Recently, I found myself wanting lightness and simplicity. The spare and subtle quality of a Rietveld chandelier spurred me to entirely redo my house in tones of silver, pearl gray, and gold. Perhaps in my old age I have become softer, if not quieter. In the dining room, a steel shelving system by Vittorio Introini hangs behind the silver-and-black Paul Evans table, and the walls are upholstered in white corduroy beaded with a quotation from Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea. I placed a pair of bookshelves by Andrea Branzi in the doorframes of the library, and in the evening, when the metallic gold walls reflect the light, the room has the aura of an enchanted forest.

The hallway walls are covered in a pearl gray linen that I found in the garment district. The texture reminds me of burlap. The living room is perhaps the most peaceful and soothing room in the house. The fabrics are in tones of taupe, silver, and cognac, with the slightest hints of shimmer.