Orlando Diaz-Azcuy
photo by Matthew Millman
If you could have a second home anywhere, where would you live? I’ve always dreamed of living in Paris! In my opinion, though, I always need to have a presence in both urban and rural settings - I can’t thrive without the influence of both.
What are three words to describe your style? Describing my work in three words is difficult. A colleague recently told me, “When I see a project without knowing the name, I know it’s yours - it’s dreamy.” Making a dream a reality is my style. Realistic and dreamy at the same time. I want a room to be realistic - always putting whatever is necessary - but never include anything more. I always keep what is necessary and real, but those pieces, the table, the glass, the light might be a bit more specific, more different. I wouldn’t say I’m a minimalist - everyone says they’re a minimalist. I work to make dreams a reality.
Tell us about your childhood bedroom? My childhood bedroom is - we have preconceived notions of what houses look like, people of my generation, hispanic, etc. The fact that we have people work in the house during the day doesn’t mean we have servants. I was born of six brothers and sisters, brother was seven years older than me. A lonely child. My bedroom was a huge bedroom with four beds - almost a communal way. We didn’t spend our days in bedrooms. Bedrooms are rooms for sleeping and sickness. So you spend your day in the rest of the house. If you have to do a task, you have a room to do a task - dining room and library. You’re part of what is going on with everyone else sitting around the house. The image of a bedroom for a child in a Latin heritage of my generation is simply a place for sleeping.
What’s the first investment piece you ever bought for your house? When I started to work in 1966, I began at that point to look for antiques and look at shops. At that point I was already with John, my partner. We found this Bristol blue ceramic urn. It cost 300 dollars - way outside of my budget, so I paid $25/mo. We still have that vase. The next is a painting I bought in New York by Jerry Buchanan we purchased around the same time. That painting still hangs over my bed.
In the history of design, if you could hire any designer other than yourself, who would it be? I love Adolf Loos, but if I were to say contemporary, just a bit older than I, John Saladino. This is because of the spirit of quality he can create in his interiors. It’s familiar to me. A mood of an interior is more important than the interior itself. He’s more capable of doing that than anybody.
No room is complete without a comfortable seating arrangement.
People think of me as white, but I am really subdued colors.
Things you omit from:
A flower arrangement: I’d rather have one type of flower.
An hors d’oeuvre platter: Let me twist the question - I would NEVER omit caviar.
A bar cabinet: I don’t really drink liquor.
Music for:
Dinner at home: I always like opera very low during dinner, my partner likes softer music.
Working at your desk: Opera, still. It is my favorite type of music.
If you were on an Ambien high and internet shopping, what would you buy? I don’t shop online.
Do your clothes reflect your design sensibility, if so, how? Yes! I dress myself with the same soulfulness with which I design something. My clothing is always the result of my intention.
What is the thing you would never do on a project, but don’t detest when you see others do it? I would never do anything against the client’s will. I would not force myself onto the client - if I can’t convince a client of the solution, I would rather not do it. I would not follow the trends.
If there were a fire, and you could only keep one design book, what would it be? Either a small book of Leon Bakst’s drawings for the Ballet Russe, or my books on photography of Horst P. Horst
photo by David Duncan Livingston
A Few Favorites:
Movie: Chariots of Fire
Book: “How You Say It” by Catherine Kinzler
Scent: Charvet - Eau Imperiale
The fabric you always come back to: Linen
Dream project: Interiors of a museum, or the set for a ballet
Meal: Hamburgers
Drink: Pinot Noir
Hotel: La Residentia in Mallorca
Travel Destination: Paris
Artist: Carmen Herrera
Thing to collect obsessively: Josef Hoffman silver
Era in the history of design: The 1920s
Museum: The Louvre
Paint Color that always looks great: I created a white called “Soda” - it is still custom available upon request.
Dogs, Cats, or No Pets? No pets - in fact, I’ve never owned a pet in my life.
