Heros & Hacks: Bunny Williams

Hey There,

Our Heroes & Hacks series is about sharing our favorite designers and some of the tricks they have up their sleeve.

Let’s start by acknowledging my biggest design hero (while definitely a part of history) is still very much alive and working as hard as ever: Bunny Williams is just the coolest.

I think I’ve listened to every interview and speech she’s ever recorded. I talk about her with such frequency, it’s a surprise my friends haven’t made me a WWBD (What Would Bunny Do) bracelet yet. Her work is sometimes prettier and a little more traditional than I would want for myself, but her approach to the way people live in their homes has never been more relevant.

Now, the hacks:

1- Bunny’s adage, “If you love it, it will work.” It’s not really a hack, but it’s a way of thinking that can drive the success of a project. Obviously, it’s not universally true either. I have seen enough Precious Moments collections displayed proudly to be sure. I see it as an invitation both to the designer and their clients to have confidence in their convictions. I have never had a client arrive at my door with a completely blank slate and I hope I never do. They have a history, it is important to them and it will shine through in their home.

2- Then there’s Bunny’s obsession with drinks tables. Again, not really a hack, more of an essential. She says every seat needs to have a place nearby to set a drink. What I love here is how much she’s thinking about what people are actually going to do in a room, not how pretty it will look in a picture.

3- Finally, here’s an actual hack I learned from listening to Bunny. The rug in an entry hall should be the color of the dirt outside. If my memory serves me, she said where she grew up in Virginia the dirt is a reddy color, so her mother’s entry had a rug with lots of red in it. The rug in my entry is the Harwich Natural Woven Jute Rug designed by Mark D. Sikes for Dash & Albert. It doesn’t match my dirt, but I can spray it down with a hose. If I had bought Bunny’s Auricula for D & A, I bet I could stop with the hose. You might want to follow her too on Instagram while you're at it...