Emily Ridings
photo by Cassie Lopez
If you could have a second home anywhere, where would you live? Montana
What are three words to describe your style?
1. Fresh
2. Familiar
3. Textured
Tell us about your childhood bedroom? Around age 8, I started obsessively theming my bedroom. I remember a green + pink stage (literally everything was lime green + pink), then a nautical phase. I loved searching for pieces to match very specific color palettes and creating these little worlds for myself. It was absurd, but thanks to my parents for letting that be a creative outlet.
What’s the first investment piece you ever bought for your house? A Ligne Roset Malhoun sofa I found when I lived in Philadelphia; a simultaneous investment and very good deal.
In the history of design, if you could hire any designer other than yourself, who would it be? Not sure, but working with a designer that’s better at visualizing compared to my very organic, hands on, formed as I go process would be interesting.
No room is complete without baskets!
People think of me as serious, but I am really silly.
Things you omit from:
A flower arrangement: Roses
An hors d’oeuvre platter: Caviar
A bar cabinet: Gin
A song for:
Dinner at home: 70s folk
Working at your desk: Lizzy McAlpine, Rayland Baxter, Yebba
Going for a run: 2000’s pop
Biggest Vice? Coffee
If you were on an Ambien high and internet shopping, what would you buy? Everything sitting in my The Real Real cart.
Do your clothes reflect your design sensibility, if so, how? I think I make bigger statements with my work than I do with what I wear, even when I’m making clothes. But there is a utilitarian approach to both, tending more to the functional needs of a piece (or outfit) than I am decorating it (or myself).
Who is your star crush? Leon Bridges
What is the thing you would never do on a project, but don’t detest when you see others do it? I lean towards a pared back aesthetic, but I love when designers can layer and layer and layer without overworking a project.
If there were a fire, and you could only keep one design book, what would it be? Love Looks Not with the Eyes by Anne Deniau. It’s about Alexander McQueen and was one of the first books that let me know I can create anything I want.
For posterity, what would you like your work to be known for? Inviting people in, tilting norms, staying curious.
Your Favorite:
Movie: Always nostalgic for When Harry Met Sally
Book: Everything Belongs by Richard Rohr
Scent: Jasmine
The fabric you always come back to: Denim and linen
Dream project: An interactive exhibit combining all of my creative practices
Meal: Mina Stone’s Cinnamon and Clove Meat Ragu
Drink: Manhattan with a luxardo cherry
Hotel: The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs
Travel Destination: Most eager to go to Greece
Artist: Cy Twombly
A cause near and dear to me: Making resources for creativity more prominent and accessible
Thing to collect obsessively: Art made by friends
Era in the history of design: Midcentury
Museum: The Met
Paint Color that always looks great: Off-white
Favorite person to follow on Instagram: @evanrosskatz
Dogs, Cats, or No Pets? Perpetually wanting a dog and talking myself out of it
