With years of projects under their belts, top designers have amassed a wealth of tips and tricks to make the spaces they create beautiful and livable. So we asked some of these talents to share their expertise and their go-to sources for everything from the perfect sheets to unexpected wall coverings . Learn how to pick the ideal dining table, light a room, and blend design styles from the masters including Victoria Hagan, Vicente Wolf, Miles Redd, and Bunny Williams . Whether you’re reimaging a room or just want to make a few improvements, these ideas will help you make the most of your space.
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Victoria Hagan
“For dining tables, I prefer 72" round models. They’re really versatile. You can easily seat 12 at a dinner party, but they also work nicely for six to eight.”
In the dining room of a Connecticut home, velvet-clad Victoria Hagan Home Collection chairs surround a table from the same line.
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Muriel Brandolini
“I prefer table settings that are colorful and multilayered, like my interiors.”
A table setting at Muriel Brandolini’s Hamptons home.
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Miles Redd
“Everything I ever learned about lighting and lampshades was from Vincent Fourcade. His idea was that a room should have about 40 sources of light, each with a five-watt bulb.”
The antique chandelier in the dining room of this California home is from Florian Papp.
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Bunny Williams
“I find linen sheets to be too hot, and I don’t like sateen because it’s slippery, but cotton percale has a crisp, cool feel to it that is really wonderful. Julia B. makes incredible percale sheets that are very soft, and their hand-stitched custom embroidery is extraordinary.”
A bedroom designed by Bunny Williams.
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Rafael de Cárdenas
“I prefer to use chandeliers that are slightly too large for small spaces—or just the opposite.”
A cascading light fixture by Hudson Furniture hangs in the entry hall of a London home.
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Simon Rawlings
“At David Collins Studio, interiors very often start with the lighting. Inevitably it proves to be the most difficult element to get right, but the drama created by a unique chandelier really is not to be compromised.”
The Wolseley restaurant in London, designed by David Collins Studio.
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Penny Drue Baird
“Gracie wallpaper might look traditional, but it can be extremely versatile. I mix it with modern furniture and design elements to give an elegant old-world feeling to a contemporary setting.”
A Gracie wallpaper lines a dining room by Penny Drue Baird.
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Thomas Pheasant
“I use Edelman Leather’s suede hides cut into blocks as an unexpected wall texture in classical rooms. It helps relax a formal atmosphere.”
An entry hall by Thomas Pheasant features suede walls.
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Vicente Wolf
“A geometric carpet is a great way to bring pattern to a room with solid upholstery. If you have a small space, try combining lacquered walls and a carpet with two pile heights to give the room depth and make it seem larger.”
A library designed by Vicente Wolf, with a Stark carpet.
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William Sofield
“P. E. Guerin, in Greenwich Village, is the quintessential artisan foundry. Creating extraordinary hardware and fittings is a highlight of my job, and I often start my projects with a door handle, as I find that the tactile elements in a home are the most memorable.”
P. E. Guerin fittings grace a bathroom by William Sofield.