What patterns, colors & home design features are trending in 2014? Are you seeing any design trends stem from celebrity homes? If so, which ones, and why do you think they caught on?
I have always loved peacock blues and teals, and I see this color as a real trend for 2014. I recently worked with this chic, rich, vibrant color on two different projects - one throughout an eight year old girl’s bedroom, the other on the ceiling of a Deco wood paneled den and on the walls of a skylight in a celestial mural in a downtown loft. I fell in love with this color on the Tadelakt (traditional Moroccan wall finish) walls of a home I visited in Fez, Morocco.
Coincidentally, the color is a hit in celeb homes too. Sarah Jessica Parker’s favorite color, Peacock Blue, is on her fabulous velvet sofa featured in her living room in her recent “73 Questions” video interview on Vogue.com.
Shimmery surfaces (like the one above) also continue to trend their way through 2014. Shimmer can be achieved by many types of finishes - from a high gloss paint finish or an opulent gold or silver leafing, white opalescent wall tiles to brightly colored glass mosaic wall tiles. Shimmer adds depth and glamour to any room, not to mention the added dimension of a finish that reflects and appears to change color at different times of the day and in different lighting.
What is the best way to get a sense of your client’s vision for their interior?
I always ask new clients to page through the latest design magazines and to look online at designs sites to see what speaks to them. Many clients are unable to identify their vision or know what their taste is, and I help them flesh that out. I’m usually able to pick up on a client’s taste and passions from an existing piece in their collection, be it a painting or a rug or even a small object they’ve picked up from their travels. I once decorated an entire apartment from the exquisite colors and shapes of a client's inherited antique Kashan rug.
If you could pick 3 (belated) New Year’s design Resolutions for 2014, what would they be? Why?
In 2014, I dream of returning to Morocco, one of my favorite places for design inspiration. One of my favorite spots for color is the Marjorelle gardens in Marrakesh. The blue hue in the paint is unreal and can not be matched. It is completely one-of-a-kind. It has recently inspired the colors of an outdoor roof deck of a loft building in Union Square that I designed.
I also make sure to stop by Maison de Tissage for the most incredible fabrics in the Souk. Additionally, I always find that I am inspired by the colors of nature which informs my color choices in particular. Some of the most beautiful terra cotta colors I’ve ever seen have come from the color of the red earth in different areas of the world from the Berber Villages in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco to the Canyon lands of Utah.
Name your favorite furniture and decor brands to work with. What makes them so special?
-The fabulous gourd lamps from Christopher Spitzmiller because the shapes are organic and the finishes so luxe.
-Designer’s Guild fabrics for their brilliant colors and their whimsy and fun - it’s English and it’s Bohemian but it’s still glamorous. I’ve used these fabrics for the bedrooms of 8 year olds to the boudoirs of 90 year olds. The designs are inspired, imaginative and simply magical.
-Flavor Paper - love their wild, over the top screen and digitally printed wallpapers which include some scratch and sniff fruit scents.
-Fromental custom wall coverings add incredible depth and glamour to a room with their many finishes, landscapes and motifs.
-Bergamo has the most sumptuous and exotic fabrics
-Christopher Hyland and Jim Thompson have incredible silks
-Kravet is my go-to for their incredible variety
-Zoffany has great wall coverings
Too many favorites to mention!
