Talk Shop: Alice Engel // Director of Interiors for Peter Pennoyer Architects
ABOUT ALICE
Alice Engel leads the Interior Design department at Peter Pennoyer Architects. A native New Yorker with an A. B. in History of Art and Architecture from Harvard College and a Masters in Fine Arts from Rhode Island School of Design, Alice draws on her experience in high end residential and commercial design to develop distinctive finishes and furnishings that suit the character of each project. She has worked on firm projects around the country and led the design for their popular Kips Bay Decorator Show House room in 2019 (a Fenimore Lane favorite room!) Peter Pennoyer Architects has a book coming out this October, titled Rowdy Meadow: House - Land - Art, and we’re so excited to see it live! We loved sitting down with Alice, and hope you enjoy the interview!
Describe your style in three words or less:
Elegant, understated, practical.
What have been the three biggest influences on your aesthetic in your life:
Family, history, curiosity. My mother’s career as an architect and landscape architect informed my perception of the built environment. She is creative in many ways – from sewing and needlework to painting and gardening – and I followed suit. I inherited an appreciation of history from my father, who reminds me to this day that “history doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes.” Mark Twain’s famous quote inevitably applies to design, which borrows from all disciplines and eras. Frequent family outings, whether to the Met or to Marrakech, instilled in me a curiosity about what is around the corner or around the globe.
How did you get where you are today, and what is your favorite thing about what you do:
I studied art history as an undergraduate and became fascinated by patterns and the applied arts. Following a thesis on James McNeill Whistler’s The Peacock Room and an MFA in Textile Design, I segued into interiors and honed my editing skills. My favorite thing about what I do is that there is always more to learn – from terrazzo to passementerie, one can fall down wonderful rabbit holes. I also love visiting workrooms and working with the craftsmen who bring our ideas to life. They are a wealth of information.
Do you have a mentor in your career, and if so, how have they helped to shape your trajectory:
Peter is a mentor in life and design. He is a curious mind and is quick to recommend a poignant poem or an interesting show. With a gimlet eye and a can-do attitude, he makes design what it should be – fun! I have had tremendous opportunities at PPA and have learned countless lessons from my talented colleagues here.
What does your home say about you:
My house would tell you that I am an editor, that we love books, music, art, and old things – and that I am tidy.
Where do you find inspiration:
Books, World of Interiors, Instagram, museums, travel, the great outdoors.
Who are your style icons:
Elsie de Wolfe, Sofia Coppola, Lulu Lytle
What are your key ingredients for entertaining:
A thoughtful seating arrangement. Everyone will thank you when they don’t have to cast about for an open chair. A well-stocked bar, comfort food, fresh flowers, candles, or a roaring fire. My husband on the piano!
Do you collect anything:
Silver, pillows, textiles.
Favorite Instagram accounts to follow for inspiration:
@collagerie, @peter.lyden, @getthegusto, @alexandratolstoy, @designfortoday, @benpentreath, @sarah_balineum
What design “rule” do you always follow, and which is made to be broken:
Painting trim and ceilings white. Consider a contrast trim or continuing the wall color, especially in small spaces.
What are you working on right now:
A townhouse in the West Village and a Penthouse on the Upper East Side.
Wardrobe staples:
Maxi dresses for summer and a smart coat and boots for winter. I have a weakness for APC.
Favorite fabric/wallpaper:
Almost too many to name. Le Manach, Raoul Textiles, Robert Kime, Soraya Shah for Temple Studio, Shyam Ahuja, Hiroko Takeda, Antoinette Poisson, Prelle.
Best interior advice you ever received:
2700k is the perfect color temperature for lighting – anything cooler and you are in the hospital ward.
Best career advice you ever received:
Showing up is half the battle. This applies to so much in life – and it is especially resonant in the design world now, mid-pandemic. We learn so much from in-person meetings, and from site visits and clapping eyes on objects and finishes in person.
Types of home purchases you invest in and save on:
Invest in decorative lights and lamps; save on architectural lighting. I have never been a fan of overhead lighting, so when I do use it, it must be sculptural and lend volume and character to the room. Invest in pieces that you can take with you, rather than Venetian plaster walls, for example.
Always: roll up your sleeves up if you have it in you. If you can’t splurge on a rug, paint a broad, simple pattern on your wood floors.
Your greatest extravagance:
Lady M, my custom framer, my ever brimming shopping basket at Eisler Chemists
Favorite places to shop for home:
WOKA, KRB, Sara Japanese Pottery, John Derian.
Most prized possession and why:
My husband’s handmade paper cutouts, an engraved silver folding frame from Firestone and Parson, which holds photos of my kids.
Your interiors motto:
I channel Coco Chanel’s quote “Elegance is refusal.” Be a keen editor and choose enduring, interesting pieces over trends. Don’t take yourself too seriously.
Your life motto:
Kindness is king.
Advice for someone looking to define their own interior style:
Collect things over time that hold meaning for you, whether a postcard collection to arrange on a wall or rugs from your travels. Embrace the auction.
Take Ten: My Favorite…
Food: Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon, Lloyd’s Carrot Cake
Drink: White wine spritzers, Coconut Water
Film: My Octopus Teacher
Hotel: Hotel Eden in Rome, The Imperial in New Delhi, Mr. C Miami
City: Vienna, CDMX
Bedding: Society Limonta, Matouk, C&C Milano and Harris Levy, a wonderful family-owned shop in NYC
Tea or Coffee (and how do you take it): Plain chamomile tea or a decaf cappucino
Playlist: Anything by The English Concert (@englishconcert) – and lately: Raffi for our 9-month-old twins
Weekend Activity: Strolling Central Park
Design Book: Rowdy Meadow by Anne Walker