Favorite room: My favorite room is my living room (yes, I really use it!). It is always evolving (as is all of my home, really). It’s a room with no function other than to be a place of comfort to me and, hopefully, others. Key pieces are neutral to allow for splashes of color and whimsy as the spirit moves me. Original art, textures, and natural materials are essential as are reminders of family and travels, each of which I treasure. I don’t look for pieces that “fit” as much as I look for pieces that are meaningful to me; I find they usually meld.

 

Favorite piece of furniture: A driftwood coffee table. My parents found the wood in the Florida Keys in the 1950s, and they topped it with a kidney-shaped piece of glass. It has survived the years, and I can still remember my brother and I driving matchbox cars around its nooks and crannies.

 

Design style: My style might best be described as “naturally” eclectic. I enjoy keeping the “bones” of my room fairly simple in terms of colors and lines. My main fabrics tend to be natural textures and definite patterns are kept to a minimum. I like mixing elements of wood, glass, metal, and pottery. These items may be new, old, whole, or fragments of a whole. I enjoy live greenery, “found objects” (like a bowl of sea glass perhaps), candles, baskets, and original artwork in many mediums, and travel treasures.

 

Favorite interior design books/magazines: My favorite periodical is Architectural Digest, as it always challenges me to think outside of the box. I will go through an issue several times and each time may find a new inspiration. It is almost never a whole room but rather an individual element in a room that will fuel my creative energy.