Cathy Graham
photo by quentin bacon
If you could have a second home anywhere, where would you live? London
What are three words to describe your style?
Classic
Pared-down
Always a waist
Tell us about your childhood bedroom? My childhood bedroom was so boring and non-descriptive. All I can remember are just twin beds. My teenage bedroom was way more memorable. I painted it myself. There was a loom, a drawing table, lots of potted plants, and a bed on the floor, as I was attempting to be a hippie.
What’s the first investment piece you ever bought for your house? A Carlton House desk that I bought in London at an auction and has been in my library for the last 34 years.
In the history of design, if you could hire any designer other than yourself, who would it be? Sibyl Colefax
No room is complete without flowers.
People think of me as reserved, but I am really outgoing.
Things you omit from:
A flower arrangement: Artificially colored flowers, Baby’s Breath, any little ferns, and bright red roses
An hors d’oeuvre platter: Little hotdogs with greasy wraps… too many calories.
A bar cabinet: Southern Comfort
A song for:
Dinner at home: I never have music when having dinner parties, as it can be a bit hard to hear conversations.
Working at your desk: I listen to so many different things that I am Pandora. I am constantly changing from classical to ‘70s, and I love the Great American Songbook.
Going for a run: I don’t run.
Biggest Vice? Overpacking to the point of insanity, just in case I may need something that I didn’t pack. People see me coming for just a weekend and freak out that I could be a permanent guest.
If you were on an Ambien high and internet shopping, what would you buy? Ambien isn’t enough. I may need to add alcohol and mushrooms. I would buy something from Loro Piana, Dior, or Oscar de la Renta, and when I see the bill, I will need to use the Southern Comfort that I removed from the bar.
Do your clothes reflect your design sensibility, if so, how? Hopefully, they look pleasant and don’t scare young children.
Who is your star crush? Bruce Springsteen
What is the thing you would never do on a project, but don’t detest when you see others do it? My dislikes are very different from other floral designers. There are so many other amazing floral designers that I admire who do wonderful creations that I couldn’t dream of doing.
If there were a fire, and you could only keep one design book, what would it be? I have an 18th-century fabric watercolor swatch book that I adore.
For posterity, what would you like your work to be known for? My little garden in front of my house.
photo by quentin bacon
Your Favorite:
Movie: All About Eve
Book: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Scent: Santa Maria Novella MELOGRANO soap. I don’t wear perfume
The fabric you always come back to: Bowood Fabric by Colefax and Fowler
Dream project: Going around the world to different flower markets, such as Tokyo, London, Paris, or Cape Town, and creating floral arrangements
Meal: Cheese soufflé and a salad
Drink: Margarita, not too sweet with salt on the rim and lots of ice
Hotel: Claridge’s- It was best in the 1980s with the original bathrooms and Colefax and Fowler decorated rooms
Travel Destination: Italy
Artist: It depends on what century. My list is endless, but I love the Italian artist Titian
A cause near and dear to me: Lincoln Center Theater
Thing to collect obsessively: Nothing in particular at the moment. In the past, I would collect vintage salesman samples and Tin Litho dollhouses from the 1940s and 1950s that I would use in tablescapes
Era in the history of design: Georgian
Museum: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Paint Color that always looks great: Pale celery green with a strié finish
Favorite person to follow on Instagram: @charlottedicaraci and @camp.o.rama
Dogs, Cats, or No Pets? Cats
