10 Inspiring Quotes for Interior Designers to Spark Creativity
Interior designers can look to these words of wisdom from fellow designers, architects and authors for encouragement
Gwendolyn Purdom
13 January 2020
Lover of architecture, history, dogs, the Chicago Cubs, crowded bookshelves, and homes with a story. Former editor at Preservation mag and Culturess.com.
Lover of architecture, history, dogs, the Chicago Cubs, crowded bookshelves, and... More
Whether it’s savvy business advice or a reflection on the nature of our sense of home, insights from those who’ve walked the same professional path as you can uplift and inspire. Here is a collection of interior designer quotes from historic design figures and contemporary professionals alike.
1. On the basics
“No matter how taste may change, the basics of good decorating remain the same: We’re talking about someplace people live in, surrounded by things they like and that make them comfortable. It’s as simple as that.” —20th-century interior decorator Billy Baldwin
“No matter how taste may change, the basics of good decorating remain the same: We’re talking about someplace people live in, surrounded by things they like and that make them comfortable. It’s as simple as that.” —20th-century interior decorator Billy Baldwin
2. On stuff
“The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life.” —Professional organiser and author Marie Kondo in The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
Read more about Kondo and The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
“The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life.” —Professional organiser and author Marie Kondo in The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
Read more about Kondo and The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
3. On adding visual Interest
“A room should never allow the eye to settle in one place. It should smile at you and create fantasy.” –Interior designer Juan Montoya
“A room should never allow the eye to settle in one place. It should smile at you and create fantasy.” –Interior designer Juan Montoya
4. On optimism
“There never was a house so bad that it couldn’t be made over into something worthwhile.” —20th-century interior decorator Elsie de Wolfe
Read more about Elsie de Wolfe
“There never was a house so bad that it couldn’t be made over into something worthwhile.” —20th-century interior decorator Elsie de Wolfe
Read more about Elsie de Wolfe
5. On confidence
“You have to be the biggest believer in yourself. Do not compare yourself to anybody else. That’s how you’re going to make it through the emotional ups and downs of running a business. If you have the proven capability, and clients are giving you positive feedback, and it’s fun to you, then keep going. And remember that to doubt ourselves is just part of human nature.” —Florida contractor Rik Fava of design-build firm Motivo Home
“You have to be the biggest believer in yourself. Do not compare yourself to anybody else. That’s how you’re going to make it through the emotional ups and downs of running a business. If you have the proven capability, and clients are giving you positive feedback, and it’s fun to you, then keep going. And remember that to doubt ourselves is just part of human nature.” —Florida contractor Rik Fava of design-build firm Motivo Home
6. On clients
“Design, to me, is part psychology, part sociology and part magic. A good decorator should know what’s going on in someone’s marriage and how their kids are doing in school.” —Interior designer and TV personality Nate Berkus
Read more about Nate Berkus
“Design, to me, is part psychology, part sociology and part magic. A good decorator should know what’s going on in someone’s marriage and how their kids are doing in school.” —Interior designer and TV personality Nate Berkus
Read more about Nate Berkus
7. On product design
“I remember walking in [to Target after it launched its first designer collaboration with architect Michael Graves] and seeing these teakettles and toasters and spatulas and things, and just thinking never before had I thought of things in the home as being design, or things in your home as being things that could make you happy. A toaster was just a toaster. But to go in there and see there are things out there that are not only functional but are cool and can actually give you a sense of happiness was a new concept for me growing up in Missouri.” —Interior designer and Queer Eye star Bobby Berk
Read more about the power of design and meaningful makeovers in our interview with Bobby Berk
“I remember walking in [to Target after it launched its first designer collaboration with architect Michael Graves] and seeing these teakettles and toasters and spatulas and things, and just thinking never before had I thought of things in the home as being design, or things in your home as being things that could make you happy. A toaster was just a toaster. But to go in there and see there are things out there that are not only functional but are cool and can actually give you a sense of happiness was a new concept for me growing up in Missouri.” —Interior designer and Queer Eye star Bobby Berk
Read more about the power of design and meaningful makeovers in our interview with Bobby Berk
8. On form and function
“Form follows function — that has been misunderstood. Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union.” —20th-century architect Frank Lloyd Wright
What It’s Like to Live in a Frank Lloyd Wright House
“Form follows function — that has been misunderstood. Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union.” —20th-century architect Frank Lloyd Wright
What It’s Like to Live in a Frank Lloyd Wright House
9. On designing for well-being
“I think that people want to feel good in a space.… On the one hand it’s about shelter, but it’s also about pleasure.” —The late Pritzker Prize-winning architect Zaha Hadid
Read more about the late Zaha Hadid’s life and work
“I think that people want to feel good in a space.… On the one hand it’s about shelter, but it’s also about pleasure.” —The late Pritzker Prize-winning architect Zaha Hadid
Read more about the late Zaha Hadid’s life and work
10. On breaking the rules
“I always put in one controversial item. It makes people talk.” —20th-century interior decorator Dorothy Draper
Read more:
10 Interior Design Styles Explained
Is Home Decor Headed Towards Veganism?
Tell us:
Which quote did you like the best?
“I always put in one controversial item. It makes people talk.” —20th-century interior decorator Dorothy Draper
Read more:
10 Interior Design Styles Explained
Is Home Decor Headed Towards Veganism?
Tell us:
Which quote did you like the best?
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Fronk Llyod Wright's quote that form and function should be in union
Point no 5 is everything.
great . I like late zaha hadid ideas and work.Thanks for inspirational quotes.