Category Archives: Stephen Sills

American Chic

Posted July 22, 2015. Filed in Angelo Donghia, Arthur Smith, Benjamin Vandiver, Bill Blass, Billy Baldwin, Bruce Budd, Daniel Romauldez, David Kleinberg, David Netto, Geoffrey Beene, George Stacey, Haynes Roberts, James Huniford, Jeffrey Bilhuber, John Dickinson, Kalef Alaton, Kevin McNamara, Mark Hampton, Michael Taylor, Parish-Hadley, Richard Lowell Neas, Sills & Huniford, Stephen Sills, Thomas Morrow, Tom Scheerer, Van Day Truex, Vicente Wolf, William Gaylord

What is American Chic? For me, it has always been about effortless style. The kind of style that doesn’t shout “Look at me!” A style that is crisp and classic, balanced, often times understated yet always sophisticated, subtle and artfully layered, unfettered by excessive decor and, above all else, timeless. A style that honors the […]

Permalink         Comments (8)        

Luxury and Simplicity in Manhattan

Posted June 25, 2015. Filed in Classic Chic, James Huniford, Minimal Traditional, Sills & Huniford, Stephen Sills, Uncategorized

I have always admired the spare and comfortable elegance of this Manhattan apartment decorated sometime in the early 1990’s by Stephen Sills and James Huniford before it was published in Maison & Jardin in 1995. I assume it must have also been published in an American magazine, such as Elle Decor, but I don’t possess […]

Permalink         Comments (2)        

Classic + Modern Mix

Posted February 9, 2015. Filed in American Chic, Arthur Smith, Coastal Chic, David Hicks, Haynes Roberts, Jacques Grange, James Huniford, Jean-Louis Deniot, Jed Johnson, Markham Roberts, Michele Bönan, Stephen Sills, Steven Gambrel, Steven Volpe, Vicente Wolf

One of my favorite approaches to decorating a room is mixing classic and modern design elements. Modern paintings, or perhaps a gleaming Claude Lalanne chair, in a predominantly traditional room adds verve and prevents the room from becoming staid. Conversely, a predominantly contemporary, or even modern, space is heightened by an occasional classic flourish – […]

Permalink         Comments (2)        

Deck the Halls

Posted December 9, 2014. Filed in Aerin Lauder, Alassandra Branca, Carolyne Roehm, Charlotte Moss, Holidays, Jacques Grange, Mary McDonald, Miles Redd, Stephen Sills

  With Christmas fast approaching and temps plunging, for at least some, the warmth and magic of the holiday season is finding its way into our hearts and homes. From elegant penthouses with commanding views to humble cottages and barns in pastoral settings, it’s that time of year once again to extend good cheer and […]

Permalink         Comments (1)        

Hail Stephen!

Posted July 29, 2014. Filed in Classic Chic, Neoclassical, Romantic Classical Style, Stephen Sills

Stephen Sills, that is – the classically-inspired interior designer with an American point of view. Sir Sills is the decorator’s decorator, the one that can’t be copied with any success. Have you ever tried to copy a Rothko or a Pollack? I have, with disastrous results. Yes, it’s true, be yourself. It’s your only fate. […]

Permalink         Comments (2)        

Savoir-Sills

Posted January 17, 2014. Filed in Stephen Sills, Understated Luxury

Granted, it’s probably very unlikely we can “know” someone – “Savoir Sills” – from an interview. But when it comes to decorator Stephen Sills (he deplores the term “designer”, stating “it’s such a made-up thing from the 70’s when decorators were looked down upon, so everybody became a ‘designer’. A great decorator should be every […]

Permalink         Comments (0)        

The Allure of Orange

Posted November 10, 2013. Filed in Atelier AM, Axel Vervoordt, Billy Baldwin, Bunny Williams, Charlotte Moss, David Hicks, Erin Lauder, Gil Schafer, Henri Samuel, Jean-Phillipe Demeyer, Jeffrey Bilhuber, Mario Buatta, Markham Roberts, Miles Redd, Nancy Lancaster, Orange, Richard Keith Langham, Robert Couturier, Scott Lamb, Stephen Sills, Steven Gambrel, Suzanne Rheinstein, Thomas Britt, Tony Ingrao

Orange as a color for decorating, or sartorial considerations for that matter, doesn’t often enter my design vocabulary for whatever reason. However, autumn is my favorite of the seasons and I practically become giddy with excitement at the first sign of autumn’s golden yellows, glowing oranges, and fiery reds. The color orange radiates warmth  and […]

Permalink         Comments (2)        

Hello, Yellow!

Posted September 23, 2013. Filed in Albert Hadley, Alex Papacrhistidis, Allison Spear, Axel Vervoordt, Billy Baldwin, Bunny Williams, Carrier & Company, Christopher Maya, David Hicks, David Kleinberg, Ernest de la Torre, Jasper Conran, Jeffrey Bilhuber, Maison Jansen, Mario Buatta, Mary McDonald, Michael Taylor, Miles Redd, Nancy Lancaster, Stéphane Boudin, Stephen Sills, Steven Gambrel, Veere Greeney, Yellow Rooms

The color yellow has been getting its due lately. In just the past few months it seems to be popping optimistically from the pages of shelter magazines and design books. Perhaps it is a reflection of the times in which we live, with sights set on a brighter future, or a longing and remembrance of […]

Permalink         Comments (2)