Robert Denning

Robert Denning (13 March 1927 – 26 August 2005) was an American interior designer whose lush interpretations of French Victorian decor became an emblem of corporate raider tastes in the 1980s.

Sourced

 * Cooking is like decorating &mdash; it never bores me.
 * "Denning's Pot-au-Feu – A decorator indulges his passion for cuisine bourgeoise", by Suzanne Hart, House & Garden, March 1992


 * Having people be impressed with a house is not a compliment. You don't want them to say, 'What a place!' You want them to sit down and enjoy it.
 * Suzanne Stephens, "Florida Renaissance &mdash; Italianate Splendors Enrich A Villa in Naples", Architectural Digest, October 2000, v. 57 #10, pp. 284-298.


 * Never put sofas against wall.
 * Patricia Volk, "The Sweet Smell of Excess", The New York Times (October 8, 2006; retrieved October 4, 2007).


 * No white anything (except sheets).
 * Patricia Volk, "The Sweet Smell of Excess", The New York Times (October 8, 2006; retrieved October 4, 2007).


 * Texture and pattern should function as a surprise.
 * Patricia Volk, "The Sweet Smell of Excess", The New York Times (October 8, 2006; retrieved October 4, 2007).


 * We were about ways to show money.
 * Patricia Volk, "The Sweet Smell of Excess", The New York Times (October 8, 2006; retrieved October 4, 2007).


 * I don't like bare floors.
 * Cynthia Zarin,, "The More the Merrier &mdash; Robert Denning's Extravagance of Color and Pattern", Architectural Digest (April 2002), v. 59 #4, pp. 146-152.


 * Everything is really about lighting.
 * Cynthia Zarin,, "The More the Merrier &mdash; Robert Denning's Extravagance of Color and Pattern", Architectural Digest (April 2002), v. 59 #4, pp. 146-152.


 * Appearance is everything. I find that a view is secondary. Even in those apartments on the East River, it's dull, looking out at those little boats.
 * Cynthia Zarin,, "The More the Merrier &mdash; Robert Denning's Extravagance of Color and Pattern", Architectural Digest (April 2002), v. 59 #4, pp. 146-152.


 * I'll be dragged from the last room I do, screaming, 'More!'
 * Cynthia Zarin,, "The More the Merrier &mdash; Robert Denning's Extravagance of Color and Pattern", Architectural Digest (April 2002), v. 59 #4, pp. 146-152.


 * A la Rothschild, a style I define as many good things used irreverently.
 * Aileen Mehle, "Manhattan Grand Luxe &mdash; Richly Appointed Rooms For Collectors", Architectural Digest (September 1994), v. 51 #9, pp. 126-176.


 * Find the ideal in something not ideal.
 * House & Garden (July 1991), p. 120.


 * I'll accept commissions from anyone who isn't frightened by my proposals.
 * The AD100 Architectural Digest (January 2000), v. 57 #1, p. 48.