Four of my favourite interior designers
I’m a sponge, soaking up the ideas and inspiration of all the talented interior designers I come across.
Many are our customers, who share about their homes and how they have made them into havens. And there’s my design staff; they constantly blow me away with their good eye and instincts. And, the designers who have achieved national prominence, transforming their own homes or others. Here are the four that I love the most.
India Hicks
India, the daughter of famed designer David Hicks, comes from British royalty. She is the goddaughter of the Prince of Wales and was a flower girl in his storybook wedding to Princess Diana.
But there is nothing formal and stuffy about India’s style. She and her family live on a small island in the Bahamas, where she has designed several homes. In addition to her work in interior design, she is an author, model, entrepreneur and TV personality.
It’s easy to translate India’s relaxed, effortless look to fit your home and your life.
Charles Faudrée
Here’s what I remember most about Charles Faudrée: his piercing blue eyes. When he came to our home décor store to sign his design books a few years ago, I was over the moon. Sadly, cancer took Charles too soon. But we are blessed to have his books to serve as constant inspiration. And for me, they are.
Charles was an Oklahoma based designer with a deep affection for all things French. His love of French country style came out in most of his designs, and his work was featured in all the big magazines.
From Charles I learned the art of layering. His interior designs told the story of a room, one piece of furniture, fabric and accent at a time.
We really enjoy working with customers to solve their design challenges and make the spaces in their homes work for them. One of the tricks I learned from Charles has become one of our go-to design solutions: place a desk perpendicular to a wall, instead of facing the wall. It’s a great way to fit a desk into a tight room and make a big statement all at once.
William McClure
I stumbled across William’s work on Pinterest and became an instant fan. I’m captivated by how he gives old-school traditional design and a more modern vibe.
One quality that grabs me over and again is his use of scale, particularly when it comes to artwork. As an artist himself, he has an eye for what pieces will make a room transcendent, and exactly where to hang art for maximum impact.
You can see William’s Southern roots come out in his casual yet sophisticated designs. I particularly like how he mixes textures and pattern, the elegant and the everyday.
I adore the painted floors in William’s home, and how he effortlessly tosses together the refined and the natural. Your eyes linger over each spot in the rooms he designs, being captivated by the little surprises he has added throughout to delight the observant guest.
William’s work is beginning to be featured in design publications, and he’s gaining notoriety. I’m looking forward to seeing more from this talented young designer.
Miles Redd
Colour. That’s the word that pops into my mind when I think about the designs of Miles Redd. I love how he saturates a room in colour, covering the moulding, ceiling, walls — everything — to make a statement that blows your doors off. He is the king of the lacquered wall.
Fearless is another word that describes Miles’s work. He’s not afraid to plunge in, using large patterns, unapologetic hues and playful elements of surprise to create rooms that are both glamorous and inviting.
Based out of New York, Miles continues to make Elle Decor’s Alist of interior designers for his fresh, unique style. And his work can be found in all the top decorating magazines, from Architectural Digest to House Beautiful.
Can’t wait to see what this design star comes up with next.