John Rosselli
Photo by Jeff Hirsch
If you could have a second home anywhere, where would you live? Do I have to live somewhere else? I am very happy in New York, but if distance and travel wasn’t an issue I would go somewhere warm.
Tell us about your childhood bedroom? I shared a room with one of my brothers in our home in New Jersey (I am the youngest of 14 kids). We each had a twin bed and our walls were covered with chocolate brown wallpaper. I had a collection of stuffed animals, sea shells and minerals and my dachshund Amy would sleep in the bed with me every night.
What’s the first investment piece you ever bought for your house? It was a blue and white Chinese piece with a willow pattern. I bought it at auction with my mother who was a collector of patchwork quilts.
In the history of design, if you could hire any designer, who would it be? Not a difficult question. I would hire my wife, Bunny Williams.
No room is complete without plants and animals.
People think of me as antiquarian, but I am really a hoarder. I buy something every day, but technically it is not hoarding if the pieces are beautiful.
Things you omit from:
A flower arrangement: Poison Ivy
An hors d’oeuvre platter: Petit Fours
A bar cabinet: Cordials, or sweet after dinner drinks like crème de menthe
A song for:
Dinner at home: Something that doesn’t interfere with conversation, probably Sinatra or Eddy Duchin on Piano with the orchestra
Working at your desk: Jazz from the era of Ella Fitzgerald
Going for a run: I have never seen a happy runner, they always look like they are being pursued. If I had to - I would maybe listen to something uplifting by Stevie Wonder
Biggest Vice? None that I talk about.
If you were on an Ambien high and internet shopping, what would you buy? I’m in my 80s so I never shop online.
Do your clothes reflect your design sensibility, if so, how? Sure, they are clean cut, masculine and all about comfort and color. I tend to dress up an outfit with my red socks or a pair of great shoes.
Who is your star crush? Barbara Stanwyck and Greer Garson
What is the one thing you would never decorate your home with, but don’t detest when you see others do it? Artwork can be very personal so a piece of art or particular artist may be of interest to someone, but I wouldn’t necessarily have it in my home.
If there were a fire, and you could only keep one design book, what would it be? Something by Bunny Williams
For posterity, what would you like your work to be known for? That it reflected a respect and knowledge for the artistry and craftsmanship of the past. Heritage pieces have a story worth investing in. Surround yourself with pieces you love.
photo by max burkhalter
A Few Favorites:
Movie: Gilda (1946)
Book: Something that focuses on 19th c. Russia
Scent: Lemon, but if your meaning cologne Blenheim by Penhaligon’s
The fabric you always come back to: Heavy Linen
Dream project: Just completed it, a collection with dear friend Furlow Gatewood (now 98) due out this November
Meal: Pasta
Drink: Snowlitzah Russian vodka
Hotel: The Beaumont Brown Hart Gardens, London
Travel Destination: India
Artist: Francisco de Zurbarán, Spanish painter from the 1600s
Thing to collect obsessively: Chinese and English Blue and White
Era in the history of design: Italian painted furniture from the 18th/19th century and Anglo Irish furniture.
Museum: The Met
Paint Color that always look great: White
Favorite person to follow on Instagram: @goatsofanarchy
Dogs, Cats, or No Pets? Dogs, but I like all animals
