Thomas Jayne
photo by Don Freeman
What are three words to describe your style? 1. Fantastic 2. Traditional 3. Comfortable
Tell us about your childhood bedroom? My bedroom was painted red to match the red room at The White House, and had Victorian furniture to match the Lincoln bedroom – I was deeply influenced by Jacqueline Kennedy’s “An Historic Guide” to The White House.
What’s the first investment piece you ever bought for your house? Two huge 18th century Chinese root chairs, which are now in the center of my SoHo loft.
In the history of design, if you could hire any designer other than yourself, who would it be? Augustus Pugin would be good.
No room is complete without a work of art.
People think of me as tall, but I am really a giant.
Things you omit from:
A flower arrangement: Extreme asymmetry beyond the discerning off balance of Constance Spry.
An hors d’oeuvre platter: Tooth picks with sculls on them.
A bar cabinet: Canned cocktails.
A song for:
Dinner at home": “Some Enchanted Evening” or “Hey Good Lookin”
Working at your desk: “To Dream the Impossible Dream”
Going for a run: “Knees” by Bebe Rexha (can you tell I gave up running)
Biggest Vice? Decoration
If you were on an Ambien high and internet shopping, what would you buy? Grand tour souvenirs, especially in marble and bronze, and large paintings.
Do your clothes reflect your design sensibility, if so, how? Yes, they are well tailored and sporty, much like historic American design. My gym costumes are an exception as they are loose and sloppy.
Who is your star crush? David Hockney
What is the thing you would never do on a project, but don’t detest when you see others do it? Tell a client they cannot have something they love.
If there were a fire, and you could only keep one design book, what would it be? The Grammar of Ornament, first printing, full folio. Or Albert Hadley’s monograph inscribed to myself…
For posterity, what would you like your work to be known for? Maintaining the best of traditional design in an age where the design world flattened itself into “mid-century modern”.
photo by Pieter Estersohn
A Few Favorites:
Movie: My Fair Lady
Book: “The Decoration of House” by Edith Wharton, with Ogden Codman. It was the impetus for my book “Classical Principles for Modern Design”.
Scent: Penhaligons Blenheim Bouquet
The fabric you always come back to: Pretty much anything Etro.
Dream project: The White House, or a house for myself in California.
Meal: Chinese food
Drink: Pol Roger
Hotel: Any establishment on Capri
Travel Destination: Capri
Artist: James Abbott McNeill Whistler
Thing to collect obsessively: Books & religious relics
Era in the history of design: Second third quarter of the 19th century, anywhere in the world.
Museum: Neues Museum in Berlin and The Met
Paint Color that always look great: Blue-green and green-blue.
Favorite person to follow on Instagram: My senior designer William Cullum - @jwcullum
Dogs, Cats, or No Pets? All of the above
