BEACHY KEEN
In her latest book, design entrepreneur Aerin Lauder celebrates how Palm Beach, Fla., has inspired her signature breezy summer style.
Finish this sentence: In Palm Beach, Aerin Lauder is… Colourful. If you open my closet here, nothing is black.
The town conjures miles of pink and green, awning stripes and trellis prints. How do you keep these classics contemporary?
In interiors, it’s the accent of something modern. You can have a wonderful old straw sofa with a vintage-inspired pattern and a very contemporary chair next to it. It’s the mix.
What’s an essential element of that mix? Straw or raffia.
Your grandmother, Estée Lauder, was renowned for her lavish parties. How do you
like to entertain in the summer? Dinner in the garden or lunch by the sea: a delicious Caesar salad, stone crab, hash browns, cream spinach and key lime pie for dessert. Flowers would be tropical, like hibiscus or orchids.
Perfect Palm Beach token? Probably a shell ceramic or something shell-related.
There’s a touch of Palm Beach in many of your designs. Where are you most creative? When I do a beach walk. I don’t listen to music, and I don’t talk on the phone; I just think and try to be inspired. Some of my best ideas have come out of those beautiful beach walks.
What’s a little-known fact about you? That I love kids. My boys are 19 and 20, and I love when they bring their friends home.
What’s a small luxury you like to indulge in? A bath with an amazing bath oil. To me, that’s a great way to end the day.