With New Year’s comes the hope of self-improvement, and that includes bettering our homes. We turned to some of the design world’s most prominent names to find out how they plan to create more fulfilling abodes and, along the way, improve their lives — and how you can, too. From new-age incense burners to help you meditate on peace and happiness to a fabulous ceiling fixture that can shed all kinds of new light, here are 10 designer-approved inspirations to get the next year looking and feeling right.
Kelly Behun | Designer, Kelly Behun Studio
I’d love to use the Green Interspace or Toxic patterns from Dimore Studio’s exquisite new line of textiles (above). They’re very couture and made with Old-World techniques, yet have a decidedly modern edge. Dimore Studio collaborated with weavers in Italy that typically make fabrics for fashion houses. The result is a very sophisticated and unexpected take on what we generally think of as upholstery fabric, rife with art history references. These fabrics deserve to be used in a prominent place — but away from the kids and dogs ($260 to $880 per meter, TheFuturePerfect.com)!
Jonathan Adler | Designer, potter and author
Let’s face it, 2016 was rough. I’m focused on pharmaceuticals to get me through 2017 — at least in my décor. [I’ll be] snapping up some resin-cast pill sculptures by Ray Geary [because] when it comes to pharma décor, more is more ($400 (top right), GuggenheimStore.org and $310 (bottom right), UpriseArt.com).
Corey Damen Jenkins | Interior designer, Corey Damen Jenkins & Associates
I’ll be pushing the envelope with lighting fixtures in my projects, especially those with modern, art deco and organic influences. For example, Kelly Wearstler’s Strada 40-inch Flush Mount ceiling light in the “Gild” finish is giving me heart palpitations, and I’ve got big plans for it! I also want to maintain a healthy physique and emotional well-being. I love what I do [and] I’ve been clocking 70-plus hours a week lately. However, I want to strike a new balance: taking more vacations and pacing myself better ($1,260, KellyWearstler.com).
Richard Meier | Managing Partner, Richard Meier & Partners Architects
I’m going to try to teach my 3-year-old granddaughter, Katherine, how to paint. We’ll use jars of Golden acrylic paints and Blick Premier Heavyweight Cotton Canvases ($12 for a 2-ounce tube, GoldenPaints.com; from $10 each, DickBlick.com).
Kelly Wearstler | Designer
One of my goals is to enhance the outdoor areas around our house and make them super kid-friendly. My boys are now teenagers, and we want to be the house where all the kids come to hang out together. Living in Southern California allows us so much beautiful sun-filled outdoor time throughout the year, and I’m excited to create more social settings that will accommodate having tons of kids over. I found a super cool line of French enameled plates at Merci. They’ll definitely be at the top of the refresh list ($20 each, Merci-Merci.com).
Lindsey Adelman | Designer
One of my resolutions is to have friends over more to hang out — and to do more puzzles! Sitting around a table with busy fingers and all eyes on the pieces brings out the best chatter in everyone. I have my eye on the super-special hand-painted Sheep on Pasture series by Tyler Hays from M. Crow ($1,400, MCrowCompany.com).
Fabiana Faria and Helena Barquet | Designers, Coming Soon
Our resolution is to meditate more. To help us out, we’ll be meditating with our new
Mineral Circa incense burner by Cinnamon Projects. Each burner comes with a mineral that helps you manifest what you are looking for. We’ll be using the Red Jasper stone that helps with endurance. It will help motivate us to meditate just because they smell so good ($295 for the incense burner and $30 for incense, CinnamonProjects.com).
George Yabu & Glenn Pushelberg | Designers
Our resolution is to renovate our house in Miami. It all started because we needed to fix up the crumbling terrazzo floors, which then turned into a complete full-scale reno. There have been 20 years of good times and wonderful parties in the sweet, old house, and she was showing her age. We’re going to fill it with things we love -— like beautiful Uchino Air Waffle bathrobes from Nalata Nalata for our guests and layered kilim rugs from Double Knot on White Street in New York City — and, of course, with our dear friends ($260, Shop.NalataNalata.com; price on request, Double-Knot.com).
James De Wulf | Designer, De Wulf Concrete
As we watch our environmental climate shift, I want to be a part of a design movement that’s organic and brings new life to existing materials. [Which is why] I’m living on the beach in Koh Samui, Thailand — to get inspired by the culture, and to source local materials such as big, heavy acacia wood from Chiang Mai and old long-tail boats. For [those] who can’t come to Thailand, my favorite dining chair at the moment is the Wishbone chair by Hans Wegner ($539 to $1,296 on sale, DWR.com).
Madeline Weinrib | Designer
Every year I make a resolution to master one perfect dish. This year, I’m hoping to achieve the ideal fish recipe. I’m using Ruth Rogers’ cookbooks from the River Cafe in London, since I always have fish when I go there. I’ll be cooking it using a Le Creuset Heritage Rectangular Casserole — in the color cashmere [gray] — because it keeps the temperature better than any other casserole and is incredibly durable ($100 for the dish, LeCreuset.com; from $24 for the cookbooks, Amazon.com).
ncG1vNJzZmimqaW8tMCNnKamZ2Jlfnd7kGtma3FfrLWiwIyapJ6qmZiutHnBq6CgoKSawLV5w56qop%2Bemr%2B0edaapa1lpKR6pbuMoqVmamBmhHA%3D