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Bunny Williams: Meet Our Most Talked-About Interior Design Crush Ever!
This article features an interview with the renowned interior designer, Bunny Williams, known for her classic and refined elegance in design and world-renowned gardens. Williams shares insights into her four-decade-long career, which began after being inspired by Dorothy Draper's design at The Greenbrier Hotel when she was 15. Her early career involved working at an antique shop, Stair and Co., where she gained knowledge of furniture, quality, scale, and patina, followed by a 20-year tenure at the famed Parish-Hadley firm before establishing Bunny Williams, Inc. in 1988.
Williams discusses the Southern influences on her design philosophy, highlighting the importance of incorporating inherited pieces and antiques, which bring character and history to a room. She emphasizes the value of mixing old and new elements for a more interesting aesthetic. Her Southern upbringing also instilled in her a focus on entertaining and creating versatile seating arrangements to accommodate various group sizes, ensuring rooms are both beautiful and functional.
Regarding her famous Connecticut gardens, Williams mentions her upcoming lecture at Nashville’s Antiques and Garden Show, where she plans to illustrate the evolution of her gardens over 30 years. She describes gardening as a continuous learning process, involving mistakes, patience, and valuable lessons from the land itself. She will show the various stages of her garden rooms, from initial planting to their current state.
Looking ahead to design trends for 2022, Williams anticipates a continued demand for thoughtfully designed, multi-functional workspaces within homes. She also foresees a greater emphasis on outdoor spaces, recognizing the increased appreciation for nature's importance in daily life, especially given recent global events. Her own gardens have served as a significant source of comfort, reinforcing her belief in the beauty and benefits of well-designed outdoor environments.
Williams shares her appreciation for Southern design elements, such as the integral role of porches in connecting indoor and outdoor living. She explains that her own choice to live in the Litchfield Hills of Connecticut was influenced by its resemblance to her childhood landscape in Charlottesville, Virginia, where porches were central to social life and comfort during hot weather. This connection to outdoor living remains a key aspect of her design approach.
As a mentor, Williams expresses honor that many younger designers look up to her. While acknowledging the current ease with which new designers can establish themselves through social media, she stresses the critical importance of mastering design fundamentals, often through mentorship, as a foundation for a successful career. She highlights the ongoing mentorship within her own firm, including her business partner Elizabeth Lawrence, and views it as a continuation of the legacy established by Parish-Hadley.
When asked about her inspirations, Williams cites iconic interior designers such as Renzo Mongiardino, Henri Samuel, and Frances Elkins. Her gardens draw inspiration from international travels, specifically mentioning Russell Page’s gardens in Normandy and the Wirtz Gardens in Belgium. She advocates for seeking inspiration broadly by exploring the outdoors, visiting antique shops, museums, and traveling. Her key design advice is to invest in quality pieces that one loves and wishes to keep for a lifetime, as these items will transcend different homes. Her favorite space in her own home is the conservatory in her Connecticut country house, a space built around salvaged arched windows, which has become a beloved area for entertaining, reading, and enjoying plants. Her five-word design philosophy is: "Buy what you love most."
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