Matthew Kowles
Photo by Annie Schlechter
If you could have a second home anywhere, where would you live? Saint-Paul-de-Vence, in the South of France – or a similar medieval hilltop village.
What are three words to describe your style?
1. Elegant
2. Comfortable
3. Layered
Tell us about your childhood bedroom? My childhood bedroom had (alarming) yellow shag wall-to-wall carpeting (which often had gum or candy stuck in it), yellow walls with a wallpaper border depicting panda bears playing with primary colored balloons. And red and white striped curtains that were homemade. My mother allowed me to redecorate when I was 12 and I chose black and white everything, with a teal blue carpet. There may have been a cheetah print as well. I don’t think I have even considered a primary color since.
What’s the first investment piece you ever bought for your house? At 30 years old I broke up with a bad boyfriend who I had been living with and left with just my clothes. I owned no furniture of my own. At the time, I was working at the Charlotte Moss Townhouse and I snagged a tortoise-patterned, louvered bamboo bed during a sale. It was too rustic for most New York apartments, but that’s what I loved about it. Given my New England roots it reminds me of a house at the lake. I will always have that bed as a symbol of my independence. (I also experienced both NYC earthquakes from that bed. Once while I was sick with Lyme disease and laying in repose. The second one I was working from bed, laptop on lap.)
In the history of design, if you could hire any designer other than yourself, who would it be? Frank DiBiasi
No room is complete without a sculpture.
People think of me as confident, but I am really very shy.
Things you omit from:
A flower arrangement: Orange flowers
An hors d’oeuvre platter: Raw onions and stinky cheese
A bar cabinet: Untested wine
A song for:
Dinner at home: “Garden in the Rain,” by Diana Krall
Working at your desk: “Shipwreck,” by Klangkarussel or “Philip Glass Radio,” on Pandora or “Catch & Release” (Deepend Remix) by Matt Simon
Going for a run: “Take it or Leave It,” by The Strokes
Biggest Vice? Fried Chicken
If you were on an Ambien high and internet shopping, what would you buy? A really great weekend getaway with my hubs!
Do your clothes reflect your design sensibility, if so, how? I don’t have many clothes anymore, but I gravitate toward quality and comfort. My clothes have to fit properly. And nothing flashy. So yes. “Nothing should be noticed,” as Bunny Mellon (I think) was known to say.
Who is your star crush? Ryan Gosling
What is the thing you would never do on a project, but don’t detest when you see others do it? Accent walls
If there were a fire, and you could only keep one design book, what would it be? TOUGH ONE, but without agonizing too much, I would grab May I Come In? by Wendy Goodman, I think. This question is unfair.
For posterity, what would you like your work to be known for? Always elevating a clients’ own things through beautiful and balanced design so that every space is truly unique.
Photo by Annie Schlechter
A Few Favorites:
Movie: Party Girl, starring Parker Posey
Book: The Pillar and the City, by Gore Vidal
Scent: Thé Noir 39 by LABO
The fabric you always come back to: The Vase, by David Hicks
Dream project: A classical villa on Lake Como
Meal: Nana’s Cheddar Chicken Recipe
Drink: Vesper Martini
Hotel: HARD!! Chromata Santorini (https://www.katikies.com/chromatasantorini/) Where we spent a bit of our honeymoon!
Travel Destination: Lake Como
Artist: Matisse
A cause near and dear to me: Underprivileged kids
Thing to collect obsessively: Tiny Paintings
Era in the history of design: Directoire, I think.
Museum: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Paint Color that always looks great: Swiss Coffee OC-45
Favorite person to follow on Instagram: Mark Sikes / Alexa H. / Interiors Academy
Dogs, Cats, or No Pets? DOGS.
