Julie Neill
photo by rick olivier
If you could have a second home anywhere, where would you live? Anywhere in Italy.
Tell us about your childhood bedroom? I was the happiest girl in the world when I received my white canopy bed for my 11th birthday. The room had floral wallpaper with a pale blue background. White ruffled curtains and bedding. Very feminine and I felt like a princess.
What’s the first investment piece you ever bought for your house? I fell in love with a set of engravings of historic furniture designs which I bought and had framed. I still get a thrill every time I see them. They have lived in several houses and in different rooms and they continue to inspire me.
In the history of design, if you could hire any designer, who would it be? That’s hard to narrow down! I’ve always loved Sister Parish, Madeleine Castaing and Suzanne Rheinstein.
No room is complete without fabulous lighting.
People think of me as whimsical, but I am really serious about good design.
Things you omit from:
A flower arrangement: Twigs or branches
An hors d’oeuvre platter: Things that are messy or difficult to manage
A bar cabinet: I don’t like wet bars
A song for:
Dinner at home: I currently like instrumental jazz as background music for dinner.
Working at your desk: I love to work with classical or Latin guitar music. It stirs my creative soul.
Going for a run: I don’t run! 😂
Biggest Vice? I recently bought a house which I’m using as an art studio/party palace. I’m in the process of planning a renovation to make it into a fabulous creative and entertaining space. I feel very free to live out my experimental design fantasies since it won’t be my primary home.
If you were on an Ambien high and internet shopping, what would you buy? I am addicted to antique jewelry.
Do your clothes reflect your design sensibility, if so, how? I’m not sure. I usually wear all black with simple shape and clean lines.
What is the one thing you would never decorate your home with, but don’t detest when you see others do it? Patterned rugs
If there were a fire, and you could only keep one design book, what would it be? This is the hardest question! I love all my design books!
For posterity, what would you like your work to be known for? I think I try to create well designed pieces which are timeless but which also stir some emotion and delight in the experience of the viewer. I’d like to be remembered as a designer who created some iconic designs and who brought light into many spaces.
photo by rick olivier
A Few Favorites:
Movie: Moonstruck
Book: The Bible
Scent: Chanel No. 5
The fabric you always come back to: White linen
Dream project: I’m always inspired and excited to work with clients who value beauty and creativity in design.
Meal: I’ve never met a salad or a dessert I didn’t like.
Drink: Iced Latte
Hotel: Hotel Peter and Paul in New Orleans
Travel Destination: Italy
Artist: So many! Cy Twombly, Matisse, Monet, Agnes Martin, Ellsworth Kelly, George Dunbar, Hilma Af Klint, Amanda Talley, to name only a few.
A cause near and dear to me: The restoration and preservation of St. Mary’s Assumption church and it’s sister St. Alphonsus church in New Orleans. These are two exquisite buildings which are in great need.
Thing to collect obsessively: Antique engravings. Antique jewelry. Beautiful shoes.
Era in the history of design: My love for design knows no bounds. I’m fascinated by the interiors uncovered at Pompeii. I love certain set designs from movies from the 1930’s to the 1990’s. I love antiquity and contemporary design and all points in between.
Museum: The Louvre, the Metropolitan Museum, the Picasso Museum, the Fortuny Museum
Paint Color that always looks great: Benjamin Moore basic White. It sounds boring but I’ve found it to be the best backdrop for anything else I want to do.
Favorite person to follow on Instagram: Too many to single out just one.
Dogs, Cats, or No Pets? I have one wonderful dog and two fabulous cats. One of my cats just had her 20th birthday.
