Ralph Mackin
photo by Scott Frances
If you could have a second home anywhere, where would you live? In a coastal village or community…tough to nail down one just yet!
Tell us about your childhood bedroom? I grew up in a rural community in a raised ranch…green with black shutters, I shared a bedroom with my little brother. Dark stained floors and trim with white walls. We had posters of National Parks, a map of the world and the solar system on the walls. My Mom bought an unfinished desk and stained it to match the trim, we had a wall of wood shelves filled with board games and books…The Hardy Boys, National geographic, National parks, Nature …We also had a fish tank …
What’s the first investment piece you ever bought for your house? I built my house…I had very little left to spend, (the tv sat on the box it came in!) … I did manage to purchase a Stickley tressle table and 8 chairs as my first pieces!
In the history of design, if you could hire any designer, who would it be?
Mark Hampton! As college student, and as a young practicing Architect I admired and loved his work.
No room is complete without: Natural light and multiple windows on more than one wall if possible.
People think of me as easy going, but I am really a bit reserved!
Things you omit from:
A flower arrangement: Ziva paperwhites-a strong scent!
An hors d’oeuvre platter: Liver Pâté
A bar cabinet: everything but the straight liquor
A song for:
Dinner at home: The Standards
Working at your desk: Chill
Going for a run: Nothing, I like the sounds around me
Biggest Vices? Spending on music, boating and flyfishing.
If you were on an Ambien high and internet shopping, what would you buy?
A Vintage Gibson ES 355 Hollow body…
Do your clothes reflect your design sensibility, if so, how? I guess they do…classic style with a slightly modern feel or edge.
Who is your star crush? I don’t really have one…
What is the one thing you would never decorate your home with, but don’t detest when you see others do it? Dark Colors, but I do admire it when it’s done correctly…
If there were a fire, and you could only keep one design book, what would it be?
Wow only one?... “American Country Houses of The Gilded Age” by Arnold Lewis, but I would sneak out with “The Houses of McKim Mead and White”, “Greene and Greene Master Works”, “Frank Lloyd Wright The Master Works”, and “Harry T Lindeberg…”
For posterity, what would you like your work to be known for? Timeless style, easy livability.
photo by Phillip Jensen Carter
A Few Favorites:
Movie: Back to the Future
Book: Zane Gray on Fishing
Scent: Salt air by the sea…
The fabric you always come back to: Denim or Khaki…
Dream project: To design a Homestead Ranch out west
Meal: My mother’s Manicotti
Drink: Aged Bourbon
Hotel: We usually rent a residence when we travel, but we did stay in Hotel Montleone in New Orleans, and loved the history and rotating Bar!
Travel Destination: I love to fly fish in tropical destinations…The Seychelles
Artists: Rock Music: David Gilmour, Classical: Aaron Copeland, Painters: Edward Hopper, Maxfield Parrish, Winslow Homer; Photographer: Ansel Adams
A cause near and dear to me: WattsofLove.org, Saving our Oceans and fisheries
Thing to collect obsessively: I don’t really collect, but love guitars, cars, boats and motorcycles…
Era in the history of design: I am interested in all of them!
Museum: The Whitney
Paint Color that always looks great: I love subtle color shades…and natural tones…
Favorite person to follow on Instagram: Alexa! Informative and entertaining!
Dogs, Cats, or No Pets: An English Lab named Ella!
