My Favorite Things

“Brancusi is one of my North Stars. His perfectly preserved atelier is a first stop when we’re in Paris to visit our workshops, and I find myself thinking of his pure forms when I sit down with a block of clay.”

“This is the perfect red. I keep one in every handbag, from my gardening basket to my beat-up Birkin.”

“This cape moves seamlessly from city to country. It’s plain and fancy—I’m just as likely to wear it to walk to dinner at our restaurant, La Mercerie, as I am to throw it on to cut some herbs from the garden in Montauk.”

“I’m obsessed with ceramics—I had to open a store and gallery since I had too many in the house! Lucie Rie, a pioneer of the British Studio Ceramics movement, is a favorite.”

“I have long hair, I love to be able to hop in the ocean at a moment’s notice, I try to squeeze 25 hours into a 24-hour day, and I don’t like to spend ages getting ready. This blow dryer has changed my life.”

“We entertain constantly, and this wine is always on my table. Not only is it a crowd pleaser, but it reminds me of Sicily, a favorite place for its ancient ruins, powerful history, and great food.”

“Whether entertaining for twenty in the city, cutting branches in the store, or working in the garden in Montauk, I always have these clippers with me so that I can make an arrangement at a moment’s notice.”

“Rick does things on his own terms. He’s an independent spirit, and he makes the best black clothing with impeccable sewing that never goes out of style. His dresses are gothic classics. I’ve worn them everywhere from the Met Gala to birthday parties.”

“The abstract, organic designs of Alexandre Noll—a French mid-century furniture maker who eschewed industrial techniques in favor of the handmade—blur the line between sculpture and object. We collect his carved wood pieces, which are a touchstone for our own furniture collection.”

“I’ve worn a stack of bracelets long before a stack was a ‘thing’, from the antique Indian bracelets I got from my mother to a bone cuff by iconic designer Elsa Peretti. She made classics, as we aim to do.”

“I remember seeing Avedon at the grocery store in Montauk when I was growing up. It would be a dream to own one of his works, especially one of his timeless women.”

“I had a vision of a meadow of candlesticks of different heights. Stephen began to turn them on a wooden lathe, which led to our original design for the Reed Candlestick. The collection continues to grow with new sizes and different metals.”