The Art of Fearless Decorating

By: Jonathan Adler

My parents—who I loved and adored and who gave me and my siblings the best childhood ever (I hope you’re reading this, Mommy!)—were pretty hands off. Their one rule? Don’t be boring. This rule (and my mother’s ebullient sense of color) have stayed with me as I’ve built my business and inform my design philosophy to this day. So if you’re looking to add the “Jonathan Adler touch” to your home, there’s one thing I exhort you to do: Banish the banal. But how?

1. Always buy a chandelier that’s bigger than you think you need and more expensive than you think you can afford. Any time I’ve skimped on lighting I’ve lived to regret it.

2. Speaking of lighting, make sure it’s all on dimmers. As I’ve gotten older (and older and older), this has become even more urgent. When your lighting is on a dimmer I guarantee you’ll look younger and even more glamorous than you already are.

3. When in doubt, ask yourself “WWMND?” What would Mother Nature do? Mother Nature is the world’s best designer. Our home in Palm Beach is bright and bold, inspired by the yellow of the sun, the blue of the sky, and the white of the puffy clouds. Our home on Shelter Island is a little Scandinavian, a little Japanese, and a lot inspired by the color of the dunes outside (and the fur of our dearly departed Norwich terrier named Liberace).

4. Designing is redesigning, the way that writing is rewriting. Don’t live with your mistakes. Did you pick the wrong paint color? Repaint. Hate your sofa? Toss a tapestry over it. Design, like life, is about being resilient and rolling up your sleeves and making it work.

5. Start with the three Fs: furniture plan, foundation, and function. Once you’ve figured out that foundation, you can begin injecting your personality.

I’ve saved my best tip for last, though: The truth is that there are no rules. We live in an anything-goes world, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Embrace eccentricity, be memorable, be confident, and remember—if you love it, it’ll work.