Their work is internationally renowned, but we wanted more insight
into the men behind the designs. So we asked our guest editors for our
November issue 25 questions. Their answers are at the same time candid,
intriguing, and heartwarming.
Favorite work of art
GY: Yayoi Kusama’s “My Heart,” purchased after meeting the artist at a dinner hosted by David Zwirner gallery during the exhibition, “I Who Have Arrived In Heaven,” last year in New York
GP: A Julian Opie portrait of George I had commissioned for his birthday last year
Best childhood memory
GY: Summer—learning to swim
GP: Baking pies with my mother
Person you’d most like to dine with
GY: Stephen Hawking. I’m sure I would be humbled, or perhaps humiliated, by his brilliance. What we do is so far from helping humanity in the way that he can.
GP: Arthur Erickson. He had such a big life, was a bon vivant who lived in a most inspiring way, among all different kinds of people. We actually did have dinner with him once.
Mentor or person I admire
GY: There are so many, but Bill Gates just popped into my mind. His brilliance and above all, his kindness and generosity to make our planet a better place to inhabit.
GP: Irene Bell, [an interior design] professor at Ryerson University, who taught me to keep the mind open as a portal—a word that wasn’t a part of our lexicon back in the day.
Ice cream or yogurt
GY: Yogurt
GP: Yogurt
Advice I’d give to the next generation
GY: Express yourself with conviction, feel the world around you, and trust your instincts.
GP: Live through your heart and soul, less with your brain
My idea of misery
GY: Boredom
GP: Missing the last flight home on a Friday
Each other’s greatest virtue
GY: To Glenn, anything is possible
GP: George’s kindness
My greatest shortcoming
GY: Where do I begin? The answer would definitely be multiple.
GP: Lack of attention
Favorite motto
GY: Shit happens
GP: Failure and mistakes are two different things; make mistakes and move on.
Item I can’t stop buying
GY: Art
GP: Socks
Beloved place to relax
GY: Our beach house in Amagansett, New York
GP: Our beach house in Amagansett, New York
If not myself, I would like to be
GY: Glenn
GP: George
Favorite animal
GY: Hey Lady, a cross between an English and French bulldog
GP: Our imaginary/future pets: Shiba Inu dogs, Rusty and Lucky
Places I’d like to visit
GY: Safari, the Arctic, and Galápagos Islands
GP: Tel Aviv, Alexandria in Egypt, and Lebanon
Favorite vacation spot
GY: Brazil
GP: Sri Lanka
What scares me
GY: If you have to ask if you’re having fun
GP: The loss of friends
First movie I saw
GY: The Graduate
GP: Snow White
Beverage of choice
GY: Elderflower water
GP: A nice red wine
Most prized possession
GY: Friendships
GP: Friendships
Words I hate to hear
GY: Statements that sound like questions
GP: The words ‘it can be done’
Trend I am tired of
GY: Inauthentic themed spaces
GP: Trends
Guilty pleasure
GY: Pampering, self indulgences
GP: Maybe cliché, but desserts!
Favorite place to shop
GY: Tokyo
GP: Anywhere off the beat. It’s more about the hunt than the shop itself.
How I’d like to be remembered
GY: Standing
GP: Kind
