Carolyne Roehm
If you could have a second home anywhere, where would you live? I do not need any more homes! At this point in my life, it’s all about simplifying and enjoying what I have.
What are three words to describe your style?
1. Classical
2. Comfortable
3. Feminine
Tell us about your childhood bedroom? My grandparents so sweetly helped decorate my childhood room. My grandmother loved design and was always in the process of redecorating a part of her home (a compulsion I can now relate to!) My grandfather was an excellent furniture maker. When I was a young girl, he crafted me a canopy bed from maple and she made panels out of white cotton organdy for the top and the sides - it was every child’s dream! My contribution was to fill the bed with stuffed animals, naturally!
What’s the first investment piece you ever bought for your house? A beautiful 18th century antique gilt mirror.
In the history of design, if you could hire any designer other than yourself, who would it be?
Renzo Mongiardino
No room is complete without flowers or gorgeous plants, of course!
People think of me as aloof, perhaps, but I am really warm, funny and just one of the girls.
Things you omit from:
A flower arrangement: Nothing. Anything can be made beautiful when done well. That’s our job as a designer, no?
An hors d’oeuvre platter: Almost everything. It will ruin your appetite for the dinner.
A bar cabinet: I don’t have one but we should always anticipate and stock what our guests may want!
A song for:
Dinner at home: Classical
Working at your desk: Depends on the project! Do I need calm, quiet focus or extra pep in my step? This can range from Jim Brickman (Bedtime Story) to Mozart to Donna Summer to Earth Wind & Fire.
Going for a run: Well, I don’t have to worry about that one because I don’t run (unless it’s to catch one of my dogs)!
Biggest Vice? Ice cream in bed
If you were on an Ambien high and internet shopping, what would you buy? Bulbs, plants and seeds for my garden for days!
Do your clothes reflect your design sensibility, if so, how? Yes, absolutely. I love pieces that are classic and timeless with excellent craftsmanship.
Who is your star crush? Clark Gable. Current-day: Colin Firth.
What is the thing you would never do on a project, but don’t detest when you see others do it? I would not mix contemporary with antique but I’ve seen it done very well and admired it.
If there were a fire, and you could only keep one design book, what would it be? I’ll go with one of mine - Flowers or At Home in the Garden. My books are snapshots of my life and work I have loved - so they are just like grabbing my photo albums (which is the stock answer to that fire question, right?).
For posterity, what would you like your work to be known for? Quality and elegance.
A Few Favorites:
Movie: Gone with The Wind
Book: Gone with the Wind by Mitchell
Scent: Fracas by Robert Piguet
The fabric you always come back to: Stripes or damask
Dream project: Designing a house based on a l’orangerie
Meal: White truffles in the autumn
Drink: A great Burgundy wine
Hotel: Any of the Aman hotels
Travel Destination: Japan to see the cherry blossoms in bloom
Artist: Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun or Franz Xaver Winterhalter
A cause near and dear to me: Animal Shelters
Thing to collect obsessively: I plead the fifth
Era in the history of design: Late 18th/Early 19th Century
Museum: Musée de l'Ermitage
Paint Color that always looks great: Farrow & Ball Calke Green
Favorite person to follow on Instagram: I follow anyone who has a clever wit and gives me a good, hard laugh. This changes.
Dogs, Cats, or No Pets? ALL the dogs and I adore cats too. Truth be told, I am a deep lover of all animals!
