Ep. 299: Romantic Modernism with Bobby McAlpine

How to Decorate

Our guest this week is renowned architect Bobby McAlpine. His eponymous firm, McAlpine, is known for blending modern and traditional elements to create bold, soulful, and poetic homes meant to capture imaginations while still feeling familiar. Bobby joins the pod to talk about his new book, Romantic Modernism, out on March 21st, and discusses some of the sculptural elements he brought into the architecture, the influence theater and drama have had on his work, and the personification of his home including knowing his boy house needed a sister. Bobby also shares what life on a private island is really like and how we can include soft yet beautiful drapery in our homes to give us that romantic yet modern twist.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• How the silver and gold crayons represent classicism and modernism to Bobby.
• How Bobby decides when to really go for it in some elements in the house and when to remove them.
• How has the experience of living in the house in Atlanta been compared to what Bobby imagined when designing it?
• What it’s really like to have a private island in the world.
• How Bobby balances being in the world of both architecture and art.
• What would Bobby tell a student starting their first year of school now?
• The importance of choosing materials that are timeless.
• Many of us build more than we want and need, and a good house is not a long real estate amenities list of things.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Ballard Designs

McAlpine

Romantic Modernism