Q&A With Haskell Harris of Garden & Gun

Today is really special because my friend Haskell Harris is here visiting us.  You're most definitely familiar with her work because she is the associate editor over at Gargen & Gun Magazine.  She covers all things style.  So you can imagine that I fell hard for her when we first met at one of designer Marysia Reeves' parties.  She's charming, inspiring, smart, and gorgeous all wrapped into one.  Oh, and isn't her name just the most?... to say the least.

{Photography by Tim McManus}

She also writes a great style blog for Garden & Gun called Belle Decor.  Be sure to check it out.  But before you hop over there, you must get to know Haskell a little better.  And what better way than a good ol' Q&A?!

Let the games begin...

LLL: Let's pretend that we're to going on a trip to Spain. What do you want to do first?

Haskell: First I'd hit the beach in Luarca (photo from soultravelers3.com). I like lonely, windswept, Heathcliff-ian types of places and I think that's why I love Luarca so much. It's not a tropical beach, which is part of the allure. Second I'd stop for fresh gazpacho made the right way (with bread) image from cookography.com. It's the most beautiful color peach. Then I'd finish things off in Grenada in a tea house near the Alhambra.

{images via Soultravelers3 and Cookography}

LLL: Do you collect anything? 

Haskell: Yes! I collect hourglasses. All shapes and sizes. My favorite ones are big and made of antique brass. I also collect vintage bags...evening and otherwise.

LLL: What is your greatest extravagance?

Haskell: Being a foodie. I would rather try a new food or enjoy lots of great meals on a regular basis than go on vacation or buy clothes. I'm a big believer that if you really sit down and take the time to enjoy food and not rush, you don't overindulge because you're not in a hurry! It's such a simple pleasure and you have to do it every day to live, so why not enjoy it to the fullest, right?

LLL: If you weren't an editor extraordinaire, what would you most like to do?

Haskell: In a dream world, I would run a bed and breakfast in the mountains. There are so many bed and breakfasts in beautiful areas, but usually they are dated and scary on the inside as far as the design goes! I'd love to reinvent the whole idea of a bed and breakfast and do it the right way.

LLL: A Garden & Gun issue wraps up.  What do you do to relax/celebrate?

Haskell: The entire staff usually gathers to do something together. Last year we all went to Bowen's Island for oysters and beer on the water after we closed an issue. Loved that!

LLL: You obviously have a flair for fashion. Who is your style icon?

Haskell: I love Cate Blanchett. She's feminine and fearless. That's what I love most about her whole aesthetic. She knows who she is. She knows what she likes. She knows how to make the most of her beauty.

LLL: We usually can't afford to dress head to toe in our favorite designers. So which 3 stores would you say most of your closet comes from?

Haskell: Anthropologie, Asos, J. Crew!  In general, I avoid most trends. I just gravitate toward things that are soft and feminine.

LLL: We are out for dinner and drinks. What do you order?

Haskell: A champagne cocktail, tomato tart-tatin, gnocchi with lamb bolognese, and sorghum pudding for dessert. All from Fig in Charleston of course!

{Photography by Squire Fox}

LLL: Is there a design trend that you are tired of?

Haskell: Most of the time, I have respect for every trend, tired or not. Even if it's something I would never use in my own house, someone out there loves it and it brings them joy to look at it, so more power to them.

But right now, I'm loving all the marbled papers and other marbled motifs in the decor world. The whole look reminds me of all the beautiful marbled papers made in Florence.

LLL: Which blogs are daily reads of yours?

Haskell: Hollister Hovey and Remodelista.


See, I told you she is a gem!  Thanks so much to Haskell for stopping by.  I don't know about the rest of you but I would happily visit a Bed and Breakfast designed by Haskell.  Or anything else she does for that matter.

XOXO,