How Mary McDonald Makes Interiors Uncommonly Beautiful
Do you know Mary McDonald’s design work? The Wall Street Journal describes her as the rare “interior designer who can use leopard-print wallpaper, upholstery and drapes in a single room and still net an impossibly elegant space.” On October 5, her new book Mary McDonald Interiors started decorating shelves. Here are a few beautiful samples of her work along with some excerpts from an interview she did with the Wall Street Journal. Click on any image to see it enlarged or to view the whole set as a slideshow…
A few thoughts from Ms. McDonald about how she designs:
“A pattern I can’t live without is stripes. They’re so basic and universal; they can be modern or traditional.”
“There is such a thing as clashing colors, but I can’t say there’s any rule about colors that go together. It’s more about the value of a color, its tonality. You have to strive for balance, so if you’re going to make it clash, make it clash evenly.”
“My rule for mixing patterns: Patterns don’t have to match but all the colors should work together and they should be all different scales.”
“The best cheap thing I love is the Hermès lookalike towels from Kmart”
“If I had to decorate using two sources only, they would be JF Chen for furniture, and Schumacher showroom for fabric and Patterson Flynn and Martin rugs.”
“The most extravagant purchase I’ve made is a Giambattista Valli ball gown that I have nowhere to wear.”
“My signature decorating touches: Even in a modern room, something that has a little old–world glamour like a pair of french fauteuils or paneled walls or an urn. I also tend to use a palette of just two or three colors evenly placed around the room.”
Images Credit: Inside Avenue
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