You have been influencing designs for more than 5 decades. If you had a chance to create your dream house right now, would you build or would you renovate?
I am so anxious to build something new. I have always renovated existing structures––I would love to start from scratch.

Describe it for me.
Well I guess it would depend on locale. I love multi-level meandering spaces…although at my age, I guess it would be prudent to choose one level! (Though I can still manage three flight of stairs in my Nantucket home!) I envision a platform structure cantilevered out from a hill. I love mountains; the vista is the most important feature of the home. Maybe it would be some wonderful place like St. Bart's or a ski area... It would be a free form amorphous space; lots of windows, lots of open space, no clutter. [Chuckling] I have created clutter all of my life, I have never practiced what I have preached.

What would the interior be like?
I would have partitioned walls––that float––not touching the ceiling and somehow hovering off the floor. The art I've collected over the years would be showcased––and the collections become the wall.

I always have believed in "interior landscaping"––I would never have my furniture up against a wall. My furniture will float in the center of my space like an island. Given the choice I would have no television––perhaps an unobtrusive flat screen plasma set well concealed from view for an occasional movie…(I now-a-days detest the news and hate the typical TV fare.)

Which room would you feel most at home in?
I'm a good cook––so I am a kitchen fan. However, the kitchen is not the center of the home to me, the living room should be.

I don't believe that people need both a living room and a family room. These rooms should be consolidated––into one gracious space––they should function both as a utility and the focal point of a home.

How would you furnish this room that is to be both functional and beautiful?
My furniture is simple, classic and beautiful.

What else would your dream house feature?
Hmm. Houses are often an architect's self-aggrandizement––they create problems for the people living on the inside. Rooms must be in proportion to utility. The next room that is important to me is the master bedroom––with the bedroom incorporating the bathroom and a home-grown Spa.

Some forty years ago, I predicted that the bathroom would become a playground––not just a little nook you sit and think in! It would have your gym facilities and women would want makeup a table, hairstyling and spa. Of course back then, women would use those very large hooded type hair dryers. The bedroom would flow into the bathroom––and perhaps into an outdoor space.

You are big on outdoor space.
My home must have big windows that can open or even disappear (in-spite of the mosquitoes being a potential problem).

So are you a fan of all the decorative windows?
A window is there to visually frame the outdoors and be a barrier to inclement weather and temperature. A window is not a decorative end in itself. I am not a fan of decorating with “rags” that is: drapes, swags, jabots, cornices, tie-backs etc.

You have recently completed a book, The Complete Kagan (September 04, Pointed Leaf Press) Why did you write the book?
It was a vanity trip! It took me 18 months to write and I wrote it to show how far ahead my thinking was 40-50 years ago. It’s also to record for posterity of all that I have done in the past 55 years. For most of the public, I have been the best kept secret for most of my 55 year career, this will help once and for all to identify and separate all the “Kaganesque” designs attributed to me, that are not mine.

So what are you predicting to happen in the next 10-20 years?
The socio-economic indicators are simply that the rich will get richer and the poor are getting poorer. Stepping outside of my dream home, what do we do for the people who can't afford homes?

We will look for intelligent, pre-fabricated homes with multi-use rooms. Square footage will have to shrink as we run out of land. Furniture will have to adopt to shrinking spaces. As a designer of luxury furnishings, I would hate to be the designer that has to deal with that––although the challenge would be fascinating! When I speak of intelligent pre-fab, I am talking about amenities and vital functions––you see it happening in bathrooms today: built-in shower and bath-tub units, integrated fixtures from electrical, plumbing and lighting.

Why shouldn't cabinetry mushroom out of the floor? That's where I think innovative design will be going in the future. There will be a sacrifice of individuality but that will be an acceptable compromise as we make the homes of the future an affordable entity for coming generations. Good design does not have to be expensive.

You were recently asked about color trends and you responded, "When in doubt, use red." Does that still hold true?
You bet!!!