Talk Shop: Veere Grenney // Veere Grenney Associates
Photo by Lucinda Douglas-Menzies
ABOUT VEERE
Veere Grenney needs no introduction. The New Zealand-born, London-based interior designer is a legend in his own right; an industry player for over 30 years and a key figure in English decorating, Grenney trained with the most acclaimed designers of many generations, like Mary Fox Linton, partner of David Hicks. Grenney was a director at the storied Sibyl Colefax and John Fowler before launching his own company in London. Crafting bespoke residential projects spanning across the globe, he and his small team at Veere Grenney Associates have an elite list of clients that return to him time and again (with good reason!) Though Veere’s perspective on decorating is traditionally English, he takes the pillars of his design style—elegance, simplicity, and comfort—and applies it to any style, whether classic or contemporary. We are huge fans of Veere’s timeless, beautiful work, and we were honored to sit down with him. We hope you enjoy this special Talk Shop!
Describe your style in three words or less:
Comfort before cool.
What have been the three biggest influences on your aesthetic in your life:
Billy Baldwin, David Hicks, and Sir John Soane.
How did you start your company, and what is your favorite thing about what you do:
I started my company with sheer hard work and by taking a huge risk. My favourite things are being creative and being a part of the world of beauty.
Do you have a mentor in your career, and if so, how have they helped to shape your trajectory:
At the mid-point in my career, my mentors were Dudley Poplak and John Fowler. Dudley was a revered interior designer in the last quarter of the 20th Century. He worked on the most important country houses in England and decorated the homes of the Prince and Princess of Wales. He fought hard throughout his career as he often slipped under the radar and was not known to the majority of people. Dudley shaped my trajectory by the quality of work he undertook. John Fowler was a legend who sadly had died when I joined Colefax and Fowler. However, the work I undertook whilst working for the company completely reflected his talent and trajectory.
What does your home say about you:
That I am highly eclectic but very ordered.
Where do you find inspiration:
From the garden
Who are your style icons:
Nancy Lancaster, Ruby Ross Wood, and Van Day Truex.
What are your key ingredients for entertaining:
Good food, good drink and good company.
Do you collect anything:
Only paintings, of all styles and periods
Favorite Instagram accounts to follow for inspiration:
My inspiration mainly comes from books, either biographies or books of interior decoration
What design “rule” do you always follow, and which is made to be broken:
Sill length curtains have the ugliest proportions, so should almost never be used. However, like ¾ length dress they can look incredibly chic when styled in the correct way. But very rarely!
What are you working on right now:
A new build house in the Midwest of America, working with James Carter from Birmingham, Alabama.
Wardrobe staples:
A Richard James suit
Favorite fabric/wallpaper:
Tapa in Bitter Chocolate by Fortuny / Palm Stripe by George Spencer
Best interior advice you ever received:
To go for clients that treat you well, rather than clients that just have money
Best career advice you ever received:
To pursue the career in which your heart should belong, in a world you wish to inhabit.
Types of home purchases you invest in, and save on:
Paintings – I dislike extravagance, and only like value
Your greatest extravagance:
Diptyque candles
Favorite places to shop for home:
Sotheby’s, Christies and the Paris flea market
Most prized possession and why:
A 18th century ceramic figure of Buddha painted in turquoise, pink and yellow. It is incredibly beautiful and serene.
Your interiors motto:
More scholarship, less trend
Your life motto:
Follow your heart
Advice for someone looking to define their own interior style:
To let your passion show
Take Ten: My Favourite…
Food: Italian
Drink: San Pellegrino
Film: Blow up (1966)
Hotel: The Cipriani in Venice
City: London
Bedding: Linen sheets
Tea or Coffee (and how do you take it): Weak, black tea – no sugar or milk
Playlist: My classical playlist – including Mozart, Bach, Felix Mendelssohn, Leopold Hoffman and Max Bruch
Weekend Activity: Gardening and walking
Design Book: All of David Hicks design books
