Southern Home (SH): Did your childhood home influence your idea of interior design?
Kelley Proxmire (KP): I grew up in a small town in Massachusetts, and my mother wasn’t much of a decorator, but she did hire a decorator to do our living room. I was fascinated with the process. And I always loved design magazines and devoured them.
SH: How did you get your start in the design business?
KP: When I was living in DC, Lady Bird Johnson discovered this designer, Bob Waldron, who was a great Southern designer. I worked for him for a few years. One day he said, “Kelley, some people have it, some don’t. You do, so go!”
SH: How did you get your foot in the door of the competitive DC design scene?
KP: When I started working, it was for friends, and later I was able to work exclusively for clients. Show houses catapulted me to national attention. I had to learn how to do them, so I did a small room for the National Symphony Orchestra show house, it got published, and that really set me on my way. I’ve done more than 20 show houses over the years.
SH: How do you describe your style?
KP: My style is practical, inviting, and comfortable. There’s nothing wild going on. Although brown furniture is “out,” I still love wood antiques and use them in all my projects. I use a mix of wood finishes to give a room a collected look. I don’t want to be in a room that’s all one thing.
SH: What are your principles for working with color?
KP: One big rule is there is a flow in a house. It’s important that the colors relate—it gives the room a calmness. I particularly love blue and green together, the colors of nature. Obviously, there’s a universality to the pairing of blue and white. I’m always drawn to it in fabrics and in the things I collect. Also, I like a touch of black in a room. It brings gravitas.
SH: Where do you start with a project?
KP: At this point, I can envision a fully designed room in my mind. I start a scheme with different inspirations. Sometimes it’s a little rug the client has and loves, sometimes a piece of art inspires me. Once it was a bit of royal blue tassel fringe that set my wheels in motion.
SH: What are some learned lessons from your experience?
KP: After 30 years of doing design, what’s great is going into a house I did ten years ago, and it still looks great. Key to that are good fabrics that last. Brunschwig & Fils and Manuel Canovas are both really durable lines.
SH: What’s a design trend you see becoming stale?
KP: The use of deep, dark color all over a room, the woodwork, and walls. I think that look will be depressing in a few years.
SH: What are your favorite items to collect and where do you get most of your collected items from?
KP: I look for and source blue and white ceramic items and china from local weekly “flea markets” in European cities and towns. I have purchased items, such as figurines or white/blue, as the items are referred to in Germany, including a small lion figurine, small boxes, plates, vases, and more. I like to display plates in a circular pattern on walls in dining rooms or in other spaces, such as a foyer, at my home and at my clients’ residences. The treasures at European flea markets can be plentiful, but you do have to hunt and peck to find just the right treasure. I’ve always loved sourcing at US flea markets and estate sales for one-of-a-kind pieces, too.
SH: How has your company grown over the years?
KP: I work out of the lower level of my house. At first it was a couple of people, and it grew over the years. And now it’s decreasing because I’m taking on fewer projects, mainly for repeat clients.
Lightning Round
Favorite scent?
For a room, there’s a great diffuser called Magnolia Orchidea by Dr. Vranjes that they use at The Inn at Little Washington in Virginia. For my personal scent, I wear Chance by Chanel.
Favorite hotel?
The Biltmore in Santa Barbara. I ran into someone I know there recently.
Morning ritual?
Making my bed and saying my prayers.
Cat or dog?
Dog. Penny, my schnauzer, is a pretty lady.
Coffee or tea?
Tea.
Favorite clothing line?
Akris. Their clothes are timeless. Also, Lela Rose.
Favorite paint brand?
Benjamin Moore and Farrow & Ball.
Favorite flower?
Roses, all of them.
Best quality in a man?
A sense of humor.
