Alice Rawsthorn

Alice Rawsthorn is the design critic of the International Herald Tribune, global edition of the New York Times. She is a trustee of Arts Council England, the Michael Clark Company and Whitechapel and Chisenhale Galleries. Author of a wonderful biography of Yves Saint Laurent, Alice's latest book, Hello World: Where Design Meets Life is an extraordinary account of the role and importance of design in life. Rich in historical detail and insight, the book makes many unexpected and enlightening links across disciplines and cultures, arguing for an intelligent, benign and responsible approach to design across all aspects of life.

What is your favourite surface?

Very fine sand.

In what weather do you think best and why?

Crisp, slightly chilly sunshine.

Describe your favorite meal.

Delicious food shared with good friends.

What qualities do you most admire in an object?

Intelligence, efficiency, ingenuity, nobility and responsibility.

What is your first olfactory memory?

Pass.

What fictitious place would you most like to visit?

As a woman, life would have been so limited and oppressive for me at any time in history, that I’d prefer to remain in reality and the present.

What do you like the smell of?

Lemons.

Recount your last remembered dream?

It was embarrassingly action movieesque. A friend and I had fallen foul of an evil syndicate - no idea why. We each received an email threatening the life of her son unless we contacted them, then I woke up.

How should a table sound?

Robust.

What piece of art would you most like to live with?

Ooh. How to choose? Right now, one of Klara Lidén’s Poster Paintings.

Which sense disturbs you most frequently?

Smell.

Which sense would you miss the most?

Sight.

What song or piece of music best expresses your mood today?

808 State's Pacific 707.

What is your favourite view from any window?

The view of the green opposite my home in London from a first floor window.