O'brien & Muse

Photo by Kip Dawkins

If you could have a second home anywhere, where would you live?
LOB: Aix En Provence
LAM: Not ready to commit

What are three words to describe your style?
1. Layered
2. Edited
3. Collected

Tell us about your childhood bedroom? Both of us had Laura Ashley prints. Lulu the tulip, Lili the rose. Both of us had bed treatments, duvet, and window treatments.

What’s the first investment piece you ever bought for your house? 
LAM: An antique English grandfather clock with unusual width.
LOB: The prettiest French chest with the most decadent brasses. 
Both of us worked them off from the excessively generous and patient antique dealer.

In the history of design, if you could hire any designer other than yourself, who would it be?
LAM: Jasper Conran
LOB: Ilse Crawford

No room is complete without Art, flowers & books.

LAM: People think of me as organized, but I am really obsessively compulsively organized.
LOB: People think of me as ?????, but I am really a homebody.

Things you omit from:

• A flower arrangement: Gladiola

• An hors d’oeuvre platter: No paté pls        

• A bar cabinet: Coasters

A song for:

• Dinner at home:
  LOB: My husband is my DJ—whatever he serves up.
  LAM: Tempted by Squeeze

• Working at your desk: Silence please.

• Going for a run:
  LOB: Simply the Best by Tina Turner
  LAM: Virtual Insanity by Jamiroquai

Biggest Vice:
LAM: Diet Coke
LOB: The snooze button

If you were on an Ambien high and internet shopping, what would you buy?
LAM: Hellabores from Pine Knot Farms and Byredo products
LOB: Shoes and sunglasses and in some cases, trash cans.

Do your clothes reflect your design sensibility, if so, how?
LAM: I am a uniform person so don’t give clothes much thought. I spend a fair amount of time on construction sites.
LOB: Maybe a little --my shoes are my biggest splurge.

Who is your star crush?
LOB: Cate Blanchet
LAM: Justin Bateman

What is the thing you would never do on a project, but don’t detest when you see others do it? 
LOB: Well executed trendiness
LAM: Period Decoration

If there were a fire, and you could only keep one design book, what would it be? 
LAM: The Art of Outdoor Living by Scott Schrader
LOB: Tom Scherrer Decorates

For posterity, what would you like your work to be known for? Having been a joyful collaboration. 

photo by Kip dawkins

A Few Favorites

•  Movie:

  LAM: It’s a Wonderful Life

  LOB: Tie: The Heat and Russian Ark

• Book:

  LAM: Patron Saints of Liars by Ann Patchett

  LOB: The Goldfinch by Donna Tart

• Scent:

  LOB: Chanel 19 Perfume and  Attuno by Santa Maria Novella  for home

  LAM: Hermes Eau des Merveilles and Nest and Vetiver by Byredo for home

• The fabric you always come back to:

  Linen velvet, raw silk, linen

• Dream project:

  LAM: Restoring a home in Dorset

  LOB: I don’t know what I don’t know, but a boutique hotel in Richmond, VA would be amazing.

• Meal:

  LOB: French bread and butter

  LAM: Sauteed fish and butter beans

• Drink:

  LAM: Diet Coke

  LOB: Earl Gray Tea

• Hotel:

  LOB: Playa Grande Beach Club

  LAM: Reschio Estate in Italy

• Travel Destination:

  LOB: Usually France

  LAM: Gottenburg, Sweden

• Artist:

  LAM: Cy Twombly

  LOB: Samuel Bjorklund

• A cause near and dear to me:

  Art 180

• Thing to collect obsessively:

  LAM: Reverse glass portraits

  LOB: Green Ceramics

• Era in the history of design:

  Today! The ability to mix and match from all eras—I just don’t know if I could narrow it down to one fav.

• Museum:

  LAM: National Gallery in London

  LOB: Musee D’Orsay and any house museum

• Paint Color that  always looks great:

  LAM: Ben Moore Swiss Coffee

  LOB: Pratt and Lambert Blue Arroyo

• Favorite person to follow on Instagram:

  LAM: David Netto

  LOB: House and Parties

• Dogs, Cats, or No Pets?

  Both!