has her desk and meets with clients.
Inspiration! For a wall size inspiration board, Elizabeth put up a cork surface and wallpapered over it in a zingy Osborne and Little chinoiserie paper.
Our paths first crossed when her cheery personality and great laugh joined O at Home, when she worked with me in the style department. Seeing her open a fantastic store and run a successful design business is so exciting. I recently sat down with Elizabeth to get the scoop on what she is loving now.
Who did you work for/study to learn the trade?
I actually never formally studied design; I was an English major. I fell in love with interior design and antiques and suddenly my whole life began to revolve around all things chic for the home. I interned for an interior designer for several summers in Nantucket when I was 17 and eventually returned to work for her full time after working for Vogue on the publishing side and O at Home in the style department.
What is your signature look? How would you define it?
Modern in a traditional silhouette. I love clean lines and anything that somehow incorporates glass or Lucite; that said, I also use tons of color and pattern. My mother always kept very traditional homes so I think I will never stray too far from the classic but I like to have fun with it!
When did you know this was your calling in life?
I insisted on picking out my own wallpaper for my room when I was 9 years old. Looking back, I know why my mother and her decorator were fighting me on my choice; nonetheless, I put up a good fight and talked my mother into it. Looking back, I must admit that it was kind of terrible but at the same I was very proud of it and had a great sense of accomplishment. Fast forward to my sophomore year of high school: I made my roommate buy the same Laura Ashley comforter so that our beds would match! To this day, my friends still make fun of me for it but at least now they understand where I was headed.
What other designer and or architect do you most admire and why ?
Where to start, there are so many designers that I respect for different reasons. For designers I would say Dorthy Draper, Billy Haines, and Tony Duquette. For architects I would have to say McKim, Mead, and White for the old school and Hugh Newell Jacobson for his current work. As different as they are from one another, I would be thrilled to live in either.
What is your favorite go to fabric house?
Quadrille
What material do you love?
Cut velvet
What is your favorite antique you own and reproduction collection you constantly use as a resource?
By definition, antique would mean 100 years or older and my favorite piece is my cocktail table from the 60's which really is just plain "vintage". Its Lucite in the shape of faux bamboo with brass and glass. For reproductions I like McGuire and Bungalow 5.
What is your favorite project and why?
An apartment I did in New York. The New York residence is a studio, but it has so many layers-- everything is so fine and edited. The back wall of the apartment has a very dramatic and colorful wallpaper by F. Schumacher that is the backbone of the whole apartment. The gallery wall of art also draws you in and gives the room an old world feel while holding its own against the bold wallpaper.
What trade or retail store inspires you most?
Dragonette in LA and Jerry Pair.
What is your favorite new and old interior book?
New is Domestic Art and old is Billy Baldwin Decorates
If you were not doing this what would you be doing?
I'd be an art dealer, my other passion.
What city besides New York do you visit to inspire you?
Los Angeles. The architecture in the Hills is very similar to my decorating: classic yet modern. It's a little bit of everything. Second to LA would be Palm Beach.
