In short
Interior design as fashion/taste, storytelling, and brand-specific editorial vision; how to mix eras, keep rooms chic (not boring), and choose objects by desire and provenance.
Guests
Stellene Volandes, editor-in-chief of Town & Country and editorial director of Elle Decor; English major at Vassar; interned at Elle Decor, New York Magazine, and Condé Nast (worked with Sarah Slavin; interviewed with Michael Boudreaux). Miles Redd, award-winning NYC decorating firm partner (Red Kaihai); trained via mentors John Rosselli and Bunny Williams after starting in film at NYU.
Key claims
“Nothing is worth anything” beyond desirability; “being boring is not luxury”; old-lady style becomes modern via strong color backdrops and confident juxtapositions.
Notable examples
top-hat portrait image from House & Garden; mirrored bathroom and “Rue Catorce”; Rothko above an 18th-century console; straw basket on a blue commode; auction catalogs as “treasure trove of stories.”
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOThe Iconic Top Hat Moment
0:45 to 3:00
Discussion about a memorable photograph of Miles Redd and the impact of iconic images in design.
“I don't, but I will tell you the first time I became aware of you.”
Path to Editorial Leadership
3:00 to 5:35
Stellene Volandes shares her journey to becoming an editor-in-chief and her experiences in the publishing world.
“Because to be an editor-in-chief takes so much.”
Designing with Personality
5:35 to 7:06
Conversation about the influence of personal style and how editors curate content to reflect brand identity.
“I would say the exact same thing, same of myself.”
The Art of Mixing Eras
7:06 to 9:10
Exploring how to blend different design elements and styles from various decades.
“I think that's the magic of what you do, but if you had to articulate how you take old lady and make it not old lady.”
The Value of Objects
9:10 to 11:24
Discussion on the significance of objects in design and how they tell stories over time.
“What do you do if a client comes to you and sort of asks for like an all-white room?”
Fashion vs. Interior Design
11:24 to 13:00
Exploring the relationship between fashion and interior design, emphasizing the importance of creativity in both.
“One of my favorite things is to be around decorators during a really big auction.”
The Mystique of Jewelry Collections
13:00 to 14:01
Discussion about famous jewelry collections and the stories behind them.
“Or is it happening in Brooklyn and I just haven't been there enough.”
Jewelry Collections of Iconic Women
14:01 to 15:12
Explore the fascinating jewelry collections of iconic women and their significance.
“I think the room has become so front and center.”
Celebrating 180 Years of Town & Country
15:13 to 17:10
Learn about the legacy and challenges of celebrating significant anniversaries in publishing.
“Cigarette cases, something that I loved.”
The Elegance of Mexico City
17:11 to 18:45
Discover the vibrant design scene and elegance of Mexico City through personal experiences.
“To just sort of, you know, put something there and it's pretty and put some headline that is some funny pun.”
Show all 12 chapters
Living in New York: Embracing Culture
18:46 to 20:07
Discuss the importance of cultural experiences in New York and how they enrich life.
“And I just I love that feeling that New York gives us.”
The Art of Storytelling in Design
20:08 to 20:32
Understand how storytelling and clarity of vision enhance the world of design.
“but it is the layers sort of tell that story.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Miles Redd:Nothing is worth anything. It's all a question of fashion and taste. How bad do you want it? Do you desire it? Do you need it? If you don't desire it, skip it. Today, we're moving in the world of interior design with two voices who really shape the way we imagine our homes. Stellene Volandes, editor-in-chief of Town & Country and Elle Decor, and the award-winning designer Miles Redd. Together, they explore how interiors go far beyond function and become a form of imagination and storytelling.
0:32Stellene Volandes:I'm Staline Volandes. I'm the editor of Town & Country and the editorial director of Elle Decor.
0:38Miles Redd:I'm Miles Red. I'm one of the partners of Red Kaihai, a decorating firm in New York City.
0:43Stellene Volandes:You say you remember how we first met. I don't, but I will tell you the first time I became aware of you. It's the top hat picture in House & Garden.
0:51Miles Redd:I mean...
0:52Stellene Volandes:Okay, it is, though. I mean, I can still picture when I saw that and I said, number one, who is this? Number two, how did they get him to do it?
1:06Miles Redd:I art director myself.
1:07Stellene Volandes:Now that I know you, the second question is easier to answer. But I do really think that is one of the iconic images.
1:18Miles Redd:You're awfully kind to say that. You know, it's funny. I was a child of 1930s movies. And, you know, I knew that when someone said, oh, we want to take your portrait, that that was going to be a sort of a rarefied thing in my life. I mean, because it ain't happening anymore. I knew they were photographing my house, that mirrored bathroom.
1:41Stellene Volandes:So you had an apartment on 14th Street, and you named it Rue Catois.
1:46Miles Redd:I think that's very telling. Well, like, I used to joke because 14th Street between Avenue B and Avenue C is, like, the opposite of Paris, France. But I was always, like, trying to, as they say, gild the lily. And so I jokingly referred to it as Rue Catorce with the bathtub in the kitchen. My friend Paul Costello was taking the picture, and he was, you know, one of my dearest friends. And I said, I want to be in black tie and a top hat, jumping, leaping into the air a la Fred Astaire. And he's like, oh, I'm into it. And actually, you can see him and my godson. It's in the reflection that really no one really, if you don't stop to look at it.
2:22Stellene Volandes:I think that is on the mood boards of so many editors. Because I think, I mean, House and Garden did this really well, of really sort of taking that Shelter Magazine formula and breaking through it. And there is so much personality in the design world. and letting those moments happen and show those, the sort of minds and spirits and...
2:52Miles Redd:Exuberance. Exuberance. Exuberance. Behind the rooms, right?
2:55Stellene Volandes:Like you see that and you sort of understand your rooms too.
3:00Miles Redd:How did you find yourself here? Because to be an editor-in-chief takes so much. and like there's so many skills that one has to be good at.
3:11Stellene Volandes:I went to college at Vassar, which is just about two hours away. Know it well. And so by like sophomore year, I was an English major and I kind of decided I want to be a magazine editor. I interned at El Decor. Wow. And I interned at New York Magazine and then at Ralph Lauren Home or mess. And so I kind of, you know, I knew pretty quickly this was the world I wanted to be in. And a lot of people that went to Vassar were in publishing. And so I interned at Condé Nast with the legendary Sarah Slavin in their HR department, where I took a typing test. and then I interviewed with Michael Boudreaux, who's my first boss there.
4:07Miles Redd:What a great first boss. Like, one, you're incredibly, fabulously charming to sit next to at a dinner party. You have an amazing eye. You're interested in so many things, from art to jewelry to fashion to houses to clothes. Like, it's all of these different curious, is the word, metiers? Like, how do you get to do that?
4:31Stellene Volandes:Well, I think both at TNC and Elle Decor, both those brands have such a specific lens that you can look very broadly, but then your focus is very sharp.
4:44Miles Redd:Right.
4:44Stellene Volandes:So I think, you know, like I get up in the morning and like read the paper, read Instagram, and you think sort of like, where's the TNC in this story? Where's the Elle Decor in this story? And the job, really, of editors is to create each brand a sort of point of view, a voice, and a lens that is so specific that actually sort of taking a lot of stories and placing them in each brand, that's sort of, once you have that structure, it sort of is much easier.
5:21Miles Redd:I love that you're like totally obviously in flow and doing the right thing and that you work for such nice, talented, kind people.
5:28Stellene Volandes:It's so interesting to think how the people you work for or around, how influential they are.
5:37Miles Redd:I would say the exact same thing, same of myself. I started as a film major at NYU. Like I was a film major. That's what the movie reference is. Yes, yes, yes. But I worked for a producer right when I graduated, and I was just like, this is not for me. One, it just seemed like the hardest thing in the world to get a movie made. Tom Ford can barely get a movie made. I was always fascinated by the sets and always doing the sets. And I was working for a decorator, and she's like, oh, John Rosselli is looking for someone. And I walked in, and I just had an immediate sense of home. and like I worked for John for two years and then I went and worked for Bunny for five years and having those two as my mentor was the gift amongst gifts.
6:24Miles Redd:Everything has a formula if you study it long enough.
6:28Stellene Volandes:Yes, except the trick and you do this so well and I really try and do it is you have a formula so you have this structure. You have a signature style, right? If someone sort of walks into a room and it's red, they might think it smiles, right?
6:49Miles Redd:I think it's like a densely layered sensibility that feels slightly modern that people often say. They're like, ah, it doesn't feel quite, I mean, I love old lady stuff.
7:00Stellene Volandes:I really do.
7:01Miles Redd:I just like, it's a heyday for me because nobody wants it. And I'm like, but I'll make it look good.
7:07Stellene Volandes:How do you make it look good though? I think that's the magic of what you do, but if you had to articulate how you take old lady and make it not old lady.
7:18Miles Redd:Well, I feel like it is like a strong, clear color background.
7:25Stellene Volandes:Okay.
7:25Miles Redd:And white's one of my favorite colors, but I feel like, you know, if I learned any lessons from Oscar de la Renta, like everything looks better against Taxi Cab.
7:35Stellene Volandes:Do you know what I mean?
7:36Miles Redd:Wait, did he used to say that? Well, no, but his living room was taxicab yellow. And, like, I mean, that's Nancy Land. The colors have been around. They've been there. But, like, there's something about, like, the strong juxtaposition of color and sort of antiquities that give you a modern feeling. I think that's one thing. Every single decade gives us something great. Yeah. And to be able to pick one thing from each and put them all together, I think, is a good skill. Yeah. You know, you get that tension.
8:07Stellene Volandes:But you always have that, because that takes confidence, right, to say, I'm going to use that from that decade, that from that decade.
8:15Miles Redd:You know, with practice comes perfection, and I've been doing it a long time. So you sort of have learned that disparate elements create a kind of tension in decorating that makes a room feel chic or unusual or different. And it's like you can have, I mean, we've all seen, you know, the straw basket on the blue commode. Right, right. Those sort of, like, we've all seen the, you know, Rothko above an 18th century console. Those are sort of the swat's wide, you know, gestures of that kind of idea. But the more you do it, the more you can do it on sort of a smaller scale. For me, like, culturally speaking, I would say it's really always a reflection of who's living there.
8:59Miles Redd:Like, I am just a guide to help you not make mistakes and to give you what you want at the end of the day. And usually I want the client's personality to come out. Yeah. And it does.
9:14Stellene Volandes:What do you do if a client comes to you and sort of asks for like an all-white room?
9:22Miles Redd:I love that. Okay. I love that. One, because it makes me think in a different way. I have so many minimalist clients, which I love because they're all like, I'm like, why? Why? Why do you pick me? Like, you push me, like, I take 9 % from, like, the 100 % that you're getting, and I get what I want.
9:43Stellene Volandes:Do you live with the sort of layered aesthetic? Oh, my God, yes.
Read the full transcript
9:46Miles Redd:My apartment is just, like, aching. The walls are so filled with stuff. I have to, like, edit. I just, like, and I'm reaching that point. It's taken me a while to kind of, like, get there. But that's the thing about objects is, like, you only get to enjoy them while you're around. And like as much as I deal with them and I do become attached, don't get me wrong, but like it all goes away. The other thing that I think is fascinating is how objects travel through time and space. And I do, the other thing that I ultimately believe is you get the items that were meant for you.
10:21Stellene Volandes:Oh, I love that.
10:21Miles Redd:Do you know what I mean? Like you bought something in an auction. I can't remember, but it was some sort of jewel. And I was like, oh, I'm so glad she got that.
10:28Stellene Volandes:Well, there's something I would like to come back with.
10:31Miles Redd:I know, me too. Me too. But I felt like I was like, oh, you know, like that 40 carat aquamarine was meant for Stelene. I did not buy a 40 carat aquamarine, everyone listening.
10:44Stellene Volandes:But no, I like, I mean, I think not to get to, but these objects have souls and stories. Yes. And I think it's so important to highlight that. And I think there is a community that keeps those stories alive.
11:01Miles Redd:The auction houses, I really think, are the real treasure trove of stories. And, like, also just the auction catalogs alone. That's where I've educated myself. Truly. Because they tell you so much, not only about the provenance of who it belonged to and where it went from and who's it come from.
11:23Stellene Volandes:I mean, I do. One of my favorite things is to be around decorators during a really big auction. because the competition is fierce and deadly.
11:36Miles Redd:The lesson is nothing is worth anything. It's all a question of fashion and taste. And like things that are worth a gazillion dollars right now may be worth 10 cents tomorrow. It's only the desirability factor of something. So like our guiding factor is like how bad do you want it? Do you desire it? Do you need it? If you don't desire it, skip it.
12:04Stellene Volandes:Yeah, yeah, yeah. When people talk about print versus digital, and I say, you know, if you look, what they're building now are temples to retail, right? There are restaurants. There are coffee shops. There's, you know, I mean, there are places to get your hair blown out. Yes. And if you want to create something, you have to make it so people have a reason to come in. I mean, the same way with print, you have to give people a return on that investment of time, of money. It has to, right, like, yes, last night I went online and shopped, but, like, I would love to go into Bergdorf's and sort of have that moment of discovery and then go have, like, a Gotham salad.
12:46Miles Redd:Tell me this, though. Like, the temples of shopping that are being built, do you miss the little man? Do you know what I mean? I feel like that is harder in this day and age where you stumble into a weird, funny specialty shop in the East Village. Do you think that feels... I do, but... Or is it happening in Brooklyn and I just haven't been there enough. I think it's happening.
13:07Stellene Volandes:We are oversaturated with information, content, inspiration. What stands out is the really special and the really good. You know, it just does. And the curveball. I mean, I think going back to like what we were talking about the formulas, you have to give people what they want, but then you have to keep surprising them because being boring is not luxury.
13:34Miles Redd:And it's not an option anymore. It's not an option. Yeah. It's not an option anymore. What is the difference between the decorative personality and sort of more of the fashion personality or the...
13:44Stellene Volandes:Well, I think the creative personality is the same. I think the sort of design personality hasn't gotten as much attention. You're saying interior design. Yeah, interior design, you know, decorators. I think the room has become so front and center. And I think the client has also. And I think, you know, we did the A-list this year and we did portraits. I love some of the A-list people.
14:19Miles Redd:They were so good. And they were funny.
14:22Stellene Volandes:The one at Gil Schafer.
14:23Miles Redd:Yeah. I have it framed. Yeah, the ingenue. I was like, the best picture ever of him. If you could have any person's jewelry collection, living or dead, living or dead, whose would it be?
14:36Stellene Volandes:Well, for me, it's also about the woman.
14:41Miles Redd:Sure.
14:42Stellene Volandes:Right? So I would like Suzanne Belperon's because I love both her jewelry and I love everything she stands for. And I would like Maria Callas's because I want to know where all that jewelry went.
14:56Miles Redd:God, yes. Where did it go?
14:58Stellene Volandes:Slightly mysterious. Kind of.
15:01Miles Redd:I'm going to throw Linda Porter. Yes, Linda Porter's, yes. Linda Porter's, that's a lot of Verdura and Valparais, so I get that. But also just, I loved her kind of streamline clips, do you know what I mean? Cigarette cases, something that I loved. I feel like I'm going to throw Jane Reitzman on the pile. Just because, diamond mines, baby. Coco Chanel maybe, even though it's probably not jewels, it's probably all paste as mama would say. Paste is fascinating.
15:38Stellene Volandes:Well, I'll tell you. So we are, next year is Town & Country's 180th anniversary.
15:44Miles Redd:It's kind of incredible.
15:45Stellene Volandes:It's incredible and it's daunting. And, you know, anniversaries are so tough because especially for a brand like Town & Country, you want to respect it and celebrate it. You don't want it to get too precious, which is why, like, you know, we did 175th anniversary with John Waters on the cover. I love that. Like very deliberate, like that was a curve ball. I loved it. And so you want it to feel like we're still, we're not like celebrating and half dead.
16:21Miles Redd:Yeah, you're not living on your laurels.
16:23Stellene Volandes:Yes, I think for both TNC and Elle Decor, it should feel like a reflection of the moment it's being published in, right? So, I mean, for town and country, there always needs to be one story in the issue that reflects something that someone's reading in the paper today. It cannot feel like a time capsule. And even with El Decor, I mean, less so, but it needs to have a kind of specificity of language and references that feels connected to the zeitgeist. Yeah, I get that. And I think it's very easy, I mean, with both brands that are so much about beautiful things and, you know, celebrating art and design and life, right?
17:13Stellene Volandes:To just sort of, you know, put something there and it's pretty and put some headline that is some funny pun. And I think we've worked really hard to sort of make it feel connected to something.
17:28Miles Redd:Definitely you have. And achieve that. Wow, well congratulations. Is that the oldest living magazine? It is, Miles. I mean, God bless you. It is.
17:39Stellene Volandes:I mean, there are like volumes from 1901.
17:42Miles Redd:That's kind of incredible. History is always repeating itself.
17:45Stellene Volandes:Yeah, or it's always just at least something that gives you some kind of launching pad.
17:52Miles Redd:It's a roadmap.
17:53Stellene Volandes:Yeah, roadmap. It's a roadmap. Totally, yeah. And what about you?
17:56Miles Redd:We are about to install a very big project in Mexico City, which I am so excited about. And that's really all I can say. I'll be asking you more about it. The funny thing about Mexico City is that, one, it's an explosion of design and craftspeople. And it is really one of the most elegant places I've ever been. like all thoughts go to Mexico City at the moment for me. A friend of mine took me to Maxime's on a Tuesday night. Snap, crackle, pop. Everyone was beautifully dressed. Everyone was like elegant. It felt like I was like New York in the 80s. You know what I mean? Like it's back. And like it really felt glamorous and elegant and exciting.
18:46Miles Redd:And I just I love that feeling that New York gives us. And that's why I'm living here myself.
18:52Stellene Volandes:Yes, no. And like going out is why we live here, right? Going to theater, going to museums. Like if you're going to live here, do it.
19:03Miles Redd:Completely. Otherwise it's tough. What's the point? Otherwise it's tough. What's the point?
19:07Stellene Volandes:No, I mean I feel so strongly about that. Like we live here for a reason. Take advantage of every single one of those reasons.
19:16Miles Redd:I know. I started by thinking like Staline, you make it fun. You make it fun. You make it curious, you make it slightly edgy, but there is this kindness about you that I love. And I'm like, I'm always interested, but never offended. There's certain times where I'll read stories in other magazines that will go unnamed, and I'm like, oh, those poor people. I never have that. I always walk away just thinking, well, that was fun. I feel good in your presence and feel good in your stories.
19:48Stellene Volandes:I love fearlessness, the fun of it, and I think the deep knowledge that is sort of in every room, that does not sort of like show itself off as like I am so knowledgeable and I know everything, but it is the layers sort of tell that story. You know, for me, I don't have a story unless I have a headline. Right. And you have sound bites that also, it's this ability to sort of see things and name them. And that's sort of a clarity of vision that I think I love in your work as well.
20:31Miles Redd:Thank you. God. Thank you for joining us in the Culture Lounge. We're so glad you're here. Each episode is a carefully curated conversation. a celebration of the arts, ideas, and people that make life more beautiful. We hope you live with a little more of that beauty today. New episodes arrive every other Friday at 9 a.m. Eastern. Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss what's next.
From the publisher
In this episode of the Culture Lounge podcast interior designer Miles Redd and Editorial Director of ELLE Decor and Editor-in-Chief of Town & Country Stellene Volandes come together for a conversation as layered and considered as the rooms that inspire it. They trace the winding paths that shaped their careers, step inside the world of auction houses, and reflect on the objects we choose to live with, and why we choose them. Along the way, they indulge in a spirited fantasy: the legendary jewelry collections they would most love to call their own.
