Interview with a Character

I felt so compelled to blog about this interview with Peter Frank. What a character! I love how he has such strong opinions. I believe strong opinions make a great designer. You've got to have a point of view. I rather design a room that is perfect for the person who lives there, as in it embodies their personality, travels, and style to a T, and have everyone else who walks in, not "get" it.

I especially enjoy what he says in response to the question on "obsessive rearranging".... especially the remark about one new thing added to the mantelpiece = changing the whole room. It almost makes me feel normal....!

Here's a few of the photos and a portion of the interview. The rest can be viewed on House Beautiful.

Rima Suqi: Does your house always look this perfect?
Peter Frank: Yes, it does. I'm exacting. I style interiors and sets for a living.
Are you an obsessive rearranger?
There is a lot of rearranging. When I have a party, I do a sweep through the house and change things around. Sometimes I find something new that I love and have to have and add to the mantelpiece, which of course means I have to change everything in the room.
So what do you think that says about your personal style?
I'm pretty omnivorous. I like a lot of periods and styles, and I like to mix them. Most of my art is by friends or people I know, and my connection to them is as important to me as the piece. I'm not disciplined enough to have a collection of anything — it's more of an accumulation. I guess I have a lot of stuff.
Have you always been thing-oriented?
I tried living a pared-down life for a while. I fell prey to the idea that it was morally superior. But I got back on track when I bought this house and started filling it up with the things I love. But I do a big tag sale every spring, where I pull out anything that looks tired or trendy and sell it.
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I hear you camped out in the house for ages before doing anything to it.
I lived here for about six months with a folding table, a couple of chairs, and a mattress on the floor. I wanted to figure out how to set it up so that I used all the rooms. I got to know all the rooms at different times of day and in different seasons, and it influenced my color choices. I loved the idea of some rooms being for morning, some for evening.
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What's the secret to mixing eras, styles, sizes, and shapes without it looking like a disaster?
It's all trial and error. I put in tons of stuff and then I take it out. You have to mix things and be honest — if it doesn't work, change it. I've made lots of mistakes. My attic is full of them. My best advice is to admit your mistakes and try again.
Are there any mistakes evident here?
Painting the screened porch white. Sooner or later it will end up something a little darker.
Clearly you have plenty of style, but there are others who might not be so sure of theirs, or how to express it.
Oh, I see that all the time. Homes where everything matches and it looks like you've walked into a showroom. Some people think a house that's consistent from room to room with just one type of thing is good style. A lot of what I do is the icing — bringing in accessories. That's what gives a house a lived-in look.
Yeah, but not everybody can ice the way you do.
It all comes down to contrasts: mix hard with soft, square with round, blocky with leggy.
Any other tips?
I find rules and guidelines are for the faint-of-heart and basically worthless. When I read lists of "Always do this" and "Never do that," they never make much sense to me. A very good decorator told me that all four legs of a piece of furniture must always sit within an area rug. That's absolutely right, except when it's absolutely wrong. I have both situations in my house, and both are correct.