You don't sell a commodity, you sell joy, gaiety, excitement. You aim at people's hearts, not their minds.

I always put in one controversial item. It makes people talk.

Have you ever considered how much pure stuff and nonsense surrounds this subject of interior decoration? Probably not. Almost everyone believes that there is something deep and mysterious about it or that you have to know all sorts of complicated details about periods before you can lift a finger. Well, you don't. Decorating is just sheer fun: a delight in color, an awareness of balance, a feeling for lighting, a sense of style, a zest for life and an amused enjoyment of the smart accessories of the moment.

Never look back, except for an occasional glance, look ahead and plan for the future. Success is not built on past laurels, but rather on a continuous activity. Keep busy searching out new ideas and, experimentally, keep ahead of the times, or at least up with them.

There seems to be within all of us an innate yearning to be lifted momentarily out of our own lives into the realm of charm and make believe.

You just can't beat slip covers for giving that friendly air hospitals need so desperately.

You don't sell a commodity, you sell joy, gaiety, excitement. You aim at people's hearts, not their minds.