Barbara Fina

 

 

FAVORITE HOME STORE: Chef Central in Hartsdale. If you love food and objects for the kitchen, it’s an incredible resource. 

 

FAVORITE ANTIQUE STORE: Rose Court Asian Antiques in Chappaqua [by appointment only]. The owner has an incredible eye. She has really rare objects with an honest, beautiful, and serene quality to them. 

 

WHAT DRIVES ME CRAZY IS: Mediocre mid-century.

 

  FAVORITE WALLPAPER: Faux and decorative effects such as Maya Romanoff’s metallic Stitched Vertical wall-covering. It creates a painterly effect that you can apply to walls in a consistent and controlled way. 

 

BIGGEST DESIGN INFLUENCE: Traveling to any place that has great architecture, gardens, food, or decorative arts.

 

THE NEW NEUTRAL: Bleached oak, mixed metallic, brown.

 

MOST UNUSUAL REQUEST: To slipcover a brand-new $4,000 ottoman and $10,000 custom sectional—for a dog.

 

COOLEST FEATURE IN A CLIENT’S HOUSE: A tree trunk the client and I fashioned into two Nakashima-style coffee tables.

 

FAVORITE COFFEE TABLE BOOK: Axel Vervoordt: Timeless Interiors 

 

FAVORITE PAINT: Pittsburgh Paints’s Scandinavian Sky for ceilings. 

 

WORST DESIGN MISTAKE: Using natural stone in a steam shower. It absorbs too much moisture and attracts mildew. 

 

UNUSUAL DESIGN ELEMENT: A custom-made wardrobe built for my full-length wetsuits and evening gowns. They are about the same length.

 

HOT TRENDS FOR 2013: Assimilating global influences in a sophisticated, non-Pottery Barn sort of way. Innovative fabrics like those from Création Baumann and Carnegie Fabrics.