Credits: Marcel Wanders Studio
"The quality of a home is made up of the objects in it. It's like a good party: You need different people to make it interesting. So you want things with stories that are new and old. A few years ago, I found a dark brown Chinese vase that is 3,100 years old. It has a little bruise on its side where it fell over in the oven when it was being made—so it was a failure from the very beginning. And then it spent 2,000 years in a sunken ship at the bottom of the sea. I consider my life to be bigger than the things I have, but this little vase sits in the window, ready to live on after I am dead. It makes me feel very responsible, seeing how small we as people are in relationship to time. The vase is a beautiful little nothing, but I am so taken with it I made a mold so that I can make babies of the vase—so that they may be around for someone else to find in another 3,000 years."
— Marcel Wanders, furniture and interior designer
Credits: Courtesy of Sylvia Weinstock
"I've been married a long while, and in that time I've accumulated a lot of quality things, including a husband. For people who give of themselves, the most important things in the home are good wine and comfortable, upholstered furniture. I have a sofa, two wing chairs, and two small side chairs that are nice and easy to sit in. But furniture should always take a backseat to the people who come in and bring the room to life."
— Sylvia Weinstock, owner of Sylvia Weinstock Cakes
Credits: Courtesy of James Robinson, Inc.
"My wife and I have drawings from the 16th century to the 20th century. I don't know who all the artists are, because I would rather buy a gorgeous unsigned piece than a third-rate work from a top name. We also have objects on tables—Chinese porcelain, Japanese metalwork—and when I look at them, I get a sense of satisfaction. Another thing that gives us pleasure is our Fletcher Robinson sterling silver, which is hand-hammered out of a bar of silver. It feels good to hold, but it isn't precious—after the meal, we throw it in the dishwasher."
— Edward Munves Jr., chairman of New York City fine antiques store James Robinson
Credits: William Abranowicz
"My boat Mariù represents quality to me, both because of the way it looks and the way it makes me feel. It's named for my mother, who strongly influenced my ideas about style, and the design was inspired by my love for the highest level of luxurious and understated excellence. Many of the boats I used to charter reminded me of hotel suites on the sea—too much white, lighting, marble and crystal—but Mariù is furnished with natural products, especially teak, oak and raffia. I love spending time on it with a close group of family and friends, barefoot and in a pareo."
— Giorgio Armani, fashion designer and creator of Armani/Casa
Credits: Philip Friedman/Studio D
"The objects in my home that most represent quality are a wonderful set of extremely rich crimson Venetian wineglasses. Since I purchased them, on a family trip to Venice, I have yet to see any other glass with this incredible deep, dense color. Red midnight. When I drink from them, I remember the magic of time, place and family. And I wash them by hand—myself."
— Kerry Joyce, interior and product designer
Credits: Philip Friedman/Studio D
"My husband, Sherwood Hamill, and I are both designers, and we have a tapestry in our dining room that we created when we got married. It has symbols of all the things that are important to us, and the Swarovski crystals sewn into it sparkle in the candlelight. I also love soulful little creatures that seem to find their way to me. We have a little brass cat sculpture that I saw in the window of a thrift shop on my way home from work one night. It was almost as if he was trying to get my attention. I bought him for $5, and he's a special part of our little family."
— Angela Adams, rug and textiles designer
22kt-gold True Love ring by Paloma Picasso for Tiffany &
Co.
"A quality object has to be something with deep meaning, like my wedding band, which I designed so that it can stand up on its own, like my marriage."
— Paloma Picasso, jewelry designer for Tiffany & Co.
