Bunny Williams

We hear that your new Collection III for Beeline Home was a market favorite at High Point. Could you not leave perfect alone? What did you add?  I launched my first Beeline Home Collection in 2009 and just debuted Collection III at the High Point Furniture Market in April. My original idea was to design pieces that I was always looking for for my projects but had a hard time finding—all those special pieces that give a room character. I have kept right on adding interesting new pieces and refining some of the original ones. This collection features several new handpainted ceramic lamps, the Skol Bar which has a Gustavian influence (I love putting a bar in the living room so everyone can help themselves), and an upholstered chair called the Bunny chair, (the original is in my New York apartment), which is super comfy and has a French ’40s feel.

You are such an inspiration to Southerners; we literally follow you with bated breath. Did you ever imagine that would happen when you were starting out?  I am always so flattered to hear that I inspire people. I am very lucky to have had a Southern background where hospitality and manners are important, and keeping a proper house is in one’s DNA. I live in a gracious but relaxed way. I never mind a chipped cup, someone spilling a drink or a little dog hair on the sofa. Creating a wonderful house is not about being perfect; it’s about the little nicks and dents of life that give it a sense of soul.

What’s the one secret thing about growing up in Charlottesville that none of us know?  One of the things I loved best about growing up in Charlottesville was having a huge yard to explore and wonderful gardens. I had a little play house where I got my start as a decorator. It had two wicker chairs and a battered green army trunk filled with dress-up clothes, stuffed animals and a few dolls. I loved to pick flowers, hang fabric scraps for curtains and make my house look pretty. There was a miniature tea set and a small table, where I gave countless parties attended by family dogs, dolls, a favorite stuffed bear and my dear friend Libby Palmer. I spent many happy hours in this house and was never bored because there were endless ways to arrange and rearrange everything.

Tell us about the inspiration for your new book, Scrapbook for Living; in Atlanta we are scrapbook-aholics!  Scrapbook for Living, published by Stewart, Tabori & Chang, is about all the bits and pieces that come together to make a house have personality. It is the moment in a project when the decorating is finished and “life takes over”—family treasures, books, collections, table settings, craft rooms, art studios, pets, people and the homeowner’s personality. The book was photographed in a collage style by Amy Archer. Her poetic eye captures the details in a house where one can happily settle in and make the spaces their own. The book has my favorite tips for organizing, making the perfect bed, living with pets, setting the table, hanging pictures and more.

We know you are America’s most famous gardener. What are you planting this year? Can we plant it in the South?  Gardening is one of my absolute passions. I have gardens at our house in Connecticut, tropical gardens at our house in the Dominican Republic, and always fresh flowers and plants in my apartment in New York. This year in Falls Village, Connecticut, we are planting two things I adore in the Parterre Garden: Angelonia (Angel Mist Spreading White) and Euphorbia (Diamond Frost). Both of these can grow in the South.

What’s up with your famous store, Treillage?  There is always something new to discover at Treillage, my two shops in New York located at 1015 Lexington and 418 East 75th. There are beautiful, fresh table settings at Lexington, especially for spring and summer; new Beeline pieces have just been installed there, as well. Amazing garden furnishings, accessories and lighting are on display at 75th Street. We will be offering online shopping for the small decorative items by early summer.

What’s cooking next for the unstoppable Bunny Williams?  I am never one to sit still for too long, so I am hard at work on several new projects for my interior design business as well as my home furnishings collections. My lips are sealed for the moment. I am excited by all the possibilities new technology offers to these creative endeavors. My design compass is pointing in opposite directions: superb handcraftsmanship combined with new ways to interpret it.

Are you taking a much-deserved vacation? Where? We might just stalk you, wherever you go.  I have been traveling like mad this past year: London, Paris, Belgium, Turkey, Lebanon and all across the United States. I soak up the culture and the sights wherever I go and, of course, I shop everywhere. Home sweet home sounds great right now. My husband, John, will cook; I will set a pretty table and the dogs will be at our feet.

+ Bunny Williams is no stranger to Atlanta. This spring, she visited the Ainsworth-Noah & Associates showroom at the Atlanta Decorative Arts Center for a presentation and book signing for Scrapbook for Living, her latest tome. Williams’ Beeline Home furniture line is available locally through Mrs. Howard at The Galleries of Peachtree Hills. For more information and to see the entire collection, visit
bunnywilliams.com/beeline.