Fifty thoughts on rooms, details and the way we live
A useful design quotation can sharpen a question: What should this room do? Which details deserve attention? What makes a space feel like yours? This collection brings together quotations and widely circulated attributed sayings from design, fashion, art and architecture. Treat uncertain attributions as attributed sayings, not authenticated transcripts.
The ideas are most useful when translated into a decision. Choose a thought that resonates, then test it against the dimensions, materials and daily routines of your own home.
Purpose and the details that make a room
Start with purpose, then refine the visible details. A room can be expressive while still making ordinary tasks easier. Ancient kitchens offer a reminder that domestic spaces change as the way people live changes.
01
“An interior is the natural projection of the soul.”
— Attributed to Coco Chanel
02
“Design is a plan for arranging elements in such a way as best to accomplish a particular purpose.”
— Attributed to Charles Eames
03
“Your home should tell the story of who you are, and be a collection of what you love.”
— Attributed to Nate Berkus
04
“Design is not for philosophy, it's for life.”
— Attributed to Issey Miyake
05
“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”
— Attributed to Steve Jobs
06
“The details are not the details. They make the design.”
— Attributed to Charles Eames
07
“Everything is designed. Few things are designed well.”
— Attributed to Brian Reed
08
“To create an interior, the designer must develop an overall concept and stick to it.”
— Attributed to Albert Hadley
09
“A room should never allow the eye to settle in one place. It should smile at you and create fantasy.”
— Attributed to Juan Montoya
10
“Design is a balance between form and function. It takes two.”
— Attributed to Seesaw
Personal taste and everyday comfort
Turn personal taste into a small material board rather than a list of style labels. Compare finish samples with the objects you already love, then use Explore pictures to see how those materials read in complete rooms.
11
“The essence of interior design will always be about people and how they live.”
— Attributed to Albert Hadley
12
“There are two things that make a room timeless: a sense of history and a piece of the future.”
— Attributed to Charlotte Moss
13
“Treat your home like your wardrobe. Choose items that you love and that make you feel good.”
— Attributed to Thom Filicia
14
“Be faithful to your own taste because nothing you really like is ever out of style.”
— Attributed to Billy Baldwin
15
“Real comfort, visual and physical, is vital to every room.”
— Attributed to Mark Hampton
16
“Style is a simple way of saying complicated things.”
— Attributed to Jean Cocteau
17
“A room should start a conversation before people actually start exchanging words.”
— Attributed to Barry Dixon
18
“Good design encourages a viewer to want to learn more.”
— Attributed to Alexander Isley
19
“Design is a matter of discipline, organization, and editing.”
— Attributed to Nancy Braithwaite
20
“The most important thing? Perfect lighting at all times.”
— Attributed to Oscar de la Renta
Design as a response to life
Use a quote as a prompt for observation. Where do people pause, gather or struggle to move? Albert Paley's Portal Gates, made with several metals, offers a concrete example of a functional architectural element developed as an expressive composition.
21
“Design is a solution to a problem. Art is a question to a problem.”
— Attributed to John Maeda
22
“The role of the designer is that of a good, thoughtful host anticipating the needs of his guests.”
— Attributed to Charles Eames
23
“The best interiors make your heart pound.”
— Attributed to Tony Fornabaio
24
“Design is thinking made visual.”
— Attributed to Saul Bass
25
“A designer must create timeless design. To be timeless you have to think really far into the future, not next year or the next two.”
— Attributed to Anna Castelli Ferrieri
26
“The best way to predict the future is to design it.”
— Attributed to Buckminster Fuller
27
“Interior design is a business of trust.”
— Attributed to Venus Williams
28
“We shape our buildings and afterwards our buildings shape us.”
— Winston Churchill
29
“The door handle is the handshake of the building.”
— Attributed to Juhani Pallasmaa
30
“The home should be a treasure chest of living.”
— Attributed to Le Corbusier
Color, texture and atmosphere
Color and texture need to be judged at the scale of the room. A large reflective surface behaves differently from a small swatch. Set samples beside the actual wood, stone and fabrics, and view them under the lighting you plan to use.
31
“Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions.”
— Attributed to Pablo Picasso
32
“Texture is the most enduring and ubiquitous underpinning of form.”
— Attributed to Yukio Futagawa
33
“Colors are the smiles of nature.”
— Attributed to Leigh Hunt
34
“Texture adds interest and depth to a room.”
— Attributed to Charlotte Moss
35
“The use of texture in design is not just about how things feel, it's about how they look too.”
— Attributed to Kelly Hoppen
36
“Color is the place where our brain and the universe meet.”
— Attributed to Paul Klee
37
“Texture is the weight and thickness of a fabric, and how it feels to the touch.”
— Attributed to Alexandra Stoddard
38
“Color is the keyboard, the eyes are the harmonies, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or another, to cause vibrations in the soul.”
— Attributed to Wassily Kandinsky
39
“Texture is the surface quality of a material.”
— Attributed to Michael S. Smith
40
“Color is a power which directly influences the soul.”
— Attributed to Wassily Kandinsky
Mixing periods and making a home
A coherent home can include old and new objects. Repeat a few relationships—proportion, tone or detail—while allowing pieces with personal meaning to keep their individual character.
41
“Mix high and low, but always mix.”
— Attributed to Kelly Wearstler
42
“Design is a constant challenge to balance comfort with luxe, the practical with the desirable.”
— Attributed to Donna Karan
43
“Recognizing the need is the primary condition for design.”
— Charles Eames
44
“Traditional interior design is a timeless, elegant look that never goes out of style.”
— Attributed to Mary McDonald
45
“Eclectic style is about mixing elements from different periods and styles to create something that is uniquely yours.”
— Attributed to Miles Redd
46
“Classicism, tradition, and a sense of place are important to me, but I also like the unexpected, modern and witty.”
— Attributed to Bunny Williams
47
“I like a house to look like it has been lived in, with things that are well-loved.”
— Attributed to Nina Campbell
48
“I don't do fashion. I am fashion.”
— Attributed to Coco Chanel
49
“Good design is about creating a dialogue between the past and the present.”
— Attributed to Robert A.M. Stern
50
“The beauty of design is its ability to transform a space into something truly extraordinary.”
— Attributed to Kelly Wearstler
Bring an idea into your own space
For the kitchen, start with inspiration that explains how you want the room to feel. Compare range hoods as architectural forms, then choose range hoods around the appliance and ventilation requirements. A CopperSmith kitchen hood should relate to the cabinetry, ceiling and lighting without asking every element to become a focal point.
If the project calls for a ducted range hood, confirm the actual exhaust route with the installer before finalizing the decorative enclosure. Collect ideas that show the whole cooking wall rather than only a close-up. The same photograph can suggest a finish while illustrating a layout that would not suit your home.
A designer's portfolio can help you see how decisions connect. The leader in interior design linked here, O'Hara Interiors, provides another perspective on completed rooms; inclusion is not a claim of a CopperSmith partnership. When specifying a kitchen fan hood, separate the design reference from the technical requirements.
For professional projects, review the trade program and compare CopperSmith range hoods with the rest of the material palette. Continue with the collection of architect quotes if architectural form is the part of the brief you want to explore.
Questions that turn inspiration into a brief
How can a small room feel more usable?
Begin with circulation, furniture dimensions, storage and lighting. A lighter palette may support the effect you want, but it does not compensate for furniture that blocks movement. Draw the layout and test the everyday tasks first.
How do I choose a style that feels personal?
Collect references, then identify what they share: perhaps curved forms, visible grain, quiet color or a balance of warm and cool materials. Keep those qualities in the brief instead of trying to reproduce every object in a photograph.
What makes separate rooms feel connected?
Repeat selected details such as a wood tone, metal accent or shape. Continuity does not require every room to match. Leave room for differences in function, daylight and the pieces that matter to you.
Start your project with your measurements, finish preferences and installation requirements.
Originally published April 1, 2023.
By submitting, you agree to our Privacy Policy & Terms