Who are your style icons?
All around: Isabella Rossellini, Linda Dresner - she is the one responsible for bringing Jil Sander to the US. Linda is a true fashionista. I love how she combines various designers to create an amazing look. Something is always slightly "off" when she creates a look. It's an edge that has which sets her apart from the rest. Part of my feeling about perfection being in imperfection.
Fashion: Liliana Casabal (Morgane Le Fay) Her use of fabric, wool, silk, the layers. The saturation of color. Catherine Malandrino
Interiors/Fashion: Martin Margiela Interiors: Elsie de Wolfe, Vincente Wolf
Favorite Eye: Paula Rubenstein. Her mix of masculine and industrial antiques are to die for! I could park myself in a corner of her shop and never leave. John Derian - I love his look. Amazing.
Architect: Richard Meier Someday I hope to own the Douglas house that he designed on Lake Michigan. I have been staring at it from a far since I was a little girl!
Who would you most like to collaborate with on a project?
I hesitate to answer this knowing you have a close relationship with him. Vincente Wolf's scope of work blows my mind. What I wouldn't do to be a fly on the wall at his studio. Books, interiors, photography, CRYSTAL for Baccarat!?! Just to have a creative relationship with such a historic company. I am truly in awe.
What books are currently on your bedside table?
I don't read in bed. There are however two balls of yarn, a set of knitting needles a red uniball pen (love them!) and my note/collage book. I like to have it close at hand. I make interior design collages in various color or design schemes, write down dreams or random thoughts.
What is your favorite luxury in life?
Being able to travel the world with my husband, Scott. In our year and a half courtship we traveled to 26 different places around the world together. Our travel has not slowed down since our wedding! From Helsinki, to Troncones and Deia to the Napa Valley to the South of France - you name it, experiencing the sites, the culture and the cuisine with my life partner is truly a luxury I feel blessed to have.
What is your idea of earthly happiness?
Good health, warm sun on my face, fresh simple food, good wine and above all else my relationship with my family.
Past or present who has most influenced your direction in life? When I was a girl we used to rent a cabin on Lake Michigan each Summer. The home that the owner had created was a wonderful representation of her personal style. I think I have always aspired to live a well-lived-life like hers. I have always worked to hone my style and make my home a direct reflection of my personality. I live my life surrounded by nostalgic pieces I love, that I find beautiful and truly inspiring.
"Sally" (the owner of the cabin) was a buyer for Dayton Hudson. I never met Sally, but the cabin and the decor was incredibly influential on my taste as an adult. She collected goods from all over the world on her buying trips. The kitchen was made entirely of reclaimed barn wood as were the beams that ran along the ceiling of the tiny cabin. The cabinets were stocked with mismatched antique china. She collected heart shaped rocks on the shores of Lake Michigan and displayed them as a collection on the fireplace hearth in the master bedroom. She collected shipping crates and used one as a cocktail table. Other crates were stacked under an open stairway for additional storage.
The architecture of the house was modern, but the interiors had a rustic feel and many of the furniture pieces were antique. The front door was a reclaimed apartment door complete with the original metal apartment number on it. The entire house was splattered with stained glass windows. The most amazing of which was on the landing of the stairway. It was grand in scale (no less than 9 ft high and 5 ft wide) and had red, gold, green and blue accents - it allowed for wonderful colored light to spill into the house - not unlike the fantastically colored vintage posters that I collect as an adult. She collected everything from antique quilts to wood duck decoys and Peruvian embroidery pieces that were framed and hung on the wall of the yellow bathroom, salon style - of course!
Profile by Ronda Carman
