A New Chapter

The ability to tell a story through design is a concept that resonates deeply with me, and one that often times lends itself to the most interesting and unique of interior spaces. Storytelling is, by its very virtue, something that when thoughtfully crafted can weave its way into a room or an entire house in so many different ways - through the personal artifacts that make up one's most prized possessions, acquired over time, each with meaningful nods to distant memories, through vintage textiles that have been lovingly hand stitched or embroidered in a time long ago, through quirky items picked up on travels both near and far, through inspirational cutting-edge new designs and timeless modern pieces from the likes of Eames or Nakashima, through pieces of art that speak to you at the most fundamental of levels. Yes, good design is as much about storytelling as it is about creating beautiful, livable spaces.

When I first met Tami Ramsay, our fast friendship felt a bit like an old and very familiar story - one filled with chapters of all sorts of things in common, a similar approach to and appreciation of interior design, each of us with an open book personality type ingrained with honesty, humor and a nitty gritty work ethic. Tami fit in to my life as easily and naturally as if I'd known her since my youth, which astonished me as much as it delighted me. As with any good storyline the plot began to thicken because, you see, in the story that is CLOTH & KIND, the only thing lacking from the entire experience for me has been a partner in crime - someone at my side to collaborate, laugh, sweat and dream with. Someone who shares in my vision and believes in it as much as me. Over the last year it's become obvious to both of us that we are that person to one another.

And so for the next chapter in CLOTH & KIND, I am beyond thrilled to announce that Tami has officially joined forces with me. Together, we will continue editing the blog, which we believe is a truly unique source of original & curated content, and are excited to fully collaborate within our joint interior design practice - leveraging our complimentary experiences and skill sets to create the most storied of spaces for our clients.

Welcome to CLOTH & KIND. Our story has only just begun.

Sally King Benedict

Artist Sally King Benedict creates works that are a beautiful confluence of drawing and painting and that speak graphically in a visual language of color washes, abstract forms and intersecting lines. When creating, she does so unselfconsciously, with obvious freedom and spontaneity, and with a palpable openness, even when being observed. There is a purity to her work that is deeply rich and playful.There is no serious staring at the canvas or paper, no long contemplative moments before maker and medium meet. She glides effortlessly between several different works in progress, instinctive in her movements, dripping paint on this one, crushing charcoal on another, enjoying the fresh air on the back patio of her Atlanta studio where the light is dappled and the surrounding garden is lush and dreamy. She works with multiple brushes in hand at once, her cache of Japanese calligraphy brushes equally at home beside her hardware store bristle brushes that have been trashed by repeated scrubbings across her canvases. Like waves lapping the shore, she is easy come and go with her process, in a comfortable creative rhythm. If there is tension there, it is hidden behind her inherent effervescence of spirit, a quick and contagious Cheshire cat-like smile and fairy laugh.

MOSS, 40 x 40, 2013 | Hidell Brooks Gallery

Benedict’s creative roots run deep, back to her childhood in Atlanta, GA, where she cut her milk teeth in a home that firmly encouraged all manner of creative ilke. “I have been painting and drawing and making sculpture ever since I can remember,” she said. “It always came naturally to me.” It didn't hurt that she was literally submerged in world of modern art by her parents, whose collection included works by Todd Murphy and Dennis Paul Williams. “My mom worked for her good friend Doug Macon who owned a contemporary art gallery in Atlanta in the 90s,” she said, “and Doug was always encouraging me to be creative.” It was this type of upbringing, one that relished whimsy and creative wit, that encouraged Benedict’s color outside the lines approach to self-expression and helped map the course to her current vocation.

She went on to study studio art and painting at the College of Charleston in South Carolina under Cliff Peacock as well as printmaking under Barbara Duval. “This duo shaped my practice as an artist for sure,” Benedict said. “I learned something important from every bit of criticism they handed me.” After college, Benedict stayed in Charleston for several years, met and married her husband George, and enjoyed storied success as an artist, her paintings snatched up by collectors and gracing the pages of national and regional magazines. A phenomenal selection of her works are currently for sale at Hidell Brooks Gallery in Charlotte, NC, but if you can't make it there, good things come to those who shop online. Her website has an enviable bevy of new works up for grabs in her studio. Benedict has also recently collaborated with Serena & Lily and you can expect to see her original works on paper and canvas as well as signed limited edition fine art prints of her work through their Art Collection, which will be available in May. Stay posted and we'll let you know as soon as they are available so you can make haste and break out your plastic. In the meantime, enjoy an exclusive sneak peek of three works that will be offered by Serena & Lily in their Art Collection.

TOP | Brown Edge Paper, 10 x 13, paper, 2013 MIDDLE | Aquatint, limited edition print, 2013 BOTTOM | Abstract Gold, 20 x 24, canvas, 2013 All three, and others, will be available exclusively through Serena & Lily's Art Collection starting in May 2013

Admittedly, Benedict has been largely influenced by Abstract Expressionists like the great Helen Frankenthaler, a pioneer in Color Field painting, and Richard Diebenkorn, arguably one of the most influential and prolific American modern artists of the 20th century, as well as Pablo Picasso, Joan Mitchell and David Hockney. As such, she dallies part in figurative and geometric abstraction but there is something uniquely fresh and singular about her eye, her particular spin on abstract imagery. Her color sense is recognizably Benedict, her use of flax Belgian linen panels washed in her favorite hues of black, blue and white are a trademark and highly collectable. The subjects in her face paintings are partly abstraction and cubism, but again, in signature Benedict style, often appear well fed, cherubic, and echo Ziggy Stardust with geometric cheeks, blocky neon eyebrows and noses out of joint.

GREEN BROW, 12 x 16, 2010 | guache and oil pastel on linen board

SWEET CHEEKS, 24 x 24, 2013 | acrylic, gouache, ink, charcoal and oil pastel on linen 

Her sumi ink paintings are an altogether different subject. Historically, Japanese sumi ink painting verges on the mystical and is believed to capture the unseen with an indelible inked brush stroke, one that cannot be changed or altered—you know, like deep metaphors for life. Let’s just say Benedict’s sumi ink works are rooted in more of a I've got no idea how this is going to end up kind ofmysticism. She starts by moistening the Arches Rives BFK paper with water, loads her Japanese calligraphy brush with sumi ink and then, in a series of instinctive, broad strokes, water and ink react resulting in a crazy radial ripple effect, a squid ink like plume of subtle shading and tonal variation, that morphs and changes continually until the paper dries. Then for good measure Benedict grabs some charcoal and random pastels, crushes them into small bits and throws all that on the moistened paper. It’s this kind of approach to art that really excites Benedict. “I love seeing how different liquids and pigments take to different surfaces,” she said. ”It's a constant science project in my studio!”

And speaking of fairies again, Benedict has an endearing lightness of being, much like Peter Pan, who knew that the real trick to happiness was to keep the best of the child you were at heart, without forgetting when you grow up.  Is it her lightness of constitution, her ebullience, that drives her creative vision and makes her art so desirable and lust worthy?  At the very least, it certainly lends itself to her emphatic embrace of motherhood to her nine month old son River. Benedict has most definitely grown up but it has only sweetened the deal for her artistically. “My entire being is better with a baby,” she said. “I no longer take time in the studio for granted. I feel like he has turned a light on within in me that I never knew I had.” That said, her days are delightfully filled with lots of painting, laughing and playing with her family. Her perfect day?  “Sunny, 75 degrees....road tripping with my husband and baby boy.....final destination: Duryea's Lobster Deck, Montauk.” My guess is that wherever she is, Benedict is always at play in the color field of her making, picking flowers and making daisy chains with a mischievous grin on her face.

IMAGE CREDITS | Artwork images provided courtesy of Sally King Benedict. All other photography by Tami Ramsay, shot on location at the studio of Sally King Benedict in Atlanta, GA.

Susan Bartlett Crater

what is your idea of perfect design happiness?

susan | WHEN I WALK IN TO A ROOM AND FEEL LIKE I AM GOING TO HAVE A GOOD TIME THERE. WHETHER JUST TO SIT QUIETLY AND READ A BOOK OR HAVE A DINNER PARTY FOR 12. IT’S A VIBE OF COMFORT, BEAUTY AND IMAGINATION COMBINED.

what is your greatest fear in design?

susan | THAT THINGS LOOK “WISPY’ WAS ONE OF MY GRANDMOTHER’S MOST NEGATIVE COMMENTS. SHE DID NOT LIKE “WISPY” CURTAINS, COLORS OR ANYTHING WITHOUT SOUL OR HEART. IT ALSO IMPLIES A ROOM IS NOT WELL LOVED.

which historical design figure do you most identify with?

susan | MY GRANDMOTHER SISTER PARISH.

which living designer do you most admire?

susan | I LIKE MANY PEOPLE WORKING NOW. MARKHAM ROBERTS, JEFFREY BILHUBER, LIBBY CAMERON, KATIE RIDDER IN THE NORTH EAST. CATHY KINCAID IN THE SOUTH. RUTHIE SUMMERS, LUCAS STUDIO AND RAMEY CAULKINS IN THE WEST. I LOVE WHAT MY MOTHER APPLE BARTLETT DOES WITH HER  FANTASTIC COLLAGES AND HER STORE.

what profession other than design would you like to attempt?

susan | I USED TO BE A LAWYER SO THIS IS MY SECOND CAREER. ARTIST PROBABLY - I LOVE COLLAGE, DECOUPAGE, PAINTING.

what is your greatest design extravagance?

susan | FRESH FLOWERS ALL OF THE TIME.

when and where were you happiest with your design?

susan | AT OUR HOUSE IN MAINE, WHICH USED TO BE MY GRANDMOTHERS.

what do you consider your greatest achievement in design?

susan | STARTING SISTER PARISH DESIGN.

if you died and came back as another designer or design object, who or what do you think it would be?

susan | MAYBE AN ANTIQUE GARDEN ORNAMENT OR FOLLY SO I COULD BE IN A GARDEN ALL OF THE TIME - PREFERABLY NEAR THE OCEAN.

what specific design related talent are you lacking that you would you most like to have?

susan | A BETTER KNOWLEDGE OF FURNITURE.

what is your most treasured design related possession?
susan | A  GIGANTIC VICTORIAN BIRDCAGE MY GANDMOTHER GAVE ME TO MAKE INTO A DOLL HOUSE WHEN I WAS 12.

what do you regard as the lowest depths of misery in design?

susan | ROOMS THAT LOOK LIKE CRATE AND BARREL CATALOGUES.

what curse word do you most frequently use?

susan | SHIT.

what is your favorite design related word?

susan | PRETTY.

what is your least favorite design related word? 

susan | EDITED.

what turns you on in design?

susan | COLOR, IMAGINATION AND COMFORT.

what turns you off in design?

susan | LACK OF THE ABOVE.

what is your motto in design?

susan | OUR COMPANY MOTTO , WHICH IS SOMETHING MY GRANDMOTHER SAID “IN DESIGN, INNOVATION IS THE ABILITY TO REACH INTO THE PAST AND TAKE WHAT IS GOOD, WHAT IS USEFUL AND WHAT IS LASTING.”

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IMAGE CREDITS | Images courtesy of Sister Parish Design & Lonny's November 2012 issue (check it out for an excellent article on the three generations of women in Sister Parish's family)

ABOUT SISTER PARISH DESIGN | Susan Bartlett Crater, granddaughter of the legendary interior decorator “Sister” Parish, was bemoaning the state of decorating with kindred spirit Libby Cameron, Parish’s last apprentice, when they realized, in Cameron’s words, “…that everything had gotten too white and beige.”  In 2000, Susan and Libby teamed up to create Sister Parish Design, which offers fabric and wallpapers from Mrs. Parish’s archives and that of her venerable design firm Parish-Hadley. Susan and Libby’s goal was to resurrect the prints and colors that Sister loved. The resulting collection embodies the charm, warmth and flair of her signature style. From a tidy pattern of dots to a star spangled trellis design, Sister Parish Design fabrics and wallpapers carry on a tradition of the “Parish Hadley” style, of timeless patterns that represent an eclectic mix of materials-both traditional and modern.

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 specific column, we have put a design related spin on the traditional questions. While this method of questioning 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).

Proust on Design alumni include Anne Maxwell Foster & Suysel dePedro Cunningham of Tilton Fenwick | Madeline Weinrib | Todd Nickey & Amy Kehoe of Nickey Kehoe | Michelle Nussbaumer | Serena Dugan of Serena & Lily | John Robshaw | Mally Skok | Katie Leede | Peter Dunham | Seema Krish | Zak Profera | ZAK+FOX

Spring II

Guest edited by Tami RamsayMy memories of the early years of my marriage to Robert are in so many ways tied to the garden we first created together. Our first home was a tiny cottage, built in the early 1930s originally as a mother-in-law suite for another home, in the historic Cobbham neighborhood in Athens, GA. The original property, a wide and deep old pecan grove tract, had been divided at some point in the past to separate the main house from the cottage, leaving the lion's share of the land to the latter. When we acquired the cottage, built from field stones collected from local terraced farm land, it was barely visible from the street, obscured from view by seventy plus years of unbridled overgrowth. It had literally become a beast of the southern wild. We cut our teeth the hard way clearing away tenacious invasives like bamboo, ligustrum, potato vine, and Chinese privet along with enough liriope to fill several dump trucks. The experience turned us into gardening snobs in the process and thus we decided we would only grow natives plants, or highly prized imports, in our new garden landscape. We were young and in love and childless and had time to be haughty, and ridiculous, about such things.

We had many gardeners who influenced our choices but we made most of our decisions based on the native plants propagated and sold at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia spring plant sale. One of our first purchases was a Flame Azalea above, or Rhododendron calendulaceum, a deciduous native plant that can be found in abundance in the wild of the southern Appalachians. We took great pride in choosing this variety of azalea for our garden, over the more common, albeit gorgeous, other azalea varieties found in our Piedmont region. It was more about plant selection then and less about the simple beauty. What I see now, 14 years after we first planted it, is how those upright branches give way to orangey-coral clusters of vase shaped flowers and the stunning silhouette it casts against a crystal blue sky.

One of the reasons this property so appealed to us was our discovery of a stone walled sunken flagstone patio with a tiny pond, long forgotten and abandoned, which was nestled beneath a canopy of old growth dogwoods and pecan trees. As we unearthed the patio and its perimeter beds, we discovered the peeking heads of southern shield fern fronds (Dryopteris ludoviciana), another native to the southeastern United States, buried under deep leaf mulch. We also found the non-native buttercup english ivy (Hedera helix), starting its tentacled climb up the craggy patio walls, an across the pond visitor that earned its stay by being just too freaking cute with its miniature variegated creamy yellow and chartreuse green leaves. Gathered together unselfconsciously in a vintage medicine cup above, against the stunning backdrop of Katie Ridder's Moonflower wallpaper, this floral triumvirate of flame azalea, hairy fern shoots, and ivy just takes my breath away. And I couldn't care less about the horticultural pedigree.

My current garden now includes only plants that make me happy. I certainly have lots of natives but plenty of the plants in my garden are simply visitors to the area that tolerate the climate well. I avoid invasives like the plague, but will invite just about any other plant to my garden so long as a brush past it makes me stop and smile. And, of course, if it looks good in a vase.

IMAGES | Floral styling, arrangements and photography by Tami Ramsay

Metal

I'm really excited about this new column, Loving Local, because there are so many incredible places in Ann Arbor and the surrounding areas that I've been wanting to tell you all about! Though we moved here nearly 2 years ago, it's only been since we completed the gut rehab of our home about 6 months ago and got moved in that I feel like I've settled in enough to get out and explore, and finally claim this quirky university town as my home. The first place that I've been itching to write about for some time now is METAL.

METAL is a full-service design and fabrication studio, co-owned by John Walters & Claudette Stern. They create super high quality pieces of sculptural, utilitarian and mechanical forms all from, you guessed it... metal. Their brick and mortar shop at 220 Felch Street in Ann Arbor is a place of pure inspiration, as you will see from the photos below, with lofted ceilings, exposed beams and white brick walls which create the backdrop for a mixture of high-end furniture, fine art, and vintage objects. But don't fret, if you can't make it here in person METAL also has a fantastic selection of goodies in their online shop, including their newly launched line of custom furniture.

METAL also does a significant amount of custom work, which is how I first came across them. I needed to have some shelving made for the kitchen in the home we were rehabbing. I knew exactly what I wanted and had the design roughly sketched out but needed someone who understood the material to work with me on finalizing it and actually producing the pieces. I was referred to John at METAL and as soon as I walked into the place and started talking with him I knew he was the guy to do the job. You know how you can just sense incredible talent & quality, almost like a gut instinct? That's how I felt. And I was right. The shelving that John made for me turned out perfectly and remains one of my favorite parts of our kitchen, as well as one of the things that people most ask about (while oooo'ing and ahhh'ing over them). They also helped me convert a beautiful old zinc washtub that I found at the Ann Arbor Antique Market into my laundry sink by mounting it onto the base of an old metal stool. It's another conversation starter in our home, for sure.

If you're in town visiting, John & Claudette would love for you to stop by and see their blacksmithing and fabrication in action, as well as peruse their shop's unique collection. You will be so glad you did.

METAL | 220 Felch Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48103 | 800.613.6385 | www.metaloffmain.com

IMAGE CREDITS | All photographs taken by Krista Nye Nicholas of CLOTH & KIND

Palette No. 13

How spring-like and colorful is today's palette, which was put together by guest editor Tami Ramsay?! For the specific fabrics used in Palette No. 13, please subscribe to CLOTH & KIND’s emails. Details for each textile are provided exclusively to my email friends. Happy Friday!

Fab Five: Eye of the Beholder

one | Eye Cushion, Allegra Hicks two | Eyelashes Fabric, Amy Butler three | Two Eye Oil on Canvas Painting, Laura Roebuck via Bowerbird four | Lash Rug, Serena & Lily five | Right Eye Decoupage Plate, John Derian

Rebecca Atwood

Hi. my name is… Rebecca Atwood

My company is… Rebecca Atwood Designs

I’m the… Creative Director and Founder

I make/design/create… I design and make hand painted, printed, and dyed pillows as well as small paintings.

Something you need to know about me is… I grew up in a restaurant on Cape Cod - surrounded by the ocean, antiques, and great food!

Here’s how this company came to be… I have been designing home products for retailers for about 6 years and wanted a new challenge, and to create product that I believed in.  The idea to start my own collection began as a small idea and became something I couldn’t shake - so I decided to give it a try!  I’ve started small and I have plans to grow the business with each season.

My absolute favorite thing we sell right now is… That’s a hard one! Honestly everything in the collection is something I personally love and would have in my home.  That’s a rule!  A few favorites would be:

1 | 2 | 3

Here’s a sneak peek of something we’re working on now… I only made one of these over-sized (22”x32”) pillows, and decided to keep it for myself.  It’s so comfy and cozy, perfect for leaning into when reading.  This will definitely be something I carry in the next collection.

I’m most proud of… Taking the leap! It’s scary to take a big jump like this but I am so happy I did.

I really detest… I can’t say there is anything I really detest, but the financial aspects of running a business like bookkeeping are definitely not my favorite!

I could never have done it without this person… My husband Steve - He’s been so supportive and encouraging.

I consistently read these for inspiration… I am always reading blogs, and I never miss an issue of Lonny magazine.  My favorite printed magazine is probably Australian Vogue Living. I also think it’s really important to get offline, out of the magazines, and books and Pinterest.  I need to spend time making things in the studio, go to an exhibit, walk around the neighborhood – for me that is where most of the inspiration happens.

I would like to share the limelight with… There are many people I would like to work with.  I really love to collaborate with other creative women, which is what I did for my website.  I worked with Erika Brechtel of Small Shop Studio for the design, Zoe Rooney for the development, and Nicole Franzen for the photography.  I hope to collaborate with some key boutiques around the country next.

IMAGE CREDITS | All images provided by Rebecca Atwood, her site, blog & Instagram.

Happiness

I saw this quote on Twitter yesterday, posted by Asana (which, by the way, is one of the productivity tools that I live by), and it resonated so much with me. It's a work in progress, but I feel like CLOTH & KIND is gradually allowing this statement to be my truth and that makes me fundamentally happy. Does this ring true to you?

IMAGE CREDIT | Background fabric Positano in Kumquat by Amanda Nisbet

Tilton Fenwick

what is your idea of perfect design happiness? anne | THE ABILITY TO CHANNEL OUR CLIENTS’ HOPES AND DREAMS TO A RESULT EVEN GREATER THAN THEY EVER IMAGINED. suysel | SURROUNDING MYSELF WITH THINGS I HAVE COLLECTED OR ACQUIRED THROUGHOUT MY LIFE.

what is your greatest fear in design? anne | SAFETY. suysel | FURNITURE NOT FITTING IN ELEVATORS! NYC REALITY!

which historical design figure do you most identify with? anne | DOROTHY DRAPER. suysel | MADELEINE CASTAING. HER TIMELESS INTERIORS HAVE ALWAYS SPOKEN TO ME AND HER RAYURE FLEURIE TOILE FABRIC IS PROBABLY MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE (below).

which living designer do you most admire? anne | MILES REDD. suysel | THE MAN WHO TRAINED AND MENTORED ME – MARKHAM ROBERTS. I AM IN AWE OF HIS INNATE ABILITY TO LAYER PATTERNS AND MIX ANTIQUES WITH MODERN PIECES SO EFFORTLESSLY.

what profession other than design would you like to attempt? anne | GENEALOGIST. suysel | I THINK I WOULD HAVE FOLLOWED IN MY FATHER’S FOOTSTEPS AND GONE THE CRAZY COSTUME DESIGN ROUTE – LOVE SEQUINS AND RUFFLES!

what is your greatest design extravagance? anne | SUYSEL, MY DESIGN PARTNER IS THE ULTIMATE LUXURY WHEN MAKING DESIGN DECISIONS. “AM I OUT OF MY MIND CRAZY OR DO YOU LOVE IT?” suysel | CHRISTOPHER SPITZMILLER LAMPS. THE COLORS ARE SO AMAZING AND THEY CAN TRANSFORM A ROOM (below).

when and where were you happiest with your design? anne | UPON SEEING HIS NEW APARTMENT COMPLETE FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE 11 YEAR OLD SON OF A CLIENT SAID “I WAS WORRIED. THIS WALLPAPER DECISION WAS BOLD, BUT IT REALLY PAID OFF!” suysel | SAME AS ANNE’S!

what do you consider your greatest achievement in design? anne | STILL WORKING. WE'VE HAD LOTS OF MOMENTS OF PRIDE SINCE WE OPENED OUR COMPANY IN 2010, BUT ALWAYS STRIVING FOR MORE. suysel | WHEN WE ARE ABLE TO PUSH CLIENTS PAST THEIR COMFORT ZONE AND THEY THANK US FOR DOING SO.

if you died and came back as another designer or design object, who or what do you think it would be? anne | I’D COME BACK AS ANY OBJECT FOR SALE AT ANTONY TODD. I WOULD KNOW I WAS GOOD IN MY PAST LIFE TO BE SO EXQUISITE IN THIS ONE. suysel | AN YVES KLEIN BLEUE TABLE – IT’S A SHOWSTOPPER!

what specific design related talent are you lacking that you would you most like to have? anne | BEING ABLE TO BETTER VERBALIZE THE END RESULT OF DESIGN DECISIONS. SOMETIMES "TRUST US" DOESN'T ALWAYS WORK! suysel | WISH I COULD SEW CURTAINS!

what is your most treasured design related possession? anne | A JAMES ROSENQUIST SCREEN PRINT CALLED “FOR THE YOUNG ARTIST” THAT HANGS IN MY SOON-TO-BE DAUGHTER’S NURSERY (above). I CAN’T WAIT TO KNOW HER AND WHETHER SHE’LL BE A YOUNG ARTIST (LIKE ME), OR INTERESTED IN SPORTS LIKE MY HUSBAND, OR BOTH OR NEITHER! suysel | PAIR OF VINTAGE TESSELLATED HORN CHAIRS IN THE STYLE OF FRANCES ELKINS, WITH HORSEHAIR SEATS (below).

what do you regard as the lowest depths of misery in design? anne | NEUTRAL AND STARK. suysel | ROOMS WITHOUT ART, BOOKS AND ACCESSORIES.

what curse word do you most frequently use? anne | BUMMER. suysel | IT’S IN SPANISH :)

what is your favorite design related word? anne | ESCUTCHEON. HOW FUN TO PRONOUNCE?! suysel | WALLPAPER!

what is your least favorite design related word? anne | MATCHY-MATCHY. suysel | TRANSITIONAL.

what turns you on in design? anne | ANYTHING I HAVEN’T SEEN BEFORE. suysel | UNEXPECTED WHIMSY.

what turns you off in design? anne | ANYTHING TOO TRENDY. suysel | ROOMS THAT AREN’T LAYERED.

what is your motto in design? anne | UNDER THE RIGHT GUIDANCE, MORE IS MORE! suysel | QUALITY IS REMEMBERED LONG AFTER THE PRICE IS FORGOTTEN.

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ABOUT TILTON FENWICK | Tilton Fenwick is a boutique interior design firm started by Anne Maxwell Foster and Suysel dePedro Cunningham in 2010. Built on a mutual appreciation for traditional aesthetic with a fresh perspective, the firm embraces the unexpected in both color and pattern while always infusing comfort.

IMAGE CREDITS | Images courtesy of Tilton Fenwick; the recent New York Times article covering the design firm, Colors To Make Dumbo Crush; Madeleine Castaing sketch via Martha Stewart as it appears in Deborah Needleman's The Perfectly Imperfect Home.

ABOUT PROUST ON DESIGN | Answered by my 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 the purpose of this column, I put a design related spin on the traditional questions.

While this method of questioning has been used by many journalists throughout the years, I was primarily inspired by The Proust Questionnaire, which appears monthly on the back page of Vanity Fair magazine (my alma mater).

Read the complete series of Proust on Design interviews with Madeline Weinrib, Todd Nickey & Amy Kehoe of Nickey Kehoe, Michelle Nussbaumer, Serena Dugan of Serena & Lily, John Robshaw, Mally Skok, Katie Leede, Peter Dunham, Seema Krish and Zak Profera of ZAK+FOX. If you would like to be considered for this column, please contact me at info(at)clothandkind(dot)com.