Timeless Style From Shelly Riehl David

Designer Shelly Riehl David's timeless, colorful interiors bring global design to the home -- wherever it may be.

By Anne Krueger

No matter the room, designer Shelly Riehl David stresses the importance of luxurious window coverings and beautiful lighting. Design by Shelly Riehl David.

Are there any tricks to great draperies?
Yes. I do the backside of the draperies and it has to be a beautiful fabric and coordinate with the exterior of the home. I'll drive by a multimillion-dollar home and see an inexpensive white interior curtain and it's terrible looking. Those curtains are the first thing people see; you want them to see a sumptuous drapery even from the outside of the house. And inside, draperies are a great way to bring color from fabric and furnishings up to the walls. For the greatest impact, I always bring the draperies to the ceiling.

What sort of design trends are you seeing?
The world is much more global today; we're now much more aware of different cultures and aesthetics. Ten years ago people thought they were ethnic if they brought in a few African motifs; now it's way beyond that. We're bringing in Turkish carpets and artifacts from the Far and Middle East and we're integrating those pieces into rooms that aren't just that style. You don't have to have a Moroccan or African or Mexican room, or a theme room. All of those pieces are coming together to make each room look unique.

This fabric swatch inspired an entire home, designed by Shelly Riehl David.

The design for the whole house started with one piece of fabric?
Yes, and the fabric only ended up on one sofa in the 15,000-square-foot home. But its colors and feeling inspired the whole house. Angela James said she wants to dance when she walks in.

Everybody's idea of color is different, of course, so we laid out several combinations of fabrics and colors and she picked out pink and fresh green. That was our inspiration point. From there we could work on wall colorings and custom draperies. We're getting a kiwi green Merino glass chandelier in their dining room. So often people wait to hire a designer until after the basics — walls, lighting, flooring — are chosen. But when you have the inspiration pieces and colors from the start, you don't have to go neutral. Everything can work together.

What's the last thing you splurged on?
Restoring a beautiful old skiff, a Chris Craft boat. We restored it down to every piece of wood. Now it's all done in yellow and white with a pretty American flag on it.

If you weren't a designer what would you be?
I'd be bored. I'd have to be independently wealthy floating around the Caribbean on somebody's yacht — that's the only other "job" I can imagine. Being a designer is so much fun and enables me to be around beautiful things all the time. I get to travel, make life beautiful. I have my dream job.

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