Ray Booth is an Alabama boy and Auburn graduate. You will not detect a Southern drawl, but you will note the Southern hospitality. I am smitten, and not because he is better looking than all the fellas on the ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ list, but because Ray is everything a mother wants her son to be—intelligent, genteel, gifted, and successful.
I caught up with Ray on his 55th birthday. He had just returned from Los Angeles where he completed an install and was busy preparing to turn over a big project in Nashville. He also spends time in New York City. The term bi-coastal does not fully capture the totality of his life because while he travels between coasts, he is rooted in the South and might also be found kicking sand around Vieques--he is all over the place!
Ray has lived the dream that many of us had, which is to live and work in New York City. He has been there, he has done that, and he is still doing it—but on his terms. With all the interstate business-trotting, I wondered what he considered home. “Wherever John is,” he said. John Shea is Ray’s treasured husband.
Relationship Goals are a Thing
As I chatted with Ray, I learned that John was at their home in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Naturally, I assumed that Ray is the design boss at home. However, I was surprised to learn that John has a great eye too. The couple collaborated on their first apartment together and have built two houses since then. Like a lot of couples, they do not necessarily share the same taste. John has his own ideas and leans towards functional, practical, mid-century stylings. Ray regards John’s input, which is refreshing. He insisted that, “It’s the mix that makes the magic, and it’s good to challenge your personal perspective.” I find that quite loving. Noted. I want to know more…
I wonder whether they enjoy shopping together and ask whether John enjoys, say, antique shopping—like a full-day trek through the Paris flea markets. It tickles me to hear that John might browse for bit but that, most likely, he will head back to the hotel and meet up afterwards. This couple is not attached at the hip on the daily, but they certainly seem aligned and content. If the intimacy exuded in Ray’s voice is any indication, their unity is sacred. It is the sanctity humans crave. There’s wisdom here.
The Backstory
Where there is wisdom, it is almost guaranteed that there has been pain, discomfort, sorrow, and heavy labor. I did not learn everything about Ray, but I can perceive a life that is bearing much fruit. His energy, wisdom, and hunger for more gives me the sense that his life would make a good movie.
He developed a friendship with his professor and mentor (at an age when some of us were acting a fool), and that friendship developed into an illustrious career. He knows his mother. He loves her. He is a devoted husband with many friends. He acquired expertise and chooses well for himself. Ray exercises because he recognizes that his brain needs it…I am gushing, but seriously, I appreciate having fabulous people to look up to. So, what inspired Ray’s path in the first place? His mother, of course!
Long ago, somewhere near Atlanta, Betty left her family home to live with distant relatives. Before this, the tiny tot had grown up in a home that lacked running water, and an outhouse was a normal part of her life. She first experienced grandeur at the Gower home (family friends of the distant relatives she was living with). Small eyes feasted on a parlor with a grand piano and a sweeping staircase. This is not a rag to riches story—not really. Rather, it is a study of benevolence and how kindness paid itself forward and manifested.
You see, when Betty sees an Antebellum home, she internalizes more than the grand façade. That stateliness stirs deep emotion within her because she never fails to recall the kindness that the Gowers showed her during that young, vulnerable month away from her family home. For her, the gracious home personified the magnificent kindness that dwelt inside. She never recalls the impressive Gower residence without expressing gratitude for the kindness and generosity she experienced. Somehow, this cemented Betty’s love of beautiful homes and the emotional quality they contain.
The Gowers inspired gratitude, excellence, prosperity, and most of all, much more kindness. Later, when Betty had her own child, Ray, he would accompany her on drives through the Twickenham Historic District in Huntsville, Alabama. Betty recalled the beautiful architecture she had experienced as a young child, and that interest transferred to Ray. He soon acquired an appreciation for architecture. In his best-selling book, Evocative Interiors , Ray confesses that, in high school, he spent time sketching houses on graph paper rather than focusing on homework.
Partner, Interior Designer, Architect, Furniture & Lighting Designer, & Author
He is all that and a bag of chips, y’all. While attending architecture school, Ray interned for renowned architect and professor, Bobby McAlpine. After graduating, Ray blazed his way to New York City where he honed his interior design chops in the offices of John Saladino. After two years, he had a job offer in Alabama. Ray was not ready to give up life in the city right that second, but after a decade in New York, Ray agreed to return to the South when Bobby McAlpine offered him a partnership in Montgomery, Alabama. It was time to go home.
A couple of years later, the group relocated to Nashville. Now, McAlpine’s handiwork is represented throughout North America. Currently, Ray enjoys working across the United States. This summer alone, he worked in Nashville, Los Angeles, and New York City.
Considering the recent turmoil and riots, I asked Ray whether he thought New York City would ever return to normal. He mentioned that he was in the city two weeks before the riots, and that he was there the week of the riots, but he did not hear anything. However, when he returned three weeks later, the street was boarded up. He finds it unfortunate that there is no common ground in our society today. Even so, Ray fully believes that New York City will recover, “It’ll come back,” he says, “and it’s an extraordinary person who chooses to live there.” Indeed.
If you are searching for inspiration for your own lifestyle, and for your professional relationships, I recommend Ray’s book. It is intelligently written, soulful, and the finest lifestyle book I have read. One of the projects that you will find about halfway through the book is entitled Changing with the Tide , which features the most perfect quarantine hideaway.
His long-time clients purchased a beach home in Amagansett on the South Shore of Long Island. Ray visited the property and felt inspired by the fog, the mist, and the sandy dunes. He pulled together a soft, ethereal palette for the young family. The beachside residence is serene and elegant with every detail pored over. When I read that the kitchen’s range hood was sprayed with glossy auto paint, I had to ask Ray about it. He explained that the idea came from a valuable lesson that he learned from John Saladino, which is that “There are a lot of tools in your toolbox.”
These homeowners are restaurateurs that require five-star ranges and industrial hoods, so he explored the option, and his contractor handled the professional details (please do not try this at home). The kitchen also boasts a custom-made, steel etagere that relates beautifully to a steel fireplace surround in the couple’s living room. In sincere admiration for the custom piece, I joked that the rest of us must scour HomeGoods and Pottery Barn if we need an etagere. I was astonished to learn that while he aspires for high quality, he is not opposed to sourcing accessories, like little bowls, from retailers. “We’re not snobbish like that,” he assured. “Custom design is necessary when what’s right does not exist,” he clarified. Ray is correct. I mean, how many times have I wasted money settling on a rug or a chair that is not the right thing? A lot of times.
Ray feels fortunate to fashion custom wares for his clients and admits that he is addicted to steel. “It’s the frustrated architect in my heart,” he explains. Plus, that inventiveness is rooted in his DNA. Ray’s dad was an aerospace engineer and bona fide tinkerer. Poor Betty could not pull her car into the garage because it housed Mr. Booth’s steel pieces and parts. Ray’s dad would even craft his own bullets and carve gun stocks. Ray has been immersed in design and craftmanship for most of his life.
Does he still enjoy scoping out beautiful houses?
Yes, he loves it! When asked whether he preferred touring houses on foot, on bike, in car, or in a carriage, he answered right away. He prefers to tour on foot or on a bike so that he can get the best view possible. He cannot point to a favorite neighborhood because, as he explains, he is a “glutton” for all the pretty places and is always hungry for more. For example, while working in L.A. recently, he experienced two glorious runs. Starting on Sunset and moving toward San Vicente, Ray found his way up through the Hollywood Hills. Absorbed in the beauty, before he knew it, he had completed 9.5 miles.
Does he have any advice for us?
You bet your sweet McMansion he does. If your aim is a timeless look, Ray suggests the following:
“Avoid the trends. Period. Do not walk, run away from them! When making decisions, try to be quiet and find the greater truth in the house. Hook an idea and design from there, pulling visual cues, but remain grounded in the true context of the home and its surrounding context.”
While I have no doubt that he works incredibly hard at achieving the high-end visions his clients demand, I also believe that Ray’s brilliant career was providential.
Ray Booth’s bestseller, Evocative Interiors , was published by Rizzoli and can be purchased on Amazon. For Ray’s striking furniture, accessory, and lighting designs, visit Hickory Chair and Arteriors. For more stunning McAlpine inspiration, please visit mcalpinehouse.com.
