Decorating Under the Influence

As I grapple with the balance of finding design inspiration in magazines and online and making it my own I go back to a WSJ article that I read not too long ago about interior designers and their mentors. This article starts off with Albert Hadley, who mentored Bunny Williams, who mentored Miles Redd who then mentored Nick Olsen where the lineage ends (in the article at least!). It was interesting to read about what they learned from each other. I can imagine the tension between the aesthetic influence they are under and the battle to make their own mark and style. A battle of wonderful inspiration that comes in so many shapes and sizes and transforming into something new, different, and unique that stands on its own.

After reading the article I went back and looked at their portfolios again with a more discriminate eye to try and find the influences and I can say they are there- from fabric choices, to art selection and placement, to window treatments and furniture arrangement. As I did this self-imposed exercise I chose a favorite without realizing it. It just so happened all my favorite images were all of the same designer....can you guess who?