My Style
If I Weren’t a Decorator, I Would Be a:
JL: Artist.
JON: Professional gardener and innkeeper, with lots of staff to make the beds and cook breakfast.
Astrological Sign:
JL: Taurus
JON: Aquarius
Most Inspired By:
JL: Chatsworth, Blenheim Palace, and other grand English estates.
JON: Vintage design books.
Style Icon:
JL: Iris Apfel and Deborah Devonshire. Both have such a zest for life.
JON: Any of the Mitford sisters, Cary Grant, and Doris Day. I also constantly quote Mae West.
Go-To Hostess Gift:
JL: Candles from Diptyque.
JON: A bottle of Veuve Clicquot sent immediately after an event or visit.
Favorites
Favorite Movie Interior:
JL: Gosford Park. The Chinese bedroom is simply smashing!
JON: Julianne Moore’s living room in A Single Man.
Favorite Album:
JL: Lioness: Hidden Treasures by Amy Winehouse
JON: Anything by Bryan Ferry or Nicki Minaj, but I am more of a Pandora type these days.
Favorite Museum:
JL: The Victoria & Albert Museum in London.
JON: The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston and Sir John Soane’s Museum in London.
Favorite Cocktail:
JL: The Fitzgerald: a classic with a hint of sweetness.
JON: A vodka martini that’s a tad dirty. Sophisticated and naughty, just like me.
Favorite Restaurant:
JL: Indochine in New York.
JON: Any of the restaurants at Fortnum & Mason in London.
Favorite Hotel:
JL: Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur, India.
JON: Prestonfield in Edinburgh, Scotland.
RESOURCES
Florist:
JL: Jane Packer.
JON: Zeze. However, I tend to go to the local deli and do my own arrangements.
Caterer:
JL & JON: We don’t cater, we cook. If we were to hire someone it would probably be the divineSerena Bass. Actually, we often pick up Popeye’sfried chicken for our dinner parties.
Favorite Local Shop:
JL & JON: John Koch Antiques.
Favorite Shop Abroad:
JL: Liberty of London.
JON: Fortnum & Mason in London or the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul.
DECORATING
Favorite Paint Color:
JL: Fowler Pink, Farrow & Ball.
JON: Anything by Farrow & Ball.
Favorite Room to Decorate:
JL: Living room.
JON: Hallway and dining room.
Decorating Cheap Thrill:
JL: Grosgrain ribbon. It’s an easily accessible trim that can make everything from bed linens to lampshades shine.
JON: Glue guns and Sharpies. I am the male Marion McEvoy.
Favorite Decorative Trick:
JL: Wallpapering a ceiling.
JON: Embellishing a wallpaper and then embellishing the embellishment.
You’ll Never See Me Using:
JL & JON: Anything beige.
For a cohesive style that still takes risks, decide on your lead color for the house and pepper it throughout your rooms.
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