Tag: interior design

I like how one word can be associated with many different areas.

Life, fashion, interior design, business, music, and writing all assign a sense of style however, I like to focus on the style of home.

I’m not simply referring to decorating and dinner party ideas, the construction, or architecture of a house.

The decor, personality, hospitality within, graciousness, and how we as hosts handle a less than comfortable situation measures the style of home.

Designers, actors, shop owners, one blogger, one musician and two chefs reveal their sense of style through meaningful words.

Biography

“The oldest form of theater is the dinner table.”

– Michael J. Fox,  actor & author

Elle Decor

“I learned that passion about objects and furnishings makes for fearless decorators—and that if you are comfortable in your home, everyone else will be too.  That sense of authenticity is what gives a home its soul.”

—Courtnay Daniels Haden, interior designer

“Turn off cell phones!”

—Joan Michaels, interior designer

“A room should start a conversation before people actually start exchanging words.”

– Barry Dixon, interior designer

Food and Wine

“Make a home-cooked meal, even if it’s just a bowl of chili and a salad with garlic bread. There’s nothing better than simple and delicious.”

—Lisa Fine, textile designer

“In case of an entertaining crisis, take a deep breath and ask, ‘What would Auntie Mame do?’ If a guest accidentally breaks something, regardless of value, simply say, ‘Thank you. I’ve been looking for a reason to replace that old thing.'”

—Bryan Batt, actor/shop owner

Nuts.com

“When I was in Italy one summer, our hosts served cashews and potato chips in crystal bowls while we sipped Prosecco.  It was a revelation: right-out-of-the-bag snacks become sophisticated when they’re served in a gorgeous dish.”

—Stephanie Ballard

“Handwritten thank-you notes after being entertained are a must.”

—Grant K. Gibson, interior designer

Apartment Therapy

“You can never have too many white plates, platters, and bowls.”

—Cheryl Katz, interior designer

“I try to greet my friends with a drink in my hand, a warm smile on my face, and great music in the background, because that’s what gets a dinner party off to a fun start.”

–Ina Garten, celebrity chef and author

“In life as in design, it is not perfection you should be after. There’s beauty in the faded and worn, the well loved, and the sentimental…After all, life has seams. Your home should be like a loosely woven fabric of desires, memories, practical, notions, and even compromises.”

–Celerie Kemble, interior designer

Architectural Digest

“When you’re building a room, you’re building character, and character is the strength and wisdom of a home.”

– Rose Tarlow, interior designer

“You should have a picture of yourself as a kid in your home so that you remember where you came from.”

—John Mayer, musician

Digital Food Network

“Kitchens should be designed around what’s truly important—fun, food, and life.”

— Daniel Boulud, chef/restaurateur

“There are two things that make a room timeless: a sense of history and a piece of the future.”

— Charlotte Moss, interior designer

Architectural Digest – Photo by Carlos Domenech

“Real comfort, visual and physical, is vital to every room.”

—Mark Hampton, interior designer

Wise words, a good sense of taste and humor, and impeccable manners are strong anchors in the game of style.