MEET LIKE-MINDED DESIGN DUO: J + G DESIGN

Photos courtesy of J + G Design

Jennifer Beek and Georgie Hambright

Although though they were both students at University of Texas in Austin and even lived on the same street while there,  Jennifer Beek and Georgie Hambright met years later in New York. They reconnected two years ago at Design on a Dime, the must-attend New York design event,  and realized they they loved the same things. At the time, they were both doing design work --  Jennifer  interned for the late great Albert Hadley, and Georgie worked for Bunny Williams among others--  but decided to start a business together when the timing was right. Goergie entered design from the PR world, and I met Jennifer Beek when she was working for Albert Hadley alum Harry Heissmann. I see the design duo, called J +G Design,  at many a design event, being part of the community dialog and interfacing with new products at launches and parties.  Being out and about has certainly benefited them, helping to create an awareness in their target market.  Attracting a young clientele,  often those decorating their first apartment, they push out creative inspiration on their blog Curatorial and instagram, updating their trad with a twist following  on what they are seeing and doing. I was eager to get the lowdown from them on practical advice they had for other designers eager to hang out their shingle and hear what is inspiring them now.  They have captured the attention of design watchers with their appreciation of design classics, and have recently been asked to overhaul the Avery Boardman Showroom at the D and D Building.  Read on for more on J+ G Design and find them on Instagram @jandgdesign

Who did you work for and where did you study to learn the trade?

Jennifer: I studied architecture at the University of Texas, Austin.  For my last two summers in college I was lucky enough to intern for the late Albert Hadley, where I met and became very close to senior designer, Harry Heissmann.  Upon graduating from UT, Mr. Hadley encouraged me to pursue a Masters in the Decorative Arts and suggested I look into the Sotheby's Masters in Fine and Decorative Arts program.  In the summer of 2009, between undergrad and grad school, I helped Harry launch his own design firm, Harry Heissmann, Inc.,  where I would intern throughout grad school and then work upon graduation until March 2013.

Georgie: I studied at Parsons and worked for various designers in Manhattan, Kemble Interiors, Bunny Williams Inc., and Blair Harris Interior Design, in that order. I strongly suggest working for different designers to help evolve your own personal style and to learn as much as possible about how they run their business. 

When did you know this was your calling in life?

J: I would have to say at age 4, when I decided to "wallpaper" my parents' bedroom with neon construction paper and glue.  It was more of a wainscoting as that is about as high as I could reach!  But in all seriousness, I thought I wanted to go into fashion design because I was drawn to textiles.  Soon after I discovered I loved arranging spaces and realized that interiors was where I wanted to be!

G: I think I always knew that it was what I wanted to do, but was too afraid to admit it. Once I decided to pursue design, enrolled in Parsons and was surrounded by like minded people, I knew I was where I was supposed to be.

How did you know you were ready to strike out on your own, and when did you?

I don't think you ever really know if you're ready to go out on your own. Working in small offices enabled us to see the day-to-day things that need to be done - learning how to actually manage your business is crucial.  We clicked right from our first meeting--having the right chemistry and working relationship is everything!  We had a few side projects we had developed together, which is ultimately what gave us the confidence to strike out on our own.  We knew that if we didn't do it, it would always be a side project, thus J+G opened its doors officially in March 2013.

What advice do you have for others wanting to do the same?

Think it through.  We didn't just quit our jobs one day and decide to open shop.  It was a year in the making--developing a mission, a business plan, company goals, establishing a brand, etc.  It is a big undertaking, but we are lucky to have one another!

Do you have a design mentor?

We are constantly reaching out to other designers to meet with us for coffee!  It can be isolating going off on your own, so we love to get together with other people in the industry to pick their brains!  Obviously we look up to the designers we worked for in the past--they taught us everything we know!

What did they teach you that you can't learn in design school?

Trust your eye.  This is something that takes time to develop, but we try to get out of the office as much as possible to visit new workrooms and go to exhibits and galleries.  It is really about constantly educating ourselves.

What is the most practical knowledge you learned from working for a master designer?

Hands down, proportion and scale.  You must understand those in order to have a successful project.

Do you have a signature look and how would you define it?

We would describe our aesthetic as traditional design as we see it through our lens - equal parts eclectic and tailored, glamorous and relaxed, bold colors/pattern and subtle textures. It's this unique balance that we strive for in every space.

What is the biggest challenge of being your own boss? Has that evolved from when you began?

The responsibility of running a successful business was daunting.  We are the last line of defense so it's all on us! Our confidence has definitely grown over the past year and we have learned how to deal with various situations.

You are very social media savvy,  how has that engagement helped you?

We knew from the start that this was going to be huge for us as a young business. Starting out you don't have photographed projects, so it is the best way to convey our taste and aesthetic to the design community and potential clients. Our favorite platform would have to be Instagram.

How do your clients find you?

All sorts of ways, social media and press being one of them, but word-of-mouth is still the most prominent way.

Whose work of the past do you hold in high regard?

Albert Hadley--it is actually our connection to one another...both Harry and Bunny hailed from him!

What books do you own old and new that you constantly refer to?

Parish-Hadley: Sixty Years of American Design

Billy Baldwin Decorates: A book of practical decorating ideas

Mario Buatta: Fifty Years of American Interior Decoration

Thomas Pheasant: Simply Serene

Where is your inspiration coming from right now?

We are so lucky to live in NYC!  We are constantly taking photos of inspiration, whether it be a new restaurant, boutique, workroom, etc.  Most recently we were so inspired by all the amazing work coming out of The Alpha Workshops.  If you can dream it, they can make it.

What do you think is next regarding trends in color, material and style?

While we don't typically adhere to trends, we are seeing a lot of the monochromatic look--very tone on tone, but with more attention to a variety of textures.

Do you have a  favorite fabric pattern or print you return to?

Yes--  Kelly Wearstler for Lee Jofa, Confetti in black/ivory. It's fun, yet tailored and makes everything look fresh. We recovered the seats of a set of antique dining chairs and the client's loved them. When in doubt, confetti it!

What material do you love?

 Nothing beats soft buttery texture of velvet. The color options and textures are endless. It can be dressed up or dressed down - you just can't go wrong! 

Where do you like to shop?

Perusing Pinterest or 1stDibs is the most convenient way to get inspired, but we are both very visually minded people. We love John Rosselli and Flair--they do a great job of styling.

What stores and or resources do you shop in the most?

We love helping clients achieve a high-end look within their budget, this means using a high/low mix of pieces. We shop across the board, everything from 1st dibs to vintage/consignment stores. We try not to shop at the same places all the time. We're always looking for new artists and resources.

Where are you eager to do a project?

Right now, specifically? Anywhere warm! We cannot wait for Spring to arrive!

 Furniture with classic silhouettes in a New York living room. Ever mindful of key to comfortable seating arrangements, they have a spot to place a drink beside each seat.

The color-accented  mix of furniture styles and a touch of pattern to offset the neutral white walls.

The dining room, with Biedermeier chairs and a mid century chandelier. Red vases make  a nice centerpiece addition to the dining table when it is not in use.

A red and blue abstract portrait hangs above a console-as-bar.

An interesting gallery art wall anchors the living room in Jennifer's apartment.

A dash of red, black and white pattern and brass make a handsome traditional nailhead-trimmed headboard come to life.

An antique dresser dressed up with a mustard yellow lamp and sunny vintage print.

A colorful tablesetting for a birthday fete features a coral and melon Quadrille print and accents of blue.

Their Avery Boardman scheme includes handmade Christopher Spitzmiller lamps and fresh printed fabrics.

 A corner desk with instant library for a client.

THE FLOWERS OF AMY MERRICK

Photos courtesy of Amy Merrick

Amy Merrick's flower arrangements have an ethereal, otherworldly quality to them. Their free and unbridled-ness make them an instant mood-uplifter. The Brooklyn-based floral artist includes an array of natural elements, also found in the wild, so the unexpected addition of fruit or branches adds a whimsical element.  And the way she photographs her creations, the arrangements really take on an Old Master painting still-life quality. I adore her work and think you will too.

An arrangement taking shape.

A yellow arrangement reads spring.

The containers Amy chooses provide an additional storytelling element.

Lush greenery.

Dahlias! And cherries.

Moody pinks and reds.

A perfect still life.

IN STITCHES: BRIT CLAIRE COLES STUNNING HAND EMBROIDERED FLORALS

Photos courtesy of Claire Coles

Claire Coles in her London studio

While checking out some emerging talent out of London, I made a design discovery that stopped me with Stendhal Syndrome. Clare Coleses stunning embroidery defies anything you have ever seen. I have been feeling a "return to pretty" and this surely signals its comeback.  Her beautiful, highly detailed sewn wall panels take on a life of their own, while they teem with life-- that of birds, flowers and fauna. Captured with quirky charm,  in hand and machine led embroidery, she combines silk threads, vintage wallpaper flowers and leather in scenics that awe. Her artistry with embroidery takes it beyond the surface, with 3D relief, and the panels make them portable to move around at will like a piece of art.  She also creates custom installations and fashion collaborations, so far only in England. I love the presence of the artists hand, and how the work takes on a different feel, depending on if it is on a light or dark silk background. Coleses work is extraordinary- I am so taken with her talent. The Brits really know how to move the needle.

On a dark, brooding steely gray silk ground, a classic vase in monochromatic threads holds an ebullient, free-form still life flower arrangement called Dutch Masters. Coles has tremendous skill capturing a hand-drawn quality out of threads.

Leather and silk threads in closer detail

Vivid tomato red, teal blue and spring green in Tropical Garden take their cue from hand-painted chinoiserie papers.

The movement and realism her work captures is truly astonishing.

Bird on a wire, a chic bird, surrounded by bright blooms.

Miami Deco, inspired by Florida's unique pastel facades, shows flowers strewn about as if blown by a gust of wind.

The applique flowers add such a delightful charm.

Another view of creeping flowers and stems.

In Hollywood Pineapple, she takes a classic symbol of welcome and hospitality and goes glam, with gold leather and palm fronds in flashy colors.

Set against a green silk background, the unusual color pairings and artistry really emerge.

LACQUER AND CLEAN LINES: WELCOME TO 2013 KIPS BAY BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB DECORATOR SHOWHOUSE

Filling a 7,000 square foot Federal townhouse in the East 60's, this year's Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse is big on art, less so on color. There are a few colorful broad strokes, but for the most part, the majority of spaces pay homage to the neutral color palette.  Where have all the printed and patterned wallpapers gone? Beige, greige, cream, gray and other soothing tones provide a backdrop to beautiful decorative details, shiny hardware, a mix of vintage and antique furniture and streamlined upholstery. Take a look at the rooms that stood out, designed by a crop of establishment, new guard and long distance decorators. Let me know what room you feel delights and inspires. That is, after all, the ultimate goal of showhouse spaces. The townhouse at 161 East 64th,  is open now through June 4th Monday through Saturday 11am - 5pm Tuesday and Thursday evenings until 8pm Sunday Noon - 5pm (No entry 1/2 hour before closing).

Photo Trevor Tondro for NY Times
New York/Palm Beach- based Nievera Williams Design  turned the outdoor space on the ground floor into a sanctuary, complete with cream colored walls, lanterns and manicured green boxwood poufs making an urban outdoor room.

Robert Brown, the Atlanta-based interior designer created a pretty little sitting room punctuated by touches of brown and gray.

Fabric- upholstered walls in a fabric that resembles skin added a textural backdrop.

Clean forms and luxe finishes are well-placed around the seating areas.

A moment featuring modern abstract art and a klismos chair.

Color is Andrew Suvalsky's bag. When I walked into this two-tone turquoise powder room, I was taken with the glowing luster the high gloss lacquer band on the walls.

A mod loungey  foyer tied the turquoise into the space from the powder room. Vibrant blue cabinet doors and lamps added a sense of fun. The gold gleam of Odegard's lotus table balances the jewel tones from the red velvet sofa and pink and yellow pillows.

Ford Huniford has had a busy spring. He focused his talents and efforts on making April's Housing Work's Design on a Dime fundraiser a smash this year. Then, he turned his attention to creating this Kips Bay living room on the first floor. A custom high-backed mustard yellow sofa designed by Huniford dominates a long wall in the room.

Minimal shapes and maximal finishes make his room a triumph of luxury simplicity. I mean, how amazing is the vintage bone and brass coffee table from Mondo Cane? Exactly.

Majestic modern triple height glass windows frame the wall and bring tons of light into the space.

An enormous Pat Steir painting dominates the wall across from the sofa

Books play an important roll in a room, adding personality of the person who lives there. This is a nice way to display them with simple stacks.

Oh, this mirror! A Jansen octagonal mirror that has not been seen for years grabbed my attention.

Ever-inspired by her creative coterie of friends in the fashion and art worlds, designer Kristen McGinnis wowed. Her friend, the hot artist Elliot Hundley created a mixed media neon and wood chandelier to hang over the mid-century modern dining table. Walls buffed to a high gloss sheen were lacquered in the darkest shade of gray. A gold leaf paper from Romanoff glistens above, the perfect foil for the shiny surfaces below.

Black glass  adds another glam shiny, solid surface.

 It's all in the details. Matte gold flatware and subtle gold porcelain china paired with gold-flecked Nason and Moretti glassware.

 Another view, picking up the 1930's Bruhns rug from Beauvais.

 Two large Al Held paintings from 1966 ground the corners of the room.

 A gleaming matte gold amoeba-like Wendell Castle bench sits between the chartreuse Claremont curtain panels through which you can see Huniford's space.

A killer black buffet that looks like it is exploding in the center is from a New Zeland artist.

Giant lacquer doors lead into the narrow room by Dineen Architecture and Design PC.

Their objet selection and placement made the space a cool mix.

I'm not the biggest fan of sheers, but these graphic, soft geometric panels made me a convert.

 The most divine metal tree sculpture sits on a round table in Mariette Himes Gomez's cream sitting room.

Sexy and swank, Garcia Maldonado created a space for chillaxing.  Walls covered in light suede and silk window treatments kept the feeling airy.

Maximalists rejoice, Jack Levy is in the house! Including the latest Fornasetti Blowfish wallpaper as a backdrop, detail enriched every surface.

Some of my favorite Swedish porcelain vases from dealer Berndt Goekler.

British LA-based designer and funny gal Kathryn M. Ireland designed a bedroom around her new  French-inflected Scalamandre fabric collection. The Anglo Indian bed is just awesome. I get a headache thinking about that installation feat.

A mod world with touches of lilac as created by Sara Story. Black and white is a big color story right now, so I am glad someone went there. Playful and art-filled, the room's walls are papered in Bamboo, from her new paper line available through Holland and Sherry.

A series of 6 scribble paintings add this wonderful sense of humor.

The bathroom she tiled in strong black and white squares as an homage to the great Andree Putman who passed away this year. The Cubistic vanity base continued the purple theme.

Palm Beach-based designer Stephen Mooney designed a space his clients probably know and love. The lady's writing room. Gotta have a room of one's own.

 Barbara Ostrom created a stunning display of architectural detail through beautiful millwork.

These books love these nooks.

More high shine surfaces on the recessed ceiling in Eve Robinson's polished family room. Soft gray hues and yes, more lilac. She uses striking pieces and lets them do the work in her spaces; they have good "flow" to them.