Q&A: Victoria Hagan on Her New Book, Dream Spaces
Victoria Hagan: Dream Spaces
by Victoria Hagan and David Colman
New York: Rizzoli International Publications, $55 239 pages, 156 color illustrations
As coauthor David Colman’s preface puts it, 2004 Interior Design Hall of Fame inductee Victoria Hagan “achieved a level of status few designers ever do: that is, transforming from a noun into an adjective, as more interiors everywhere started to be described as ‘Very Victoria Hagan.’” We caught up with the adjective to discuss her latest book. . .
Interior Design: Your previous book, Interior Portraits, was published in 2010. Why another book now?
Victoria Hagan: A lot has changed in the world of design since then, and I have something to say. My first book included projects that spanned my career up until that point. Each reflected a classic American sensibility. It was very well received and has had several printings—I am always amazed when I walk into a design store and still see it displayed. There seems to be something timeless about the aesthetic that resonates even today, 15 to 20 years after some of those projects were completed. That’s always what I hope to achieve.
This new book focuses on second homes, or sometimes third and fourth ones, and the way my clients live when they’re at rest and play. Designing a second home uses a completely different vocabulary than a primary residence, and each of these homes is very personal and unique to the client’s lifestyle. Life itself is so much more complex these days, and I wanted to share these great getaways and the life lessons about design and living I have learned.
ID: What project in it are you most proud of even if it’s not your favorite?
VH: I don’t pick favorites—each project is like family. But my own home in Florida is special to me because it was a complex puzzle to re-imagine and I was faced with a tight budget! It was a complete renovation of an existing home, yet we needed to keep the original footprint. Eight-foot ceilings were raised to 11 feet. Small windows and doors gave way to wall-to-wall glass. It was all about capturing the views of water and landscape, and bringing the outdoors in. In many ways, it was the difference between a 1960s point of view and today.
ID: What do you hope readers get out of the book?
VH: It is a peek into the design process and how I approach interiors with my clients. In the end, it’s not about the decorating, but the way we dream. An interior needs to be more than just pretty rooms. It needs to reflect the way clients live and want to feel. For me, the process is more about the concepts than it is the bits and pieces.
