Quick Takes With: Clare de Boer

How does Clare de Boer do all that she does? She’s a chef, writer, creator of two of the most inspired restaurants of the moment….and did we mention she’s also been nominated not once, not twice, but *four* times for James Beard awards?

We first took note of Clare’s work at King, the chic yet unfussy bistro she co-founded in the West Village of New York City; since then, she’s opened Stissing House, an early American-style tavern-with-a-twist in Pine Plains, NY and frequent object of our attention (even the butter is cool). Clare’s latest project, with her husband Luke, is Roseland, a furniture co. that celebrates American hardwoods and design (read more about it here). Whether a recipe or a restaurant or really, really great window coverings, everything Clare touches seems at once effortless and entirely fresh. (Even the menu, she told the New York Times of King, “should read like a poem.”)

Today Clare takes a pause from her many summer projects—”cooking classes at Stissing House, working with a few American weavers on a collection of 100 percent natural cotton blankets, and bringing an unvarnished, VOC-free cherry nightstand to Roseland.com”—to share an upholstery secret, most reached-for kitchen tool, and easy wardrobe staple. Read on:

You’re invited to dinner. What’s your go-to gift?

A bottle of fresh-press olive oil.

What podcast or playlist do you put on when you need inspiration?

Bretti Folk, a list my husband started when we got our first house in the Hudson Valley six years ago. It’s a mix of songs he grew up with and songs we’ve discovered over the years.

Which Instagram account do you go to for design inspiration?

@shakermuseum.

What’s on your bedside table?

Giant carafe of cold water, wedding photo, hair clip.

What’s a film or TV show whose aesthetic has stuck with you?

Nancy Myers’ kitchens.

What has been your best house upgrade?

Rainfall shower heads, cleaning air filters more frequently than needed, and a Rush Matters hand-plaited mat that is chemical-free and smells like a walk in tall grass.

Is there a simple or budget-friendly design move you wish you’d known sooner?

Instead of buying upholstery fabric, make slipcovers from thick linen bedsheets: much cheaper and they give a relaxed, lightweight look.

My favorite sheets are…

The worn ones, sun-dried on a washing line.

My unpopular design opinion is…

Keep all original features, including the ones you might find ugly. Fashions change and period details should be preserved.

Your design pet peeve?

Any uncomfortable sofa. Archways where they don’t belong.

My go-to kitchen utensil is…

Stainless steel tongs.

Three words that describe my design style:

Comfortable, classic, easy.

What item from your closet do you have on repeat?

Any white T-shirt.

Favorite design shop to visit (online or in person)?

liveauctioneers.com.

What is the last thing you purchased for your house?

A giant clamshell.

Something you’re coveting?

All the sofas and chairs at Dean Antiques.

I don’t leave the house without…

A notebook and several pens that don’t work.