Avenue Interior Design
If you could have a second home anywhere, where would you live?
AD: In a hotel
AJ: Montecito, CA
What are three words to describe your style?
AD:
deliberate
effortless
restrained
AJ:
feminine
eclectic
casual
Tell us about your childhood bedroom?
AD: Design has always been embedded in my upbringing with my grandma making beautiful drapery for our home - and later entire bedding sets, drapery and pillows for me as I redesigned my room for the first time in grade school. By the time I was a teenager I’d painted the walls a midnight blue and handpainted a cloudscape on my ceiling with sea sponges. Not that the wall color mattered much- the walls were covered in floor to ceiling posters and ads from Vogue, Rolling Stone and Surface. Strong perspectives and brand identities have always been very compelling to me.
AJ: A curated mix of antique shop finds and furniture from my Dad’s different movie sets, collages of torn out vogue pages plastered to the walls and lines of hanging ribbons won at horse shows.
What’s the first investment piece you ever bought for your house?
AD: Art. My husband gifted me a single Damien Hirst dot painting shortly after we got married.
AJ: A collection of large antique rugs.
In the history of design, if you could hire any designer other than yourself, who would it be?
AD: Ashley!
AJ: Paul Williams to design a classic LA Spanish home.
No room is complete without
AD: dimmable lighting.
AJ: something that tells a story of where you’ve been.
AD: People think of me as loving to run around, but I am really a homebody.
AJ: People think of me as sweet as pie, but I am really tough as nails
Things you omit from
AD:
A flower arrangement: gerber daises
An hors d’oeuvre platter: black olives
A bar cabinet: Not much! There is a time and place for almost anything.
AJ:
A flower arrangement: Star lilies
An hors d’oeuvre platter: a smoked cheese
A bar cabinet: Anything with an artificial flavor
A song for
AD:
Dinner at home: Whatever someone else puts on (and cooks!)
Working at your desk: Anything in a foreign language I don’t speak - I can’t concentrate if I am distracted by lyrics
Going for a run: Running is not in my repertoire
AJ:
Dinner at home: You really got a hold on me, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
Working at your desk: Be my baby, The Ronnettes
Going for a run: I don’t run
Biggest Vice?
AD: Staying up too late
AJ: Bread
If you were on an Ambien high and internet shopping, what would you buy?
AD: I almost exclusively shop online so this one is tough. Probably jewelry. I most recently bought a great necklace from Completed Works called Time Passes Into Tributaries. Their pieces have great names which makes the shopping so much more fun!
AJ: Sadly I’m a sucker for Instagram beauty ads.
Do your clothes reflect your design sensibility, if so, how?
AD: For the most part, no, I dress most of the time for ease.
AJ: Yes, casual with a twist.
Who is your star crush?
AD: Currently crush-free!
AJ: Leo, forever.
What is the thing you would never do on a project, but don’t detest when you see others do it?
AD: I don’t typically gravitate towards a bold accent color, but that's not to say it can’t be well executed.
AJ: An ultra minimalist aesthetic
What design book do you find yourself going back to again and again?
AD: I mostly look at photography or books on artists - the latter is especially great when looking for color inspiration.
AJ: Kelly Wearstler’s Domicilium Decoratus
For posterity, what would you like your work to be known for?
AD: Being authentic
AJ: Being timeless but creative and making our clients happy.
A Few Favorites:
Movie:
AD: The Family Stone
AJ: Father of the Bride c. 1991
Book:
AD: The Philosophy of Andy Warhol and The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin
AJ: Madeline
Scent:
AD: Jeju Saryeoni Forest hand cream by Hetras
AJ: Diptyque Baises
The fabric you always come back to:
AD: Linen
AJ: Anything from Pierre Frey
Dream project:
AD: The next project!
AJ: One where I get to make all the decisions.
Meal:
AD: Anything Italian
AJ: Lemon Spaghetti
Drink:
AD: Ice cold water
AJ: Cappucino
Hotel:
AD: The Portrait (all of them)
AJ: Villa Treville, Positano
Travel Destination:
AD: South of France
AJ: Hawaii
Artist:
AD: De Kooning
AJ: David Hockney
A cause near and dear to me:
AD: Autoimmune awareness, specifically Relapsing Polychondritis Awareness
AJ: Anything for animals, always.
Thing to collect obsessively:
AD: Beauty products
AJ: Jewelry & Art
Era in the history of design:
AD: Present day
AJ: 1940’s
Museum:
AD: Loved the Centre Pompidou, have always loved Foundation Louis Vuitton and of course, all of our beautiful LA museums.
AJ: Musee D’orsay
Paint Color:
AD: Calamine No. 230 by Farrow & Ball
AJ: Farrow & Ball No. 230 Calamine
Favorite person to follow on Instagram:
AD: @walksauce42_ for some wonderful comedic relief
AJ: Marcie & Lori Hirshleifer and Emma Grede
Dogs, Cats, or No Pets?
AD: None of our own, but love them both for their vastly different personalities!
AJ: Dogs & Cats
