Maryline Damour
photo by Rikki Snyder
If you could have a second home anywhere, where would you live? I speak French and lived in Paris. It's my dream to own an apartment there
What are three words to describe your style? Elegant. Unexpected. Warm.
Tell us about your childhood bedroom? I grew up in an NYC apartment that was decorated in a formal and traditional way…mostly French antiques and lots of beige.
What’s the first investment piece you ever bought for your house? A 19th century faux bamboo armoire. It used to serve as my linen closet when I lived in NYC. Now it's my medicine cabinet in the Hudson Valley.
In the history of design, if you could hire any designer other than yourself, who would it be? Thomas O’Brien; Darryl Carter; Michael Smith; David Hicks.
No room is complete without books, books and more books. I don't have a choice because I own so many, but every room in a house can be enhanced by books.
People think of me as outgoing, but I am really a loner.
Things you omit from:
A flower arrangement: Baby's breath (which I like on its own as a bouquet) and that fern-looking other filler
An hors d’oeuvre platter: Raw vegetables. I'm from the Caribbean and never knew this was a thing until I moved to the US. Yuck!
A bar cabinet: All those bar utensils that no one knows what do with
A song for:
Dinner at home: Manu Chao
Working at your desk: Any member of the Marley family
Going for a run: Absolutely no running!
Biggest Vice? Purses!
If you were on an Ambien high and internet shopping, what would you buy? If I could, I would buy houses in all my favorite architectural styles (Federal; a Philip Johnson glass house; a historic house in the English countryside)
Do your clothes reflect your design sensibility, if so, how? Maybe. I don’t have a style when it comes to clothes. It’s more about what reflects my personality. In interiors, I also don’t have a ‘look’ or follow trends. It’s really about what the space needs and how to best showcase it.
Who is your star crush? Jake Gyllenhall…not only is he talented and handsome but I’d also get to hang out with his sister Maggie. She seems like a badass.
What is the thing you would never do on a project, but don’t detest when you see others do it? I prefer the look of clean kitchen counters...no appliances, etc... but I do appreciate a well-styled kitchen.
If there were a fire, and you could only keep one design book, what would it be? The English Country House is a compendium of articles from Country Life magazine. It has great photos of interiors and gardens. It's like Downtown Abbey in book form.
For posterity, what would you like your work to be known for? An equal focus on good design in the interior architecture as well as bringing in decorative aspects in unexpected ways.
photo by Brian Shumway
A Few Favorites:
Movie: Gosford Park
Book: Love in the Time of Cholera
Scent: Leave it to the Italians to make baby perfume! I’m obsessed with Mustela's Musti Eau de Soin.
The fabric you always come back to: Mohair
Dream project: A historic home in Europe
Meal: Braised conch served with black mushroom rice is a favorite Haitian dish
Drink: Vodka soda with lime
Hotel: Hotel Florita in Haiti. It’s a mid-1800s mansion
Travel Destination: Maldives
Artist: It’s impossible to pick among the many artists in the Hudson Valley. I love everyone that’s participated in the Kingston Design Showhouse
Thing to collect obsessively: Antique china; Depression glass
Era in the history of design: Midcentury modern
Museum: The Frick in NYC
Paint Color that always look great: Super White by Benjamin Moore
Favorite person to follow on Instagram: Cookblog….the food is beyond
Dogs, Cats, or No Pets? Dog and cat
