Jonathan Adler

Designer We Love: Jonathan Adler

Website Address: www.jonathanadler.com

Quotable Quote: Thy rooms shalt feel like the most opulent hotel rooms in which thou hast ever stayed. Thou art worth it.

Background: New Jersey childhood. Brown University education. Made his big mark with retro-groovy pottery and chic styling. First big order with Barney's New York. His themes follow pop culture trends, modernism, luxe and tongue-in-cheek designs ranging from hearts and animals to geometrics and bamboo. Residential interior designer. Furniture and accessories business in upscale boutiques. Jonathan Adler signature stores in Beverly Hills, New York Soho, East Hampton.

What We Love: Here's a man who glommed onto clay at summer camp and turned his love of the medium into a studio business turning out pots with a David Hicks flair and his own personal mojo. He mocks convention, has a great sense of humor, and injects his personality into everything he does.

We love his Manifesto, which includes statements like "We believe minimalism is  a bummer" and "We believe our designs are award-winning even though they've never actually won any." You've got to admire the chutzpah behind the guy (or at the very least the talent of his copy writers).

While some of his interiors err on the too-much-like-a-hotel look, we actually think too many hotels are starting to copy his swingy groove and carefree modernish, clashy-clash color sense, and accessories everywhere.

We would recommend his work in a heartbeat. And we recommend his uplifting style of living as a model for anyone in the design business. Go to his website and you will see what we mean (recently: he's donating a percentage of his sales to benefit Peruvian earthquake victims). This sets a great example for us all.

Jonathan Adler Sampler: