Influences, Holidays and Interior Design
- Joan Greene
- Apr 13
- 10 min read
Updated: Apr 14
Holidays have a way of marking the passage of time. This Easter I took an early morning walk with my dog. The quiet was so comforting and restorative. An Easter spent with his unconditional love and his ever positive curiosity for the world makes him an easy companion. During that silent walk my mind traveled back to the Easters of my life from frilly dresses my mother made to a Plaza Hotel brunch during my college years.
I so wish I had photos to show you the events that shaped me and influenced my taste as a designer and a human, but those were the days before we carried a high resolution camera in the palm of our hands disguised as a mobile phone.
My mother was one of the most beautiful women Louisville, Mississippi, ever saw. She knew about fabrics and fashion. And dressed her first grader in cotton dresses that she made in color combinations that were unusually sophisticated for a girl who picked cotton as a child, wore flour sack dresses and was educated at a one-room school house. If only I had the picture of her in a thin sheath dress made of black raw silk with a black lace detachable skirt, spike black patent leather shoes, white gloves and a wide brim hat. She designed and sewed that ensemble as well as the pastel dresses that my little sister and I wore. From her I learned that getting all dressed up made you feel better, made folks respect you more and that quality over quantity was key.
I was an art major in college and I knew when we landed in New York exactly what I wanted to see from museums to plays and Tiffany’s. Don’t forget Tiffany’s where Audrey Hepburn had breakfast and Moon River was the soundtrack. On Broadway we saw “Hair” and then to redeem ourselves from the nudity that we witnessed, we bought tickets to see the original cast in “Jesus Christ Superstar”.
I can just see my college roommate standing in front of the Saks Fifth Avenue windows Easter week during the 1970’s. To a couple of kids from a little farming town in Mississippi, New York City was like landing on Mars. We may have been out of our element, but we had the courage or raw wonder lust to see as much as we could and soak up all the culture we could cram into four days. It changed the trajectory of my life.
New York offered us lessons in how different people see the world through their experiences and surroundings. At one point we waited in line to see what all the hubbub was on Fifth Avenue and why the crowds were lining up to see the Easter windows at Saks Fifth Avenue. When we finally got there, we turn to each other and simultaneously exclaimed, “Aw it’s nothing but chickens hatching!” The crowded sidewalk roared with the laugher of the bystanders at two country girls who found baby chicks being born a normal thing. To many New Yorkers it was a first and worth the long wait.
It was at that window that I learned how important drama is in retail, creating a show and telling a story. I remembered those windows for years and often thought of the wonder of that Easter on Fifth Avenue when I created windows for my retail shop, Bears To Go, in Berkeley, California and at Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco. Years later I had the opportunity, for a couple of years, to design the windows for FAO Scwharz on Madison Avenue. These were highly sought after windows during the New York Toy Fair. My designs were inspired by windows that I had seen years before at the famous Henri Bendel Department Store - large fashion sketches with mannequins mirroring the poses in front. In this case, the sketches were by fashion illustrator Donna Mehalko and the mannequins were Mel Odom’s Gene Doll Line.
In my business as an interior designer, I am always looking for the drama and telling the story. I define spaces by pulling the eye toward important features - a beautiful fireplace, the magic of the outdoors from a kitchen window or the quiet comfort of a spa-like bedroom.
Now, back to NYC on that 1970’s Easter morn. At the time the book, “The Power of Positive Thinking” was a household read and I did my research and knew that the author, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, was the pastor of the Marble Collegiate Church in Manhattan. Early Easter morning my friend and I got all dressed in our Sunday best, walked to the famous church and were ushered right in. I was so excited that we were near the front. A man dressed in work clothes and carrying a hardhat asked if we could move over a bit to give him room to sit. I was moved that a construction worker in his daily attire took the time on his way to his job to take in the service.
To our great disappointment, the speaker was the assistant minister and not Dr. Peale. At the end of that service the ushers cleared the church, but that is were I learned that determination and pleading your case has great power. When the usher came to our row the man next to me wished us a Happy Easter and went on his way to work, the church was emptying but I came to hear Norman Vincent Peale and stated our desires to the usher. The usher was an old hand at this and calmly told me he was sorry, but there were people waiting for the seat. At that moment our fairy godmother appeared in the form of a beautifully dressed African American woman who took my hand and told the usher that we were with her and that her family had a box. They did and we got to hear the man we came for. He spoke with no notes, recited the scripture from heart and did not disappoint.
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale preached at that church for 52 years and on that day in that place two young adventurers stood their ground and heard the lesson of redemption, of hope, and of the joy of Easter from the master of positive thinking.
As we walked out we became part of the crowd that made up the famous New York City Easter Parade. We were on our way to brunch at the Plaza Hotel.
One of my art instructors told me that we had to have tea at the Plaza in the famous Palm Court, so we counted dollars and coins to buy tickets for their famous Easter Brunch. To this day, I have never seen anything so grand as the real chocolate egg that stood in the lobby. It was taller than me and was actually melting a bit, from the lighting, slow sweet rivulets of real chocolate. The flowers, the setting, the people who were sitting in the chairs in the lobby - some famous, some weary travelers. If only I had had a cellphone in those days then I could show it to you - the beauty, the wonder and the grandness of it all. When I think of it now, those were the days when we immersed ourselves in the experience because that was all there was, the present, the experience.
When we were lead to the dining area the guests seemed so much more worldly and grand than two kids who had spent their last dimes to be there. The table setting was magical like a garden down the center of the tables and small potted purple hyacinth sat at each place setting. A whole pineapple sat in the center of each plate. I had never seen a real pineapple. Before that I guess I thought pineapples came in rings in little flat cans and was used to dress ham and Spam.
Sitting down, I had no idea what to do with that pineapple, but a kind lady sitting near us recognized a bumpkin when she saw one and showed us to lift the top to get to the fresh fruit salad inside. Yum! In Mississippi at that time of year, fresh fruit was fruit cocktail from a can. I don’t remember what the main course was but we were so excited and out of our league that we both did not do the food justice. Now, dessert was another story. To this day, I can finish a dessert. Give it to me. I will figure it out.
If only I had that camera to show you the dessert. It was served in shallow bowls - a puree of raspberry with a molded ice cream Easter Lily “floating” on top. I think of it now and all the preparation and creativity from the culinary team to use the old medal molds to form each flower — vanilla ice cream for the lily, pistachio for the stem and handprinted lines for the inside to make that frozen flower look real.
That trip, that brunch, the Metropolitan Museum, the Statue of Liberty and many walks down Fifth Avenue studying the windows and the people made me a lifelong fan of Manhattan. Years later when I headed up a program at Ashton-Drake for a doll called, Gene, I knew that when we wanted to do a party at Toy Fair to enticed guests to come and launch the line, that the Plaza Hotel was the place to go. I remember meeting with the head of catering at the time (1990’s), and telling him what our budget was. He almost laugh, but I told him my Plaza story and how this girl had never forgotten the grandeur of that great old hotel. Before I left, we had a plan and it was an enormous deal for my company just because a dreamer did not want to be told, NO, and was willing to put her heart on the line. Alex, the catering manager and I stayed friends for years and the Gene Doll Parties were the talk of Toy Fair.
Tip if you want the people to come: Have your event somewhere that many people would never go, but always wondered about. To many, the Plaza was too upscale, too fancy and they were hesitant to cross into the lobby, but with an invitation in hand they had the key to a new experience.
Also, never be afraid to put your heart on the line if it really matters. I have made my career putting my heart out there, sharing my experiences and dreams for the good of a project, for clients and to make a difference when it mattered. Sometimes people don’t see that in me or understand what I gave to get it done for them, but it is all I know - to give it all I have.
Somewhere there must be one photo of those two college kids in New York, but I can’t find a one. Somewhere there must be a photo of my mom in that Audrey Hepburn worthy dress, but I doubt it. We just didn’t record life then the way that we do today. Somehow looking back today reminded me to stay in the present, the right now - a quiet day with my dog, texts and calls from family and friends - no egg hunt, no fancy brunch - just a quiet retreat from the chaos of the world.
Tomorrow, I will be designing again, all influenced by the places I had the courage to go, the people I had the honor to meet, the arts from books to plays that feed our souls and the wonder of nature’s color palette. Since I can’t show you those old pictures I hope the words tell you a bit of my story and the photos below show you some of my interior designs that reflect my heart and influences.
Working with women in Africa. Learning from them about their culture and artistry. Teaching them techniques for production that I learned from years of giftware design. Helping create revenue streams for artisans.
Designed gift shop for the Kambaku River Sands in the Western Region of the Timbavati Private Game Reserve in South Africa.
https://www.kambakulodge.com/room/riversands/ Designed, sourced and purchased all the fixtures and display pieces and stock in South Africa. Traveled with a local driver to the camp to install the gift shop at this luxurious safari camp.
One of my happiest moments: Selected from a field of 300 designers from around the world to design the showroom for the Government of South Africa. Much joy and love went into this design. Also, oversaw the Grand Opening at the America's Mart, in Atlanta, Ga.
Quote from Nelson Mandela at showroom entrance window, "It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.” -Nelson Mandela
Stacks on Main - Lobby Design - Downtown Nashville, TN Influences: My love of music and this town, Music City USA.
"Good design is about creating a dialogue between the past and the present" — Bunny Williams.
"My job is to listen to the client and hear their needs and dreams and to bring my experiences and influences to the table to give them a style that elevates their house into a home." -- Joan Greene
Joan Greene is an interior designer that works with residential and commercial clients in the greater Nashville, TN and Panama City, FL areas. For more information click here.
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