Christopher Spitzmiller
PHOTO BY INGALLS PHOTO
If you could have a second home anywhere, where would you live? Somewhere warm, stylish, and fun like St. Barth’s.
What are three words to describe your style? 1. Timeless 2. Classic 3. Detailed
Tell us about your childhood bedroom? Around age 11, I drew plans to have walls done up with wainscoting and a fireplace added, but sadly none of this every materialized.
What’s the first investment piece you ever bought for your house? A really good heating and cooling system. Albert Hadley always said you have to get the bones right in your house before you do anything else.
In the history of design, if you could hire any designer other than yourself, who would it be? Harry Heissmann is my hero for making all my dreams come true.
No room is complete without a Spitzmiller lamp!
People think of me as someone who doesn’t sleep, but I get a good 8 hours each night, and after waking spend a good hour in bed working on my emails and gossiping with friends.
Things you omit from:
· A flower arrangement: Bright yellow flowers, but golden yellow is marvelous.
· An hors d’oeuvre platter: Pickled herring or anything heavy with anchovies.
· A bar cabinet: Pre-made cocktail mixers.
A song for:
· Dinner at home: Anything by Eartha Kitt.
· Working at your desk: NPR
· Going for a run: Nothing - I like to silence.
Biggest Vice? Anything and everything dark chocolate.
If you were on an Ambien high and internet shopping, what would you buy? I’m a congenial shopper, I don’t need drugs involved to get me to spend! I’m always searching the internet for anything from an oversized bronze garden stag, to a set of Wedgewood Creamware dishes.
Do your clothes reflect your design sensibility, if so, how? I’m a fairly classic prep dresser. When I was at RISD my classmates thought I was a Brown student.
Who is your star crush? Martha Stewart.
What is the thing you would never do on a project, but don’t detest when you see others do it? Work in something from IKEA or some other thrifty source. Somehow, I’m just not able to pull this off!
If there were a fire, and you could only keep one design book, what would it be? My inscribed Albert Hadley book.
For posterity, what would you like your work to be known for? My work is going to outlive me, I’m a fanatic about artists and creators signing their work.
PHOTO BY INGALLS PHOTO
A Few Favorites:
Movie: Reversal of Fortune
Book: Anything by Dominic Dunne
Scent: Hermes Citron Noir
The fabric you always come back to: Tillett’s Butterfly
Dream project: Joe Biden
Meal: Popeyes or really any Fried Chicken
Drink: Iced Tea
Hotel: il Pelicano
Travel Destination: Europe in the summer. English Gardens and Italian beaches.
Artist: Marian McEvoy
Thing to collect obsessively: Dodie Thayer cabbage ware
Era in the history of design: Classicists
Museum: D. Porthault
Paint Color that always looks great: Ben Moore Maritime Blue
Favorite person to follow on Instagram: KRB @krbnyc Kate has the best stuff in her store. Thank god it’s only one block away!
Dogs, Cats, or No Pets? Dogs and Birds for me. Geese, Chickens, Peafowl, Turkeys and Indian Fantail pigeons. A friend overheard two women in a shop on Madison Avenue. They mused, “Do you think he likes birds?” Reply, “No birds are messy and dirty, no way!” Little do they know I have nearly 100!
