I believe in creativity, hope and hard work. I built a business from the ground up, literally—my work began on the sidewalks of Boston. I created larger than life chalk drawings, pulling colorful images out of those dark gray slabs of concrete. As I drew, I passed out cards to anyone who would stop and talk to me that read, “I can do any art project with love and style.” Now I paint in homes and businesses and create beautiful murals and hand-painted children’s rooms, as well as limited edition artwork.

I reference the things that inspire me in most everything I do: mid-century illustration books, Dolly Parton, super-cute Japanese aesthetics, vintage dishes, art deco, fashion and music. I like to look for inspiration in everything, even little things like how car brake lights shine like neon rubies on an otherwise gray and rainy day.

When thinking of everything from furniture to textiles to artwork to how to decorate a cake or pick out the right neck tie, composition is so important. Everything benefits from good composition and editing. Getting rid of something is just as important as adding something.

Above all things, I go back to a couple of design rules all the time. The first one is from my parents: “Good style comes from within and not a price tag.” The second I learned while working as stock boy in Bloomingdales. Roz, who worked in the China department, would say, “If you’ve got fancy china, get simple silver; if you’ve got fancy silver, get simple china.”

I live by the third one—I think Dolly Parton and Liberace subscribed to it as well—if all else fails, cover it in glue and roll it in glitter.

I love living in NYC and sharing my home with my charming partner and our two cats. In my down time, I like to hang out on rooftops and listen to music. Occasionally, when the right song comes on, we dance around like Muppets.

– Sam Simon

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