The essence of interior design will always be about people and how they live.

The one thing I never get involved with is selecting art or pictures for a client. This is a very personal thing. If the clients have pictures, I will hang them. When they do not own pictures I leave the walls blank.

Design is coming to grips with one’s real lifestyle, one’s real place in the world. Rooms should not be put together for show but to nourish one’s wellbeing.

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

When Van Truex defined the difference between designing and decorating, he used the analogy of preparing a roast of beef. Design, he said, is the preparation and cooking; decorating is the final seasoning, the savoring.

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

A good decorator not only plans and schemes, but he also knows how the job is done.