Flower March/April 2019

“I prefer living in color”—David Hockney, artist ANYONE WHO HAS EVER SPENT TIME IN MY HOUSE would know that I live this quote. I once tried life in a monochromatic house with cream walls. It was back when the “all-neutral everything” phase was gathering steam. Though not one to follow trends, I thought I might, just this once. I was immediately uncomfortable with the quiet, white surroundings. Though the effect was peaceful and certainly au courant, I found that what I really wanted was for my home to reflect me. Anyone who has ever spent time with me knows that I’m not neutral—more a riot of color. I now live happily in a house that has the feel of a Fauve painting—wild and colorful—but it works, and it is me.…

Flower: Congratulations on your new book [Everyday Decorating, Rizzoli, 2019]. With four books in print, why did you feel the need to write this one? Jeffrey Bilhuber: This is the book I’m proudest of because it’s the most modern and approachable. What I am going for is my own print version of Instagram, where, rather than one continuing narrative, you can open up any page and find information that is useful, energizing, and effervescent. This book is organized not by aesthetic looks, but by the way rooms make us feel, with chapter titles like “Happy,” “Comfortable,” “Charming,” and “Personal.” Why this approach? It’s been on my mind for years. I have a diverse group of clients and a diverse body of work. I’m as happy decorating a 4-bedroom country house…

IT STILL THRILLS ME that every new project is like a romance,” writes Bunny Williams in the opening lines of her new book, Love Affairs with Houses (Abrams, 2019). Despite 40 years in the decorating business, Williams still has the passion of a young romantic. An echo of her 2005 book, An Affair with a House, Williams’s latest title features 15 recent projects, ranging from Virginia to New York to Provence. Beautiful images dominate the pages, of course, but her commentary on the origins, allure, and challenges of each home reads like liner notes to a favorite album. (“Although I was rather intimidated to be decorating for one of America’s most powerful CEOs, I had to tell him what I thought,” she writes of one encounter. And buying the property…

GREAT LANDSCAPE DESIGN IS like yoga, notes Scott Shrader in his new book, The Art of Outdoor Living (Rizzoli New York, 2019). Just as yoga flows from one pose to the next, he writes, there should be easy flow between indoor and outdoor spaces. A Los Angeles–based landscape designer who has worked on some of California’s most storied estates, Shrader imbues his gardens with a yogi-like meditative quality. Olive trees, boxwoods, and agaves create living architecture, while pebble pathways lead to hidden outdoor kitchens and private lounges. “A minimalist maximalist—the epitome of ‘just enough’” is how French interior designer (and client) Jean-Louis Deniot describes Shrader in the foreword. “Visual simplicity has great power,” writes Shrader. “Consistency calms the eye and soothes the spirit.” For this gardens, raucous borders of colorful…

For more daffodil-yellow picks, see Sources, page 76…

MATERIALS ▪ Tulips▪ Glass bud vase MATERIALS ▪ Tulips▪ Roses▪ Spray roses▪ Clear drinking glass MATERIALS ▪ Tulips▪ Roses▪ Snapdragons▪ Stock▪ Strawflower▪ Bells of Ireland▪ Hypericum berries▪ Eucalyptus▪ Pitcher Mimi’s market list There’s one more item to add to your grocery list, and that’s flowers. Readymade arrangements from the store can sometimes get a bad rap, but all you have to do is disassemble a few bouquets, and voilà! You have all the materials for some pretty designs that can be made to your taste. When shopping the floral section, look for what’s freshest and most colorful. Go for a bouquet with more blooms in it, as opposed to one with more greenery, and don’t be afraid to squeeze the base of a bloom—the firmer, the fresher. Here, I was…