When I was a kid, my father didn't really have much hope for me. He thought I was a dreamer; he didn't think I would amount to anything. My mother also.

People live and work in uninspiring environments, but look inside those rooms. Look at the painted walls and the decorations. People rebel even in the most controlled office environment in which they're not allowed to do anything. You see the little bulletin board in front of a person's desk with their photos, clippings, cartoons and whatever else.

I don't make things with my hands, although I studied woodworking and made furniture.

Green issues have been used as a marketing tool. Sometimes these green claims are completely meaningless.

I never said I was opposed to the LEED program or to green building - I'm not.

In the end, the character of a civilization is encased in its structures.

A well-designed home has to be very comfortable. I can't stand the aesthetes, the minimal thing. I can't live that way. My home has to be filled with stuff - mostly paintings, sculpture, my fish lamps, cardboard furniture, lots of books.