Ask . . . the Interior designer
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Interior designer Richard Rothstein of Haddonfield would describe the leap from Hollywood screenwriter to high-end interior designer as an evolution, not a revolution. This Lexington, Mass., native grew up in a household of "no pets, no feet on the furniture," and initially resisted anything to do with home design. That all changed dramatically, and today, at 39, he owns and operates Rothstein & Co., with locations in Haddonfield, Mount Laurel and on Madison Avenue in New York City.
Question: What did you expect to be doing as an adult?
Answer: I graduated from the University of Pennsylvania as a communications and English major, and thought I'd be a writer. But my other love was medicine, so I took the courses I needed to get into medical school the year after college and was accepted at Stanford.
Q: What happened then?
A: I spent the summer before medical school writing a screenplay, ended up in Hollywood, and decided to defer medical school as I got more and more work. I loved writing and had some success. The hardest decision I ever made was to ultimately reject the invitation to Stanford Medical School, but it was the right decision for me.
Q: How did you get into design?
A: As I got screenwriting out of my system, I began becoming more interested in design as my wife and I furnished our own home. I found myself wanting to know more about the very things I'd rejected, fine antiques and rugs. I was particularly interested in finding rugs in the same tradition as the ones that had been parents' home, but they just weren't around.
Q: What happened next?
A: My wife, Katrina, is originally from West Deptford, and after several years in Los Angeles, we decided to move back to this area. That's when I got really serious about design work. I really dug in and studied the history, then found the region in Azerbaijan where craftsmen had made the finest rugs centuries ago. Then I worked with the weavers to revive the old patterns and colorations. It became my magnificent obsession.
Q: Is there a market for these rugs?
A: Absolutely. I travel to Azerbaijan very frequently because I have clients from all over the country who really appreciate these want fine rugs and other furnishings. But I always start with the rugs and built the rest of the design around them. I tend to use several patterns in one room because I find that the most interesting.
Q: What was it like to work on the Designer Showhouse of New Jersey in Saddle River?
A: It was a fantastic experience. The showhouse was a $7 million estate, and I was asked to decorate the largest room in the house. I filled it with Federal furnishings and window treatments with documented fabrics done to museum specifications. It all had to be done in a period of six weeks, so it was pretty frantic, but very exciting.
Q: Do you ever regret giving up both medicine and screenwriting for your interior design work?
A: Never. What I do feels extremely creative and gratifying. I
get to spend time with my wife and my three kids, and at long last, I
really appreciate what my parents introduced me to so many years ago.
They were right after all - beautiful things are their own reward.
(www.rothsteinonline.com)