According to Penny Drue Baird, who divides her time between New York and Paris, “no dramatic trends have appeared recently, like 1940s French or Art Déco style, or the gray–flannel–and–Formica modern look of the 1970s.” Nevertheless, she says, design has evolved in fortuitous ways over the past decade. “It’s become simpler, cleaner and less encumbered.” Baird, who often collaborates with artists to create custom pieces, helps clients create refined, worldly interiors punctuated by bold gestures, such as a glass floor for a dining room that provides a view of the wine cellar. Although she favors a traditional style with French influences, she acknowledges that her clients’ needs are paramount (it’s just not true, she says, that designers “are overbearing and will impose their desires on the client”).
