Everything I commission - whether it is for me or for a client's home or for a hotel or office - is absolutely unique to that job. I have everything made, or I find vintage and antique pieces at markets and auctions.
I love when people walk into my house and start grinning: "This is too much - this is so you!" Why give people brown cardboard when you can give them embroidered, crystal-flecked organza?
I always want objects in my home that have a connection to me or something I've loved. It's still stuff, but it's stuff that has meaning.
My biggest word of advice that I could give to people that are dealing with a home renovation or decoration is to not think about design as it's been presented to you before. I think everybody needs to start designing based on the moments they imagine having in their home and that is what has guided me as a decorator.
I like to add personal touches to my decorating style, including photographs and nostalgic items that remind me of family and home.
You have to find your own style, and it's difficult to define what style is. It's not what you're wearing; it's how you wear it. It's something very personal, and it reflects the way you live and your house, the books you read, the art you have.
Dad had a sign of his own. MY BEAUTIFUL FAMILY, it read, and then underneath that (AND GUS).
When it comes to designing your first apartment, I think people get overwhelmed and end up collecting pieces that don't always mesh well together because they don't have a clear vision. Take your time and use tools that can help inspire and guide you through the process.
My mother used to paper pictures from movie magazines on the wall of her bedroom. When I was born, she looked at those pictures to decide on a name for me. Claudette Colbert's picture was up there and so was Loretta Young's. She decided Loretta was the prettiest name, so I was named after her.
The guy who owned that island was from Oregon and he decided that he wanted to have an Oregon feeling to it, so he planted pine trees all over the place!
A home is not a museum. It doesn't have to be furnished with Picasso paintings, or Sheraton suites, or Oriental rugs, or Chinese pottery. But it does have to be furnished with things that mean something to you.
He has painted many roses for me. My walls are covered with Howard originals.
