A penthouse apartment in New York City designed by the late American decorator Mario Buatta.
What do you call the interiors specialist a who designs, revamps, or simply refreshes rooms in your home? The answer might not be as straightforward as you think.
“I prefer decorator, says Miles Redd. “The word is a bit faded, but I align myself with Syrie Maugham, John Fowler, and Nancy Lancaster, and I don't think any of them called themselves an interior designer, which for me—and I hope I don't offend people I admire-feels the tiniest bit pretentious.” Hold that thought.
“If somebody calls me a decorator, nothing is more annoying, says designer Ghislaine Viñas (see page 42). “It's a dated term that conjures this image of a lady who shops with people, picks out trim, and zhuzhes things. It doesn't hold the clout that an interior designer has, because we go to school for years.”
Ask interiors professionals to discuss their feelings about decorating versus designing and it can call to mind those old Miller Lite commercials with the arguments over tastes great” and “less filling. Yet, despite some passionate taking of sides, this isn't really an either/or debate. Ultimately it's about differences in perception and usage, which have evolved in ways that people outside of the design world don't always grasp.
This story is from the April 2022 edition of Elle Decor.
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This story is from the April 2022 edition of Elle Decor.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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Is it possible to simultaneously go back in time and leap forward? This was the challenge a couple set for themselves upon purchasing a salmon-pink 1869 house in Cambridge, Massachusetts, not far from Longfellow House, the National Historic Site that served as George Washington's headquarters during the revolution. We loved all the beautiful old details of this house, the homeowner says.
Just Like That, But Cheaper. -One writer tried to replicate a classic ELLE DECOR interior in his apartment. Could he do it for $500?
It was all about the green curtains. In 2008, to my great surprise, I was offered a ninemonth fellowship based in New York City. I had lived there twice before, both times unsuccessfully, meaning I had failed to create any kind of significant social life, and so this was a chance not only to do research for my new novel, but also an opportunity to get things right. I swore I wouldn't let the city break me a third time.
And How! - Decorator Nick Olsen transforms a Sag Harbor home into a Hamptons retreat with an irreverent humor.
If you must go to the Hamptons, however-because it is devilishly good fun, after all-you may notice an apparently modest, low-slung cottage on Sag Harbor's Main Street and think, with a comfortable sort of feeling, Now that is how a house should look. Nestled amid the Botox bars, helipads, and club-staurants, it could almost set the sordid world aright both a rebuke and a solution to the chaos that surrounds it. A real home.
