By now you’ve all seen or heard of Bravo’s new show Million Dollar Decorators, but you may not have realized that you are watching interior design royalty. Mary McDonald is a genius. I first heard of her from Erin on Elements of Style, and have been obsessed since the moment her navy blue living room (seen here) appeared before my eyes. She is the single reason I am into interior design today, and I aspire to decorate a room like her, just once in my life. My obsession with my new idol Mary is so great, you can imagine how downtrodden I was to discover that she was signing copies of her book Mary McDonald Interiors at my new job ONE WEEK before I started!! Dejected, I tell you, dejected!
Anyway, even though I am greatly depressed to not have met her in person, I did get one of the few signed copies of her book we still have left in store (If you live in SF and want one, let me know!). I perused the display book almost entirely at the store, since I am afraid the take the shrink-wrapping off my copy, heaven forbid it gets ruined. Every word she wrote is like gold, and every picture, saffron (that’s worth more than gold, no?). I thought that although I drool over almost every image in the book, I would show you some of my favorite rooms she has designed here. Enjoy!
The Bible
The Goddess
“Great rooms are seductive. They beckon and embrace with their femininity, soulfulness, and distinct personalities”
“There is no formula for glamour. It combines shimmer and charisma. It’s elusive, but you know it when you see it”
” I don’t insist that everyone live glamorously, but once you try it, there’s no turning back” (how true, Mary, how true.)
“The first thing to do when you are ready to decorate is think of all the things and places that you love”
“Design is like theater. The better the sets, the better the play. As in life, if the play isn’t good, you might as well like the set” (a bit, pessimistic, but I see where she’s going with that. My interpretation: Changing the set can change the course of the play)
“Creating a room with a global point of view requires the eye of a traveler, the mindset of an expat, and a bit of the grand tour”
