Eric J. Smith
photo by Peter Margonelli
If you could have a second home anywhere, where would you live? Pre-Covid – an apartment in Paris…. Post Covid - a croft in Scotland
What are three words to describe your style? 1. Livable. 2. Contemporary traditionalist 3. Balanced
Tell us about your childhood bedroom? My father worked for General Electric so we moved around a lot – 9 homes by the time I finished university – so there were a number of childhood bedrooms – none that aesthetically memorable - from an early bedroom with bunkbeds, shared with my younger brother, to grade school and having my own room on the lower floor of a 50’s split level home ( feeling a bit of independence being separate from the rest of the family) to high school and being the first child, to have a queen size bed and my own TV – a tiny B&W that I paid for from money I had earned working various jobs. In all though, a warm and nurturing childhood.
What’s the first investment piece you ever bought for your house? The first investment piece I ever bought for my house was a French regency console with a marble top.
In the history of design, if you could hire any designer other than yourself, who would it be? David Adler
No room is complete without 2 exposures
A song for:
Dinner at home - Pandora: Dinner Jazz Radio
Working at your desk - most anything Baroque
Going for a run - I don’t run…..
Biggest Vice? Collecting more wine than I will ever probably drink -but it’s fun!
If you were on an Ambien high and internet shopping, what would you buy?……More wine
Do your clothes reflect your design sensibility, if so, how? I like layers, textures, sweater vests and tweed jackets – all comfortable, able to adapt to changing climates, functions and settings, - clothes that age well – hopefully as well as I do!
If there were a fire, and you could only keep one design book, what would it be? Timeless Elegance – David Easton
For posterity, what would you like your work to be known for? Having aged well, still appropriate for today’s living , still comfortable.
photo by Peter Margonelli
A Few Favorites:
Movie: Bagger Vance
Book: The Vile and the Splendid
Scent: The “nose” of a 1999 Brunello
Meal: Wild Boar Lasagna served in a small family wine cave under the town of Brunello with flight of the host’s best vintages
Drink: Reyka and Tonic
Hotel: Bamboo Indah, Ubud Bali
Travel Destination: Scotland
Artist: Rodin
Thing to collect obsessively: Other than wine…art and architecture books
Era in the history of design: No favorites - I’m open to all
Museum: The Met – it never disappoints!
Paint Color that always look great: French plaster – color and texture.
Dogs, Cats, or No Pets? 1 – Jack Russell: LULU
