In her 30s, Liz Lange made her name designing high-end maternity wear. Now in her “kaftan years” and helming Figue, she’s the current owner of the iconic (and fully restored) Grey Gardens. Here, she shares a peek inside her life and a few of her Chairish favorites.
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How do you see the worlds of fashion & design intersecting?
Both are a personal expression of taste and style. The way you choose to dress yourself each day and the way you choose to decorate your home send a message to the world about you. Homes used to be more hidden, but with social media bombarding us with images of how people live and decorate, reflecting our taste and interests in these spaces has become more popular than ever. Even tablescapes and floral arrangements have become statements of personal style. It’s all about individual expression, whether on your body or in the rooms you live in, and there’s a huge overlap between the two. For example, the Pantone color of the year is often reflected both on the runways during fashion week and in home decor.
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How would you describe your personal approach to design?
My approach is simple—I design what I love and want to wear so I guess my approach is selfish. 😉 If I wouldn’t wear it, you won’t see it on my line. When I was in my early 30s, I was designing high-end maternity clothing (Liz Lange Maternity), now in my 50s I have entered my “kaftan years” and I design dresses which reflect that (Figue). I want my clothing and my homes to feel fun and glamour-filled!
What’s the best way to create spaces that are a personal reflection of someone’s style?
Buy what you love, and it will all naturally work together. Don’t be afraid of the mix. Pair mid-century modern with Louis XVI. Mix high and low. I always find that yields the best results. Be fearless! But most of all have fun with it as it’s not a test and there are no right or wrong answers. The only right answer is that you should absolutely love everything you choose to put on your body or in your home and it should make you feel fun, fancy and above all else glamorous (and none of this means expensive!).
How did you become the owner of Grey Gardens? What’s your favorite thing in the house or on the property?
When Grey Gardens was owned by Sally Quinn and Ben Bradley, they would rent the house out for the summer and one summer my husband and I rented it. We fell in love with it and fantasized about owning it, but never imagined that dream would become a reality. But as luck would have it, a few years later, Sally decided to put it on the market, and we pounced. It is very personal to me, as I grew up around the corner. It’s so hard to pick just one thing in the house but my favorite part of the house and grounds may be the sunroom, which is entirely made up of diamond-paneled glass doors and windows which look out on our walled garden. It’s so peaceful and beautiful.
What are some of your favorite color combinations and patterns? And again, do you think they relate back to your own taste in fashion design, or differ?
I adore color and I used many of my favorite color combinations when decorating Grey Gardens. I think almost every color looks clean and crisp against white, so I did many different iterations of that: blue and white, apple green and white, chocolate brown and white, yellow and white. Even black and white. We created a special color for the property gates and planters as well as some of the trim on the exterior of the house. We call it Grey Gardens blue and it’s a very pretty blue/grey color. I don’t see much distinction between decor and fashion. What works for your home almost definitely works in your closet! And when I’m designing Figue I’m all about colorful prints and interesting color mixing.
Do you have any favorite vintage or antique finds at home?
I’m a vintage junkie! I’m always on sites like yours hunting for goodies. I adore my Portieux Vallerysthal blue 1930s goblets and jars (I collect them), Culver Glass roly poly glasses, old Hermès ashtrays and Italian mid-century modern large ceramic animals.
How would you describe your approach to art, both at home and in your office? What kinds of pieces draw your eye?
My husband and I wouldn’t describe ourselves as art collectors. We buy pieces we love, placing them wherever they work. Not surprisingly, I’m drawn to color! For Grey Gardens, I commissioned a few artists and craftspeople I admire to make custom art for the house, pieces that captured their vision of Grey Gardens. As such, we have busts of Big and Little Edie by Mark Gagnon, wallpaper featuring them by Jason O’Malley, and custom watercolor drawings by Luke Edward Hall, to name a few. My bestie Jonathan Adler even did an entire bespoke tile installation in the property’s original garden shed (our thatched-roof hut) as an homage to the two of them.
What do you think surprises people the most about your Grey Gardens home?
I hope they are surprised about how good, fresh and livable the house looks after seeing the documentary. 😉
We have to ask… what’s your closet like?
Believe it or not my Grey Gardens closet is TINY! Since we were working within the confines of a 100-plus-year-old house, there simply wasn’t space for the type of large dressing rooms I have in NYC and Palm Beach. As such you’ll find a lot of my clothing spread out in guest room closets throughout the house. 🙂
Where do your biggest inspirations come from?
My biggest inspirations come from everywhere: travel, Pinterest, Instagram, chic women out and about in NYC and Palm Beach, old photo books by Slim Aarons and Horst, the great socialites, and my 1960s and 1970s collections of bound copies of Vogue.
You’re known for a true passion for vintage and antique pieces. How do you incorporate them into your work, and how do you place them alongside newer items?
I am all about the mix. I think nothing of combining new plates with vintage barware or wearing a new dress with a vintage belt. I think that’s what keeps things interesting.
ON CHAIRISH & VINTAGE PIECES
What do you find most compelling about Chairish?
Chairish is my go-to site for just about everything I love: vintage tabletop, accessories, furnishings, lighting, and even jewelry! I can just type in a search word and I’m off to the races. I go down a rabbit hole and emerge hours later and I love every second of it.
Are there any dream vintage/antique “gets” you wish you could have?
I desperately want a complete Buccellatti sterling silver “Tahiti” pattern cutlery set—maybe service for 16 with the original chest it came in.
A FEW DESIGN FAVORITES
Favorite way to create a statement-making moment in a room? Take one fabulous fabric and wrap the room in it. Place it on the walls, the ceiling and all the upholstered furniture.
Favorite decorating “cheap thrill“? I consider Chairish in general my “cheap thrill.” I always find what I’m looking for at a fraction of the price I would have to pay in an antiques store and that’s part of the fun.
Favorite iconic piece of vintage design? That’s hard. I love so many! I particularly adore a low mid-century modern coffee table, especially brass and burled wooden ones by Aldo Turturo, which often have a hole in the center carved out for flowers or plants—so chic!!
Favorite paint color? Any paint color applied in high-shine lacquer to walls, really, but I’m particularly obsessed with the shade peacock blue.
Favorite piece of decor in your home? My crazy huge vintage elephant planter. I fill it with orchids year-round.
Favorite designer or artist from the past you most often turn to for inspiration? David Hicks, Michael Taylor, Billy Haines, and Albert Hadley.
Favorite style icon? Jackie O!
Design destination every creative should visit at least once? Italy. I am always so inspired by the chic women there and the chic home design too. And then, of course, there’s the food… But as Diana Vreeland famously said, ‘the eye has to travel,’ so I believe that any place one travels to will provide inspiration.
Best piece of career advice you’ve ever received? Don’t listen to the naysayers. No one ever thinks anything new is a good idea. Put on blinders and forge ahead.
A FEW LIFESTYLE FAVORITES
Favorite vacation destination? My house in Palm Beach. Yes, it’s my house, but I feel like I’m on vacation when I’m there. Plus, my 20-something kids are often with us, and I decorated it to feel like a Caribbean villa.
Favorite hotel that’s inspired your work while traveling? The Scalinatella in Capri. It has all the old-school, quirky Italian nonchalant chic that I most admire.
Favorite restaurant? La Grenouille in NYC, I have been going there my entire life. Aux Pres in Paris and Giorgio Baldi in LA.
Favorite small museum? La Galerie Dior in Paris. I visit it every time I’m there.
Favorite podcast:
My own podcast: The Just Enough Family. It’s all about my life.
Favorite Instagram accounts to follow? @the.wardrobe.shop, @oldvintagenewyork, @vintagee_hollywood, @pas.ttimecook, @ashleystark
Favorite hostess (or thank you) gift? A triple stalked white phalaenopsis orchid plant—everyone loves them. Or a Diptyque Baies scented candle.
Favorite flower? Peonies.
Favorite adult beverage? Cranberry juice and club soda (NOT Perrier). No lime. It’s all I drink 24/7.
Favorite way to unwind at home? A very hot bath.
Favorite entertaining essential? Christofle silver trays for passed canapés, big white bowls for family-style buffet dinners, and lots and lots of fun printed tablecloths and napkins.
Lead Image: Grey Gardens, Photo: Pascal Chevallier.
