Like an impeccably tailed suit or perfectly curated home, it takes a certain discerning eye and je-ne-sais-quoi to polish things off with ease. Good design draws as much upon intuition as tradition, rooms should feel as though they were furnished over time with momentous that have a sense of personal history. We picked the brains of six of today's most dapper and stylish sartorial tastemakers from the fashion industry to see how their exemplary personal and professional style can be transferred to the principals of interior design. It is their deep passions for both fashion and interior design, and merging these affections into shared and inviting visual experiences that have defined their signature styles.
Brad Goreski
Celebrity Stylist and Television Personality
How would you describe your personal style?
Geek chic with a little bit of showgirl.
How do you think working in the fashion industry has influenced your decorating style?
It has helped streamline my style. I like a very edited space. Not a lot of clutter.
What would you say are the main differences between how you dress yourself and how you dress your home?
I think my living space is pretty quiet and still with pops here and there. My outfits can be very loud. My house is not like that.
What would you say is your most treasured item in your home and why?
The Hermes chair in our living room. I randomly found it on eBay. Everything about it is perfect.
Photo courtesy The Coveteur
What is one thing you think every man needs in his home and why?
Separate bathroom from his wife/husband. It's the key to a successful relationship.
Where are some of your favourite places to shop for home décor pieces?
I love One Kings Lane. I bought a lot of pieces from the site for our home. I think it allows you to really buy what you like without overthinking it. I didn't really know where anything was going to go. It all just happened to come together.
Photo courtesy The Coveteur
Douglas Friedman
Photographer
How would you describe your personal style?
I feel like I have become quite simple (what I mean is lazy) when it comes to my style. It's just so much easier to own duplicates of the same thing and dress the same way every day. I guess you could call it a uniform. It makes packing for assignments out of town (something I find myself on every week) so easy.
How do you think working in the fashion industry has influenced your decorating style?
I think that the fashion industry, and all of the colorful and exciting people I get to work with has definitely shaped my decoration style. So much influence around me every day, so much creative power... it's hard not to feel inspired.
What would you say are the main differences between how you dress yourself and how you dress your home?
I don't wear fur, but my home is COVERED in it.
Photo courtesy The Coveteur
What would you say is your most treasured item in your home and why?
Do my dogs count?
What is one thing you think every man needs in his home and why?
Every man needs a cast iron skillet... there is nothing more impressive than preparing bacon and eggs in the morning for an overnight guest. That or three perfect sets of sheets.
Where are some of your favorite places to shop for home décor pieces?
I love Roark Modern in NYC. Lisa Bowles has curated the most exciting collection of furniture and art. And Avenue Road in Toronto, New York and Miami has the most unique furniture that you can't get anywhere else. I love the collaborations that they do with artists and designers.
Photo courtesy Miguel Jacob
Cameron Williamson
Editor-in-chief at Flare Magazine
How would you describe your personal style?
Comfortably classic with a modern twist.
How do you think working in the fashion industry has influenced your decorating style?
Fashion is fleeting. Trying to dress on trend season after season can be exhausting. Instead, I find a style that works; one I can stick to for a few years. Similarly, when it comes to decorating my home, I steer clear of micro trends. Home decor should look effortless, never trendy.
What would you say are the main differences between how you dress yourself and how you dress your home?
Actually, there aren't many differences. Comfortably classic with a modern twist pretty much sums up my decorating scheme, too. One distinction, however, is the color black. I don't really own any black clothing; I'm super pale and don't like looking like a vampire. But I have no problem decorating with the shade.
What would you say is your most treasured item in your home and why?
I should say the Saarinen marble dining table that my partner and I bought shortly after moving into our first home, but truthfully it's our mattress. It cost a fortune, but I have yet to find a bed as comfortable and I stay at a lot of hotels. It was seriously worth every penny.
Photo courtesy of Kaufmann Mercantille
What is one thing you think every man needs in his home and why?
A leather tray to put keys and loose change.
Where are some of your favorite places to shop for home décor pieces?
ELTE for rugs, shopAGO for unfussy knickknacks and Inform Interiors, Design Within Reach and Scandinavian Modern for furniture.
Richard Haines
Fashion Illustrator and Street Style Blogger
How would you describe your personal style?
My personal style is very simple and straightforward. I don't want to have to think about what I'm going to wear when I get dressed -- I prefer to put my energy into my work. Years ago I worked with Perry Ellis and he wore the same thing every day -- a blue Oxford shirt and khakis. Now I know why -- it was his uniform and it simplified his life.
How do you think working in the fashion industry has influenced your decorating style?
I think the biggest influence is travel. Last year I was in Korea, Japan, Antwerp, Paris a few times, etc. The visual impact of seeing so much is a huge influence. And of course seeing books, museums, homes and shops is a great influence. The Dries van Noten shops in Paris are mind-blowing.
What would you say are the main differences between how you dress yourself and how you dress your home?
Ha! Great question. All my clothes are charcoal and navy and my home is an explosion of color. I have my art and inspiration tear sheets everywhere so it's visually a lot. Makes sense I need a clean palette for my wardrobe!
What would you say is your most treasured item in your home and why?
Oh gosh. My parents photo albums, my daughter's drawings from when she was a child. A green velvet French chair I bought at a tag sale at Doyle years ago... my books. My drawings... that's not one, I treasure a lot on my life.
What is one thing you think every man needs in his home and why?
Condoms. Cold mineral water for guests, an extra tooth brush, wireless speakers. A good coffee maker.
Where are some of your favorite places to shop for home décor pieces?
I don't buy that much -- I love to buy books and I have a private dealer I keep in touch with. I love John Derrian, Merci in Paris, a candle at the place on Christopher Street and off the beaten places in Japan.
Byron and Dexter Peart
Co-Founders and Co-Designers, WANT Les Essentiels de la Vie
How would you describe your personal style?
In our personal style, we always try to put a modern spin on the classic gentleman, often mixing tailored pieces with more casual essentials.
How do you think working in the fashion industry has influenced your decorating style?
Fashion changes so quickly; for us, dressing and decorating have always been about incorporating timeless pieces that are functional and that have a sense of permanence.
What would you say are the main differences between how you dress yourself and how you dress your home?
There isn't that much of a difference, we often shop for our homes the way we shop for ourselves. We love to purchase items while on our travels and then mix them with essential pieces. Our homes, much like our approach to style, is about balancing personal finds and classic essentials.
What would you say is your most treasured item in your home and why?
Dexter: I think for me, it would have to be our Richard Schultz 1966 outdoor collection. There is nowhere else in my house that I feel as relaxed as I do when I am sitting outside on the patio on the lounge chair. Much like Habitat 67 (where we live) the collection feels just as new and relevant today as it was in 1966.
Photo courtesy Want Apothecary
What is one thing you think every man needs in his home and why?
Every gentlemen needs a wine cellar or a good bar. This is the one thing that entertaining at home has taught me, there is nothing that sets the stage for a great evening like great conversation and good wine.
Where are some of your favorite places to shop for home décor pieces?
We love to discover new shops when we are traveling, but our go to shops in Canada are Klaus, or Avenue Road in Toronto, and Matter Matter or Future Perfect in New York.