“Wit, whimsy, and fun form a solid foundation. Toss in several bold, punchy colors, and the magic comes to life.”

As a child living in Davenport, Iowa, John Loecke once saw a picture of Chatsworth House, the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire’s ancestral home in England, and decided that that was where he wanted to live. His encouraging, but pragmatic, mom helped him construct a country house of cardboard where the six-year-old would dream about long picture galleries, Chippendale chairs, and palm-filled conservatories. As he grew older, Loecke’s parents, ever obsessed with finding a bigger, better house, trotted their son from one open house to the next. The aspiring artist brought along a notebook to sketch his favorite rooms; later, he would rearrange his parents’ living room to match his drawings.

Fast-forward to college where Loecke studied graphic arts and design, and terrorized his modernist-bent roommates with his colorful outlook on design. After graduation, Loecke moved to New York City to work as an editor/writer/stylist/producer for House Beautiful Specials, American Homestyle (Homestyle), and Parents magazines.

Today, when not producing shoots or writing design-related articles for a variety of shelter publications (Better Homes and Gardens, Country Living, Hamptons, and Veranda), and other publications, he can be found running his eponymous interiors firm: John Loecke Inc. His philosophy? “Banish the beige!” as his idol, the celebrated twentieth-century designer Dorothy Draper once proclaimed. For an interior by John Loecke Inc. plays off those same sentiments, combining rich color, texture, and pattern to create delightful spaces that pop with personality and life.

“Good taste need not be expensive, but it should be expressive,” Loecke says. “Take a table found at a flea market, paint it red or orange, and instantly, it looks like a million bucks.”