what is your idea of perfect design happiness?
COPYRIGHT LAWS THAT PROTECT DESIGNERS
AND NOT BIG BUSINESS.
what is your greatest fear in design?
FEAR CAN LEAD TO BETTER DESIGN.
which historical design figure do you most identify with?
FORTUNY.
which living designer do you most admire?
JACK LENOR LARSEN. I ADMIRE HIM NOT ONLY FOR HIS WORK,
BUT ALSO FOR HIS SUPPORT OF OTHER DESIGNERS.
HIS COLLECTIONS ARE WONDERFUL AS WELL.
what profession other than design would you like to attempt?
COOKING.
what is your greatest design extravagance?
MY STUDIO. IT’S A BIG, LIGHT-FILLED SPACE
AND A PLEASURE TO WORK IN EVERY DAY.
when and where were you happiest with your design?
I’M VERY CRITICAL OF MY OWN WORK.
FROM CONCEPTION TO COMPLETION, THE PROCESS CAN TAKE ONE TO TWO YEARS. IT’S A HAPPY DAY WHEN I FEEL A DESIGN IS FINALLY FINISHED.
what do you consider your greatest achievement in design?
CAN YOU ASK ME THAT AGAIN IN ANOTHER 20 YEARS?
if you died and came back as another designer or design object,
who or what do you think it would be?
IRONICALLY, I WOULD NOT BE A RUG.
I DON’T LIKE TO LET PEOPLE WALK ALL OVER ME.
what specific design related talent are you lacking
that you would you most like to have?
THINKING IN SQUARE FOOTAGE.
what is your most treasured design related possession?
MY FORNASETTI CONSOLE.
I FOUND IT YEARS AGO IN A SECOND HAND SHOP.
what do you regard as the lowest depths of misery in design?
SEEING MY HANDMADE DESIGNS COPIED AND MASS PRODUCED.
what curse word do you most frequently use?
I USE THEM ALL.
what is your favorite design related word?
HARMONY.
what is your least favorite design related word?
KITSCH.
what turns you on in design?
AUTHENTICITY AND ORIGINALITY.
what turns you off in design?
KNOCKOFFS.
what is your motto in design?
KEEP IT SIMPLE.
ABOUT PROUST ON DESIGN // Answered by our design icons, these must-ask questions come from a 19th century parlor game made popular by Marcel Proust, the French novelist, essayist & critic. Proust believed the direct questions and honest responses that they elicited revealed the true nature of the individual. For this column, we have put an interior design related spin on the traditional questions. While this method has been used by many journalists throughout the years, we were primarily inspired by The Proust Questionnaire, which appears monthly on the back page of one of our all time favorite magazines, Vanity Fair (also Krista’s alma mater). Read all of our previous Proust on Design questionnaires here.
IMAGE CREDITS // Lead image of Madeline provided by Madeline Weinrib & taken by photographer Jason Frank Rothenberg, Painting of Moroc wallpaper pattern, Moroc wallpaper, Jack Lenor Larsen photograph, Larsen Retro fabric, Madeline's studio image provided by Madeline Weinrib, Bedroom image provided by Madeline Weinrib & styled by Lili Diallo.