Lainie Grant and Matt Larkin are the talented duo behind interior design firm – Grant Larkin. Specializing in high-end interiors and garden design.

Welcome to May 2017  Focus On: Designers Lainie Grant and Matt Larkin

How did you come to choose interior design as a career?

M: I have been in love with old houses and furniture since I was in Grade School. In College, I dealt in 20th-century decorative arts, and after graduation worked in a studio doing restoration of French Art Deco, when that ended, and Lainie and I married, we had to figure out what to do!

What do you like most about the work you do?

M: I think it’s the collaborative process. There are so many working parts and personalities that every day is different.

L: Shopping!

Do you recall your first design project?

M: Oh yes, We were commissioned to redo the original Alice’s restaurant in Stockbridge and we did it in exchange for our wedding catering. It was over-the-top fantasy with polished faux lapis lazuli woodwork, a cloud ceiling, and hand cast sconces that were woman heads with copper crowns. We had a blacksmith make a huge console table that had a forged frieze with a gastronomical theme that was gilded in 24K gold! It was crazy. The building inspector delayed the opening for a day because he thought the flakes of gold that were drifting thru the air was some kind of violation…

Do you focus on the same design details or are you each responsible for different aspects of a project?

M: I do the overall concept, I hand draw all plans and elevations. Lainie and I collaborate on the selection and design of the furnishings, and Lainie’s main focus is color, fabrics, and surfaces.

Does your approach to design differ from one another? If so, how?

L: We have been collaborating for 30 years now, our point of view has become refined and shared.

Do you have a preference for antiques or modern?

M: We LOVE design in all aspects. I grew up with love of the 18th and 19th century. Lainie opened my eyes to Edwardian, the Aesthetic period is especially attractive to us. In college, I collected and dealt in 20th century classic modern, and I have to say that the current trend toward contemporary craftsmanship and design is fantastic.

What advice would you give a young married couple contemplating entering into a business venture together?

M & L: Acquire a taste for clear liquor, and get dogs.

What quality or qualities must a “well designed” room possess?

M: Suitability is essential. We have been entrusted with creating the backdrop for people’s lives, and it must reflect their perspective, with a tweak, of course.

What’s your favorite room in a house to decorate?

M: The whole thing. We put as much care into the front hall closet wallpaper as we do to individual rooms.

How would you describe your design aesthetic?

L: That is easy. Matt and I give our clients the BEST of whatever it is they like. We are as comfortable designing a Colonial Revival pile as we are with a sleek modern penthouse.  And as students of design history, we love combining antique and modern. If we had to choose ONE thing that was consistent in our work it is realness. Hand plastered walls, the best hardware that the budget allows, classic silhouettes.

Do you ever disagree strongly on a design decision?

M: Sure, it is inevitable.

How do you reach a compromise?

L: Honestly, Matt usually wins, though not every time…

Has your style evolved over time?

M: Well, we look at stuff we did years ago and it still holds up, but there are design trends that our clients key into that we fit in.

Do you collect? If so, what?

M: Just a little… We haven’t met anything we don’t WANT to collect. Our Greek Revival home is furnished mainly with 19th-century antiques mixed with furniture of our own designs. We used to surround ourselves with LOTS of it, but we have been editing down to our favorite stuff. We have also over the last 10 years or so replaced most of the period art with emerging contemporary artists, often a friend’s work. Lainie has a passion for animal imagery, and German stuffed animals. I collect early photography, daguerreotypes mostly, stuffed in drawers…

Do you have a favorite item in your home? One you are unwilling to part with?

M: Here we go, it’s Sophie’s Choice… If there was a fire I would grab the Cynthia Wick painting of our topiary garden, and Lainie may grab the 19th-century clown shoes that we have owned since before we were married or her German gnomes!

 Cynthia Wick Painting                                                                                                             clown shoes

German gnomes

Is there a period or style that makes you cringe?

M: Oh yes, There was a fad recently of thinking rock maple colonial furniture from the 1950s and 60s was cool. In the words of the great John Fowler it is PPF/Poor People Furniture. And has no place whatsoever anywhere near us.

Cushman maple armchair

What quick fixes can we do right now to update a room?

L: Paint it, and throw half the stuff out.

Where do you turn for inspiration?

M: We have a huge library of books on design of all periods, but honestly, our Instagram feed now is as good as it gets.

Tell us about your most challenging design project.

M: Trying to work with difficult people, and by that, we mean those that don’t know what they do or don’t like. That is tough.

Not only do you create beautiful urban and rural interiors from classical to modern, your talents also extend to the great outdoors. In 2000 you founded Black Barn Farm Topiary. Tell us about your work there.

Black Barn Farm

M: Well, it came about when we bought our home in Richmond, MA and I was determined to have a big topiary, and unlike Europe, it just doesn’t exist. So I took an adult education program at a local high school and learned how to weld so I could make whatever fantastical creature as well as traditional forms I wanted. The result is that we have a few hundred pieces of it in the garden. And, as a result of no one else doing it, I work on installations around the country both public and private. Is is also my justification for being outdoors!

You design high-end interiors and gardens, but wait – there’s more! You also have a custom furniture and lighting line available through Grant Larkin. How did that come about?

Grant Larkin Furniture line

M: When I was doing restoration work after college I came in contact with incredibly skilled craftsmen that populate Berkshire County. Personally, I have always been a “maker”, so combining that with our passion for decorative arts it was a natural extension. Often you have a vision of what the perfect thing is for a specific location and the only way to achieve it is to have it made. I do the drawing, and use specific craftsmen to execute it. Over the years we have cultivated a handful of makers who know how we like to have things done.

Lighting

M: The lighting started when we were doing a big modern house in the Berkshires and I wanted to introduce architectural lighting that would compliment the Nakashima furniture, an updated “Craftsman” look we were doing throughout. I started looking at the lighting of the Wiener Werkstatte, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Japanese architecture. The resulting “Mack” lantern was born. I gave one as a gift to our friend Gray Davis who used it in his office, whose conference room was shared with Thom Filicia. Thom used them in a home he designed for Jennifer Lopez

it was published in Vogue, and they totally took off. Thanks to the invention of Pinterest we still get calls weekly, and that’s over 10 years ago.

Lighting

What are you currently working on?

L: We are putting the finishing touches on an apartment in the San Remo for clients that we had worked with up here in the country, a spectacular modern home that takes its inspiration from the Far East. The apartment is a calm oasis of pale tinted plaster, silvered floors, and contemporary furniture.

Berkshire Botanical Garden

M: In addition to that, we are currently working on the renovation of the Berkshire Botanical Garden’s historic Center House. It is a 2.5 M project for which we have designed all the interior spaces and lighting. It is really going to be a terrific addition to the visitor experience at the Garden, with gallery space to feature art focussing on botanical, landscape and natural history. There will be a spectacular entry foyer with living walls of understory tropical plantings, and a new classroom and teaching kitchen where the Garden can expand its programming in the popular “farm to table” movement that is gaining so much attention.

Grant Larkin located in Richmond MA can be reached by phone at 413-698-2599 or by e: mail info@grantlarkin.com

Frank Rosa

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DECADES: Parish Hadley Associates in Architectural Digest December 1983 issue.

Interior by Albert Hadley, of Parish-Hadley Associates

Photography by Jaime Ardiles-Arce

Nelson Rockerfeller NYC apartment redesigned in the 1980s

Jean-Michel Frank tables along side a pair of Giacometti consoles and lamps finished in gilt.

Cherry panel walls in the library. Fabrics by Brunschwig & Fils, Donghia textiles and Jack Lenor Larsen. Carpeting by Patterson, Flynn & Martin.

Japanese screen from the Edo period.

Replica of Van Dongen hands over the fireplace mantel.

Frank Rosa

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A credo that is evident in the interiors he creates for his clients throughout the United States and Europe. Matthew Patrick Smyth’s interior designs can be viewed in countless shelter magazines and in his book – Living Traditions. 

Welcome to this month’s    Focus On: Interior Designer Matthew Patrick Smyth

Why Interior design?

I wanted to be a photographer, but I did not have the money for all of the equipment, etc. So, I applied to FIT’s Interior Design program instead. It was the best quick decision I ever made!

How would you describe your style?

Appropriate, edited and organized.

Architectural Digest

Do you have any design rules?

Many…Most I break, but having them in my mind hopefully keeps me from making too many errors.

Tell us a little bit about your first design project and how it felt to have control over your own vision? Were you pleased with the outcome?

It was an apartment located at 81^st St and Park Ave…I was still working full time at David Easton’s office…Nights and weekends I worked on this apartment. It was fun…scary and the kiss of death. I gave notice at David Easton soon after it was done. It is still my favorite project, as it was my first. Sadly, the owner passed away recently and it was sold…But it still looked great 25 years later.

You are an interior designer. You also design fabric and wallpaper for Schumacher & Co. and a rug collection available through Peterson, Flynn and Martin. What field of design excites you the most?

                          Rugs                                              Wall-coverings                                           Fabric

I love designing rugs for PFM. One design can be interpreted in so many different techniques and look totally different. Designing products in general is rewarding as I am able to pool years of looking and researching together and come to a result that hopefully connects with the end user.

Do you have a favorite design book?

“The New York Times Book of Interior Design and Decoration” by Norma Skurka (1976). It was the first design book I ever bought and is still my favorite. I discovered David Easton in that book and decided that I wanted to work for him…5 years later I did!

Is there a science behind design?

I suppose the reaction of the brain to visual elements and the process of solving problems would put it in the science category. But I prefer to think that we add an element of art to the experience.

What keeps you motivated?

Travel! I always need to be planning a trip to keep me going. Even if it’s only 2 or 3 days in LA or Paris.

Do trends influence your work?

Yes and no…Trends are so vapid in the long run, but I guess we are subconsciously influenced by them. I do my best to avoid them more times than not, as they are usually over before a project is truly finished.

Do you have a design philosophy?

Make it beautiful and comfortable…It is that simple.

Do you collect and if so, what?

I’m not sure I have a focused collection, but lately I have been drawn back to Japanese ceramics and bronze work thanks to Sutter Antiques.

Do you have a favorite item in your possession? One that has traveled with you from home to home.

I have a French 1940s/ 50s convex sunburst mirror…I bought this mirror in the early 1990s at a flea market when I had no real extra money to get through the week. My paycheck cleared $90 and it cost $30…I handed over my lunch and bus money for the week and never regretted it. Something I still use and will never sell.

I imagine the process of designing an interior isn’t as flawless as the interiors we see in shelter magazines and interior design books. What has been your greatest challenge as an interior designer?

The pull of online shopping is a blessing and a curse. In some ways it has made life easier, but the spontaneity and uniqueness sometimes gets sidelined.

What design trend past or present you wish never happened?

Sputnik lighting fixtures.

What fundamental skill or skills would you advise an emerging designer to master?

If possible, LEARN TO DRAW…It’s how I communicate and get my ideas across in seconds.

What does every room need?

An organized and well thought out furniture floor plan. It is the core of what we do.

New York Spaces

You are running out of a burning building and near the exit there’s a painting by Lucian Freud hanging to your left and a David Bomberg to your right which one would you save?

If I owned the building and the paintings, I would grab the Freud because it would do better at auction… (of course, I also appreciate his genius as an artist)… and I would need a new building!  If not, I may save the Bomberg as he is the lesser known teacher who died in poverty and deserves to be remembered…He had few breaks in his lifetime; he was an interesting person and artist who influenced so many. I tend towards an emotional response in a crisis.

What exciting projects are you currently working on?

We are at the beginning stages of a house in Switzerland that I am looking forward to working on…and many apartments and houses on the East and West coasts for nice people…which is my main criteria at this point.

Matterhorn

 Have you ever turned down a project. If so, why?

Sure…Sometimes a project is meant for another designer and it’s best to let go early! But, I would do a lampshade for someone I liked!

What are your goals for 2017?

More Paris…

Paris scenes – Matthew’s instagram photos

Matthew Patrick Smyth

 Frank Rosa

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Minimal Moderne is DECADES’ pictorial of the week. From Elle Decor’s May 2003 issue.

Inside: David Kleinberg

Text by Patrick Pacheco

Photography by William Waldron

“They’re strong-minded, but they want your best idea, and they’ll go the distance”

Manhattan apartment showcasing 20th century French design. Leather banquette by Jean-Michel Frank.

Paris in New York

above: Venetian mirror hangs above a marble mantel and a pair of bronze vases.

Library

Mohair fabric by Robert Allen

Living room

Pair of vases made for Napoleon I frame the entrance to dining room.

the decor

– says Kleinberg. “It’s about very small strokes – A beautiful lacquer finish, an inlaid -straw treatment”

Frank Rosa

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This week on Decades – June 1984 issue of Interior Design magazine.

Decades: Interior Design

Nearly 20 years later, a house by Marcel Breuer and Herbert Beckhard is redesigned by Juan Montoya.

Closing the Generation Gap

Photographer: Peter Vitale

Text: Interior Design Magazine

Above right: View from the upper-level master bedroom.

Above: Rear of main residence, built between 1967 and 1969 to plans by Marcel Breuer and Herbert Beckhard.

 Floor-anchored Breuer table of granite. And replacement chairs with leather (rather than cane) seats and backs.

Flagstone flooring and rough-textured concrete walls.

Juan Montoya designed the polyester lacquered and black-glass topped coffee table. Tall clear Blenko glass available here.

Frank Rosa

March 2017 – No5

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JEWELRY FOR FURNITURE is a decorative hardware collection created by Lisa Jarvis.  

In a world of smart homes and voice commands there are some tasks that demand a bit of physical exertion. Such as, pulling on doors and opening drawers aided by the use of knobs and pulls. Here Lisa has elevated the experience with her high quality and distinctive designs – JEWELRY FOR FURNITURE 

This month’s     Focus On: Designer Lisa Jarvis

What is your birth sign?

An Aquarian with, luckily, a lot of houses in Virgo. Creativity with organization.

What was the inspiration for creating JEWELRY FOR FURNITURE?

Funny how inspiration springs from the perception of lack. The whole “necessity is the mother of invention” concept… I needed hardware for my then case goods line and could find nothing I loved. So, I drew the Barre and the Lily for myself, my intrepid husband located a  foundry that could make them with a crazy two week deadline; my first show (NYC 2011.) The reaction? “OMG! Where did you get this hardware?” inspired me to expand the line. Thankfully, the reaction from the design community is still the same!

Delicious Standard Poodle -Lyra

Do you have a favorite pull?

If I had to choose, I think it would be the “Lyra/Lily“. One of the two first, Lyra is the name of my delicious Standard poodle and with the backplate making it Lily. The Lily is a reminder of the lily pads in the summer on the lake.

Do you have a design philosophy?

Be independent. Be an individual. Make what you like. Trend following doesn’t create anything new…

 Vignette

Is there a part of the design process that is your favorite and why?

There are two times within the process that are the most rewarding. First, when I am able to reach a drawing that I decide is final and then when it comes from the foundry for the first time. Creation/fruition. Of course, the daily feedback of how much the pieces are loved ain’t bad either!

What advice would you give a young entrepreneur trying to enter the world of design and manufacturing?

Start small. Build on your success. Research your manufacturer. Debt and unscrupulous manufacturers have killed many great ideas.

How would you describe your style?

Curious and searching for beauty and information.

Do you collect and if so, what?

It seems I collect bird imagery – it’s funny about collections. I like something and over time I realize I have a lot of it! Also, paintings of trees and landscapes. Nature. The most inspiring. Nests, small skeletons, insects, a real cabinet of wonders! Smile!

What is your most favorite item in your possession?

I have several, so I imagine the proverbial fire – What would you grab? Aside from my dog, computer and wallet… My first, bought on layaway at 16 because I had to have it, would be my antique dead crane calling card holder. It has hung and still hangs in every house I have lived in and still gives me a punch of desire when I see it. The second is a magic realism sort of oil painting. A circus freak show tableau. “Rosalina y la Mujera Caimana”. A woman in control of a caiman with the head of a woman, oh and the tiny wire and clay Day of the Dead skeleton! So many wonderful things!

What would you NOT be caught dead with?

Possessions covered in LOGOS!!! If I am going to be a sandwich board – Pay me!

What does every room need?

Ambient light, a book and at least one item that you consider really beautiful or that holds meaning that touches a place of stillness.

What are you currently working on?

I am planning my booth for our debut at the hard to get into Architectural Digest show. March 16 – 19 Pier 94 NYC. And the launch of my new Sophisticated Child line.

What are your goals for 2017?

GROWING! Launching “The Sophisticated Child” my new line of charming pulls and knobs for kids and tweens and the young at heart. I want to double my business for the third year running! I want to deepen and expand into more restaurant and hospitality and add another 500 happy clients.

Where can we find JEWELRY FOR FURNITURE?

Lisa Jarvis Jewelry for furniture can be seen online at Lisa-Jarvis.com. Please feel free to contact me.

Anything else you would like our readers to know?

If you are looking for a delicious possession, just the thing for the room with the book and the ambient light, go to Sutter Antiques.

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