The Weekend Design: Bunny Williams

Bunny Williams

Thought we should brush upon on a few of the designers actively molding the interior design world. A few big names come to mind, including, Bunny Williams.

Bunny Williams grew up in a warm, impactful family, who she can’t seem to escape an interview without mentioning. Southern, her designs are warm, inviting, with formalities that are livable. She worked as a designer at Parish Hadley [eventually, we will talk about Albert Hadley] for twenty years before beginning her own firm in 1988. Today, her business includes a furniture line (Beeline Home), an outdoor/garden furniture line (Treillage), active private decorating, books, etc. Her blog, Bunny’s Buzz, is updated often and a good one to note. After reading several of her interviews, her disposition is clear: honest, kind, opinionated, and balanced. Much of her work includes fine antiques, layers of differing woods, books, and fabrics. I identify with her practicality and adore her ability to create interest without sucking the oxygen out of a space.

HER THOUGHTS

In a interview with the blogger behind HamptonToes, Williams expressed her thoughts about children and furnishings: “I believe in living with good things and teaching children to respect them. Investing in quality pieces is always a good idea, they are made well and they last. However, nobody wants to stand behind a rope and look at a pretty room. A designers job is to help make smart choices when a house is being furnished.”

In a June interview with Curbed, she laid out a few foundational rules to decorate by:

I don’t totally live by the rules but I do believe decorating needs a good foundation, so I always keep these things in mind:

· Well-designed rooms need a focal point, a good floorplan, and furnishings with the proper scale to suit the space.
· A great paint color on the walls is the fastest and least expensive way to furnish a room.
· Arrange living room furniture so that at least eight people can have a conversation. In a large room, organize the furniture into smaller conversation groups so that either two people or 20 can feel comfortable in the space.
· Sofas and other major pieces of upholstery are best covered in simple fabrics in subtle colors that one can live with for a long time. Accessorize with colorful pillows that can be easily changed.
· Working on a budget inspires clever ideas—repurposing things like Indian bedspreads for curtains, stenciling a graphic design on a sisal rug, or using architectural elements as artwork.
· Every room needs a surprise—something that doesn’t match. It could be a pop of color, contemporary art, a painted finish, or a character chair.

HER WORK

As featured in the February/March issue of Elle Décor, Williams experimented with an interior designed as “transitional,” she explains: “…which means that when someone walks in here in 25 years, they won’t be able to tell when it was done.”