Benjamin Noriega Ortiz
photo by Antoine Bootz
If you could have a second home anywhere, where would you live? A beach, any beach.
What are three words to describe your style?
Whimsical
Modern
Architectural
Tell us about your childhood bedroom? My mom made us matching bedcovers in kaki top and blue stripe sides, our initials were hand embroidered by her on top with the same fabric as the sides. Draperies to match.
What’s the first investment piece you ever bought for your house? A ceramic horse by John Balossi. I paid $125 in five installments.
In the history of design, if you could hire any designer other than yourself, who would it be?
I have no idea!
No room is complete without a signature scent.
People think of me as an extrovert, but I am really shy.
Things you omit from:
A flower arrangement: Gladiolas, I despise them
An hors d’oeuvre platter: Olives, I hate them!
A bar cabinet: Flavored spirits or “mixers”
A song for:
Dinner at home: 1920’s Swing music
Working at your desk: Absolute silence
Going for a run: I don’t run, but if I did, I would play Daddy Yankee
Biggest Vice? Coffee
If you were on an Ambien high and internet shopping, what would you buy?
First Class Air fares to far away beaches.
Do your clothes reflect your design sensibility, if so, how? Yes, I don’t dress in any particular way, I see clothing as doing DRAG. Anything goes. I love using artist made clothes mixed with traditional. And I love vintage recycled and repurposed clothes.
Who is your star crush? Walter Mercado
What is the thing you would never do on a project, but don’t detest when you see others do it?
Use fabric patterns in many colors.
If there were a fire, and you could only keep one design book, what would it be?
Learning from Las Vegas.
For posterity, what would you like your work to be known for? Enhancing my clients’ lives, making them happy.
photo by Pieter Estherson
A Few Favorites:
Movie: Blade Runner
Book: Perfume by Patrick Süskind
Scent: Tuberoses
The fabric you always come back to: Sheers, especially from Carnegie
Dream project: A courtyard house in Old San Juan
Meal: Rice and beans with pork chops and tostones, with a side of avocado
Drink: Gin martini, dry, shaken NOT stirred, with a twist
Hotel: Bauer in Venice
Travel Destination: Rome
Artist: Louise Nevelson
A cause near and dear to me: Gay rights
Thing to collect obsessively: Hats, but not so many
Era in the history of design: Baroque
Museum: Villa Borguese, in Rome
Paint Color that always looks great: Seafoam green
Favorite person to follow on Instagram: @ruvenafanador
Dogs, Cats, or No Pets? Two cats: Toonces and Mr. Cat
