the GUEST room: KEITH ARNOLD
PHOTO: PAMELA MOUGIN We are excited to welcome Keith Arnold, the Vice President of our office at Suzanne Kasler Interiors, to the guest room this fall! Keith is an incredibly talented designer, stylist, and all around wonderful person… our office wouldn’t be the same without him! Keith began his career at SKI in 2004, after many impressive years working in the industry. After graduating from Auburn University with a degree in Architecture, Keith began his career working in visual merchandising for Neiman Marcus and Ainsworth-Noah. The next stint on his design journey was at Charles Pollack in L.A., where he learned all about furniture design and the world of antiques. From there he went to work in design for the darling Martyn Lawrence Bullard! After arriving at SKI, Keith quickly became a key part of the design team and a leader in the office. His design sensibility, chic styling skills, quick wit, and positive personality have made him a beloved talent at SKI and we are forever grateful to have him!
What inspires you?
I am inspired by everything… you never know where inspiration is going to come from… I may be inspired by a political speech, a dragonfly, travel or the way someone puts an outfit together. I am constantly surprised by the things that stick in or change my mind.
Tell us about YOUR favorite guest room
Well, the first thing that comes to mind is the Saxon Hotel in Johannesburg. I recently spent one night there and was sad to not stay longer.
Tell us about your most recent favorite find…
This summer we were on safari in South Africa, Zambia and Botswana. Our trip was AMAZING. Not only the fellow travelers we met but also the locals were unbelievable. From everything we ate to every room in which we stayed to the things we saw, the whole trip was a sensory overload. Yet, somehow, I slept like a baby every night. Africa has this energy that is hard to describe but I will try. When you are miles away from any of our regular urban familiarities, your mind changes and the connection you feel to the animals and even to the stars is so much more real. Not to sound too cliché but it is kind of spiritual. Everyone you meet is either also like you, sorting out these feelings or is already so in love with environment that they choose to be here all the time. Living in a city you don’t see stars much less lions ever. To see the beauty in our natural world affects you deeply.
What is one thing about you that would surprise people?
I don’t think I have any surprises left… I lay it all out there and am just narcissistic enough that I talk all about me. It may be surprising that I love country music and I know the words to all of it. All of it… Like Kitty Wells, early Loretta Lynn and Hank Williams Sr. even Barbara Mandrell’s “Sleeping Single in a Double Bed”.
What is your definition of TIMELESS STYLE?
Timeless Style is finding something that works for you and translating it into and out of current trends and fashion. I love to go into old houses from every era finding beauty that lasts or looking at old fashion shows and still being enamored by the timelessness of true Design… for example… I could look at photos of Yves St Laurent’s houses forever. They are so picturesque of a 70’s and 80’s kind of glamour but they also would be so chic to live in today. We went to the Christian Dior retrospective in Paris a couple of years ago and the clothes were so beautiful. From the 50’s to today the beauty stood strong. That is timeless style.
Jackie Onassis? She had it…
