Things They Love: Patti Watson of Taste Design

Patti Watson is fluent in southern Rhode Island’s distinctive aesthetic vernacular. When she founded Taste Design more than twenty years ago after a career in corporate marketing, the handsome summer cottages of Newport and itssurrounding environs were the interior designer’s specialty. Now, as the leader of a growing team of twenty-plus women, she’s well-positioned to offer her breezy, coastal vibe elsewhere: she recently opened a satellite office in Westport, Connecticut, and plans to open another one in New York City. Still, Watson stays dialed in to her home base; the Rhode Island School of Design grad sponsors the education tent at the annual Newport Flower Show, she makes time for live music at Fort Adams, and she devotes a portion of her office to a year-long local-artist-in-residence program. House of Taste, as the first floor of her Middletown headquarters is cleverly dubbed, showcases the current artist’s work—backed by an enviable view of Newport’s Cliff Walk. Taste Design, Middletown, R.I., tastedesigninc.com

1. I have a collection of…American-made McCoy pottery. Some are in perfect condition, and some are what the pickers call “shelf sitters” with a small blemish that I hide on the back side. When I renovated my kitchen two years ago, I chose Farrow & Ball Calke Green for my cabinetry, and now I realize that my McCoy collection inspired the color. Several pieces sit proudly in a transom
window above my kitchen sink.

2. The last thing I bought and loved…was in Paris during Déco Off and Maison&Objet. On impulse, I bought a ring from a female jeweler in the Marais. Its large scale is perfect for my long fingers. I adore it. Equally good was talking with the jeweler and learning about her craft.

3. My perfect day begins with…my favorite green tea, Harney & Sons, with fresh lemon and a sunrise walk around my Jamestown neighborhood with Ruthie, my Goldendoodle. We got her in 2020 shortly after Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed.

4. A Newport summer isn’t complete without…the Newport Folk and Jazz festivals. My sister and I go every year together. It’s our gift of time to each other.

5. The best gift I’ve ever received…was thirty years ago when I was in Brussels with my dear friend Veronique, and she bought me the loveliest sundress. Even though I don’t wear it anymore, it hangs in my closet and makes me smile and think of her whenever I see it.

6. My go-to host or hostess gift…is framed original art. It’s a little risky, for sure, because art is so personal, but everyone has a place for a small piece of art. And gifting it framed means the receiver doesn’t have a project to complete before enjoying it on their wall.

7. My personal style signifiers…are boots and bangles. I have many, many pairs of leather boots and large-scale bangles, both vintage and new. My happiest day in the fall is when I can wear my boots again.

8. The most meaningful advice I’ve received…was very early in my career when a mentor advised me to consider projects outside of my job description because there’s always something to be learned. It was good advice for a twenty-four-year-old navigating the ways of the corporate world, and I share the same words of wisdom with my now-twenty-six-year-old daughter.

9. My favorite room in my house…is the front living room in my 1892 Victorian. It’s the perfect scale for my desk, my favorite sofa for stretched-out reading, and my books. The coffee table is always stacked with the Sunday paper (I still get The New York Times delivered) and design magazines.

10. In my handbag, I always carry…a twenty-five-foot tape measure. Nothing less. And I encourage every woman on my team to carry one, too.

11. When I need inspiration…lately, I’ve been visiting The Breakers in Newport. The Third Floor Preservation in Progress Tour is a rare opportunity to step inside the Vanderbilt family’s private quarters and see the restoration process up close.

12. In another life I would have been…a sculptor. I would have loved to work with Rodin.
Artists like him should have been given multiple lives to complete their work and share their gift.