Stephen Shadley
photo by David Glomb
If you could have a second home anywhere, where would you live? In the second home in which I now live! I’m in the Hudson River Valley in a home I built on a mountain overlooking the the Catskills.
What are three words to describe your style?
1. Romantic
2. Referenced
3. Narrative-driven
Tell us about your childhood bedroom? One I shared with my brother that had rattan headboards I sprayed black, avocado walls, fake leopard bedspreads made by my mom and a drive-in speaker connected to a radio. Also a big bulletin board!
What’s the first investment piece you ever bought for your house? An English roll-top desk when I was in my twenties. I have always treasured that desk and the memory associated with that purchase!
In the history of design, if you could hire any designer other than yourself, who would it be? A great garden designer and right now that would be Piet Oudolf.
No room is complete without a little drama.
People think of me as outgoing, but I am really a recluse.
Things you omit from:
A flower arrangement: More than one variety of flower
An hors d’oeuvre platter: Can’t remember the last time I served one
A bar cabinet: Anything fancy
A song for:
Dinner at home: My own mixes over the years
Working at your desk: Keith Jarrett: The Koln Concert
Going for a run: Never been a runner
If you were on an Ambien high and internet shopping, what would you buy? Never tried Ambien but always interesting lamps.
Do your clothes reflect your design sensibility, if so, how? Pretty simple always and love my Clarks Wallabees!
Who is your star crush? Right now, Elizabeth Moss.
What is the thing you would never do on a project, but don’t detest when you see others do it? Minimalism
If there were a fire, and you could only keep one design book, what would it be?
My favorite book on Katsura Villa.
For posterity, what would you like your work to be known for? Being inviting and simple.
photo by David Clayton Miller.
A Few Favorites:
Movie: Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty
Book: The Roots of Japanese Architecture
Scent: Copal incense
The fabric you always come back to: Heavy, textured linen
Dream project: The one I may now be beginning
Meal: BBQ’d veggie burger
Drink: Red wine with ice
Hotel: Bel Air Hotel
Travel Destination: Some day Japan
Artist: Mark Rothko
A cause near and dear to me: Rescue animals
Thing to collect obsessively: Plants and trees
Era in the history of design: Mid-twentieth Century
Museum: The old Guggenheim
Paint Color that always looks great: Benjamin Moore White Dove
Favorite person to follow on Instagram: My friend Warren Battle @warrenonwarren
Dogs, Cats, or No Pets? My dog Gracie (still miss her)
