David Mann
photo by Anthony Cotsifas
If you could have a second home anywhere, where would you live? I do have a second home in Claverack, NY, and love it there.
What are three words to describe your style?
1. Considered
2. Simple
3. Elegant
Tell us about your childhood bedroom? My favorite childhood bedroom overlooked Mount Diablo in Walnut Creek, CA. I had a dark green rug with a yellow and green check bedspread. It sounds awful, but it was actually great! I also had an old drafting table set in the window, which is where I pretty much lived in those days.
What’s the first investment piece you ever bought for your house? I bought my first investment piece in the 80s through my friend Cary Leibowitz. It was a Cindy Sherman.
In the history of design, if you could hire any designer other than yourself, who would it be? Eileen Gray
No room is complete without the right natural light.
People think of me as intimidating, but I am really easygoing.
Things you omit from:
A flower arrangement: Other plant material. I usually like one type of flower or plant in my arrangements.
An hors d’oeuvre platter: Processed food
A bar cabinet: Ugly bottles
A song for:
Dinner at home: The soundtrack to “In the Mood For Love.”
Working at your desk: I don’t listen to music at work.
Going for a run: I don’t run, but love to listen to Philip Glass on long walks.
Biggest Vice? Flying
If you were on an Ambien high and internet shopping, what would you buy? Real Estate (zillow.com)
Do your clothes reflect your design sensibility? If so, how? Yes. My clothes are simple, timeless, and mostly black.
Who is your star crush? Gregory Peck
What is the thing you would never do on a project but don’t detest when you see others do it? Layer diverse patterns
If there were a fire, and you could only keep one design book, what would it be? Richard Neutra’s “Survival Through Design”
For posterity, what would you like your work to be known for? How happy it has made some of our clients who commissioned the work.
photo by Eric Piasecki
A Few Favorites:
Movie: Top of my mind at this very moment: the very camp Boom! Ask me again in five minutes, and it might be Barry Lyndon or 8 1/2 or Breaking the Waves. I love movies!
Book: No favorite. Currently reading Calder by Jed Perl.
Scent: Hot house gardenias.
The fabric you always come back to: Silk velvet
Dream project: A small, exquisitely conceived, perfectly executed, maintenance-friendly, environmentally thoughtful house made entirely of healthy materials.
Meal: Filet Mignon with a bib lettuce salad soaked in lemon and olive oil dressing
Drink: Water, slightly chilled, no ice
Hotel: Rambagh Palace, Jaipur. It is not for over-the-top luxury but more for its historic patina and faded charm.
Travel Destination: Paris
Artist: Yun Hyong-keun
A cause near and dear to me: Food Bank for NYC
Thing to collect obsessively: Books
Era in the history of design: Bauhaus
Museum: The Gallery at Bard Graduate Center.
Paint Color that always looks great: Benjamin Moore #2132-10 Black
Favorite person to follow on Instagram: Yuval_Noah_Harari
Dogs, Cats, or No Pets? Dogs
