Mariette Himes Gomez is known for simplicity: being a minimalist, her rooms are free of clutter and distractions; and she has written two books called- of course- Homes and Rooms. But don't let the simplicity fool you: while her rooms are straightforward- there's no messing around or deception here- they're plenty interesting, and it's a tactic that's working for her: she started off decorating for her high school prom (where sherecreated the Eiffel Tower), and is currently working on updating the presidential yacht.

Gomez's rooms feature a lot of neutral colors, like cream, off-white, and ivory, but her color palette is far from plain vanilla: she likes to add touches of colors like cinnamon, rose, sage, and lemon, making it interesting without feeling busy. She's also a big fan of period furniture and small details like paintings, books, and vases that add personality to a room. And personality, of course, is important, since while it's important for a room to look nice, in the end, she says, "A house is an autobiography."

The attitude here seems to be not to mess with a room, and to simply let it be what it's meant to be. The New York Times describes Gomez's style as "luxurious but levelheaded", and levelheaded she certainly is, because while she is now a successful designer, she had basic beginnings: even before decorating for the prom, as a little girl Gomez "loved to sew, care for children, and create beautiful homes."

Further showing her love for simplicity, Gomez has a store simply entitled The Shop, which sells furniture and furnishings from her own collections, other period furniture, and things that she finds interesting, like "paintings and books, including her own."

You can read more about Mariette Himes Gomez on her website, where you can also see more photos of her designs.