San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
How-to decorating tips and trends
Designing couple start with color, affordable art
at a time when so many other design books focus on beautiful rooms in big-budget homes.
A: I think this is our fourth book, and we like for each to be a little different. We do such unique projects, the castle in California or the townhouse in Manhattan, but we also did a trailer in Montauk and an Airbnb in the Pacific Northwest and a bungalow in San Diego. There’s also a mix of high and low, like we’ve always done. We have a lot to say about a lot of different things — trends, smaller living and shared experiences. We like to keep old houses and bring them back to life.
Q: Two chapters are about homes that were your own. Do you keep seeing the same problems in homes, or do you just like to reinvent older homes for today?
A: We try to find the next big area. Hollywood Hills has always been a hot area, but the few blocks around us weren’t as expensive as some others. It was a weird house when we bought it. We always make them a little different from everyone else. That’s how we do better than everyone else; people will pay a premium if a house is unique.
In LA, people want views, privacy and parking — those are the big three. To me, the yard was the biggest thing; we played wiffle ball in the backyard with the kids. That, to us, was awesome.
Q: Let’s talk about the first chapter, the “Castle House.” You gave it a major makeover only to sell it to celebrities (“The Walking Dead” actor Norman Reedus and actress Diane Kruger).
A: The Castle House was a 100-year-old house, and a silent screen star had owned it. In LA, everyone knocks things down, and we didn’t want to do that. We took it to the studs and redid it.
Q: What do you think are the most difficult elements for people who are trying to pull it together themselves?
A: One thing we always do well is we buy a wreck, gut it and start fresh — it’s the best way to do it. You go in a house and it’s OK but not your aesthetic. It’s in good shape but dated. You have to rip it up anyway, so it doesn’t matter how ugly it is. Most people don’t have the vision to see that.
Q: Color seems to be an important element of your designs. Does color take care of a lot of problems?
A: We use every color in bedrooms. Color is something Cortney and I always responded to. It’s a quick fix and an easy fix, and if it’s wrong and you don’t like it, you can change it. Few of us can do plumbing or electrical work or hang wallpaper, but most of us can paint. Color makes you happy … and it gives a house personality and a sense of fun, which a lot of homes lack.
Q: Art plays a big role in your homes. What advice would you give someone wanting to start buying art?
A: We’ve collected art for 25 years. Art is something people think they need permission to start collecting. They don’t know how to get going — what do I spend, what kind do I buy? We talk about art in one chapter; art is a great way to add color to a home.
I say everything is relative to your own budget. Did you see the story about Art Basel in Miami? Someone bought a banana peel for $120,000. A guy put a banana peel on a wall and someone actually paid him $100,000 or something like that. We tell the story of the yellow tape measure. A guy at an art show had a tape measure on the table — everything in the booth was $50,000 and up — and this woman says, “How much for the tape measure?” He said, “$60,000,” and she said “would you take 55?” He said, “Lady, it is just a tape measure.”
(Note: The starting price for the banana peel was $100,000 but in the end, three buyers purchased it together for $390,000. It really was just a banana peel stuck to a wall with duct tape.)
If you’re buying something expensive, research it a little. Find out where you’d buy it and who else is in the gallery. Have they had any art in museums? There’s also inexpensive art. You can buy oil paintings in flea markets or limited-edition prints. Colleges all over the country have great art departments, and you can buy from students.
I always bought young artists. Now, very few people can afford anything but young artists. It’s fun to buy a young artist and later see them do well.
Q: What are the essential elements for a good room?
A: It’s changed for us through the years. I think the bones of the house are the most important thing. The millwork and the hardwoods and tiles. The best houses we’ve taken over had good bones to start with. Good bones are hard to re-create.
Q: What do you want people to learn from your book?
A: If they take away one or two ideas from each chapter, then we’ve done our job. We want to give people permission to take chances.