A Conversation with Maggie Holladay

Maggie Holladay in a black jumper and pale jeans seated on a brown sofa against a white wall

In our latest FRANK conversation, we sat down with Maggie Holladay of Claude Home, known for her highly sought-after curation of vintage furniture, contemporary art, and collectible design pieces. Maggie mused on the raw, punk energy of i-D in its early days; her draw to the dreamy soundscape of Flowers R. Blooming by Peter Cat Recording Co, and more…

 

Square lamp with a navy linen shade and stone base on a white cabinet beside stacked art booksCourtesy of Maggie Holladay

 

Is there a particular era or place you wish you could have worked in?

I wish I was living in London working on the early days of  i-D magazine. Full punk era, really raw fashion, when it was all being just pieced together.

 

Maggie Holladay sitting on a plum sofa behind a dark free-form coffee table on a brown rugCourtesy of Maggie Holladay

 

What’s an unusual source of inspiration that has found its way into your work?

Maybe not unusual but lately my biggest source of inspiration is who I see myself in the future or who I strive to be, along with thinking where I think the world will be in the future. Not with technology but with design, and where out design needs will be. Especially as a get older how can I bring design into practicality as I start designing more furniture myself.

 

Woman in a black jumper on a brown sofa by a tall window, a dark sculptural coffee table before her

Courtesy of Maggie Holladay

 

 Share a song that you listen to when feeling creatively challenged?

For the last 5 years I have been listening to Flowers R. Blooming by Peter Cat Recording Co religiously on repeat.

 

Oval stone dining table with wooden chairs and open shelving glimpsed past a lamp on a cabinet

Courtesy of Maggie Holladay

 

What’s the ghost in your work—the thing that lingers but isn’t obvious?

The ghost is a bit "What is Claude" and "What can Claude become" I don't fully know those answers and that is something that I like. There is no linear future for us and no one pressing us to stick to a certain future. It's a freedom that can be a bit stressful but I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

Maggie Holladay seated in a black bouclé armchair beside floor-to-ceiling windows

Courtesy of Benedikt Josef

 

What’s the question you wish people would ask about your work but never do?

I source majority of the designers on Claude which is my favorite part of the job, and I don't think people have really asked me why I choose the people I do or much about the art around it.

 

What’s your favorite piece from the Lemon collection and why?

Various Positions Nightstands

 I have had my eye on these since the minute we started working with Lemon. I actually don't have a reason for why I have not yet purchased them as I am currently nightstandless. They are the perfect mix between timeless, and slightly art deco. A piece your eye won't get sick of which is hard to find in a bedside table.

Various Positions Nightstand-Nightstands-7-Lemon-Furniture


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