When we think of fabulous furniture makeovers and amazing vintage finds, the first name that comes to mind is Eddie Ross. You may not know him by face (yet!), but Eddie has been the genius behind many House Beautiful shopping finds and Martha Stewart Living stylings, where he was Associate Deorating Editor and Senior Style Editor respectively. Now you can catch him as a guest on several HGTV shows, featured in top magazines and jazzing up old furniture on his popular blog, eddieross.com.

We check in with Eddie as he talks entertaining, antiques and how he likes to spend lazy Sundays.

1 If you could shadow any designer for a day, who would it be?
Eddie Ross Definitely Adrian, who was a costume designer for MGM in the '30s and '40s. His costumes were works of art, and entire rooms could be designed around his pieces.

2 Where do you look for obscure sources of inspiration?
ER Everywhere! I go to flower arrangements for colour palette inspiration, and flea markets and garage sales are also huge inspirations for me. I flip through old magazines from the '20s and '30s as well, like Country Life -- they had such a class back then.

3 Favourite restaurant?
ER Old Mill in Egremont, Massachusetts, where they serve French and American comfort food. It's just so quaint and has a beautiful fireplace. Plus, the service is amazing, the food is delicious and you always feel welcome and warm -- it's kind of like going to someone’s home for dinner. Probably the best dinner I've had outside of New York City.

4 What’s your favourite room to decorate?
ER Definitely the dining room. I love entertaining and setting the table. With a dining room, even after it’s all decorated, you can constantly change it up by how you set the table.

5 What’s your current paint colour obsession?
ER I'm liking the oranges and persimmon from Farrow & Ball. Oh, and the new Benjamin Moore Aura colours -- the whole fandeck is beautiful.

A couple of old chairs from Goodwill that got the Eddie Ross makeover treatment.

 

6 If one song could be the soundtrack to your life, what would it be?
ER "She Works Hard For the Money" by Donna Summer!

7 What’s the one store you could spend hours browsing?
ER A store in Norwalk, Connecticut called Braswell's -- it's amazing and they always have the best antique stuff. Some of it can be junky, but most of it is beautiful and the pieces come in all different price points. I recently found some vintage scarves there and turned them into gorgeous cushion covers.

8 London, Paris or New York?
ER London! Out of any place in the world, I would want to live there. When I used to work for magazines, there were expense accounts so there were always opportunities to travel -- I wanted to go to London all the time! I could browse Portobello Rd. for hours -- it's heaven on earth.

9 If money were no object, what one thing would you buy?
ER A gorgeously bold house, like a Vanderbilt estate. It would have stables, a greenhouse, tennis courts -- just over-the-top everything! If I ever did buy such a house, I would hold big dinners and charity events so that it could be beneficial for everyone.

10 What do you consider to be the most iconic design piece of the past century?
ER Wow, that's a tough one! I'd have to say Billy Baldwin’s brass bookcases. They're very modern but also very traditional -- they really can go into any space.


A grand staircase in Greenwich is dressed-up by Eddie with a showstopping garland.

 

11 What's your favourite movie?
ER It's a tie between Mommie Dearest and Auntie Mame.

12 And favourite movie interior?
ER It has to be Auntie Mame -- the sets are unbelievable! The film goes from the Depression era through to the '50s in New York City, and features Rosalind Russell as Mame. Every time she leaves for a period of time and comes back, she has a designer gut and re-do the apartment, and each time it looks simply amazing.

13 What do you think is the easiest way to update a room?
ER Changing the lampshades, adding some paint and moving furniture around the room.

14 Best coffee table book?
ER I have an amazing book that's all about silver from Tiffany & Co. It goes through when it was first being made up until the present. It's incredible to see what people would commission them to make -- it was all so elaborate.

15 What’s your fave way to spend a lazy Sunday?
ER First, heading to the New York City flea market in the morning then having lunch at Barmarche.

Eddie revives a 1970s modern chrome chair with a great trellis patterned fabric.

 

16 Do you like to be the entertainer or be entertained?
ER I absolutely love to entertain -- I actually graduated from the Culinary Institute of America. I think my fave type of gathering would be a cocktail party. Hors d'oeurves are like little main dishes that you can spend a lot of time with to make them look really beautiful.

17 What do you think is the best renovation you can do to your home?
ER Spend time redoing your kitchen. It adds an enormous value to the house because it's the heart of the home -- it’s where everyone gathers. Of course, you should always try to have a butler’s pantry -- it makes life so much easier.

18 What is your fave space that you’ve designed?
ER I'd have to say Martha’s stable kitchen. I was able to use her entire antique copper collection, which was incredible.

19 What’s the biggest design faux pas?
ER Probably just having too much stuff out on display. I love looking at everything I've collected, but it could end up just looking cluttered.

20 Marilyn, Audrey or Jackie?
ER Marilyn -- she was a partier, a bit of a badass and she worked hard for the money!

A dusty old Chippendale secretary found at a consignment shop gets a new lease on life after Eddie applies his magic touch.