Molly Pastor: What are the characteristics of a signature Paul Garzotto room?
Paul Garzotto: I would say the rooms have several things in common. There is a certain economy and precision in how the furniture is arranged. Typically, I put color in the background of the room rather than in the objects. And there's certainly an aspect of classicism, meaning I keep an eye out for the new, but I am not interested in fashionable interiors per se. No one wants to eat a badly baked cake no matter how fancy the icing. To this end, I go to a great deal of trouble to move switches, plugs, vents, and lights to calm the background down.

MP: We'd love to know your five favorite paint colors.
PG: I've always been a huge fan of Farrow & Ball paints. Red Earth is a great pale red for a library. Typically, the deeper a color, the more sheen I prefer, just to keep it lively. I usually trim a "color" room with the same color doubled to give slight emphasis to the edges. I see so many red rooms that are overly bright and trimmed in glossy white. I refer to this as the Santa-suit syndrome. When a room has great moldings and perfect details, red walls with white trim can be appropriate, but more often than not, white trim draws the eye to parts of the room better left unnoticed.

Powder Blue and Ballroom Blue are flattering backgrounds for all that mahogany furniture you inherited. And blue is great for bedrooms, of course. I always think of the beautiful blue staircase in Badminton House in the film version of The Remains of the Day with all the black-and-white liveries of the staff floating past. Blue isn't a color you often see for a library, but its reflective nature is just the right backdrop for quiet pursuits.

Saxon Green seems strong on its own, but becomes quite soft when applied to the wall.

Orangery is gutsy. It's my favorite background for a collection of blue and white, looks great with indigo batiks and linens, and is less obvious than yellow.