Throughout his 20-year career creating exceptional interiors, Jim Walrod has been called many things: A “design guru” by The New York Times. A “furniture pimp” by his best friend, Mike D. of the Beastie Boys. A “genius,” by pretty much anyone who’s seen his work at The Standard Downtown in L.A. or The Park in NYC. 

“They’re all cool,” laughs Walrod. “But I do prefer the title supermodel.” Anything but the dreaded label of Decorator. “I know nothing about fabrics and curtains, and good taste; and I really don’t hang out with anyone in the interior design world,” he explains. 

Instead, Walrod’s eccentric style is cultivated through cultural references. “I’m influenced by cocaine right now,” he readily admits. “The ‘70s culture of blowing lines off marble tabletops. Everything was low and shiny. That sort of psychology of things.”

It’s in that spirit that we asked Walrod to discuss his current favorite gadgets, which range from an antique hair-dryer to a smart toilet. Below, some insight into Walrod’s mind:

“The way to go is mix new and old. Basically because most of today’s gadgets are just status symbols, and the only people who look at them are the kind I’d never want to talk to.

“But some work pretty well. Like the Nokia 8800 phone. It’s like $1000 and has a rotating video screen on it, so you can take pictures and easily show them to others. It’s good if I have to do a presentation -- I can just throw the person the phone. And if it drops, it doesn’t break. It’s got a covered keyboard.

“The Neorest toilet by Toto is really cool. You stand in front of it, and it automatically lifts the seat and puts it back down. I just put it in somebody’s house. I like their website, too. It’s got classical music.

“The Sony Cybershot DSC-T7. It’s a video camera that’s 5 1/2 inches by 1/4 inch, which makes it smaller than a pack of cigarettes. And it’s got high resolution.

“Ray-Ban sunglasses from 1967. There’s not one bit of ornamentation on them. And they have a bit of a forward tilt, which fits better around the nose. If you drop them, they don’t break. And the company was owned by Bausch & Lomb back then, so the lenses are good – they don’t burn your eyeballs out.

“A 1959 Rolex Oyster Perpetual stainless steel watch. Mine has a green face, which is hard to come by. They’re smaller-bodied watches – the kind nobody notices until you’ve left the room. It’s just one of those products that’s cool because it works within the frame of technology today.

“A Gillette Fusion razor. It vibrates. It has five blades. It runs on a battery. The thing is amazing. And so terrifying. Most men think it’s gonna rip their faces off the first time they use it. But it’s really good.

“An OXO Good Grips potato peeler. It’s really cool. It’s got a rubber handle that forms into your hand. It was actually made for disabled people.

“A Zippo lighter. It’s indestructible. You can burn down a village with one, or light a cigarette. And they’re guaranteed for life.”

Get Them:

Nokia 8800 phone, nokia.com

Toto Neorest toilet, $5000, totoneorest.com

Sony Cybershot DSC-T7, $400, sonystyle.com

1967 Ray-Ban sunglasses, look for them on eBay.com

Dieter Rams handheld hairdryer for Braun, virtually impossible to find.

1959 Rolex Oyster Perpetual, check eBay and watchestobuy.com

Gillette Fusion razor, $9, drugstore.com

OXO Good Grips potato peeler, $9.99, amazon.com

Zippo lighter, for collectors’ clubs and repair, zippo.com