IMAGE CREDITS | All images courtesy of Lee Jofa Groundworks. Top: Channels Paper in Periwinkle/Oat, Salisbury Chair in Mineral in Indigo/Slate. Bottom: Crescent Paper in Ebony/Gold, Nessa Side Table, Bench in Currents Silk in Ebony/Oatmeal.

GUACAMOLE
My Abuela’s Table by Daniella Germain

INGREDIENTS
3 ripe avocados
3 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper
1 tomato, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of red onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons of cilantro, chopped
1 small chili, chopped (optional)

PREPARATION
Peel avocados and mash well in a bowl.

Add olive oil, salt and pepper and combine well.

Add the tomato, onion, cilantro and chopped chili (if using).

Store in the fridge.

I though the olive oil taste was a bit heavy (and I LOVE olive oil). Next time I make it I will use only 2 tablespoons. I will also add lime juice and garlic because I missed them. But overall a solid guacamole recipe. Also, she recommends you save the avocado seeds to put in the guacamole dish until you are ready to serve it because it will stave off the browning. I tried this and it did not work at all. My husband Josh gave me a scientific reason it would never work and I admit I just smiled and feigned comprehension.

What’s your favorite way to prepare guac?

CREDITS | Guest edited, prepared & photographed by Bonnie Berry. Archer Napkins and Caribe Tablecloth courtesy of John Robshaw – thank you so much, John!

what is your idea of perfect design happiness?
A WELL-PROPORTIONED ROOM
WITH PLENTY OF NATURAL LIGHT
AND A CLIENT WITH A GOOD BUDGET
WHO SAYS: “AMAZE ME!”

what is your greatest fear in design?
PLASTIC-COVERED FURNITURE…
I SAW SOME IN A FRIEND’S HOME IN COLLEGE
AND HAVE NEVER GOTTEN OVER IT!

which historical design figure do you most identify with?
JEAN-CHARLES MOREUX DID IT ALL.
HE WAS AN ARCHITECT, HE DESIGNED INTERIORS,
HE CREATED FURNITURE AND HE DID LANDSCAPE DESIGN.
A TRUE RENAISSANCE MAN.

which living designer do you most admire?
NEW YORK DESIGN ICON VICENTE WOLF
HAS BEEN A GREAT INSPIRATION.

what profession other than design would you like to attempt?
I WOULD LOVE TO BE A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT.
WHAT A JOY IT MUST BE TO INTEGRATE SPACE, SHAPE AND FORM
WITH THE MOST WONDERFUL OF ALL MATERIALS -
TREES, SHRUBS, AND FLOWERS.

what is your greatest design extravagance?
MY PORTRAIT COLLECTION.
I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED PORTRAIT PAINTINGS
BECAUSE THEY HAVE THEIR OWN KIND OF ICONOGRAPHY
THAT TELLS YOU ABOUT THE TIME AND PLACE
THAT THE PERSON IN THE PORTRAIT LIVED.

when and where were you happiest with your design?
MY PLACE IN THE FRENCH COUNTRYSIDE,
THE CHATEAU DU GRAND-LUCÉ.
I PURCHASED THE CHATEAU IN 2004
THEN UNDERTOOK ITS MASSIVE RESTORATION AND DECORATION,
BRINGING IT BACK TO ITS FULL GLORY.
IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT I AM DOING THERE
- PULLING WEEDS, FEEDING THE SWANS, OR WALKING IN THE WOODS -
THIS IS THE PLACE WHERE I FIND THE TRUE MEANING OF JOY.

what do you consider your greatest achievement in design?
I HAVE SO LOVED THE DEVELOPMENT
OF MY NEW LINE OF FABRICS AND FURNITURE FOR SCHUMACHER
AS WELL AS CARPETS FOR PATTERSON, FLYNN & MARTIN
THAT ARE ALL COMING OUT NEXT SPRING.

if you died and came back as another designer or design object,
who or what do you think it would be?
EMILIO TERRY WAS AN INCREDIBLE TASTEMAKER
WHO NEVER REALLY RECEIVED GREAT FAME.
I WOULD LIKE TO COME BACK AS HIM TO INSURE
HE ACHIEVES THE LEVEL OF NOTORIETY HE DESERVES.

what specific design related talent are you lacking
that you would you most like to have?
GOOD HANDWRITING
AND THE ABILITY TO SKETCH WELL…
WHEN IT COMES TO A PEN OR PENCIL,
I AM SEVERELY CHALLENGED!

what is your most treasured design related possession?
A SMALL SILVER AND VERMEIL BOX
WITH ENAMEL AND PORCELAIN
THAT WAS GIVEN BY EMPRESS ELIZABETH (“SISI”) OF AUSTRIA
TO HER NIECE, MY GREAT, GREAT GRANDMOTHER.
IT’S FILLED WITH AN ODD COLLECTION
OF SMALL MEMENTOS FROM MY FAMILY AND CHILDHOOD,
LIKE THE FIRST STARFISH I EVER FOUND
AND SOME OLD KEYS TO THE STABLES
AT MY GRANDMOTHER’S HOUSE.
IT HAS BEEN WITH ME THROUGH TODAY
AND SERVES AS A KIND OF TOUCHSTONE.

what do you regard as the lowest depths of misery in design?
CLOSED MINDED PEOPLE WITH NO DESIRE TO GROW OR LEARN.
IT’S SO IMPORTANT TO ALWAYS BE OPEN TO NEW IDEAS
AND WAYS OF LOOKING AT THINGS…
THAT’S WHEN MAGIC HAPPENS IN DESIGN, AS IN LIFE!

what curse word do you most frequently use?
I AM EMBARRASSED TO SAY IT,
BUT IT WOULD HAVE TO BE
“WHAT THE FU-CK?…YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!”

what is your favorite design related word?
ELEGANT

what is your least favorite design related word?
DELICIOUS OR FABULOUS…
REALLY, WHAT SELF-RESPECTING PERSON
WOULD UTTER SUCH SILLINESS?

what turns you on in design?
HAVING NUMEROUS OPPORTUNITIES
TO TRY NEW AND DIFFERENT THINGS.
I ALSO LOVE THE CHALLENGE OF TAKING ARCHITECTURE
FROM AN EARLIER TIME,
IN WHICH PEOPLE LIVED VERY DIFFERENTLY
AND THEN FIGURING OUT HOW TO APPROPRIATELY UPDATE
THAT STRUCTURE FOR THE WAY WE LIVE AND WORK TODAY.

what turns you off in design?
OH, WHERE DOES ONE BEGIN HERE?
1. I AM SO OVER IKAT THAT I COULD SCREAM.
2. I HATE ROOMS THAT LOOK LIKE THEY JUST CAME
DELIVERED FROM A SHOW ROOM.
3. I DON’T UNDERSTAND MOST OF THE
PLASTIC FURNITURE FROM THE 70’S…
IT WAS CHEAP THEN AND HASN’T IMPROVED WITH AGE.

what is your motto in design?
COMFORTABLE ELEGANCE.
I TRY TO CREATE ENVIRONMENTS WHERE PEOPLE FEEL
AT HOME AND WELCOME. COMFORT IS THE KEY INGREDIENT.

//

IMAGE CREDITS | Images courtesy of Timothy Corrigan, Architectural Digest, Vulgare & OperaGloves.

ABOUT PROUST ON DESIGN | Answered by our design icons, these must-ask questions come from a 19th century parlor game made popular by Marcel Proust, the French novelist, essayist & critic. Proust believed the direct questions and honest responses that they elicited revealed the true nature of the individual. For this column, we have put a design related spin on the traditional questions. While this method has been used by many journalists throughout the years, we were primarily inspired by The Proust Questionnaire, which appears monthly on the back page of one of our all time favorite magazines, Vanity Fair (also Krista’s alma mater). Read all of the previous Proust on Design questionnaires here.

I grew up in a house where everything was made by hand, both my mother and grandmother were very skilled embroiderers, sewers and knitters. Seeing their daily creations during my childhood made me appreciate the value of the hand, with its perfections and imperfections – that I love most.

Although this embroidered linen tablecloth is not one of my grandmothers or my mothers, the fine detail and precision is very evocative of their art. I found it a few summers ago at the Marseille flea market - where we lived before moving to Minneapolis – this is where I also found the french post office iron desk that holds my collection of mid-century Uzbek China. I cannot even imagine the number of hours of work it required to make this intricate tablecloth filled with careful details down to the crocheted corner tassels.  Every time I iron it, I picture the previous owners of the piece gathered around a table in the sunny French countryside.

The history of the object and the artisan behind is as important as the visual beauty it adds to a room.  The creator’s personal story intertwines with the object, and that mastery deserves to be appreciated for several lifetimes.