Interior designer Miles Redd’s favorite color is white. For someone known for using rich hues in his projects—whether through floral chintz–upholstered chairs or aquamarine-colored walls—he was pleasantly surprised when one client asked him to stick with white and cream. “White can be beautiful, and to be able to use the color in a layered, rich way is always really fun,” he tells host Dennis Scully on the latest episode of The Business of Home Podcast. Regardless of the project, the most important thing for Redd is to understand the personality of the person whose house he’s decorating and communicate that through design. “I’m pretty fluent in a lot of languages in terms of the decorative arts,” he says.
Before entering the design industry, Redd explored other sectors of the arts, studying fashion at Parsons and filmmaking at NYU. But it wasn’t until he went to work for legendary New York design power couple John Rosselli and Bunny Williams that he knew he had found his place. His glamorous, vibrant interiors have since earned him national press, a spot on the AD100, and collections with Schumacher and Ballard Designs. A true multihyphenate, Redd also had a stint as creative director for Oscar de la Renta home and is the author of The Big Book of Chic, a book that chronicles a wide range of his playful—and colorful—projects.
On this episode of the show, Redd discusses rebranding his firm in 2019 to include his business partner David Kaihoi, the right way to leave a design firm, and how he’s ridden the economic ups and downs of two decades in business.
Crucial insight: In addition to the creative knowledge Redd gained while working with Bunny Williams, he learned a bevy of concrete business lessons. Williams had perfected a formula that worked for both clients and vendors: On the client side, she was able to explain why decorating costs the way it does, while managing vendors by keeping close tabs on samples, timelines and orders. Redd also learned the proper way to leave a design job when it was time for him to move on from Bunny’s firm. “You get so invested with someone in decorating, and it does take a long time to say goodbye because the projects take a long time to finish, so I waited until everything was done and the new person was up and running before I left,” he says, noting that it was about a six- to eight-month transition. “Bunny had given me so much, so I didn’t want to rush out.”
Key quote: “You have to fail at some things and recognize what you’re not good at to find the gumption inside you to find out what you are good at. … Do the thing that is so easy and so second nature to you, and try to make it a career. That’s harder to do than it sounds, but follow your passion.”
Listen to the show below. If you like what you hear, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. This episode was sponsored by Lillian August and Hartmann&Forbes.
The Thursday Show
Meanwhile, on the latest episode of The Thursday Show, Scully and BOH executive editor Fred Nicolaus dissect the most recent news in the design industry, including a recap of the latest RH earnings call, the dark side of decluttering and takeaways from this fall’s Maison&Objet. Later, Washington Post reporter Rachel Kurzius discusses the slow decline of furniture quality.
Listen below. If you like what you hear, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. This episode is sponsored by Chelsea House.
Homepage image: Miles Redd | Courtesy of the designer
