Annie O'Carroll delighted in designing this round table for her dining room, which unites the room’s eclectic mix of artwork, found objects, blue walls, and vibrant red leather chairs.
and putting it on for the day, as well as the honesty of living with objects that reflect her own life and values. Her ethos is simple: “I surround myself with comfort, function, and beauty that is meaningful to me, just as I do for my clients.”
The personal and the communal My own aesthetic was honed by living with and working for a designer mother who began buying and flipping houses in the 1960s—one a year—while I, willingly or not, lived through the process. For me the word “home” has never implied permanence, because my peripatetic mother changed styles and locations the way most people change clothing. This undoubtedly has played a big part in my decision to rent instead of buy for the last decade, which gives me freedom to roam and a convenient excuse for focusing on the houses of my clients instead of my own. Nonetheless, even in my current contemporary loft space in a transitional neighborhood, I revel in seeing all the parts of my life and my aesthetic reflected in favorite pieces from my family art collection, installed alongside pieces by artists whose work I love. Per-
haps the most graphic representation of my personal design values is my Saarinen Womb chair, which I still find to be one of the best examples of contemporary style, and certainly my own favorite piece. On any given day, however, you will find it covered with a disgustingly hairy fleece blanket because my beloved Dalmatian, Jack— who makes all my ads look better—apparently is himself a connoisseur of beauty and design. My spotted best friend eschews (at least it’s not chews) even the most expensive dog beds, and instead can always be found in the place he loves the most, his Womb chair. For me, one of the best aspects of our Santa Fe design community is that it is just that—a community. We are not a group of competitive, disparate backbiters, but colleagues who come together to produce events that benefit our city and support each other by sharing resources and ideas. The graciousness of my colleagues in sharing their homes and their ideas about design reminded me not only of how grateful I am to be a part of this community, but also how truly fortunate Santa Feans are to have such a wealth of design resources, both human and material, at their fingertips.R trendmagazineglobal.com Trend » Fall 2012/Winter 2013 119