Proust on Design: Bunny Williams

What is your idea of perfect design happiness?
THE MOST WONDERFUL MOMENT TO ME IS SEEING THE THRILL OF A CLIENT SEEING A COMPLETED PROJECT AND HAVING THE FEELING THAT I HAVE FULFILLED THEIR DREAMS.

What is your greatest fear in design?
I THINK PEOPLE ARE LOSING THEIR INDIVIDUALITY. BECAUSE OF SOCIAL MEDIA THERE’S A SAMENESS. PEOPLE SHOULD AWAYS HAVE THE FUN OF BEING ORIGINAL AND CREATIVE AND NOT LOOKING LIKE EVERYONE ELSE.

Which historical design figure(s) do you most identify with?
PAULINE DE ROTHSCHILD
FRANCES ELKINS
NANCY LANCASTER
MADELEINE CASTAING

Which living designer(s) do you most admire?
AXEL VERVOORDT
FURLOW GATEWOOD
ROBERT KIME
JACQUES GRANGE

What profession other than design would you like to attempt?
I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A NURSERY AND TAKE IN ABANDONED DOGS AND TRY TO FIND HOMES FOR THEM.

What is your greatest design extravagance?
HAVING A GARDEN AND GREENHOUSE WHERE I CAN GROW FLOWERS SPECIFICALLY FOR MY HOME.

When and where were you happiest with your design?
MY NEW STUDIO IN CONNECTICUT.
I’VE NEVER HAD AN INSPIRING WORK SPACE OF MY OWN.

What do you consider your greatest achievement in design?
I DON’T THINK I HAVE A GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT. I’VE WORKED VERY HARD OVER A VERY LONG PERIOD OF TIME TO GET BETTER AND BETTER AND BETTER.  I FEEL LIKE THE PROFESSIONAL ICE SKATER OR MARATHON RUNNER. YOU PRACTICE, YOU WORK AT IT, YOU DISCIPLINE YOURSELF AND YOU GET GOOD AT IT. YOU GAIN CONFIDENCE, YOU GAIN EXPERIENCE AND YOU GAIN KNOWLEDGE.

If you died and came back as another designer or design object,
who or what do you think it would be?
A WONDERFUL NEEDLEPOINT PILLOW I HAVE IN THE BARN IN THE COUNTRY THAT SAYS “THE MORE I KNOW ABOUT MEN, THE MORE I LOVE MY DOG.”

What specific design related talent are you lacking that you would you most like to have?
I CAN DRAW, BUT I WISH I HAD THE TALENT OF ALBERT WHOSE INCREDIBLE WORKING DRAWINGS WERE PRETTY CLOSE TO HOW THE PROJECTS WERE CARRIED OUT.

What is your most treasured design related possession?
A PAIR OF PAINTINGS THAT SHOW AN INTERIOR OF OUR LIVING ROOM WITH OUR FURNITURE AND OUR DOGS.

What do you regard as the lowest depths of misery in design?
CHILLY AND ALOOF WHITE ROOMS.

What curse word do you most frequently use?
JACK DANIELS.

What is your favorite design related word?
HARMONY OR TIMELESSNESS.

What is your least favorite design related word?
ECCLECTIC.

What turns you on in design?
MY FAVORITE PERIOD OF FURNITURE IS STILL GREAT 18TH CENTURY ENGLISH FURNITURE.  THIS MAY NOT BE IN VOGUE AT THE MOMENT, BUT WHEN IT’S COMBINED WITH A VERY MODERN PIECE, ALL OF A SUDDEN THE OLD LOOKS NEW.  

What turns you off in design?
WHEN FURNITURE IS PLACED ONLY AGAINST THE WALL IN A ROOM.

What is your motto in design?
DON’T BE INTIMIDATED BY YOUR POSSESSIONS.
AND, ALSO, DON’T FEEL THAT ANY ROOM IN YOUR HOME IS SO PRECIOUS THAT IT MUST BE SAVED FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS. EVERY DAY OF YOUR LIFE IS SPECIAL.

IMAGE CREDITS // Images provided by Bunny Williams

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.  

Vicente Wolf

What is your idea of perfect design happiness?
A GOOD MARRIAGE BETWEEN SPECIAL CLIENTS THAT APPRECIATE
CREATIVITY AND DESIGN THAT ALLOW ME TO FULFILL THEIR WISHES AND DREAMS.

What is your greatest fear in design?
TO NOT BE RELEVANT.

Which historical design figure do you most identify with?
DAVID HICKS.

Which living designer do you most admire?
BELGIAN DESIGNER, AXEL VERVOORDT.

What profession other than design would you like to attempt?
THAT’S EASY, A PHOTOGRAPHER.

What is your greatest design extravagance?
IN MY DESIGN I TRY TO GO FOR THE SUBTLE, NOT THE OBVIOUS.  SO, FOR ME EXTRAVAGANCE HAS TO DO MORE WITH OPEN SPACE, EXUBERANT LIGHTING AND PLENTY OF NATURAL LIGHT AND A BALANCE OF SCALE AND PROPORTION.

When and where were you happiest with your design?
I’M THE MOST HAPPY WHEN DESIGNING AND INSTALLING JOBS.  I LOVE SEEING MY VISION COME TO LIGHT – WHEN THE DEMOLITION STARTS + WHEN THE JOB IS INSTALLED.

What do you consider your greatest achievement in design?
REINTERPRETING ALL IDEAS IN A NEW WAY LIKE LEANING MIRRORS AS WAS DONE IN THE EARLY 80’S.  LIKE OTTOMANS USED AS COFFEE TABLES.  MOSTLY BEING RELEVANT AFTER CLOSE TO 40 YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY.

If you died and came back as another designer or design object, who or what do you think it would be?
I WOULD LOVE TO COME BACK AS SOMEBODY WHO COULD ACHIEVE PEACE IN THE WORLD OR CURE TERMINAL DISEASES.  I DON’T THINK I WOULD WANT TO BE ANYONE ELSE DOING THAT.

What specific design related talent are you lacking that you would you most like to have?
I CAN’T SPELL, I HAVE A POOR MEMORY AND AM SURELY NOT COMPUTER PROFICIENT.

What is your most treasured design related possession?
THOUGH THEY DO NOT BELONG TO ME, THE STAFF WHO WORK FOR ME ARE MY MOST VALUABLE ASSET.  AND OF COURSE, MY SPECIAL CLIENTS.

What do you regard as the lowest depths of misery in design?
I THINK IT’S A COMMON DENOMINATOR - TO HAVE CLIENTS THAT DO NOT RESPECT, TRUST OR UNDERSTAND ONE’S GIFT.

What curse word do you most frequently use?
TRUMP.

What is your favorite design related word?
SCALE.

What is your least favorite design related word?
CUTE.

What turns you on in design?
GREAT CLIENTS, WONDERFUL SPACES, PEACE AND QUIET SO I CAN JUST CREATE.

What turns you off in design?
UNPROFESSIONAL DESIGNERS THAT HAVE NOT PAID THEIR DUES AND PURSUE CALLING THEMSELVES DESIGNERS.

What is your motto in design?
FOLLOW YOUR GUT.

ABOUT VICENTE WOLF ASSOCIATES // Acclaimed New York City-based designer, Vicente Wolf is known for his timeless, restrained and elegant aesthetic.  For more than three decades Vicente Wolf has fostered the global development of his brand through a simplicity-driven principle that infuses his many creative endeavors: interior design, photography, art collection and global travels. Always on the lookout for new ways in which to inspire the world of design, Wolf’s eye for detail has created a reputation for quality appreciated by his discerning client list, his peers in the design industry and his international partnerships with some of the world’s top luxury brands.  

IMAGE CREDITS // Images provided by VICENTE WOLF ASSOCIATES

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 a 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 the previous Proust on Design questionnaires here.  

Brian Patrick Flynn

what is your idea of perfect design happiness?
DOING WHATEVER YOU WANNA DO TO YOUR HOME AS LONG AS IT MAKES YOU HAPPY, ACKNOWLEDGES THE ARCHITECTURE AND/OR HISTORY OF THE HOUSE OR BUILDING, ABIDES BY THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN, AND MAKES YOU EXCITED TO COME HOME.

what is your greatest fear in design?
I’M TERRIFIED OF CREATING SPACES THAT ARE CONSIDERED ‘SAFE’ OR ‘TEXTBOOK’; IT’S JUST NOT PART OF MY CONSTITUTION, AND I’D RATHER SELL SLANKETS, SNUGGIES OR SELFIE STICKS FROM A CALL CENTER THAN STICK TO THE STATUS QUO. 

which historical design figure do you most identify with?
THOMAS O'BRIEN.
ALTHOUGH HE'S YOUNG AND STILL KICKING IT BIG-TIME AND THEREFORE NOT NECESSARILY 'HISTORICAL' PER SE, HE'S AN ICON. I LOVE HIS MIX OF CLASSIC AND INDUSTRIAL PIECES AS WELL AS HIS SOMEWHAT CASUAL YET ELEGANT APPROACH TO LIVING. EVERYTHING HE DOES LOOKS COLLECTED AND WELL-CRAFTED AND THERE'S ALWAYS A MASCULINE VIBE AND THAT'S TOTALLY WHAT I'M DRAWN TO.

what turns you on in design?
RISK.

what turns you off in design?
MATCHING.

what is your greatest design extravagance?
ART.
REGARDLESS OF BUDGETS BIG OR SMALL, I’M ALWAYS A SUCKER FOR SPENDING ON GOOD ART. WHEN BUDGETS ARE TIGHT, I’LL BUY STUDENT WORKS, INVEST IN HAVING THEM PROFESSIONALLY FRAMED, THEN PAIR THEM WITH BARGAIN FURNITURE FINDS FROM IKEA AND/OR FLEA MARKETS. I THINK GOOD ART ELEVATES THE TASTE LEVEL OF EVERYTHING AROUND IT, AND IT’S AN AMAZING VALUE ENGINEERING TOOL.

which living designer do you most admire?
THREE-WAY TIE: BETSY BURNHAM, MATTHEW QUINN AND JOE LUCAS.
BETSY BURNHAM’S MAGICAL ABILITY TO CREATE PREPPY-ISH, CLASSIC AND EDGY SPACES THAT ARE BOTH CASUAL AND COMFORTABLE BLOWS MY MIND. MATTHEW QUINN’S KITCHENS AND BATHROOMS, I MEAN, THERE’S JUST NO WAY TO DESCRIBE THEM OTHER THAN SAYING MATTHEW’S IN A LEAGUE OF HIS OWN. JOE LUCAS HAS MASTERED THE TRANSITIONAL AESTHETIC, SO MUCH SO THAT I FREQUENTLY STALK HIS WEBSITE TO SEE IF HE'S POSTED ANY NEW PROJECTS.

what profession other than design would you like to attempt?
ICELANDIC AND GREENLANDIC OFFROADING TOUR GUIDE. PRETTY SPECIFIC, RIGHT? YEAH, I KNOW. I'M ABSOLUTELY OBSESSED WITH ICELAND AND GREENLAND AND LANDSCAPES THAT LOOK LIKE MARS KINDA. IN A PERFECT WORLD, I WOULD HAVE AN AMAZING ATTIC APARTMENT IN REYKJAVIK AND SPEND SEPTEMBER THROUGH DECEMBER TAKING PEOPLE OUT TO SEE THINGS THAT ARE OTHERWORLDLY.

when and where were you happiest with your design?
HGTV DREAM HOME 2016 IN MERRITT ISLAND, FLORIDA.
IT'S A 3300-SQUARE-FOOT LUXURY HOME ON THE WATER AND I REALLY REINVENTED WHAT FLORIDIAN STYLE MEANS TO ME. THIS IS PROBABLY THE LARGEST PROJECT I'VE EVEN DESIGNED AND I'M REALLY PROUD OF HOW IT'S TURNED OUT. IN FACT, THE ENTIRE HOUSE GOES LIVE ON HGTV.COM THIS WEEK. MY FAVORITE ROOM OF ALL IS THE TERRACE LEVEL BEDROOM WHICH IS SIMPLE AND COVERED IN WHITE WITH SPLASHES OF FRENCH BLUE THAT PICK UP IN THE SICK VIEW OUTSIDE THE WINDOW.

what do you regard as the lowest depths of misery in design?
NOT HAVING ANY TASTE WHATSOEVER, GOOD OR BAD.
A LITTLE BAD TASTE CAN BE AWESOME AND THOUGHT-PROVOKING, JUST LIKE GREAT TASTE CAN BE INSPIRING AND MAGNIFICENT. BUT JUST NOT CARING WHAT YOUR HOME SAYS ABOUT YOU AT ALL, THAT I CAN’T GET MY HEAD AROUND. I SAY THIS AS I SIT IN MY OFFICE IN PAJAMAS, SPORTING A T-SHIRT STAINED WITH ICE CREAM AND WEARING A SOCK ON ONLY ONE FOOT…SO CONSIDERING THE SOURCE HERE IS KEY.

what is your favorite design related word?
TIE! PERPENDICULAR AND MONOCHROMATIC.

what is your least favorite design related word?
SWIRLY.

what do you consider your greatest achievement in design?
I’M REALLY PROUD OF MY RANGE.
I HAVE THIS OBSESSION WITH NEVER BEING A ONE-TRICK PONY AND THRIVE ON HAVING CLIENTS WITH COMPLETELY DIFFERENT STYLES SO I CAN CONSTANTLY FINE-TUNE MY AESTHETIC. AS A DESIGNER, I'M INHERENTLY MASCULINE AND PREPPY AND FAVOR DARK COLORS, BUT I'VE DONE TONS OF TRADITIONAL FEMININE SPACES, ENTIRE HOMES VOID OF COLOR, COTTAGES COVERED IN PASTELS, BACHELOR PADS PACKED WITH HIGH-ENERGY HUES, WHITE-ON-WHITE ROOMS AND EVEN CLASSIC COUNTRY HOMES.

if you died and came back as another designer or design object,
who or what do you think it would be?
AXEL VERVOORDT (ABOVE).
I WANT TO COME BACK AND DO NOTHING BUT DESIGN AND DECORATE CASTLES IN A MANNER THAT’S TOTALLY CASUAL, COMFY AND UN-CASTLE-ISH.

what specific design related talent are you lacking
that you would you most like to have?
SIMPLICITY.
I’M JUST NOT GOOD AT IT. I LIKE SO MANY THINGS THAT I FIND THE ART OF EDITING TOUGH ENOUGH, LET ALONE SCALING BACK SO MUCH THAT THERE ARE ONLY A HANDFUL OF OBJECTS IN A ROOM. I REALLY WANT TO LEARN TO EDIT MORE, LIKE BETH WEBB, BRIAN PAQUETTE OR KAY DOUGLASS.

what is your most treasured design related possession?
A POP ART PAINTING OF FISHER PRICE LITTLE PEOPLE BY ARTIST JONATHAN FENSKE (ABOVE). IT’S CALLED ‘CHIVALRY IS DEAD’ AND IT’S A LITTLE PLASTIC KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR RIDING ON HIS LITTLE PLASTIC HORSE AND IT JUST MAKES ME SO HAPPY WHICH IS TOTALLY MESSED UP BECAUSE IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE KINDA SAD. WTF?

what curse word do you most frequently use?
BELIEVE IT OR NOT THE CURSE WORD I USE MOST IS NOT EVEN A CURSE WORD PER SE, BUT JUST A WORD THAT SOMETIMES SOUNDS CURSE-Y: 'BALLZ'. THE PLURAL OF BALL BUT WITH A HARD Z INSTEAD OF AN S. TRY IT LIKE AFTER YOU STUB YOUR TOE OR SOMETHING; IT TOTALLY WORKS.

what is your motto in design?
ROSES ARE RED. VIOLETS ARE BLUE...
AND THEREFORE THERE IS NO REASON FOR YOUR HOME TO BE BEIGE.

//

IMAGE CREDITS // Images provided by Brian Patrick Flynn except for the photo of Axel Vervoordt which is via Alto Magazine.

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 a 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 the previous Proust on Design questionnaires here.