ELLE DECOR's Quote of the Week
Words of wisdom from some of ELLE DECOR’s favorite talents and tastemakers over the past 20 years
“I don’t discriminate when it comes to provenance. Home Depot changed my life.”
—Decorator/author Tricia Foley, Dec/Jan 02
Past Quotes
“Light, air, sound. In every space, it’s how you embrace those things.”—Architect Michael Gabellini, November 07
“The most elegant interiors are just slightly tatty.” —Interior designer David Netto, October 05
“I love the mystery and exoticism of Chinese culture, and the simple, timeless nature of the furniture. In the West, each period is marked by a distinct style, but in the East, even things made 300 years ago look perfectly contemporary today.”—Guerlain cosmetics creative director Olivier Echaudemaison, October 03
“Most people start out wanting to go for their fantasy, but end up painting their walls dove-white.”—Shopkeeper/interior decorator Rayman Boozer, May 06
“When it comes to art, buy with your eyes, not your ears. I tried very hard not to ‘decorate’ with art. Art should be reflective of your personality and what’s going on in your head—not reflective of the colors of a sofa.”—Hotelier Jason Pomeranc, November 05
“I must have books everywhere. They’re the soul of a room—they reveal the taste, the interests, and the secrets of whoever lives there."—Fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, April 02
“Buy the best, and you only cry once."—Interior designer Miles Redd, November 06
“Matchy-matchy is not for me. I don’t want things to be too perfect. It’s like pairing a matte top with a shiny skirt, so they play off each other. I want there to be relationships with texture and color, and sometimes it’s more about the contrast that chimes."—Fashion designer Peter Som, September 05
“There is a conception in this country about luxurious things that we have to save them for a time that’s right. But an object is truly luxurious if you allow it to be, if you use it. When you live with beautiful things you stimulate your mind, you enjoy life a little bit more."—Fashion designer Ralph Rucci, September 05
“When I see something great, it doesn’t matter where it comes from. In fact, sometimes the best things are from cheesy places."—Hotelier/restaurateur Jeff Klein, April 02
“I need contrast—the old and the new, the rough and the soft. The clash of it all is very sexy.”—Fashion designer Catherine Malandrino, April 02
“Minimalist rooms can be so beautiful, but I can’t live in one; I love objects too much.”—Interior designer Bunny Williams, Dec 03
"I could never live without artwork. It’s a constant inspiration.”—Fashion designer Narciso Rodriguez, April 02
"I’m all about exuberance. We only have one short life to live, and we shouldn’t waste it being tasteful.”—Fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi, March 05
"I love the visual energy that comes from the imperfect, the unexpected. People sometimes think designers create fairy tales, but we give them something that’s much more sincere. We don’t live in fairy tales.”—Interior designer Victoria Hagan, Aug/Sept 02
"In the most successful spaces, you don’t see everything at once. The more time you spend in them, the more you discover. They open up like flowers."—Interior designer Vicente Wolf, Jan/Feb 07
"There are two things that make a room timeless: a sense of history and a piece of the future."—Interior designer Charlotte Moss, April 02
“Old houses are alive. All you have to do is pick up the thread and go with it. There is something reassuring about them that you don’t find in modern dwellings. A new space has to be tamed. It takes a lot of energy and quite a bit of intuition.”—Antiquaire Pierre Passebon, Dec/Jan 97
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