Shades of muted aquamarine, cinnabar, and sandstone serve to punctuate this gracious living room, with seating for six–or more–when the homeowners entertain family and friends. At the far end of the space the window wall is framed with lush curtains, tailored from Cowtan & Tout’s ‘BROMLEY’ printed linen. 

Senior Designer Craig Strulovitz
Photos by Gross & Daley

Many successful interior designers have a LOOK; they create instantly recognizable rooms, either through the employment of specific color schemes, blue and white spaces, for example, distinct styles, like traditional or modern, or signature elements that they favor, like particular light fixtures, finishes, or furniture silhouettes.

We take a different approach.

 Instead of having a LOOK, Glenn Gissler Design utilizes an aesthetic LENS through which we make choices, edit materials, and accessorize spaces. This LENS is informed by decades of crafting singular rooms–rooms specific to the homeowner we are working with. We take this approach because we believe the most successful interiors are those our clients have inspired us to create.

 Other factors, like the project’s location in the city, country, or beach, guide our decisions. The exterior architecture gives us clues, too; we consider the structural vocabulary of a home so that the exterior envelope and interior decorations are harmonious.

 Another guiding principle at GGD is that we NEVER SAY NEVER in the project’s planning stages. This way of thinking leads to distinctive and personal rooms. When everything is on the proverbial table, the creative process is only limited by the breadth of our (and our client’s) imagination. 

 Let me give you an example.

A vibrant canvas by the late American abstract impressionist painter John Opper takes pride of place in the apartment’s gracious living room. Two deep-seated sofas are upholstered in lush blue velvet, with a pair of club chairs covered in a Zak & Fox textile and two Regency-style benches covered in paprika-hued velvet. The curtains were tailored from a Cowtan & Tout floral fabric.

In this recently completed apartment in the Carnegie Hill neighborhood of Manhattan, our clients asked us to create a home cohesively inflected with traditional references–including floral patterned textiles, which, while not a house code for our firm, became part of the scheme.

Having gathered floral fabric samples from various showrooms, we set off to present them to our clients. And as it turned out, they favored many from the heritage brand Cowtan & Tout. Something was alluring about the quality, texture, and sensibility of the firms’ selections. Below are some of their fabrics and how they were used in this apartment, including stripes and solids we sourced through Cowtan & Tout as well.

SEE THE ENTIRE PROJECT HERE

One last thought: In a world of impersonal and ever-more-automated interactions, we wanted to tip our hats to our sales representative from Cowtan & Tout, the delightful, energetic, fun, and responsive Anne Hanavan. She’s always available to help us source a textile–and her professionalism is first-rate! Here’s to you, Anne!

Throw pillows on the living room sofas were made from Cowtan & Tout’s JAGO in the colorway BURNT ORANGE.

The living room curtains were tailored in Cowtan & Tout’s BROMLEY, in the colorway SAND/RED.

Dining Room has existing Cowtan & Tout upholstered walls in a discontinued Cabbage Rose.

The Roman shade is tailored in Cowtan & Tout’s GISELLE STRIPE in the colorway PATINA in the home office. That pattern was also used as trim for the leading edge of the portiere curtain.

Additionally, the window seat cushion and desk chair were covered in Cowtan & Tout’s ASTA in the colorway OCEAN. That fabric was also used for the headboard in the blue bedroom.

A sage-toned Bridgewater-armed club chair provides the perfect spot for afternoon reading or a cup of tea before bed. When paired with the curtains–tailored from Colefax and Fowler’s GREENACRE print–the tableau mirrors verdant Central Park just outside the window.