Kate Rheinstein Brodsky
photo by Lesley Unruh
If you could have a second home anywhere, where would you live? Los Angeles—I grew up there and miss it.
What are three words to describe your style? Pretty, Comfortable, Green (the color)
Tell us about your childhood bedroom? Suzanne was going through her hardcore Anglophile phase and it had the most insanely fabulous pink, green and white floral chintz balloon shades lined in pink chintz with scalloped pinked edges and a matching canopy over the bed(which had been my fathers childhood bed). The walls were palest pink and the floor was painted cream with green trellis and green and pink trefoils. The bathroom ( and the chipboard dresser in it) was wallpapered in pink bows on a white background. When I was about 12, I started agitating for a more grownup room—wisely my mother made it a surprise for when I returned from camp. She painted the walls granny apple green, the ceiling a strong Keith Langham-y pink, painted the floor with a leopard pattern, and kept the balloon shades! I was in heaven.
What’s the first investment piece you ever bought for your house? A custom 10 ft long banquette from Classic Sofa when I was still in college. I copied the proportions from the banquettes in the Founders Room at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in LA which had been decorated by Tony Duquette. I have recovered it 3 times but I still have it!
In the history of design, if you could hire any designer other than yourself, who would it be? Frances Elkins
No room is complete without living things—people, pets or plants!
People think of me as an Interior Decorator, but I just play one on Instagram.
Things you omit from:
A flower arrangement : orchids
An hors d’oeuvre platter : sweets
A bar cabinet : not a thing
A song for:
Dinner at home : depends on the crowd —anything from Pink Martini to 90s hip hop
Working at your desk: classical music
Going for a run : Beyonce or Lizzo. And by run, I assume you mean fast walk.
Biggest Vice? Buying in quantity —CB2 marta glasses, cocktail napkins, terracotta pots . . .
If you were on an Ambien high and internet shopping, what would you buy? Vintage table linens
Do your clothes reflect your design sensibility, if so, how? Well, I mostly wear black but I do love a Libertine coat and bright accessories—so maybe its relative practicality punctuated by a few grand gestures?
Who is your star crush? Karl Lagerfeld
What is the thing you would never do on a project, but don’t detest when you see others do it? All blue and white rooms
If there were a fire, and you could only keep one design book, what would it be? The fabulous David Adler book from the 1970s
For posterity, what would you like your work to be known for? That you had a good time when you came to a party at my house!
photo by Lesley Unruh
A Few Favorites:
Movie: Gigi
Scent: Lipstick Rose by Frederic Malle—smells like glamour, like my mother going out in the 80s
The fabric you always come back to: Glazed chintz!
Dream project: A David Adler house
Meal: Sushi or Korean
Drink: Tequila, lime, splash of tonic
Hotel: Ballyfin
Travel Destination: Any place with good houses to tour and gardens to wander
Artist: Walton Ford
Thing to collect obsessively: china, chairs, books
Era in the history of design: Directoire and Regency
Museum: Nissim Camando—love a good house museum
Paint Color that always look great: No paint color always looks great. But my favorite green paints are BM 489 Oak Grove and Ponderosa Pine
Favorite person to follow on Instagram: @christopherspitzmiller and @gustthepoodle I swear both Chris and Marian have more hours in the day than the rest of us!
Dogs, Cats, or No Pets? Dogs
