In conversation with Clare Fleming Peters
Artistic director and founder of her eponymous interior design firm, Clare Fleming Peters is known for creating timeless spaces that blend color and texture to achieve a refined yet welcoming personality.
For the Tasting Room at Kips Bay Dallas 2025, she looked to unfinished William Morris designs that served as the foundation of the Morris & Co. X The Huntington collection – creating, in her own words, “one of the most beautiful and joyful spaces I have ever created.”
For those who may not be familiar, can you share a bit about your firm’s background and design approach?
Of course! Fleming Peters is a boutique design firm based in New York and Santa Barbara, specializing in country homes and gardens. Our style merges the windswept beaches of California with the warmth and charm of an English country house. We are proud to draw from an international cadre of artisans, dealers and upholsterers, all of whom share our passion for our signature blend of warmth, beauty and simplicity.
What was the initial inspiration behind your design for the Tasting Room at Kips Bay Dallas?
On the first call for Kips Bay Dallas designers and sponsors, a new line of fabrics and wallcoverings was movingly spoken of which had been created from the unfinished works of William Morris. As you know, the unfinished works had been discovered at The Huntington Library in California and completed by your famed London studio. William Morris, arguably the most creative mind of the 19th century, and I share a passion for beauty at home, and the very real effect such a home has on children, particularly those in their early years. Before pursuing my current career as artistic director of Fleming Peters, I served as the Director of Corporate Fundraising at The Huntington Library, a magical repository of British and American art and literature. Chatting this over with my architect and friend from art school, it occurred to us both that we should offer the Tasting Room as a room of discovery, “A Taste of William Morris, The Unfinished Works.”
And we were off!
What were the most rewarding aspects of designing your room? What were the most challenging?
Absolutely the most rewarding aspect of designing this room was the moment when we saw the vision realized on our rendering of the Daisy & Oak wallcovering on all four walls of the Tasting Room, with Chamomile on the ceiling, and Elm Stripe in Apricot on the drapery. It was an “AHA” moment of magic, satisfaction and relief. I knew the room would work and couldn’t wait to express it fully.
The next most rewarding aspect was working with our generous vendors, and artisans, most especially Maggie Walter and her fantastic team at Morris & Co. Their unwavering confidence in us and eagerness to help by providing us copies of the London artist’s progress renderings, kept us flying! The most challenging aspect of the process was simply staying on top of the number of details even a room of exquisite simplicity requires, especially from 1,500 miles away!
How does this room reflect your design philosophy or personal style?
It’s funny you should ask that question. My husband and I have been blessed with a lovely foster son in addition to our two amazing grown sons. All three of them have wonderful design sensibility. Kiante looked at the photos of “A Taste of William Morris,” and said, “I don’t know why, but it reminds me of your house, somehow.” I took that as a tremendous compliment, because I feel objectively that this room is one of the most beautiful and joyful spaces I have ever created. As a designer, it is important to have a consistent point of view that is one’s own. While the room is a tribute to William Morris and the dazzling Morris & Co. X The Huntington collection, I was pleased to hear that on a subtle level, it also reflects our firm’s values. The stunning lighting from Hector Finch and the steel mirror add sparkle, while the furnishings and shadow boxes offer a quiet rhythm and sculptural quality. That simplicity, beauty, and peace is what I hope I bring to all my clients, and to my friends and family, as well, when they visit our home.
Can you take us through your selection of Morris & Co. designs, and which appeals for this space and why?
I love all the Morris & Co. designs, most especially the Morris & Co. X The Huntington collection, because of its refreshing use of color, such as powder blue, blush, and terra cotta. I went directly to the Daisy & Oak in Powder Blue because of the quiet beauty, its reminiscence of Morris’ beloved English countryside, and the way it seamlessly interacts with the beautiful Chamomile on the ceiling. I could have gone on forever adding complementary Morris & Co. fabrics and embroideries, but I wanted to highlight those beauties and not take away from them with the furnishings. Instead, I chose to offer tantalizing glimpses of the dazzling collection beyond in the samples in the shadowboxes and in the reflection of the steel-coated mirror opposite them.
What was it about the Morris & Co. X The Huntington collaboration that fulfilled the pattern brief?
I wish I could say something very intellectual here, but the truth is I simply fell hard for the Daisy & Oak pattern wallcovering. The idea of combining the beauty of that remarkable pattern and new colors with the sculptural quality of 1940s Scandinavian furniture is something I hoped Morris would love, too. That is what I always recommend to my clients. Find what takes your breath away and design from there. That is how I feel about Morris & Co. X The Huntington collection. It is a full circle moment for me and one for which I am deeply grateful.
What’s next for your firm - any new directions or dream commissions you’re pursuing?
We are working on a stunning home on the landmark section of Long Island’s Gold Coast for a darling young family of five, with a stable in the garden, acres of grounds, and swings hanging from 100-year-old oak trees.
I have a children’s book coming out next December called The Christmas Bunny, and I am hard at work on a book about creating a beautiful and successful home and homelife for a blended family. The opening quote is from Mother Theresa: “If you would change the world, go home and love your family.” I hope my beloved William Morris would approve.
