You’re one of the most-sought-after architects on the planet. You were brought up in Queens, but I can’t quite place your accent. It sounds vaguely European.

My parents spent a lot of money so I wouldn’t sound like I came from Queens. I went to speech class.

To get rid of your accent? Or did you have a speech impediment?

Both.

A stammer?

No. Move on.

You’ve been called the king of luxury for designing hundreds of stores for the likes of Chanel. You’ve done homes for billionaires like David Koch and Stephen Schwarzman. How do you feel about Occupy Wall Street?

I kept wanting to be sympathetic, but when they interviewed the poor little things, their agenda was simply: “We’re going to protest!” A Wall Streeter said to me: “I’m so tired of hearing about a growing divide. If you’ve got one million dollars and the other person owes one million, the divide is going to grow.”

Andy Warhol gave you your big break — you designed the third incarnation of his Factory and his town house on East 66th Street. What kind of client was he?

Andy had, like, three expressions: “Gee whiz,” “great” or “not at all.” But he was quite clear about what he wanted. He was pretty tightfisted, because he had started with nothing and made every single penny himself. I remember when the estimates came in, he asked Philip Johnson, “Philip, is this normal?” And Philip said it was O.K.