Christopher K. Cofffin interiors are worldly.

Christopher after all, has traveled just about everywhere, so with each residential interior he creates, he brings to it the experiences, connections, and knowledge of styles, textiles and antiques he's gathered.

For years, I traveled throughout the world as part of the fashion and beauty industry", says Christopher, who was born in Wichita, Kansas. He received a degree in textile marketing from Kansas State University and accepted a position with the British Unilver Corporation, for which he jet-hopped for years as its vice president of worldwide operations. He worked in Rome, Paris, London, Spain, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong and other major cities. "Traveling for corporate America was expansive and introduced me to creativity in other points of the world", he explains.

As a child, he spent winters with his parents in Arizona, so, while traveling worldwide, he decided to make Scottsdale his home, where he has lived since l990. After September 11, 2001, he decided he had spent enough time on planes and traveling to exotic destinations, so he resigned his position and during the next nine months decided what he wanted to do.

But friends were already telling him what he should do, it was what he was so good at doing: "They were saying to me, 'You have such a good sense of space, color and materials, you missed your calling." And when those friends included well-known Scottsdale designers such as Anne Gale, co-founder of Wiseman & Gale and Donna Vallone, principal of Vallone Design, Christopher listened and opened his studio to much success. He has completed homes throughout the United States, including Florida, Los Angeles and the Hamptons in New York and in Arizona, Scottsdale and Paradise Valley. His work has also been acknowledged by the industry, having appeared in local and national publications.

This cosmopolitan attitude has kept Christopher aware of trends and taught him to beware of trends. "I focus on classic design and avoid faddish design," he says, "At the same time, I like exciting space that is full of personality and excitement." The world travels have also kept him away from Southwest style and toward a broad traditional look with a contemporary flair, incorporating antiques that he acquires through sources he's developed during the years. "I describe my style as incorporating clean classic lines with a European flair," says Christopher, himself a long time collector of antiques and accessories from his many travels.

He keeps his staff intentionally small. I'm hands on and want to keep my eye on everything. After all, it's my name that's going on the design. But, even more importantly, I want to work directly with the client so that I can understand his or her personality. They need to trust me to design an environment that will be as special for them years from now as it is today".