Life is all about manners. Nothing else matters.

Decorators should always remember that letting a client see too many beautiful things is a pitfall.

So many people arrange furniture in order to see what's going on outside. But why? The view isn't going anywhere.

We're all collectors by nature. But if you're talking about an orderly life, there has to be a stop sign somewhere. Building a collection requires a strong constitution and the ability to resist.

Decorating is not a look, it's a point of view.

Forget the floor plans. Arrange the furniture where it is the most comfortable and will look best.

So many young decorators are trying to reinvent the wheel, and the results are sometimes very dubious. They're striving to do things that have never been done before. Quite often it is done without authority, without knowledge, and without a background in taste. They need to be educated about the past, and they need a richer vocabulary.