Designers' Favorite Rooms at Home

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Four tastemakers invite us over for a look at their at-home hang out spots.

Day after day, interior designers and stylists make a living creating perfect spaces for others. To give clients exactly what they need, these professionals offer up a unique mix of problem-solving and style smarts. But what happens when decorators are given free reign to design for themselves? We asked four hip designers -- Cortney and Bob Novogratz of Sixx Design and Nine by Design fame, Eve Robinson and Emily Chalmers -- the same question: What is your favorite room at home? They kindly opened their doors and let us in on their sources of inspiration, what it's like to design for themselves versus designing for clients and what their rooms say about them as people.



Cortney and Bob Novogratz of Sixx Design and Bravo's Nine by Design have been infusing their unique blend of vintage and modern to the New York City area for the past 15 years. When asked to name their favorite room at home, there was no hesitation. "The kitchen is where we as a large (nine member!) family spend most of our time, whether we're eating or doing homework."

As for their inspiration? "We really focused on the outdoors, and combined the sleekness of the interior space with the natural elements outside." In order to accomplish this, they installed a retractable, glass garage door to serve as one of the kitchen walls that faces the porch. "The open, airy feeling makes the whole space feel like a Parisian café." Speaking of France, some of the couple's favorite items in the room were purchased at French flea markets, including the lights over the kitchen island. "Everything in our houses reminds of where we found the pieces. It's like reliving your best travel experiences over and over!"

The Novogratz's new book, Downtown Chic, can be purchased on Amazon.com.



Eve Robinson's clients hire her for the unique way she combines traditional design elements with modernist style. At home, a more "cheerful, whimsical, fun" side of her personality comes out, especially in the living room of her Watermill, NY country house. Like the Novogratz's, Robinson's big inspiration for the room was the outdoor space. "We added stone to the brick fireplace's façade to give it natural texture and warmth, while the hot pink and red of the rug and artwork are reminiscent of the colorful sunsets and summer flowers outside. The blue sofa fabric echoes the sky," she says.

For Robinson, the room is all about being comfortable, relaxed and happy, which is reflected in the layout. "Since we use the house year round, I wanted to create an intimate seating area around the fireplace. We can easily pull up extra chairs or an ottoman so there's a place for all of our family and friends." Some of her favorite pieces are the vintage 1950s chairs upholstered in a floral pattern by Judy Ross, the fun and functional cork-painted-top coffee table designed by Paul Frankl, and the clean lined sconces by Stephen McKay.

Interestingly, she found that designing for herself was a very different experience compared to designing for a client. "It's a huge challenge, and infinitely more difficult! I'm very decisive with my clients, but tend to be less so when it comes to my own projects. In this space, I chose the rug before I had chosen the other furnishings, which is the opposite of what I normally do with clients. Typically, the rug is the last piece that fits into the puzzle."

Eve Robinson's home is featured in the book, Designers Here and There, by Michele Keith, and is available for purchase at RandomHouse.com.



Interior stylist and shop owner Emily Chalmers has spent her career designing interesting spaces for magazines like Elle Décoration, Living Etc. and Good Housekeeping. She carried on that tradition at home in her favorite space, the living room in Central London that she shares with her husband Chris and their two cats. For Chalmers, the architectural elements served as inspiration. "The basic original features -- the unplastered brick walls, painted concrete floors and the height of the ceilings -- made a great blank canvas! We left the windows uncovered, used the deep ledges as bookshelves and the exposed pipe work to hang odd bits of decoration."

The space shows off Chalmer's love of color and pattern and avoids a too-complicated look by "sticking to three main florals in the same colorway, which holds the decorating scheme together." The eclectic mix of furniture and accessories comes from markets and junk shops around the world, and has slowly evolved over time. "I bought the cow skin rug at a market in Amsterdam, where my brother lives, and carried it back to London in a backpack!" says Chalmers. Family connections also played a part in acquiring the black and white canvas.

"Brooklyn-based artists Faile are friends of my brother, and I was lucky enough to choose a piece of their work after a gallery show a few years back." Speaking of family, Chalmers feels that her "lovely family home" did have an influence on the warmth of her space now, but her eclectic style is more of a reflection on her current mood and personality.

Emily Chalmer's book Cheap Chic can be purchased on Amazon.com.

 

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