“I was a photographer in a previous career. Photography taught me to “see”, it taught me that to see well – to take compelling pictures – you must work with composition, scale and detail. Paying attention to the many little things that make up a photo, a room, a home is the foundation of how I approach interior design.
I’m a storyteller. My rooms are not solely about the specifics – but how those specifics relate to the overall goal and look of the project. You have to “see” the little things to design a room and you have to pay attention to how those little things relate to the big picture. The little things count.”
“This image from an apartment on the Upper East Side captures my philosophy of design on all levels. It is modern, yet warm. Luxurious, yet comfortable. Vintage mixed with new. And more importantly creates a setting that allows the owners to fully utilize and enjoy the space.”
“I believe that beauty has the ability to transform lives. A home is more than a place to rest our heads – it’s where we spend our moments, create our memories, realize our ideas, watch our families laugh and love and grow.
It’s where life happens, and we believe in surrounding our lives in as much beauty as possible. We work to create the stage on which this transformation can take place.”
“My philosophy is that design is a form of portraiture; every project that we do is a pure reflection of the families for whom we design. With this in mind, I place great importance on a special, well-curated entryway. I like to treat this part of the house as the ‘greeting card’ for the home, as it’s the first thing you see when you enter a house – and the last area you pass as you leave.
The entryway pictured above was designed for a young, well-traveled family who happen to have an extensive art collection. I tried to create a room that was timeless, yet familiar. Combining those two sentiments, as well as pairing new pieces with antique objects, gave the space an organic quality. It’s always been important to me that my designs feel light and effortless, which in turn reflects the real personalities of the home: the people who live in it.”
“After the satisfaction of working with others to realize a vision, my keenest interest in the practice of interior design is in making and enhancing the relationship between interior architecture and decoration.
Art, architecture and decoration is how I think of interior spaces. I grew up building things, and today I express that as classical space plans, paneled walls, custom furniture, patterned floors, making pattern with fabric. As a project advances I try to both create interesting detail, and to bring in other elements of design which establish harmony.
I like the first impression to be powerful; clean and uncluttered. It is then that one can quietly discover the many layers of detail and connection. I want a room to reflect my clients taste, make them feel special, and be the definition of what they find comfortable.”
“This living room in Palm Beach exemplifies our philosophy of decorating.
With its mix of antique, vintage and custom-made items, a bright palette and a sense of fun, this room is what we like to call our ‘young traditional’ style.”
“When I am working on a project, the most important thing for me is giving the client something which is above and beyond the interior they’d imagined.
Then I want the project to feel appropriate to its location, and a reflection of my client’s life and interests. Along the way I love finding interesting things that give the rooms depth and personality.
In the end, I want my clients to feel at home and comfortable with their family and friends in the spaces we’ve created.”
“For me, decorating is all about control. I envision a room complete – and leave little to chance. I know that popular thinking has moved in a more ‘thrown together’ direction, yet this has had little effect on how I set about putting a project together.
My rooms always start with a bold yet balanced use of color, a furniture plan that’s all about comfort, a repetition of a continuing theme, a kind of over exaggerated sense of scale, and a unsubtle play on patterns.
I have respect for tradition and rules, yet when tradition means the past I become less interested. I like the Dalai Lama’s quote: ‘Know the rules well so you can break them effectively.’ This is especially true in decorating.”
