26 atlantahomesmag.com SEPT.2019
ATLANTA HOMES & LIFESTYLES:
The New Elegance teaches so
many lessons about design, from
scale to the use of drama. How
did you narrow down the subject
matter?
TIMOTHY CORRIGAN: I wanted
this to be a little diff erent from so
many design books, which just
show photos of beautiful rooms.
I selected 11 diff erent subjects—
ranging from major issues such as
scale, proportion and symmetry—
that serve as the building blocks
for any good design, and then
advance on to the more decora-
tive aspects such as the impor-
tance of layering and how to use
art and mirrors.AH&L: How do you strike a bal-
ance between elegance and
livability?
TIMOTHY CORRIGAN: Livability
and comfort are synonymous;
comfort is not antithetical to
elegance, but rather its support
and backbone. No one can feel
truly elegant if they don’t feel at
ease. Creating a sense of security
is one of the underlying roots of
all my designs. Today, more than
ever, there is no need to sacri-
fi ce elegance for livability with
all of the wonderful performance
fabrics on the market. That is why
I am especially excited about my
new fabric and rug collection for
Perennials.AH&L: The Perennials collection
is gorgeous. How did the idea of
livable elegance inspire it?
TIMOTHY CORRIGAN: I have
long been a huge fan of Peren-
nials. They really led the way in
transforming traditional outdoor
fabrics into the kind of gorgeous
performance fabrics that abso-
lutely beg to be used indoors. My
new collection was really de-
signed with the Southern style of
design in mind. It has the kind of
clear, fresh colors that are favor-
ites in the South. The motifs are a
bit of a departure for the Peren-
nials brand because it includes
fl owers, chinoiserie and damask
patterns. The new rugs in mycollection include a fresh take on
a traditional oriental rug, a French
parterre garden and a Matisse-
like drawing.
AH&L: What intrigues you most
about the Southern approach to
elegance?
TIMOTHY CORRIGAN: I think that
more than just about any other re-
gion in the country, Southern style
treasures the nature of beautiful
interior design. I love that South-
ern style has such respect for
classicism, beauty and timeless-
ness. To me, Southern style is all
about warmth, graciousness and
hospitality—all of which is perfectly
in line with my design philosophy
of comfortable elegance.In his fresh book, The New Elegance, Timothy Corrigan—the
master of grandeur and king of glamour—discusses how to embrace
elegant design that isn’t just performative, but truly livable, a guiding philosophy
that radiates through every aspect of his business, including new collections with
Perennials Fabrics and Schumacher Written by ANNA LOGANA CONVERSATION WITH ...
TIMOTHY
CORRIGAN