A writer, editor, trend and color forecaster, artisan advocate, nonprofit leader, former home furnishings executive and founder of the HAND/EYE Fund and HAND/EYE Magazine, Keith Recker has a passion for life as is evidenced in all he is involved in. Previously, Recker was influential in shaping brands, products and services for Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s and Gumps, among others. He recently co-authored PANTONE: The 20th Century in Color with Leatrice Eiseman. When not traveling the world, Recker can be found on Shelter Island with his partner, designer James Mohn, and their daughter and creating the next issue of HAND/EYE magazine.
Q: HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
A: I have so much curiosity about the world outside that I don’t have much time to think about myself. I guess you could say that I am a visually oriented word freak, which means I want to immerse myself in everything I see so that I describe it, and so I can see the patterns that connect everything.
Q: WHAT IS INSPIRING YOU RIGHT NOW?
A: It sounds self-serving, but I am loving HAND/EYE magazine—05/World Textiles, 06/Global Color and 07/New Mexico. My purpose as founder and editor is to explore the nexus between design and development, culture and commerce, art and craft, and environment and ethics as our mission statement says.
Q: WHAT IS THE WORK YOU ARE INVOLVED IN?
A: These days, my paying work is in trend and color forecasting for Pantone and WGSN. My pro bono work focuses on HAND/EYE magazine and website, where we document the creative work of artists, designers and artisans across the globe.
Q: WHAT IS THE BEST PART OF YOUR JOB?
A: Meeting people with one foot in the traditions of the past and the other in the creative future: They challenge what I think I know and push us all forward.
Q: WHAT IS YOUR PERSONAL STYLE?
A: I strive to disappear with what I wear. The act of observing is best accomplished in camouflage. I did, however, buy a red corduroy blazer and a red sweater this past year.
Q: HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR HOME STYLE?
A: It’s all about context. When my partner, James Mohn (http://jamesmohndesign.com) and I renovated a big Tribeca loft, we lived with a clean, well-lit modern way, surrounded by the subtle grays and greens of New York City’s urban environment. Now that we live in a 19th-century farmhouse (in the Hamptons), we only come indoors when it’s too cold to eat in the garden, so we live with warm colors and deep textures that comfort us in the winter. Think old Oushak carpets and blink-printed linen.
Q: CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHY YOUR STYLE HAS CHANGED OVER TIME?
A: Our living environments are the result of a 16-year dialogue with my partner who is an accomplished architect and interior designer. We are very different in our sensibilities, and we love the combination that results. We’ve changed what we live with every day based on the city we are living in, and the nature of our built environment. Context is the beginning for us, and we work from there. A sense of rightness emerges.
Q: HOW DOES DESIGN IMPACT YOUR LIFE?
A: Every time someone designs a new object or appoints a new interior, a new story is written, and I am completely fascinated by these narratives. Good and bad, there’s always something to look at and learn from. If you’re not learning, you’re not alive.
Q: WHAT DO YOU COLLECT?
A: Contemporary paintings, vintage ceramics and glass, and textiles from everywhere I travel. Textiles are my first love. We live with hand-carved ebony from Mozambique, voodoo art from Haiti, Lao silk, Uzbek Suzani, flea market vases, mid-century tables, 19th-century armchairs and 20th-century paintings.
Q: WHAT ROLE DOES COLOR PLAY IN YOUR LIFE?
A: It is what moves me through my day, every day. Whether I am looking at a Titian painting or a pile of laundry, I find myself looking at the color palette. I love every color—in the right place and at the right time. The only ugly colors are the ones that don’t fit the occasion in which they appear. The most beautiful ones contribute something inimitable to the circumstances in which they catch your eye.
Q: WHAT COLOR(S) DO YOU THINK WILL INFLUENCE US IN THE COMING YEAR?
A: Pantone has said Tangerine Tango is the color for 2012, and I agree. We will need some very bold, saturated tones to keep us moving through our ongoing economic doldrums. But in broader terms, I think we need to engage with color on two levels. First, since we spend so much time engaging with technology, we have a capacity to absorb and work with intense, saturated, perhaps even unnatural color. But we are also, increasingly, trying to balance all of that with a sense of grounding. We want to be able to withdraw into ourselves, into our home lives, into something natural just to remember that we are more than the technology we use incessantly. We are human. Our tenderness, our layers, our longings make us unpredictable and spontaneous. This human exploration will require richer, earthier colors.
