Albert Hadley Quotes

Too much of what passes for design now is theater. It's one thing to be eccentric- and by the way, most eccentrics tend to be rather well-educated people - and quite another to be a faddist, by which I mean someone who tries to conjure a totally foreign aesthetic in a misplaced environment ...

Decorating is not about making stage sets, it's not about making pretty pictures for the magazines, it's really about creating a quality of life, a beauty that nourishes the soul.

I deeply believe that a beautiful decor can have a beneficial influence on our lives.

The one thing I never get involved with is selecting art or pictures for a client. This is a very personal thing. If the clients have pictures, I will hang them. When they do not own pictures I leave the walls blank.

A decorator, no matter how talented, can't always get the desired results because sometimes there is resistance or maybe a lack of understanding on the part of the client. I think it is the decorator's job to work as a guide, to bring out the best qualities and the best attitudes.

Ceilings must always be considered. They are the most neglected surface in a room.

Design is coming to grips with one's real lifestyle, one's real place in the world. Rooms should not be put together for show but to nourish one's wellbeing.

So many young decorators are trying to reinvent the wheel, and the results are sometimes very dubious. They're striving to do things that have never been done before. Quite often it is done without authority, without knowledge, and without a background in taste. They need to be educated about the past, and they need a richer vocabulary.

Make your home as comfortable and attractive as possible and then get on with living. There's more to life than decorating.

Nothing comes cheap, though the educated eye will always spot very nice things for the least money.

Flair-a primitive kind of style-may be innate, but I think knowledgeable taste is learned, the result of travel, experience, living, education.

A good decorator not only plans and schemes, but he also knows how the job is done.

Deep downy upholstery is absolutely what I've always been about.

So many people arrange furniture in order to see what's going on outside. But why? The view isn't going anywhere.

The designer must be able to see - make a concentrated effort to absorb the essence of the project. Seeing is a very difficult thing to do. Most people "look" at a lot of thing but never "see" anything. Looking is emotional; seeing is an intellectual process.

Forget the floor plans. Arrange the furniture where it is the most comfortable and will look best.

A lot of people worry about
the ' wear and tear ' on furnishings.
I feel it's more a matter
of people treating the things that surround them
with respect.

You cannot make a modern apartment out of a traditional space.

Life is all about manners. Nothing else matters.