In Conversation with Designer Lucien Rees-Roberts, and Why Juxtaposition is Essential

Homeworthy sat down for an interview with Lucien Rees-Roberts, the distinguished interior designer and 2008 inductee of the Interior Design Hall of Fame, to delve into the insights of his book, Timeless Modern Interiors. Published by Rizzoli, this volume celebrates the sophisticated and varied interiors crafted by Rees Roberts + Partners, where style transcends passing trends to embrace timeless elegance and functional beauty. During our discussion, we explore Lucien’s artistic background, his design philosophy, and the myriad ways these influence his approach to interior design. Drawing on his lineage of painters and a profound love for art, Lucien’s designs integrate subtle color palettes, refined textures, and bespoke furniture with the architectural character of each space, creating environments that resonate with both modern allure and comforting permanence.

HOMEWORTHY: In the book, Timeless Modern Interiors, we get a peek into some of the spectacular homes you’ve designed around the world. With each so distinctive, is there a common thread woven throughout these homes?

LUCIEN REES-ROBERTS: I think the wonderful thing about our work is that it is not the same for each project, but the approach to creating a home for our clients is based so much on the individuality of the clients, and it is about learning how they want to live, how they spend their time in their homes, that generates the design.

The common thread linking these projects is the importance we place on comfort, and link this to the ease of living. The use of color to create a subtle tranquility and the sculpture-quality of the furniture we choose allows a timeless quality to infuse these projects.

HOMEWORTHY: Are there one or two particular homes that left a lasting impression on you after you designed them? What made them so memorable?

LUCIEN REES-ROBERTS: The house in Cabo San Lucas, which we started in the late 1990s was for us a transition to a more minimal and sculptural use of furniture, color, and a juxtaposition of luxurious materials against a backdrop of hard, simple, elegant materials.

This was the fourth project we had worked on with the same client and the second where we were developing the idea of bringing some color from the landscape into the house, so the indoor-outdoor relationship flowed seamlessly.

Lastly, we designed several pieces of furniture for the house that we developed later for other projects.

The second project that was very influential on our work was the tower in Croatia. This was the third house that we had renovated on the island and we were able to refine the ideas that we had developed before. The tower was a 1460s defense building for a merchant’s villa, which no longer existed. It was an empty shell with only a stone vault over the original system at the bottom of the building.

Here, we were able to restore the fabric of the building, while not destroying the history of its use while creating a home that would allow us to enjoy the building as a modern space. We had windows and doors made that replicated what had been there historically. We used handmade terracota tiles from Italy on the floors, beams that were hand-sewn and stained, and finally roof tiles that were from old buildings of that era, all of which created a sense of an untouched building of that period. The furniture was a total juxtaposition to this 15th-century building, with modern furniture that we collected and also pieces we designed for the house.

This became the approach to other projects we did on the island for our clients.

HOMEWORTHY: You come from a long lineage of painters – and you yourself are an artist as well. How has this rich artistic heritage influenced your design philosophy?

LUCIEN REES-ROBERTS: I think, growing up in a house of artists, and having grandparents who were artists made me aware of the importance of developing a color palette for a painting, or in this case, for a home or room where texture or a material added to the canvas was essential to the richness of the painting.

Developing a palette for a client and understanding the balance between colors can transform a composition.

Lastly, I think, looking at sculpture, proportion and design, and using the mind to visualize spaces was developed from an early age.

HOMEWORTHY: How do you incorporate a client’s character and personality into your own vision for their home?

LUCIEN REES-ROBERTS: Getting to understand and know a client is what makes our projects so individualistic to each client. That process is what makes working with clients so importantly intriguing. Finding out how they live, how they spend their time, from getting up in the morning to how they enjoy having breakfast. How they would enjoy spending time in the home, whether by themselves, or with their children, or how they would like to entertain.

 It is important to understand what a client enjoys in their home, whether it is books, paintings, or whether it is entertaining guests, or the daily enjoyment of being with their family.

Details such as which side of the bed a client sleeps on to who gets up first, or what type of color or pattern people enjoy is essential to learn.

HOMEWORTHY: Attention to detail is a hallmark of your work. Can you discuss the significance of details in your designs and how they contribute to the overall aesthetic and functionality?

LUCIEN REES-ROBERTS: For us, we consider how the home will be lived in; and in the process understand where detail would be most understood without making the interior unnecessarily elaborative. For us, it is important that when you sit in a chair or at a desk that what you see next to you, whether a painting, a sculpture, a glass, is beautiful and interesting. The beauty of the surface of the table next to you, and the lamp giving you light to read by, are all part of the texture and richness that you can enjoy in a way that is suitable for the room, as well as the client.

We believe strongly that the fabric you sit on should provide softness and texture, and be equally beautiful to look at.

For us, there is no detail that should look unconsidered. However, not all details are equally important. It is essential to understand a hierarchy of what is important in a room and in the house.

HOMEWORTHY: Your designs often blend tradition with contemporary flair. Elaborate on your approach to merging different styles and influences in your work.

LUCIEN REES-ROBERTS: Juxtaposition is essential to making projects come alive and feel interesting, whether that is hard to soft surfaces, or rich detail to simplicity, or modern to antique.

We believe that furniture with a mixture of design sensibility is important. Even if the house is essentially modern, having certain pieces that are from the 1950s or 1980s mixed with contemporary furniture gives a depth and richness to the design. When interiors are only of the now, it can often lead to a flatness and lack of interest.

There are so many wonderful designs from the 20th century that are timeless. However, there are those pieces which are hard-surfaced or cold. These we use in a limited way since it is essential to maintain and develop warmth for our interiors.

Where possible we love to introduce antique furniture or art, mixed with modern. The juxtaposition can give an added layer to a project while allowing us to appreciate each piece dependently. Sadly, it is rare these days for a client to enjoy this balance.

HOMEWORTHY: You have a gift for creating homes that evoke a sense of luxury and sophistication. Can you share some tips for homeowners looking to infuse their spaces with elegance and character?

LUCIEN REES-ROBERTS: For us, it’s important to have clarity between the architecture and interior, furnishings and design. It is always best to allow the architecture to read clearly and strongly. Secondly, it’s important when you enter a room to think about what you want to focus on, whether it is a view into the room, a piece of furniture, a painting, or whether in fact that is a window and the landscape beyond. Do not create a visual confusion around that important first view. It is what you sense of the room when you walk in that allows you to understand the space as you are in it. As we mentioned earlier, having a limited color palette, allowing you to focus on things that are important, whether it is art or the views of the outside space, is what is important. 

We enjoy juxtaposing luxurious materials against simpler materials, whether it is a wood floor with a soft carpet that enjoys texture, or the variation created from a soft silk pile.

Not every piece of furniture needs to be special. I think a lot about which pieces are important, whether it is a coffee table, an end table or a lamp, even a console against the wall – those are the pieces that need to be quietly there, interesting and potentially rich in the materiality.

Lighting is essential and a means of creating something that is warm and intimate that allows people to look good, and allows you to enjoy the space or the art.  It helps create areas where people want to be. The soft glow of light in those areas where you want to come together with your friends.

The small object on a table, the books on the coffee table or a piece of sculpture. These are things that give a richness and luxury to the overall space. In particular, we enjoy finding and collecting Murano glass art because of the way they catch light and the way they give color and richness to a space.

HOMEWORTHY: One design feature everyone needs in their home?

LUCIEN REES-ROBERTS: For us, a comfortable table to eat at where you can enjoy the company of your friends or your family is very special.

Over the years, we have created designs which are neither rectangular, round or oval but amorphic. Being at a table that could seat 10 people, and yet is comfortable with two or even four, is what makes these tables so special. They allow people to talk one on one or as a group. You’re able to see everyone and you can talk across the table because it’s not too deep.

This combined with a comfortable chair, for us, is the most special thing.

HOMEWORTHY: What do you think makes a house homeworthy (and bookworthy!)?

LUCIEN REES-ROBERTS: The most important thing is creating a space that facilitates how clients want to live their lives. Everyone has their own routines, and we want to enhance those day-to-day experiences by creating environments that are comfortable and functional.

For the average person, a home is built bit by bit over the years as they collect items and stories. We streamline that process by presenting clients with only what we consider the best options, but in the end, it is always up to them to decide which pieces they feel a connection to, what comfort level they prefer, what speaks to their sensibilities.

Incorporating new and vintage pieces along with a variety of materials creates a more eclectic space that doesn’t feel manufactured. When clients first move into their house, it should already feel like home; the culmination of choices made hand in hand with their designers. That is the essence of home, and why if you look through our work, no two projects are the same – each one is tailored to the individual, and beautiful in its own way.