WHEN TO SEE A SPECIALIST

In her new column, Rita Konig tackles modern design dilemmas, both practical and philosophical. Up next: the glory of the bespoke, when to resist it, and who to know.

- RITA KONIG

The power of the handcrafted wall.

Chez de Gournay, Chateau de Belvoir by Pierre Bergian.

One of the things I love most about my job is working with people who can create something completely unique for a room. I'm not one for designing everything from scratch, but I do love brainstorming with artisans to come up with something no one else has.

I came back from Venice last year having visited Amadi Bruno, a tiny shop that sells handmade glass animals, vegetables, and flowers. The owner, Signor Amadi, makes everything himself— craft doyenne Deborah Needleman led me there—and I left with glass peas and a butterfly for my daughter. These are the sorts of small things that carry a story and a cherished memory. Sometimes it is, in fact, the little things.

But there are, of course, also the big things. On a larger scale, Vanderhurd is who we collaborate with often for their embroidery and rugs. They made a stair runner for me. Staircases are a good place to have pattern, and I went to see Christine Vanderhurd with a photograph of a snippet of a paisley carpet. Together (it was mostly Christine!) we worked on the design and color, and the Vanderhurd team went to the extraordinary lengths of making it in increments so the pattern would match all the way up the stairs. Working with Christine is a particular treat, because I feel very safe in her hands. We worked together a few years ago to make a pair of folk art embroidered curtains for a client in London. The fabric for the French door curtains was posing a problem—they needed to be really striking, and I just couldn't find that in the world of yardage.