Vicente Wolf

CLOTH & KIND // Proust on Design with 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

CLOTH & KIND // Proust on Design with Vicente Wolf

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.