Of The Moment: Eddie Ross

We’re thrilled to share our latest Of The Moment, with the inspiring, authentic, and downright genius interior and styling expert—Eddie Ross. Eddie is the co-founder and chief content office of Maximalist Studios with Jaithan Kochar—the location of our March Style Guide. Eddie has worked as a design, decorating and food editor for Better Homes & Gardens, Food Network, Martha Stewart Living and House Beautiful. Eddie is also the author of Modern Mix: Curating Personal Style with Chic & Accessible Finds. J.McLaughlin photographed and styled our March Style Guide at Maximalist Studios and are in awe of the magic that Eddie and Jaithan helped us create.  
 

Below, we sat down with Eddie to talk design, the do’s and don’ts of decorating, the show he can’t stop watching (spoiler alert: there’s a pekingese who eats pate) and 2021 as the year of the home. You’re in for a treat, maybe even some mint chocolate chip.

Name: Eddie Ross

Where do you live: Wayne, PA

Job: Founder and Chief Marketing Officer, Maximalist Studios

You have to live with the things you love, if you don’t you’re never going to feel like your home is yours. Someone can tell you about how you should live and decorate your house and yet it has no personality. That’s where people with Instagram sometimes feel they need to be someone else. Be yourself! Always.

You can learn to style your table, but always put your spin on it—your books, your decorative accessories.

Buy things when you travel. It takes you back to these moments and these experiences. When someone else buys something for you, the only experience you have is writing a check.

Always be curious no matter how old you are . I’m innately curious about all kinds of subjects— history and the way people lived, new modern topics, and I think that is a way of just staying with the times with technology with style and with trends.  Keeping up with what is going on in the world—while being confident enough to be you!

All Creatures Great & Small. The pekingese in it is named Tricki Woo, and he eats pate. It takes you back in time and is so great.

I am not a minimalist— but living through this pandemic has really changed my style philosophy. Earlier in 2020 when life was especially crazy and we were confined to the house, there was such a color explosion it was making me feel a bit chaotic. Jaithan and I shifted our style, and went back to my true roots in style and design, like Martha Stewart back in the day. Tonal and textures in a calming palette— but still with traditional and modern pieces, like high gloss trim. People are going for more of a soothing and serene vibe—but not lifeless. You should still have the prize moments. For example, modern Italian chairs around a traditional Pennsylvania amish farm table.

Not painting a room a darker color—you can still make a serene room with a dark brown or dark gray. If a smaller room is a darker color it actually makes the room feel cozier. Also, people say to avoid large furniture in small rooms and I disagree. A large armoire or a bookcase makes a room feel better. The last rule to ignore— don’t paint a ceiling a color. I think when the walls and ceiling are a color it makes the room feel taller. 

Don’t make your house a museum, make it comfortable. There’s a difference between walking into someone’s house and it’s all “don'ts''. “Don’t park there. Don’t walk on the carpet. Take off your shoes. Don’t sit on this. Don’t do that.” 

Compared to someone’s house where they just want you to be comfortable and enjoy. Leave your shoes on, it’s a house things should be used, lived in, and loved. If that carpet is too expensive for you to afford, buy something you can live with.

The colors that make you happy. For me, I’m really embracing colors found in nature…greens and blues and neutrals and stone all those colors. But it’s not to say that you can’t embrace HOT PINK. If that’s what you love.

VODKA. I would say, life, in your house—plants, dogs, birds. Something living. 

Light every single candle you have in the house (unscented so it doesn’t compete with the meal) and eat dinner in a different room in the house. Make space where you could have dinner in your living room, actually use your dining room, and the rooms in your house!