AMERICAN
Look
Two schools predominate; the Home Sweet Home versus Home Suite Home. The former is shabbychic in ethos while the latter is a chance to show off your ‘collaboration’ with an interior designer. The primary focus is the hallway – making a grand statement, usually with a significant artwork and console table. The living area is dominated by a salon-style seating arrangement and formal dining area. Americans have rules when it comes to design. They love symmetry and sisal flooring, and err on the side of caution when it comes to mismatched details. It’s preppy at heart, and clean lines are approved of. Failing that, any sort of pattern – a knot, chevron or zig-zag – is essential. These are all codes to the inhabitant’s value system – the American home being a vignette of their political leanings.
Elements
Ideally you will have a Warren Platner for Knoll dining table and chairs (from 1stDibs), a starburst mirror and a feature wall. You will combine a floral print with a stripe and include some ikat (a must) with a dash of zebra print on the floor. Teal is a great colour to transition into autumn, and works well with gold accents such as the FL/ Y lamp (at Kartell). Drinks carts spell glamour – even if they are repurposed as coffee tables to showcase your library of Assouline classics and Voluspa candles. As for flowers – it’s all about boughs, not blossoms: pussy willow in autumn, cherry blossoms in spring and palm fronds in summer.
Designers
Amy Lau, Kelly Behun and Bilhuber & Associates are some of the major players in New York (the latter did Anna Wintour’s home). Other heavyweights include Kelly Wearstler and Betsy Burnham; both favour bright, bold, happy interiors, while Massucco Warner Miller Interior Design is gaining traction on the west coast.