Known for creating high-style interiors instilled with her trademark down-to-earth sensibility, this Southern-born designer believes a successful room is not only about how it’s decorated, but also how one lives in it. Find out more about designer Bunny Williams in our exclusive Q&A.
Southern Home (SH): You’ve been based in New York and Connecticut for a long time now, but could you share how your Virginia roots still influence the way you decorate and live?
Bunny Williams (BW): In a way, I think I’ve become more Southern because there are so many things I miss about the South. Southerners are very comfortable entertaining, and there’s often a spontaneity to their hospitality. I miss those last-minute invitations for dinner, so I tend to do that as often as I can. I’m a big believer in keeping the house organized and ready. Then friends can drop by at any time, whether I’ve planned for it or not. And I want my house to reflect a welcoming attitude so that guests feel completely at ease from the minute they arrive. The bar tray is set up, and there’s a bowl of peanuts ready for grazing.
SH: What makes a room feel good to you as soon as you walk in?
BW: Knowing that somebody actually uses it. I love to see newspapers on a bench or a stack of books or a desk that has papers on it. I don’t mean that everything should be all thrown around in a mess, but I think you can immediately tell the difference in a room that’s used versus one that’s never entered—there’s a certain warmth about it.
SH: How do you make an interior feel timeless?
BW: Well, you don’t ever want to have a theme or an overly matched color scheme. When I use a print, I don’t use a ton of it unless I’m going to do a toile bedroom or something. If you span periods—a pretty antique with a modern lamp—it’s going to feel timeless. Where it gets dated is if you decide you’re only going to buy Art Deco pieces or Federal furniture. It’s just not as interesting.
SH: And when it comes to color, do you have a favorite?
BW: I can’t really answer that—it’s like asking which dog is my favorite. Every time I look at a room or a color, it’s a little bit like painting a picture. I don’t like a room that has all intense colors or one that has all muddy colors. I always want balance and contrast, a soft color with a bright. I love a moss green with turquoise or a brown with coral or blue. And the eye needs relief from strong colors. Neutrals give them a place to rest.
SH: What are some of the most memorable rooms or houses you’ve been in?
BW: One of my favorite memories is having tea with Nancy Lancaster in her yellow room above Colefax and Fowler. When I was young and working with Albert Hadley and Sister Parish at Parish-Hadley, I remember going with them to William and Babe Paley’s apartment and Mrs. Astor’s house in Briarcliff Manor. They lived in incredibly high style, but it was always comfortable. The rooms were spaces you just wanted to be in. It was an extraordinary era with people who really knew how to live well and had incredible personal taste.
SH: Is there a distinction between having good taste and having great style?
BW: Well, taste is relative. There are people with terrible taste, at least to my eye, but who absolutely own it with great style. Style is something you either have or you don’t. You can be exposed to things, but it’s the confidence to make them yours—instead of wearing head-to-toe Chanel, you take the jacket and put it on with a pair of blue jeans and a shirt from H&M. It’s the same with houses. You have a great antique, you buy something new at Pottery Barn, and you find a basket during a trip to Guatemala. Then you somehow make it all work together. I see apartments in magazines and think, “Oh my, how could they live with that?” But that doesn’t mean they don’t have style. It is about knowing who you are. I always say that you own your house; the house doesn’t own you.
