Designer Michael S. Smith Compares Kitchens to a Great Pair of Heels

By Marni Elyse Katz
October 6, 2011

Interior designer Michael S. Smith may have long been a household name in interior design circles, but when he was chosen by the Obamas not only to redecorate the Oval Office, but also to redo the private quarters of the White House, he took on some serious buzz. Based in Los Angeles, where he launched his own firm in 1990, Smith’s rooms are a comfortable blend of antiques and traditional elements with a contemporary sensibility for the way we live life today. Given that the designer shares Michelle Obama’s enthusiasm for mixing high style and low-priced finds, its no surprise he was the man for the high-profile job. The Washington Post reported back in January 2009 that according to Michelle Obama’s spokeswoman, the First Family selected him "because he had a similar vision of what they were looking for." Based on the look of the Oval Office, that would be a traditional look overall in neutral palette, with a hint of the contemporary, and lots of comfy seating. Sort of like what you’d expect if a politician went Cali casual. The last time an L.A. designer worked on the White House was when President and Nancy Regan worked with Ted Graber in the 1980s.

In addition to re-imagining spaces from start to finish, including those of such glamazons as Steven Spielberg, Rupert Murdoch, Dustin Hoffman, Cindy Crawford, and Michelle Pfeiffer, Smith has also authored several interior design books. His third, Michael S. Smith Kitchens and Baths (Rizzoli, 2011), was recently released. He also designs a number of product lines, including those for Kallista (bathroom and kitchen hardware), Ann Sacks Tile, and Mansour Modern Rugs, and was appointed by President Obama to the Committee of the Preservation of the White House. His work has been featured in every top decorating magazines, including Architectural Digest and Elle Décor, which have both included him in top designer lists.

Though he refuses to discuss his high profile customers (he told the Washington Post, "I just can't discuss my clients") We had a chance to chat with Smith about his philosophy on designing kitchens and baths, as well as his early preoccupation with Japanese style.

Michael S. Smith

Michael Smith (Photo by Sheila Metzner); Michael S. Smith Kitchens and Baths (cover photo by Michael Mundy)

The Inside Source: How do you begin to develop the look for a project?

Michael S. Smith: More than anything it’s about an idea; I always have a narrative in mind, as though I’m developing a movie or TV show. It’s often a fusion of the person who lives in the home and the actual architecture of the house. You won’t walk into a modern high rise and find an English hunting lodge. I believe the style should be rational and reasonable.

The Inside Source: Do you have a different approach when it comes to designing functional spaces, particularly the kitchen?

Michael S. Smith: It’s a little stricter. Kitchens and baths are miniature aspects of the architecture of the house. The kitchen is the hardest room of the house, and the one where people make the most expensive mistakes. You don’t want a kitchen to be too personal, like a kitchen that’s a French chateau or one that’s super modern done in blue lacquer. You have to live with it for a long time. A kitchen is like a pair of expensive shoes—[they] can be beautiful, but you need to be able to walk in them too. It’s investment dressing; overdoing it can be disastrous.

Michael S. Smith

The tub in this Bel Air, CA home faces the garden and built-in closets line the perimeter of the room. The tub is inspired by Claridge’s hotel in the 1930s, and became the prototype for Smith’s "Town" collection for Kallista.

Michael S. Smith
The kitchen of the Bel Air house, which Smith essentially tore down and rebuilt. The shape and style of the range hood echoes that of the barrel-vaulted ceiling, from which antique lights are hung. The cabinets are plain and white, but the hardware and faucets are plated with sterling silver. (photo by Francois Halard)

The Inside Source: What aspect of the kitchen should one splurge on? Where can one skimp in a kitchen?

Michael S. Smith: You need quality appliances that look good, but I’m a big proponent of used goods. A used white fridge is better than an avocado one. There are plenty of ways to save money, like just swapping out the fronts of your cabinets—the doors—instead of the entire unit.

The Inside Source: Did you grow up surrounded by good design?

Michael S. Smith: I grew up in a beach town with an artist mother, so I grew up around interesting, quirky things. I have always been interested in the idea of history and looking back to past periods in architecture and design.

Michael S. Smith

The kitchen floor in this little Laguna Beach, CA beach bungalow is painted apple green. The white marble topped-island houses the TV and separates the kitchen and living area. Smith chose a Venetian mirror as a flounce to the otherwise simple style. (photo by Grey Crawford)

Michael S. Smith
The natural colors of the landscape inspired the scheme for this Palm Springs, CA kitchen, which opens onto a courtyard. Architects Leo Marmol and Ron Radziner designed the cabinetry and the backsplash tiles were handmade by Heath Ceramics. (photo by Grey Crawford)

The Inside Source: What did your bedroom look like when you were a kid?

Michael S. Smith: I changed my bedroom all the time. Once I made it Japanese. I was obsessed with the book Shogun. I remember having rice paper shades from Pier 1. My mattress was on the floor. I flooded a big chunk of our backyard when I tried to make a Japanese garden. It was a costly mistake for my family. I always had big, big ideas. I think the iteration with the most impact was when I had navy blue wallpaper with red ladybugs from Marimekko. I was, like, five. I probably picked it out.

The Inside Source: Where are you finding inspiring lately?

Michael S. Smith: I read and look at so much. I try to do tons of research and immerse myself. If I’m working on Art Deco-inspired paneling, I’ll look at 300 examples.

Michael S. Smith

left: Smith channels a 1930's kitchen staff vibe for this laid back kitchen on the Upper East Side of New York City, but does so with modern-day practicality. The island top is a slab of white CaesarStone and the floor is an industrial, cement-like material called Ardex. He had the doors of the Viking range enameled in white for a more old-fashioned feel. (photo by Michael Mundy)

right: In a master bedroom located high up in a tower of an Italianate style house in Laguna Beach, CA, a chair that looks Chinese but is actually an Italian antique sits besides a copper tub under a wooden ceiling. A Turkish rug warms the marble floor, above which hangs a Venetian glass chandelier. (photo by Grey Crawford)

Michael S. Smith
The breakfast nook in a modest 1930's bungalow in Oahu, HI has a concrete floor colored with green and blue pigment and scored with lines for pattern and texture. Smith paired the traditional wooden pedestal table with practical, vintage aluminum chairs. The effect is wonderfully underdone. (photo by Grey Crawford)

The Inside Source: Do you collect anything?

Michael S. Smith: I have a lot of half-hearted collections. I’ll start collecting something, but then I might put the pieces in a house for someone. I love peach blossom and green tea powder Chinese porcelain, twentieth century furniture, like pieces by Karl Springer, and weird things called moon flasks that are a type of blue and white porcelain.

The Inside Source: Where do you shop for home furnishings?

Michael S. Smith: I go to auctions at Sotheby’s and Christie’s. I look on eBay and 1st Dibs. But I also try to balance it out with other sources, like dealers with interesting points of view, like JF Chen Antiques in L.A and serious French antique shops, like Jacques Perrin in Paris. I know it’s cliché to say high/low, but I also look at the Crate & Barrel catalog.

left: This romantic master bathroom in a Brentwood, CA is in a home built by architect Paul R. Williams in 1936. Smith constructed a staircase to access a third floor dressing room. The wedding-cake loop rail is modeled on a feature found in another home built by the architect. A Venetian glass mirror sits on the marble tub. (photo by Scott Frances/August)

The Inside Source: What have you bought on eBay?

Michael S. Smith: Oh, lots of stuff. Indonesian batik to cover chairs; I wanted to find real batik. Vuitton-inspired suitcases, porcelain. eBay is great for finding used books, especially ones on decorating books on architecture and design. I recently spotted an autographed copy of Billy Baldwin Decorates.

Michael Smith shops eBay for The Inside Source:

Roll over items for details

Two Thai Silk Decorative Pillow Covers in Silver Stripe

(buy it now price, $12.49)

Two Thai Silk Decorative Cushion Pillow Cover in Rose White

(buy it now price, $18.99)

Two Floral Batik Throw Decorative Pillow Cushion Cover

(buy it now price, $18.99)

Indigo Blue Batik Appliquéd & Embroidered Hmong Green Pillow Cushion Covers

(buy it now price, $38)

Chinese KangXi Blue And White Porcelain Vase

(buy it now price, $385)

Designer Michael S. Smith Compares Kitchens to a Great Pair of Heels

1-2. You can find pillows in interesting textiles at great prices.

3-4. I’ve searched eBay for batik from Indonesia when I wanted authentic batik to cover a set of chairs.

5. Porcelain vases are good to use as lamp bases.

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