Welcome to our newly revamped weekly Home & Garden Index, in which we let the folks interviewed by New York Times reporters about design, decorating, and architecture speak for themselves. Through this highly exacted and carefully controlled sociological study, we hope to determine how, exactly, the other half lives. Onward to the countdown!
10: “Chaises are like a piece of sculpture—they need to be able to stand alone, look beautiful,” and, of course, he said, “be utilitarian.” [link]
9: At George Smith, they chose the Norris chaise, “a very handsome bench with a back,” Mr. Dufner said, which “could transcend many interiors.” [link]
8: “It’s like you’re sitting on nature,” he said. “And it feels more unusual, because not everyone is ripping them off.” [link]
7: “The whole culture of the apple disappeared with Madison Avenue advertising,” Mr. Burford said, “when we started eating with our eyes instead of our mouths.” [link]
6: “I do think that heat-tolerant apples would be useful to plant breeders, if for nothing else,” he said. [link]
5: “We made a dream list of what we wanted,” Ms. Susman said. “We see this as a way of combining our passion for art with our new diplomatic role.” [link]
4: “It’s always been nice to have American art shown abroad,” Mr. Johns said. [link]
3: One glaring omission Mr. Burns noticed: “They didn’t have a Warhol,” something he said he mentioned to Ms. Susman. [link]
2: “Who the heck knows where my grandfather got it,” Ms. Fitzsimons said. “He wasn’t a big collector. But it’s fancy-schmancy, no?” [link]
1: “I’ve always loved buoys, the ones I’ve seen hanging on people’s houses in Nantucket or the antiques at Brimfield,” said Susan Hable, the creative director and designer, who runs the company with her sister, Katharine Hable Sweeney. [link]