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He's an architect, an interior
designer and a creator of fabulous furnishings, from furniture and lamps to fabrics.
Meet Kerry Joyce, master of the monochromatic who resists design extremes and
seeks out the Zen of any style. “When you walk into a room that I have
designed, I want you to experience a feeling of well-being and tranquility,” the
Emmy-award-winning set designer says. Tranquil done the Joyce way, for clients
such as Jamie Lee Curtis and hotelier Ian Schrager, is never dull. For proof,
check out his white-on-white transformations of three
Los Angeles lofts.
HGTV.com interviewed Joyce, who is principal of Kerry
Joyce Associates, about his design philosophy and how the average Joe can
emulate his elegant look.
What does a Kerry Joyce space look like?
In a successful room no single object is star, but it is the sum of many carefully
chosen parts: handsome furniture, accessories, flattering lighting (reflected
light is best), garden views and the discreet placement of technical necessities
such as speakers, thermostats, light switches. A room where everything is perfect
or perfectly imperfect.
You have been quoted as saying you want to go for "a neoclassical feeling
without being cute." What does that mean exactly?
I draw my inspirations mainly from historical research and art. I find fine art
a wonderful source for a color palette. When I detail a room or design architecture
for a new house, I research homes from the past and extract the best details
and massage and rearrange them to my liking. If you're going to imitate history,
not recent trendy interpretations. |
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In an age when the interior design/architecture world is rife with trends, how do you resist?
Although I am sometimes influenced by trends, it is important that my work be quietly elegant. So I resist the extremes and seek out the Zen, the calm and the beautiful oh any style. In 10 years, I don't want to look at a room I design today and see it date-stamped 2005.
I recommend choosing furniture and accessories with an eye for classic beautiful silhouettes. Think coco Chanel. Reserve your trends to fabric; a new slip cover on a sofa can transform a room while keeping most of the other elements intact. The current vogue of extreme pattern can be amusing, but you may grow tired of it quickly. So be careful.
Another new trend that should be avoided is the '60s-retro-ugly-is-beautiful look. This may work for fashion (which is temporary fleeting), but if you dress your home that way your investment may be poorly spent. You may find yourself purchasing a new set of furniture in the near future.
You are a fan of white and beautiful woods. Are they two of your musts in a room?
I do love white, but I am currently suffering from a serious case of monochromatic backlash. My colorless period of the '90s has slowly given way to spontaneous bursts of color. I have been using, ever so discreetly, the colors of apple, salmon, fuchsia, a bright but grayed royal blue and a faded bright red (custom dyed, of course).
I use color as if a painter. When I conceptualize my interior design I see each
room as a blank canvas, and I am not the interior designer but the artist. When
you break down the elements of a fine painting—or of a successful room-they
are very much the same.
When I choose furniture for my interiors I seek not only beautiful silhouettes but also superlative woods such as mahogany, rosewood and ebony with high-quality finishing to bring out the deep beauty of the wood. Antique furniture or high-quality reproductions with handsome wood are definitely a must. |
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Anne Krueger is the editor of HGTV.com's Decorating newsletter. She has written for In Style, This Old House, Martha Stewart Living and The New York Times. |
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