One of Scottsdale’s top designers, David Michael Miller, gives us the inside scoop on the fashionable places and pieces he’s loving now.
“I grew up in the Chicago suburbs and studied interior design in the city. My tastes and sensibilities for interiors formed there, which tended toward clean lines, simplicity and a preference for using natural materials,” says David Michael Miller, founder and principal of his eponymous interior design firm DMMA (davidmichaelmiller.com) in Old Town Scottsdale. “Also, in my youth, I had visited a number of Frank Lloyd Wright-designed buildings and had read several of his books. Wright’s designs and writings I found intuitive and inspiring.” Miller has run DMMA since 1989, collaborating on luxurious residential projects, imbuing an edited, simple design aesthetic that avoids extreme trends. Here, he shares the latest places and pieces he’s loving now.
“On a trip through Italy, I had the opportunity to stay at the Aman Resort in Venice. The hotel occupies the Palazzo Papadopoli, one of the city’s eight monumental palazzos on the Grand Canal. It is an exceptional building and hotel.” Aman Venice hotel, aman.com
“Favorite fragrance for me. I wear it everyday!” Comme des Garçons, comme-des-garcons-parfum.com
“A favorite stop for me when in Los Angeles is visiting Blackman- Cruz. They have such an amazing menagerie of collected objects from other cultures and periods past, as well as showing really beautiful current work like these mirrors by Mike Diaz. Such amazing work!” Mike Diaz for Blackman Cruz Excelsius Mirrors, blackmancruz.com
“I am a jeans and T-shirt sort of guy day-to-day. I do love Brunello’s basic black T-shirt. The craft of all of their clothes is so well-made, even in a simple T-shirt.” Brunello Cucinelli basic black T-shirt, brunellocucinelli.com
“I was lucky enough to be part of a design and construction team that recently created an exceptional house compound near Scottsdale. A handsome coffee table book was created and published to document the house. The project team was led by architect C.P. Drewett and built by Desert Star Construction. The house is beautifully photo-documented by Werner Segarra. We are all so proud of this very special project and this book.” STRATA: A Desert Dwelling (Oscar Riera Ojeda) by James Moore McCown, oropublishers.com
“I am of late enamored with the furniture and lighting designs by Hervé van der Straiten. The scale, proportion, composition and finishes created by the studio are other-worldly.” Hervé Van Der Straeten for Ralph Pucci Lustre Cristallin, ralphpucci.com