer Johanson; she is an ingenious designer, and also an amazing business strategist. She has always had a solid plan for the firm, and always makes me feel integral to that plan.

The opportunity Ive been given to build and run our firm in Asia is very exciting and I love all the challenges it brings. Since our launch in Asia, weve completed 25 projects across Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong and Australia.

Surely thereve been a lot of changes despite being in the same company for over a decade. Can you share with us some of the changes youve had to adapt to professionally?I started working at EDG in California, so being in Asia was quite a challenge for me as communication methods are quite different in these two places. In the US, people are more individually motivated, whereas in Asia we work with more of a group attitude.

There is also the issue of language barriers. However, over the years, I realised the lost in translation is mostly due to different cultural backgrounds, and it is not personal.

What does adaptability mean to you?Change is a way to move forward. It conveys vitality, curiosity, freedom. We should not be afraid of it at all, though I know its easy to say yet hard to do. I believe that we can adapt to anything if we dream big.

What did you wish someone told you when you were just starting out in the design industry?I would quote Italian product designer Achille Castiglioni: If you are not curious, forget it.

What are some of the good things that came out of changes in your life?I spent five years living in Rio de Janeiro. Many people were against leaving my job and security in the US, but I discovered a beautiful place that shaped who I am today. In Brazil, I also turned down a job offer in the design industry because I was too busy with EDG projects. It was a missed opportunity, but on the other hand, all those years of hard work and loyalty have brought me to where I am today at EDG.

What does creativity mean to you?In design, I believe creativity is a sub-product of curiosity, which fuels creative thinking.

How has Covid-19 changed the way you approach design?In the short term, our team will be slightly more generous when sizing public areas; there will be fewer tables in the spaces and an emphasis on hygiene. Nevertheless, a pandemic like this happens once every one hundred years. We will overcome this and dream big again soon.

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Creative director and girlboss Piya Thamchariyawat on heading EDG Design in Singapore and how to deal with change - Prestige Online

Interior designer Shawna Percival may not be able to visit every clients home to measure the floor space in need of a rug or the kitchen wall where floating shelves are planned but that doesnt mean she cant provide a solution.

The founder of Styleberry Creative Interiors began offering virtual interior design consulting this spring and now has a six-week waiting list of clients who want help to refresh their living room, redesign the kitchen where theyre suddenly cooking each night or transform their master bathroom.

Meeting with clients via video chat had long been something Percival resisted. The hands-on aspect of interior design was what made her fall in love with the field and she couldnt see losing that. But then COVID-19 hit and Percivals firm lost a significant amount of its revenue due to canceled projects. We had to pivot to figure out how we would stay afloat, she says, adding that they also continue to offer their typical full-service design services for those who desire that.

She added a virtual room design service as well as a less-involved virtual design strategy session to her array of services and says theyve connected with a whole new client base. I realized theres a whole group of people who are looking to work with a designer but may want to take on some of the project themselves, Percival says. We created a system to give them the recipe and the confidence to pull together our design on their own.

In the virtual room design service, Percival and her team treat it like a regular project, except for that they may never meet their client in-person or set foot in the space. They chat over Zoom calls, have their client send over the exact measurements of their rooms, shelving and other spaces and then she and her three-person team send full renderings, measurements, a shopping list and technical drawings for the client to implement. Before the project ever begins, they also have clients fill out an extensive questionnaire about their goals, style preferences and other design dreams.

The virtual service is performed at a flat fee and is more affordable than a full-service project because the client is charged with ordering many of the new furnishing or dcor items.For those who just want help styling a shelf or adding a gallery wall to their living room, Percival offers virtual strategy sessionssomething many outside of San Antonio have taken her up on.

In recent months, Percival also has given clients the option of scheduling their last meeting at the local KBK to the Trade showroom so they can sit on couches or chairs and touch different fabrics before making their final decisions.If a project requires construction, Percival says the drawings and measurements they provide can guide a contractor to implement their exact vision.

If youre going to be at home, she says, it should be a place you love. People are home, theyre learning what they do and dont like about their house and theyre ready to change, Percival says.

1. Have a Plan

When you know what your end goal is, you wont buy anything that you dont need. Whether your plan is a mood board you create or a detailed drawing a professional delivers, its a necessary first step for creating shopping lists. Interior designer Shawna Percivalsays often people pick up accessories based on what they like at the store, which means theyre not taking into account the rooms full aesthetic or the size that a lamp, vase, rug or frame should be based on the space it will live in. People misunderstand how important scale is and usually go too small, she says.

2. Invest in the Places Where You Sit and Sleep

Since most people have kids or pets, Percival says materials matter and she typically advises clients to invest in the places where they spend the most timecouches, chairs and beds. A couch may be beautiful but if its not comfortable, you wont love it. If pieces are well made and upholstered with performance fabric, theyll not only offer comfort but also last longer.

3. Get Creative in Accessories

Percival says shes found some ofher greatest shelf dcor items at estate sales but that she also loves places like Target and Homegoods. When it comes to styling shelves,she encourages people to search #shelfie on Instagram for inspiration. Its the way you put things together that creates the magic, she says. Its not the actual thing. On couches and beds, Percival likes to take a high/low approach, investing in a few pillows with designs or fabrics she loves and then layering them in front of solid colored, budget-friendly pillows.

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Design Your Home Virtually With Styleberry Creative Interiors - San Antonio Magazine

A degree in psychology isnt required to practice interior design. But it can help.

Tracee Murphy, CEO and principal designer of Sarasota-based interior design firm Trade Mark Interiors, pursued a career in design after first earning a psychology degree. It wasnt until I was out of college and had myown place that I started to find it and fall in love with it, Murphy says. I began to do my house, my neighbors house and neighbors cousins house. It just naturally evolved.

Murphy went back to school to earn an interior design degree when she had two young children and a part-time job. After about five years of working in interior design, she realized her degree in psychology was coming in handy whileshe worked closely with clients, in dealing with conflict between spouses and navigating differing opinions on projects.

Courtesy. The majority of Trade Marks work comes from doing additional projects for existing clients or from clients referring neighbors, friends and family.

This year, her firm marks 20 years in business.Murphy started Trade Mark Interiors in Pennsylvania and moved the firm to Sarasota 14 years ago. Her firm works on residential and commercial projects, with about 60%residential and 40% commercial. Whilenot disclosing specificrevenue figures,Murphy says the company did more than $1 million in 2019 revenue and is on track to grow 25% in 2020.

And despite the pandemic, the firm isnt slowing down. It has big projects in progress, and Trade Mark is getting calls from companies that want help downsizing their offices.

The majority of Trade Marks work comes from doing additional projects for existing clients or from clients referring neighbors, friends and family. For instance, the company did a couples bathroom renovation, and when they moved, Trade Mark designed their new home. When the husband moved offices, the firm designed a new corporate office for him. Its a very close relationship when youre designing with someone, Murphy says. Youre talking about, How do you live? How do you and your husband use your bathroom?

With project cycles that can last a year or two, bonds naturally form. Were friends with a lot of our clients, she says. Were included in a lot of their celebrations and functions. Its definitely an ongoing relationship.

Murphy, who has three employees, says a team approach also helpsset the firm apart. With an office manager and three designers, projects have the benefit of multiple perspectives. Its not, you take this job, and I take that job, she says. We collectively work on every project. I think that makes a big difference.

The multidesigner concept often helps the firm secure work. When talking to clients and securing new clients, its come up over and over again, Murphy says. They knew nothing would fall through the cracks, timelines would be met, and they felt excited about three designers eyes.

We collectively work on every project. I think that makes a big difference. Tracee Murphy, Trade Mark Interiors

Another key aspect of bringing new clients on board is an education process. I know enough to educate my clients at the beginning of the project,s so they understand our value, what we do, and they understand the difference between us and bargain shopping on the internet, Murphy says. Ive also done this long enough to understand the red flags of people who may not understand that. I learned the value of saying no.We dont just take any job. We qualify our clients as much as they qualify us.

During the pandemic, while some companies plummeted, Trade Marks business has spiked. We are extremely busy, Murphy says. Were getting a lot of phone calls for renovations, new construction and all different-sized projects. Part of that, she thinks, is because people are spending more time at home and deciding its time to make upgrades. The largest residential project the firm has started since the pandemic is a 9,000-square-foot whole house renovation.

The firm has kept projects moving during the pandemic by harnessing a resource called Material Bank that gathers vendor samples, from wallpaper to fabric to flooring. Instead of running around to 25 showrooms, the firm can have samples shipped to them. Its a resource we used 15% to 25% of the time prior to COVID-19, Murphy says. Since April, we started using Material Bank 80% to 90% of the time. It enabled us to keep our new construction projects moving along without missing a beat.

On the commercial side, Trade Mark received several inquiries lately from companies moving into smaller offices because employees are working from home. They need Trade Marks help to bring their brand into a new space and make it functional.

Despite a busy pandemic period, Murphy is still focused on the companys future. She wants Trade Mark to remain a boutique design firm, but shed like to have a full residential division and commercial division. The goal is to have a duplicate team of what we have now, she says. Were going to keep trucking along and following the plan.

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Interior design firm grows through relationship-based strategies - Business Observer

Starting a firm is full of important choices, but choosing the right people to join your new team is particularly crucial to success. We asked five designersVictoria Amegno, Brian Brown, Lisa Kahn, Ariel Okin and Vicky Seranywhat positions they hired for first.

Vicky SeranyCourtesy of Vicky Serany

Balancing actThe first employee of my studio was a young designer who had strengths that balanced my weaknesses. I came from a strong construction background, and the young designer had solid experience with furnishings and window treatments. It can be somewhat intimidating, but hiring to balance my weaknesses has always proved to be successful. Vicky Serany, Southern Studio Interior Design, Cary, North Carolina

Ariel OkinCourtesy of Ariel Okin

Know your strengths[My first hires were] a design assistant to help with technical aspects like AutoCAD and a CPA to help with our bookkeeping. I learned early that you should outsource the things that you aren't great atfor me, that was CAD and bookkeeping. It really allowed me to focus more on bringing in new business and the creative side, which ultimately allowed me to grow the business faster. Ariel Okin, Ariel Okin Interiors, New York

Victoria AmegnoCourtesy of Victoria Amegno

Picture perfectBeing part of a highly visual and artistic industry, it was critical that the firms aesthetic and work are represented in the utmost professional manner. As a result, a great percentage of my start-up costs went toward professional photography and a website. Im thrilled to have made this investment, and cannot wait to debut a new website this winter. The next role [Ill be investing in] is an accountant, which is just as vital for the firms success. Im in the final stages of the interview process to fill this role and am excited to have the right person join my team. Victoria Amegno, Victoria Lambert Interiors, Minneapolis-St. Paul

Brian BrownCourtesy of Brian Brown

Fill the GapsBeing a big-picture kind of person (with a touch of ADHD), focusing on the finishing details for drawings was a huge challengea detail-oriented task that, for some reason, seemed to take me a lifetime. With that in mind, I sought out to hire my opposite. I know every job posting says, Looking for someone detail-orientedwell, I meant it! I continue to hire to other areas that I may be weak in, or even areas that other parts of my team may be weak in. I know what our strengths are and where we excel. Looking at what isnt working informs what I look for in a new hire. Brian Brown, Brian Brown Studio, San Diego

Lisa KahnCourtesy of Lisa Kahn

Teamwork makes the dream workI hired a design assistant and a part-time bookkeeper as my first employees. I wanted to be sure we had the handling of money in orderboth ours and the clientsand the bookkeeper provided that confidence. I also knew there would be too many details to coordinate in both design and purchasing for me to handle on my own, and though the design assistant needed training, they were able to plug into what I needed fairly easily. These were smart hires because they allowed me the freedom to do some marketing and overall business management right from the start. Instead of starting with a slow crawl, we shot out of the gate and ended up landing one of the largest projects in the area after being open only three months. I attribute that to assembling an effective team as I opened my doors. Lisa Kahn, Lisa Kahn Designs, Naples, Florida

Homepage photo: A project by Ariel Okin | Photo: Seth Caplan

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Who was your first hire? - Business of Home

Something we need more than ever right now.

If you imagine all-American style, its not exactly far-fetched to conjure up an image of Mark Sikes clad in leather loafers lounging in his blue-and-white living room, but thats purely surface level. Diving a little deeper, what does all-American style really entail? I think true all-American design is really a mix of everything. Thats kind of how we define American style is a little bit of Asian, a little bit of English, a little bit of French, a little bit of neoclassical.

It takes a seasoned eye to understand how to mesh all those seemingly unlike aesthetics into one, to pull out the aspects of each that will harmonize in someones home. Enter Sikes, a connoisseur of injecting traditional spaces with a magical dose of modernity that carries them effortlessly into 2020. Thankfully, hes packaged his thought processes up and served it to the public.

Sikes second book,More Beautiful: All-American Decoration, which launches September first, is a continuation of the story embodied in his first book (pre-order a signed copyhere by 8/31, and you can virtually join his Beautiful Book Party). To say his first interiors book was a success would be a bit of an understatement, as it was not only a NYT bestseller, but the top-selling Rizzoli interiors book of all time. The book explores the power of beauty and the effect it can have on us. [Beauty] is so subjective, but its really powerful. It can change your mood, it can alter your spirits, it can lift you, it can sustain you.

Theres a lot of conversation in the book about personal spaces. Making things your own and being surrounded by the things you love is what really makes it a home. This sentiment is more powerful now than ever as the country as a collective has never spent more time within the confines of our own spaces. We chatted with Sikes about ways to make your home look lived in and inviting by layering in texture, color, different influences, and so much more.

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Other than blue and white, are there any new color pairings that youre excited about at the moment? Anything that pairs well with those two shades?

From a branding and marketing perspective, were known for blue and white. Of course, in our work we use most colors, but blue and white do go with everything. Im really obsessed right now with chocolate brown with bluechocolate brown with blue and really pretty caramels. I think it comes from the sense of people wanting to be comfortable in their space and wanting spaces to feel inviting. That just seems like a really comfortable palette.

When youre mixing prints, do you have any rules of which pair well together?

Well, I always like to pick what I call a hero fabric for each room, which is more of a dominant fabric. That would mean maybe it has multiple colors or it has a larger scale. Then, I dont know if my formula is the right formula, but I always like to mix a couple solids. I like to add a geometric, whether it be a check or stripe. I like to add a smaller-scale print that works with the larger print. Its important to get a mix of things with a lighter background and a darker background. I just think it provides balance. I definitely love to throw vintage or antique textiles in the mix because I always think that gives the room a little bit more of a lived-in, worn-in, more layered feeling.

When you are balancing colors with neutrals, do you have any sort of ratio you like to use to balance the two?

It really does depend on the project and what type of house it is. There are definitely homes that call for a lot more color like traditional architecture. But then there are also places that call for things to be really neutralized. It could be a beach house in Malibu or a Mediterranean in Montecito. The house itself dictates a lot about the ratio of color.

Does that approach differ when you have a larger space versus a smaller space?

What I like to do in a smaller space is keep things more minimal. I love to take one fabric and just use it on everything. I think thats a really amazing trick for a smaller space because its very stylish and very easy on the eye. Obviously, in a larger space you can do more layers of fabric because you have a lot more pillows and you have a lot more pieces of furniture. I do think, depending on the space size, your formula might be a little bit different.

I know you like to add texture in your spaces. What are easy ways to do that, and what materials do you like to use?

Natural-fiber rugs, abaca, sisal are always great for adding texture. I think layers are textural, like throws and pillows and things like that. We do a lot of custom lampshades now, which I also think is a really great way to add texture and dimension to space. Actual texture, pieces of rattan or wicker is always a nice textural add. Leather is also a nice textural add. A grass cloth, sea grass wallpaper, those pieces with literal texture are always nice.

You do a lot of modern and traditional contrast. How do you balance that, and what are your favorite elements to throw into the mix?

Well, I do think thats just a recipe for a really well-designed room, having a mix of things. A mix of old, a mix of new, a mix of clean, simple, minimal modern things with traditional things. It makes rooms feel like theyve been there a long time. I think modern abstract art is really lovely with more traditional furnishings in interiors. I also think cleaner-line coffee tables or side tables are also a nice minimal, modern mix, or like a really great modern light. I think those are really easy things to add into a traditional interior to give it a little bid of an edge.

I know you also make a lot of cultural historic references in your designs. What locations do you love to pull interiors from?

Well, I love the past in general, so Im always drawn to and use inspirational pictures from the past to inspire new work. Whether its the beautiful interiors Horst photographed for Vogue many years ago, or legendary designers like Lorenzo Mongiardino, Billy Baldwin, or Mark Hampton. I just think the past is so informative on real style. Homes were much more stylish than they are today. There are some particular homes or people that Im always drawn to the way they live, whether it was Lee Radziwill. I think there are also these fashion designers that had the most style and the most beautiful homes, [e.g.,] Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, Givenchy. I think that their homes were so evolved and such reflections of their style.

Then theres icons like Bunny Mellon, who spent her whole life curating an amazing collection, but not necessarily a collection of treasures. She really had her own style. She loved baskets and she loved shaker chairs. It wasnt about the cost of things to her. She would have an amazing Rothko sitting next to a fifty-dollar shaker chair. Thats just real style, when you know who you are, you know what you love. That is what Im drawn to personally.

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When youre working with all these contrasting elements, how do you maintain consistency, especially when youre working with a larger house?

I do firmly believe that if you have a bunch of things you really love, you can put them in a room and they somehow work just because theres this personal connection to them. I definitely think its about mixing things according to the scale and their texture and the contrast of light and dark, so I do think its a little bit of a science project in some way. I know now what works and what doesnt.

What are your tricks for making spaces appear larger than they actually are?

I think keeping it super minimal. Maybe one fabric on everything, one color on everything. I do think smaller spaces always look better if theres a lot more, I dont want to use the word storage, but if theres more cabinetry to disguise or house small, excess things versus having lots of little things sitting everywhere. In a smaller space, less stuff makes it feel bigger.

What do you think makes a home/apartment look layered and lived in, not like you just moved in?

Personal things, lots of books, magazines, flowers, plants. I think organic things as well as personal things are what make a home feel personal or lived in.

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Interior Designer Mark Sikes on Adding Depth to Your Space and the Power of Beauty - Coveteur

I was reading Michael Smiths chronicle of designing the Obama White House, feeling serene, marinating in a luxurious world of wine-colored swatches and embossed mohair velvet and carpet border details desperately in need of tweaking.

Suddenly, I was confronted with violence.

Beneath a black-and-white picture of Jacqueline Kennedy looking at the blueprints for her White House plan, Mr. Smith reveals that Mrs. Kennedy may have fired her decorator, Sister Parish, because of an incident with Caroline.

Mrs. Parish later admitted to learning that the first lady had been told that she had kicked young Caroline a rumor the decorator didnt exactly confirm or deny, Mr. Smith writes in Designing History, which traces White House style from its first residents, John and Abigail Adams, to the Obamas.

I emailed Caroline Kennedy to see if that story could possibly be true.

I would believe everything Michael Smith says, she wrote back mischievously, adding, That early trauma has clearly affected me deeply.

I Zoomed with Mr. Smith, on vacation in Marthas Vineyard, who noted that he happened to be very Kennedy attired, sporting a nautical look of shorts and a Herms navy blue sweater over a J. Crew shirt.

When Mr. Smith came to Washington, wanting to conjure the glamour of the Kennedys as another young family moved into the White House, what struck him?

Its like a white-water river rafting trip of history, he said about his eight-year makeover of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. You walk into every room and you know, this is the room that Eartha Kitt challenged Lady Bird Johnson about Vietnam or this is the room that President Roosevelt addressed the nation in wartime or this is the room where Betty Ford discoed with Tony Orlando. The history of the White House is so extraordinarily dense, that to be conscious of it all the time was kind of amazing.

And the Obamas were making history every day, as the first Black occupants of a house built with the labor of enslaved people.

In her foreword to the book, Michelle Obama says that Mr. Smith understood the stakes. The pressure on any first family is enormous, she writes. The pressure on the first Black one would be even greater.

The first time he was at the White House and saw President Barack Obama landing in Marine One, Mr. Smith said, it was the most surreal, because youre in this essentially, 18th-century-esque building, looking out the window and it was like Mars Attacks. Only later, did I realize that all my newly made cushions for the Truman Balcony were littered all over the lawn.

Did he see any ghosts?

I would call Nancy Reagan and I would have all these long, long conversations, Mr. Smith said. I remember asking her about the ghosts and she thought I was insane. He said that there were so many residents of the White House through the ages with grudges and unfinished business, that if all those poltergeists lingered, it would get very crowded.

Youd have to have a four-year term, he said, or maybe if youre a good ghost, youd get to come back for eight.

The history obsessive, as he calls himself, read anything he could find about past restorations, including letters from first ladies ranging from Mary Todd Lincoln to his favorite inspiration, Mrs. Kennedy.

Mr. Smith, 56, grew up in Newport Beach, Calif., with a mother who was a watercolor artist and a father who was in the import-export business. As a child he would read about various countries and periods modern Japan or the Russian Revolution and then eat food and style his room to match.

When I got immersed in Japanese architecture, I asked my parents if I could put my mattress on the floor like a futon, he said.

He looks like a California native, with a mop of beachy blond hair and a sun-kissed complexion. He is inspired by movies and says he started his White House job thinking of Dave and The American President.

The decorator, who lives and works primarily in Los Angeles, is a favorite of celebrities and moguls, with clients including Cindy Crawford, Steven Spielberg, Shonda Rhimes and Rupert Murdoch, and in places ranging from Chicago and Palm Beach to Las Vegas.

Tailoring the White House to a new family is more hazardous work. Furniture can fall apart if you move it or you can discover that the carpet youre planning on using in the West Wing was made in China.

And since it is such a cherished landmark, the criticism will flow. You do know youre going to get trashed, Mr. Smith said. You get people who say you ruined it or other people would say its too fancy or people who said it wasnt grand enough.

His scheme for the Obama White House was to make the aura younger and fresher with more inclusive art.

Mr. Smiths Oval Office evoked his West Coast aesthetic. A New York Times story by Penelope Green about the 2010 unveiling of the cappuccino-colored Oval Office redo replacing the Belle Watling brightness of the Clinton Oval was headlined The Audacity of Taupe. I teased in a column at the time that the most powerful place on earth was so swathed in earth tones, you would have thought Al Gore got elected. (Then again, he did.)

Sally Quinn, the Washington writer, described the transformation of the Oval this way: Bushs room says, Lets have a glass of sherry while we sign the treaty. Obamas room says, This is serious. We dont have time to waste. Double espresso, anyone?

That line appeals to Mr. Smith, who says, That was very much the idea, right? He was in the office all the time. And I think that I wanted it to be as peaceful and comfortable as it could be, given the lofty proportions of the room and the intense camera ready lighting.

Mr. Obama did not care for the Chinese export plates with the presidential seal that had long been displayed on the bookshelves of the Oval Office. Im not really a plate kind of guy, he once explained it to a rear admiral. (I am with him there.)

Aware of Mr. Obamas fascination with technology he particularly loved Science Day, when kids brought their projects to the White House Mr. Smith replaced the plates with patent models from the Smithsonian: Samuel Morses telegraph, John A. Peers gear-cutting machine and Henry Williamss steamboat paddle wheel.

When the Obamas moved in, there was a lot of sensitivity about spending too much with the country teetering on financial collapse. Mr. Smith writes that he donated his services to the White House and the Obamas paid for the majority of their new furnishings in the residence out of the presidents book royalties. Mr. Smith lent the Obamas some objects; other donors provided furniture, and the Obamas chose items from the White House collection and borrowed paintings from museums.

There are, of course, strict parameters. The Secret Service nixed a 10-foot-high abstract Clyfford Still painting, PH-115, that Mr. Smith jokes would have required a cherry picker to lift in, because their security perimeters were too tight on Inauguration Day, as he was rushing to prepare the house. Also, he said, youre not going to dream up some supermodern, space-age version of the White House, although he did revolutionize the lighting by augmenting the chandeliers with discreet LED lighting with dimmers.

I mean, youre kind of building a ship in a bottle, right? he said. It has to be part of a continuation, but you also have to make it personal, but its also short-term. So, its a very odd situation. He has compared the job to being Miss America, an honor but transient. You know that the next occupants are going to wipe out some of your hard work.

Mr. Smith grew close to the Obamas as he feathered their temporary nest. His spectacular pad in Rancho Mirage a Mayan glass and stucco palazzo in the desert with a Thunderbird-shaped pool, channeling the smells and spirit of Joan Didions The White Album is a favorite R & R spot of the Obamas.

He notes that, felicitously, the Obamas view from that house is the same one that John F. Kennedy had when he stayed at the home of Bing Crosby, which was a couple streets away.

Mr. Smiths partner is James Costos, a former H.B.O. executive who got to know the Obamas and raised money for the re-election campaign. Mr. Obama made Mr. Costos his ambassador to Spain in 2013 and Mr. Smith immediately redesigned the residence in Madrid, primarily with his own money. The decorator wanted American guests to be in hyper-European rooms, not unlike the fun sets for Lucille Balls European travels in I Love Lucy.

Mr. Smith and Mr. Costos were on board with Joe Biden early and eagerly, while others in Hollywood shopped around, and are raising money for him. Weve known Joe for a long time and we like him, Mr. Smith said.

Not many years before, if a president was hosted by an openly gay couple, it would have been a huge press story, he said about the Obamas crashing at his house in California. And by the time the Obamas stayed with us, it never occurred to anyone that it was news.

He said the secret to not being too nervous when the president stays with you is not to look down.

You consciously look out, he said. Because if you look down, you realize theyve closed the street and towed all the cars away and theres a 50-car motorcade with ambulances.

And, of course, you cant be upset when Secret Service agents rearrange the furniture. Theyd come and do this sweep of the house, and they would move every pillow and open every curtain and do the search. And I would have to be like, you know, Could you just put the pillow back where it was?

In redoing the White House, Mr. Smith echoed the spirit of Mrs. Obamas high-low fashion sense, mixing priceless antiques with Pottery Barn candle holders, Crate & Barrel decorative cushions and a couple Walmart chests of drawers.

He added comfy couches that their dogs could jump on and decorated the daughters bedrooms festively, mixing their Hannah Montana posters with Rauschenberg lithographs.

Mrs. Obama requested alarm clocks when she realized the girls had cleverly figured out how to ask for wake-up calls from the White House operator.

Far from wanting to kick the little ones Sister Parish-style, Mr. Smith writes, I will always have a soft spot for Sasha and her incredibly savvy, pragmatic view she slept in just half of her bed after realizing it would then take half as long to make it in the morning. And she was only 7 years old.

His choice of a Shaker wooden bowl filled with apples for the coffee table in the Oval showed that he understood what he calls the Obama mind-set: distilled utility with an appreciation of the classical.

Hes incredibly, infinitely more poised than almost anyone I know, Mr. Smith says.

He only tangled twice with Mr. Obama on White House design. He wasnt keen on a canopy bed, but Mr. Smith loves canopy beds a retreat within a retreat so the president deferred, saying, If Michelle wants it, then we can have it.

A tiger-maple four-poster was adapted to king size, covered in a down mattress cover and fitted with cotton sateen sheets. I prefer linens with a satin finish and a light sheen to them; they feel so cool when you slide into bed, writes Mr. Smith, who admits to being enormously focused on his clients beds. He told me, I felt an almost patriotic duty to make sure we had a president whos slept, right?

At Mr. Obamas request, they moved the Whistler, Nocturne, from his side of the bed to the mantel where he had a better view of it.

It was integral to my entire narrative of them moving into this historic building that we create a romantic, private space for them to be alone as a couple, Mr. Smith writes.

And, he told me, hes always mindful how his clients move through space. If you get up at 3 in the morning to eat chocolate ice cream or answer the red phone I want to make sure that the path from your bed to where youre going is clear, that youre not going to fall down a flight of stairs.

(The house Mr. Smith is renting in Los Angeles, once owned by Tyrone Power, was famously the scene of such an accident, when David Nivens wife fell down the stairs and died, after they played a party game, Sardines, in the dark.)

The other moment that left Mr. Obama exasperated was the debate about the barn red drapes that Mr. Smith wanted for the Oval.

I think he described me as strident about it, which is just funny, the decorator said. Hes a convener, right? I think Valerie Jarrett thought they should be white. And somebody else thought they should be blue. Committee is always a sand trap. And I was really determined that they should be red because there was this heroic aspect. The Washington portrait, the Lincoln portrait, both have a piece of red fabric in the background. I just think its a very impassioned backdrop, and very classical. The iconography of his background should not be dulled down. He should be portrayed as a person who had deep conviction.

Mr. Smith, who can be relentless in creating what he calls flattering portraiture to frame peoples lives, won the day.

Donald Trump, of course, wanted his backdrop to be gold, so he pulled Bill Clintons gold curtains out of storage and replaced the red ones. Mr. Trump also had no interest in Mr. Obamas embroidered rug with the Teddy Roosevelt quote The Welfare of Each of Us is Dependent Fundamentally Upon the Welfare of All of Us. He again went for the gold, recycling Ronald Reagans gold sunburst rug.

The Trumps made other changes, including switching to separate bedrooms and having two additional TVs installed in the presidents bedroom.

In Politico, Peter York wrote that President Trumps aesthetic described by his biographer Tim OBrien as Louis XIV on acid would fit right in to Mr. Yorks book Dictator Style, with its brassy, gaudy theme of success, wealth and winning.

Although Mr. Trump called David Axelrod, the Obama strategist, when President Barack Obama was in office, and offered to build a ballroom in the White House (but didnt mention paying for it), he hasnt built one for himself.

Mr. Trump, who was reported to have told some golf partners that that White House is a real dump after he moved in (he denies it), likes to do some of his own designing. He added a lot more flags and eagles with talons.

He selected his own gray damask Oval Office wallpaper a Trump staffer dismissively told a reporter that the Obama striped wallpaper was too stained to keep and seems to be doing some revenge decorating.

In July, CNN reported that the official portraits of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were yanked from the grand foyer of the White House and replaced with portraits of Teddy Roosevelt and William McKinley.

Clinton and Bush were relegated to the old family dining room, which is now sometimes used to store tablecloths and furniture, CNN said.

Until 2015, the old family dining room was not a room seen by the public. With funding from the nonpartisan White House Historical Association, Mrs. Obama and Mr. Smith chose colorful art and stately furniture from all eras, and added the room to the public tour of the State floor.

When Mrs. Obama unveiled it for Jenna Bush on Today the former first daughter seemed delighted with the room, reconceived in the Obamas eclectic, more modern, un-fuddy-duddy style, featuring an optimistic painting called Resurrection by Alma Thomas, a renowned African-American abstract artist who worked out of her home in D.C., blocks from the White House. She was the first Black woman whose work was in the permanent collection.

Now, CNN said, the Trump Administration has returned the room to its lesser status off the public tour, as almost a utility flex space.

I ask Mr. Smith how our time languishing in quarantine has changed design sensibilities. It has made people more hyper-aware of their homes, he said, more focused on comfortable beds and outdoor spaces.

When he talks to millennials, he finds that their tastes are simpler. Theyre interested in things that dont have too much stimuli, he said.

He writes in the book that he would have liked to get his paws on Camp David and give it a little Ralph Lauren fairy dust.

As a decorator, can you ever top yourself after the White House?

Id love to do Buckingham Palace, but Im probably not going to get to do that, he said, dryly.

Maybe you could do Harry and Meghans new $14.7 million Montecito crib, I say, comforting him. Or you could tackle the super-weird replica of the Oval Office that the Republican pollster Frank Luntz has built in his Los Angeles house.

Mr. Smith shakes his head.

As we part, he has a final plea: Make me sound thin.

[Dont you want a Confirm or Deny needlepoint throw pillow?]

Maureen Dowd: You own Frank Sinatras golf cart at the Thunderbird country club in Rancho Mirage.

Michael Smith: I own one of many Frank Sinatra golf carts. Isnt it more interesting than an orthodontists golf cart?

You dont play golf.

Yes, I just drive it fast through my neighborhood and pretend Ive gone for a jog.

You watched Air Force One on Air Force One.

Confirm. Harrison Ford is a client.

Youre single-handedly responsible for the Suzani trend.

Deny.

You love bunches of books sold by color.

Please, deny. Please.

Ceilings are a missed opportunity.

Oh my God, I thought you said feelings. I liked it better when I thought you said feelings. Ceilings have to be very subtle, but they can say volumes.

A rug tells you everything you need to know about a person.

You mean like a toupee? Or a real rug? Deny. Its like vintage clothing. A rug might be evocative of somebody elses traits, not your own.

At a White House party, you watched President Obama and Usher have a Gangnam-style dance-off.

Yes, absolutely.

Vanessa Williams sang Happy Birthday to you on an important night.

Yes, my 50th birthday in Madrid. She came to Madrid to sing Happy Birthday and she sang Save the Best for Last, which is kind of epic at the end of a party.

You serve ginger tea after every meal.

Thats a confirmation. Ginger-lemon-turmeric tea.

Tom Ford used your dining room in L.A. in a movie.

Yes, he shot the party scene from Nocturnal Animals there.

You threw Jane Fondas 80th birthday party.

Yes, true. Her son, Troy Garity, brought a D.J. who was so great, everyone, including the waiters, were dancing.

Celebrities love to take selfies in the leopard-upholstered bar of the house youre renting in L.A.

Yes, the house was built by Paul Williams, an amazing African-American architect, for Tyrone Power. And I temporarily covered the walls with leopard.

The rest is here:
Michael Smith, Decorator of the Obamas' White House, Has New Book - The New York Times

It was about a week ago when I first started to notice a familiar-looking furniture piece frequenting my Instagram; it appeared on my feed, my discover page, and in several stories of people that I follow. It was a simple yet undeniably chic wooden chair, distinguished by its woven-wicker back and warm honey hues. It was not a seat made to curl up and read a book in, but rather a seat to intentionally display as it unassumingly occupies space next to a napping cat on a colorful geometric rug. At first, I chalked it up to a targeted advertisement I had been looking for a new desk chair and spent most of the previous week browsing second-hand sites with similar styles. But then I began to see the chair several times a day for over a week and could no longer shake the growing feeling that what I would soon learn to be called "the caning chair" was everywhere. While caning chairs are nothing new to those with an affinity for interior design, their recent social-media takeover has been a real shock to the system for those of us less familiar with the origins of the popular mid-century-inspired seating. So, I decided to ask around in order to get a clearer picture of the chairs origins below I cover the who, what, when, where, and why of this sudden-trend surge.

Read more here:
Oh Look, Its That Chair Youve Been Seeing Everywhere - Refinery29

The Rose Garden, photographed in spring 1963 while in full bloom.

Who knew that 10 crab apple trees gone AWOL could spark nationwide outrage? But such was the case on Saturday, when first lady Melania Trumps under-wraps renovation of the White Houses world-famous Rose Gardencreated for President John F. Kennedy in 1962 by the philanthropist and garden designer Rachel Bunny Lambert Mellonwas unveiled to the press, and the ethereal, pink-flowering ornamentals were nowhere to be seen. The boxwood-delineated north and south parterres of the West Wing area had also been revised: Sweeps of largely white roses trucked in, and expanses of limestone, looking raw in the bright August sunshine, framed the central lawn.

The work was carried out by Oehme, van Sweden and Associates and Perry Guillot Inc., two award-winning American firms, under the direction of the 14-member Committee for the Preservation of the White House and the three-member Committee for the Preservation of the White House Grounds, plus 10 external advisers. Thats a lot of expert cooks in the kitchen, among them the grounds committees Leslie Greene Bowman, the president of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation; Richard C. Nylander, the curator emeritus of Historic New England; and Thammanoune Kannalikham, the low-profile White House interior designer.

Since the Rose Garden was revealed, social media has crackled with fury, condemnation, personal attacks, and, as always, misinformation. (More on that, anon.) This is just a sad quadrangle, former NPR executive producer Kitty Eisele said in a dispirited Tweet. NBC chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell retweeted a photograph of the garden posted by the presidential historian Michael Beschloss and the plaint What happened to the trees? Then there was Mark Magowan, a cofounder of Vendome Press, publisher of exquisite books about interiors, gardens, and architecture, including Linda Jane Holdens The Gardens of Bunny Mellon (2018). He emailed me on Monday morning to say, I find it shocking that a committee, operating in complete secrecy, has the authority to neuter one of the most beloved public spaces in the White House complex.

Another early 1960s view of the garden shows the West Wing Colonnade in the background.

Thats an argument with which I happen to agree, though the transparency might have proven unwieldy and resulted in even more blowback. The Rose Garden team nevertheless should have anticipated the firestorm by posting the plans and their developments on the White House website, welcoming comments (good or ill), and talking about it in interviews instead of announcing the renovation just weeks before it was to start. Still, if Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram bear accurate witness, it must be said that many of President Donald J. Trumps supporters have praised the refreshed Rose Garden, calling it elegant, appropriate, and, as one tweeted, clean and classy. Guillot, a Hamptons-based talent whose clients include Aerin Lauder and Tory Burch, told me via email, The project has been the honor of my career.

The Rose Garden revision strikes me as the epitome of deluxe-hotel graciousness. Treeless beds flank the central lawn like the borders of a carpet rather than reaching for the sky like a cathedral; the 10th of an acre seems deflated, even though the attendant roses havent yet grown in and indeed might never do so. (Keep reading; youll find out why.) In addition to lending height, the crab apples, which are members of the rose family, also helped mask the West Colonnades stark white columns, white walls, and odd floating fanlights. Architecture buffs such as Eric Groft of Oehme, van Sweden are delighted to see the colonnade, designed by Benjamin Latrobe and Thomas Jefferson, so fully visible now, but the crab apples disappearing act remains perplexing. Especially so given that Oehme, van Swedens White House Rose Garden Landscape Report offered two attractive alternativesboth of which incorporated crab apples rising from the parterres as intended by Mellon, an exceptionally gifted amateur, and landscape architect Perry Wheeler, with whom she worked on the project.

Read more:
The Full Story Behind the Controversial Rose Garden Redesign - Architectural Digest

There are those who think the world of interior design is stuffy, humorless and uptightand there are those who have met Alexa Hampton. An industry veteran with countless accolades, showhouses and product lines under her belt, Hampton is well known for her design expertise and her irreverent perspective. Now shes looking to bring both to a new venue: the small screen. She is in the process of shopping a pilot for a new show, Style With Alexa Hampton, that highlights craftsmanship, design and, well, style.

I thought it would be fun to do a redux of Elsa Klensch [the host of CNNs weekly fashion and design segment from 1980 until 2001], says Hampton. Ive talked to fashion designers, craftsmen, artisansI think theres much more heartfelt respect for people who are out there making things and creating things and toiling away to make something beautiful.

The format for the show is simple. In each episode, Hampton will visit with a guest (a teaser features jewelry designer Ariana Boussard-Reifel and interior designer Markham Roberts) and go in-depth into the process and thought behind their craft. The tone is genuine but not self-serious (Hampton cites the late, great Anthony Bourdain as an influence). Expect discussions of texture, provenance and historyplus jokes.

I think its nice to know that appreciation and knowledge of design doesnt have to have a snobbish attitude. I want to have fun! says Hampton. It doesnt have to be some gross, materialistic intimidating categoryit is one of joy.

For Hampton, the show has been a long-germinating idea. The recent spate of process shows that take viewers behind the scenes of a creative profession lit the spark and convinced her to go ahead. I watch cooking shows, but I dont cookat all, she says. I dont know how to cook, but I watch these shows and Im so inspired. Some people might say, What is the point? I just ignore that.

Of course, as with everything else, COVID-19 has thrown a wrench in the works. Hampton, who was on 20 flights in the month of January alone, had been planning to weave filming into her normal hectic business travel schedule this year; now, that travel is all on pause. But the pandemic has also given the subject of home a new relevance, she saysone that will free up guests to talk more openly and honestly about why they do what they do.

Its an opportunity for us to have conversations weve been thinking about for a while, says Hampton. I think weve all been reflecting more on what we do and what it means in our communities, and I think the conversations will be better [now]. [Creatives] have been thinking, Holy shit, what does this all mean? What can I do? What am I paying to the universe? What am I doing thats good for the universe, how am I adding? Am I adding? Should I add? Its not like calling somebody in the middle of their busy universe.

Of course, theres the matter of turning whats currently a pilot into a full-blown show. In this day and age, there are myriad ways to distribute digital content. (Elsa Klensch only had cable; for Hampton, there are countless networks and streaming services to reach out tonot to mention the idea of simply uploading episodes to YouTube directly.)

Hampton says shes currently talking with sponsors, as well as shopping the pilot through connections. [Streaming services and networks] need content, and you know that they need good content, but you cant reach out to them, she says. Theres no way to just call up Netflix. Its really just talking to people and getting recommendations, trying to reach out to production companies. On the one hand, everyone wants content; on the other hand, its a closed loop. Its hard, but its fascinating.

However, even if the show does take off, Hampton has no plans to quit her day job. Its not like I thought Id retire and just do television, she quips. I just think itll be a great additionwe have the cooks and the travelogues, but its been a long time since weve had something like this. [We all] need a little pocket of joy, and I think thats of value and of service.

Homepage photo: A still from the teaser for Style | Courtesy of Alexa Hampton Inc.

Read more:
Alexa Hampton is looking for 'pockets of joy' with a new show - Business of Home