A home should be an intimate autobiography of the things that you like. One of the things I'm so keen on expressing is that, if you don't do it for yourself, if you're always seeking affirmation from outside, you'll never have a home. It'll just be a house.
I find that through all my work, I really get to see and feel energy, health and vitality between people and their surroundings and how they interact with each other.
When you leave a beautiful place, you carry it with you wherever you go.
Being a decorator allowed me to see what about people's environments made them happy. And what things they could do to have more light and color and joy in their daily lives.
You're not going to be dreary on the inside if you're not dreary on the outside.
The home is the center of your soul; it's a total reflection of your inner life. If you have a dreary home, it means you are dark inside.
Feeling at home with ourselves and being able to create a spirit of place that nourishes us physically, emotionally and spiritually is a goal worthy of our highest priority.
Each of us must become impassioned, finding meaning and self-fulfillment in our own life's journey.
Colors are important. People are in clinical depression whether they are on medication or not. Neutrals are another form of medication.
I find it soothing to take something wrinkled and make it smooth. It feels anticipatory. It's what I do before a celebration. And nobody bothers me when I'm ironing.
My grandfather was a Methodist preacher, and my father was an unsuccessful businessman. We didn't have status or wealth.
You can't be a resource for others unless you nourish yourself.
I want to inspire through example. I hope my books motivate others to open doors and windows that will help them to embrace their own truth, light and joy.
When I'm the happiest, my desk is not neat. It has lots of pens and the books I love. It gets messy when I'm in the flow. So many houses are so neat.
I feel very strongly we are spiritual beings in a physical body, and we should make our surroundings as beautiful and soulful as possible.
Put a picture of yourself as a child in view somewhere, to remind yourself to be playful.
How we feel about ourselves as we read the newspaper, set the table, wash the dishes, recycle the trash and wash our clothes... is essential to our overall happiness and well-being.
When I was little, I got to pick my hair ribbon from my mother's collection that hung over her dressing-table mirror. I have an entire room of ribbons in my New York apartment.
If we could make our house a home, and then make it a sanctuary, I think we could truly find paradise on Earth.
I'm an interior designer from the soul. It's not about just putting things in a room. It's much deeper and broader. It's about self-discovery.
