The Observer has a lovely little Q&A today with Jamie Drake, the interior designer best known for his work designing Mayor Bloomberg's 2,274 homes around the world. If you were hoping for some info on the dimensions of the mayor's closet, or if Drake ever proposed painting the mayor's master suite pink—much as he did with one of his other clients, left—you'll have to look elsewhere. When asked if the pair ever had any disagreements about design issues, Drake did not bring up that time Mayor Bloomberg proposed installing a hot tub on the roof of his ever-expanding townhouse and Drake counseled against it. (We totally made that scenario up, by the way.) "When one has a fabulous relationship with a client for a long time, you obviously have a dialogue and a comfort and a trust that is a major and important component of each and every relationship." [NYO]

Have you been paying close attention to the people who have been named to key positions in Barack Obama's incoming administration? Here's one you might have missed: The man who Barack and Michelle tapped to give the White House a makeover. Meet Michael Smith, Newport Beach native and protégé of John Saladino, who describes his sensibility as "old-world European" meets "bright, light California." He also seems to be fond of bipartisanship. Previous clients include Steven Spielberg and Rupert Murdoch. [Domino]

Since the real scale of the economic crisis became apparent, we've all been forced to witness—and sometimes make—some major sacrifices. Vacations canceled, subways instead of cabs, no nice restaurants or new clothes. But that doesn't make it any the less heart-rending to hear about people, not in some third world country, but here, in America, who are reducing the budgets of their interior designers. The poor designers are having to use cheaper materials, haggle with contractors, and are even—the horror!— buying furniture from chain stores. So let's pray even harder for a swift turnaround on Wall Street, because no one became a high-end decorator so that they could shop at Crate & Barrel.