William Abranowicz
If you could have a second home anywhere, where would you live? An island in Greece
What are three words to describe your style?
Pragmatic
Relaxed
Workmen’s
Tell us about your childhood bedroom? Tiny room. Four kids, two bunk beds.
What’s the first investment piece you ever bought for your house? George Nelson Cabinets
In the history of design, if you could hire any designer other than yourself, who would it be? Ray + Charles Eames
No room is complete without good light.
People think of me as easy, but I am really rigidly focused.
Things you omit from:
A flower arrangement: Most of the flowers
An hors d’oeuvre platter: Green peppers
A bar cabinet: The bar, I don’t drink
A song for:
Dinner at home: Crazy, Patsy Cline
Working at your desk: Alexandra Leaving, Leonard Cohen
Going for a run: Northern Lights, Death Cab for Cutie
Biggest Vice? Licorice
If you were on an Ambien high and internet shopping, what would you buy? Photography books
Do your clothes reflect your design sensibility, if so, how? Modern Japanese-made workwear
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? Drone photography
If there were a fire, and you could only keep one design book, what would it be? Eight Homes, Clements Design
For posterity, what would you like your work to be known for? Range and beauty with a recognition of parts as a social document
A Few Favorites:
Movie: One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest
Book: Walking with the Wind, John Lewis
Scent: Eau de Diptyque though only for weddings and funerals
The fabric you always come back to: Drusus Tabor
Dream project: A monograph of photographs written by my son. Designed by another son and produced by my daughter.
Meal: Greek Taverna
Drink: Chinotto
Hotel: Hideaway in Thrassia, Greece or the new 5th Ave in NYC Hotel
Travel Destination: The Greek Aegean
Artist: Johannes Vermeer
A cause near and dear to me: The New Poor People’s Campaign
Thing to collect obsessively: Photography books
Era in the history of design: Modernism without any of the reliance cars
Museum: The Met
Paint Color that always looks great: French Gray (Farrow & Ball)
Favorite person to follow on Instagram: Abbr Projects
Dogs, Cats, or No Pets? Dogs, Cats and Birds of Prey