THE PROFILE: ALL ABOUT ELAINE GRIFFIN who is a nationally-recognized tastemaker and appears frequently in print. Elaine is a contributing editor for Better Homes & Gardens; designed the Good Works Makeovers for Oprah’s O at Home and a contributing/special projects editor at Elle Decor. She is ranked as one of House Beautiful’s Top 100 American Designers. She has also participated in the popular Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse in Manhattan. Her private client work has been featured in Elle Decor, House Beautiful, the New York Times, Daily News, New York Post, Southern Accents and New York Magazine. She appears regularly on the Today show.
Name . . .
Elaine Griffin
Occupation . . .
Interior Designer & Resident Bright Light in NYC
Tell me about a project or accomplishment that you consider to be most significant in your career?
Landing the role of the villain on NBC’s reality design competition, American Dream Builders, hosted by Nate Berkus, which aired Spring 2014. I had a blast playing Miss Badass and Carrying On (capital C, capital O, honey) for the cameras at the drop of a hat, but she was just that – a role. In reality, I’m one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. Maybe just a wee bit impish?
What things do you not like to do . . .
Take the subway on excruciatingly hot days. Eat dinner after 6:30 (I’m in bed by 10!). Go to the gym. Refrain from eating cookies.
What is your perfect pizza?
Let me confess that I am a pizzaholic – I could live on nothing else (other than French fries). The gold medalist in my Pizza Pantheon would be thin crust loaded with prosciutto, basil pesto, smoked mozzarella and a super marinara as sauce. I could have that every Friday – we’d do other ones for the rest of the week.
What kitchen utensil do you use most frequently?
I’m a recent convert to a (mostly! ha!) plant-based diet, so zucchini pasta is a new staple! And I’m on that mandolin like nobody’s business.
Who is your secret celebrity crush?
Don’t laugh – The Rock!!! Yes, Dwane Johnson!!! Mr. Fabulous!!! I want him to come pick me up – literally! Like Fay Wray in King Kong! And then he can carry me somewhere cozy for cocktails. He and David Beckham could have a bar brawl over me at the end of the evening. But I’ll leave with Sean Connery, who would’ve been watching the whole thing from a corner all evening with a sly, knowing grin on his face. (Because James Bond always gets the girl, doesn’t he?) #PerfectNight
Are you a night owl or a morning person?
If you are ever bored silly at 5:15 am, text me . . . and I’ll answer you stat. (See Question 4.) Sunrises are magical to me, although . ..
What time of day were you born?
Sunset – and it’s still my favorite time of the day.
Do you know your heritage?
I’m a transplanted Southern Belle, who’s also a quarter Cuban (my grandfather was from Havana). This means that if it’s deep fried AND spicy, I’ll definitely want seconds.
Do you follow astrology? What zodiac sign are you ?
Of COURSE I do! Don’t we all? I’m a triple Gemini (which is why playing Miss Badass came so easily on TV!)!!
What would your DJ Name be?
I’m from Georgia, so let’s go with Miss Peach. Or Peachtree Something, like in Atlanta. Peach Out?
Do you have a favorite number?
Surprisingly, no!
How many pairs of shoes do you own?
I just counted them for a closet – more than 65 pairs if you count both seasons. Why do I only ever wear like 10 of them? #ShoeHoarder?
What is your present state of mind?
Giiiiirl (don’t worry, I call EVERYONE that), it’s 3:15 pm and a latte is calling my name. Other than that, I’m content. The BIGGEST benefit of having been once married to a psychoanalyst is having a hotline to the best. therapists. in. the. world. So most of my biggest demons are all chilling in a closet now under lock and key, and that’s a sweet place to be in life. Dahlin, it took a loooot of work to get here.
It’s 6 pm at your favorite bar or restaurant, what drink do you order?
Paul Hobbs chardonnay, chilled to just above freezing. A Kir Royale. Both? Are you buying?
Do you awake with or without an alarm?
With! Sugar, my Type A personality means it would PAIN ME to miss a THING by oversleeping even a nanosecond!
Uber, Taxi, Subway or Citi Bike?
Subway if I’m crossing the Island of Manhattan, north to south (fastest way). Uber when I’m rolling east to west, or if I look too cute to sweat it out with the hoi polloi on the 2 train. Taxis late at night, which is so very NYC to me. And j’adore taking the bus up Madison to window shop and see what everyone is wearing.
What song is ready to play on your playlist?
I listen to waaaay too much Top 40 when I exercise: “I Can’t Feel My Face When I’m With You”
What is the last photo you took with your cell phone?
Sunday brunch with my uber-besties at the Red Rooster in Harlem.
If we were to peek in your closet, the dominant color would be?
What season is it? Brights and white for summer; blacks, browns, grays and beiges for winter. #Predictable
One of the best lessons my parents taught me is to . . .?
Match belt to shoes? OK, no, seriously: to be polite and say thank you. Say hello. (Southern parents obsess over, “child, did you SPEAK?” which translates into, “did you greet the other person and acknowledge their importance, too?” We just love speaking to everyone we cross! Which New Yorkers find really strange.) And also to be grateful. The older I get, the more that gratitude thing means to me. I see so many people who just. don’t. get. it. And that’s sad.
What is your favorite work of art?
If everyone who reads this sends me a thousand dollars, there’re a couple of Basquiats and Frankenthalers I am DYING to snap up . . .
What is your favorite building in Manhattan?
Daily I dream of having lunch at the Cloud Club in the Chrysler Building. With Cary Grant. At the end of the day, I’ll head home to the Pulitzer Mansion at 11 East 73rd Street.
Elaine was a cast member of NBC’s newest primetime design reality show, American Dream Builders hosted by Nate Berkus, Elaine is also the author of the bestselling Design Rules: The Insider’s Guide to Becoming Your Own Decorator (Gotham Books, 2009). A compendium of the rules, principles and proportions that define well-designed spaces and make them look great, Design Rules has become a go-to reference book and transformed Griffin into a home design authority for every style, price point and demographic.
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