Luminous Interiors

The Houses of Brian McCarthy

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• Publisher: Stewart, Tabori & Chang
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN: 9781617690433
• eBook ISBN: 9781613125656
• Topic: Architecture
• Subtopic: Interior Design

In the tradition of Parish Hadley alumni such as Bunny Williams and David Easton, renowned interior designer Brian J. McCarthy creates dynamic personalities within each home he designs. Known for his attention to detail and love of texture, he brings a refreshing, unique perspective to each of his projects, living and working by the motto that no two homes are ever alike. This beautiful volume explores nine of his favorite projects around the country, from the Hamptons to Southern California. Gorgeous, inspiring photographs, alongside McCarthy's personal, informative text, take the reader through his creative process, offering insight into his inspiration and the design decisions by which his plans become reality. Meticulously layering interior architecture, finishes, furniture, art, and decorating objects, McCarthy creates rooms that seem to have lived lives of their own.

LUMINOUS INTERIORS

BRIAN J.

MCCARTHY

LUMINOUS INTERIORS

BRIAN J.

MCCARTHY

WRITTEN WITH MARC KRISTAL
FOREWORD BY BUNNY WILLIAMS

Stewart, Tabori & Chang | New York

I DEDICATE THIS BOOK TO MY WONDERFUL CLIENTS (WHOSE PRIVACY I RESPECT—YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE) WHO ENTRUST IN US THEIR CONFIDENCE TO SEE THROUGH THEIR EYES AND ALLOW US TO MAKE THEIR DREAMS COME TRUE AND BELIEVE IN OUR VISION TO HELP SHAPE THEIR LIVES. THEY ARE TRULY THE PATRONS OF OUR ART.

CONTENTS

FOREWORD 8
INTRODUCTION 10

URBAN GRAPHIC 16
CLASSIC GLAMOUR 36
THE GRAND TOUR 66
SEASIDE ECHOES 98
HARMONIOUS COMPLEXITY 120
AMERICAN SPLENDOR 136
TRADITION REDEFINED 168
ARTFUL LIVING 190
ALFALFA HOUSE 226

RESOURCES 252
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 254

FOREWORD

In the early 1980s, a very tall handsome twenty-three-year-old young man, a recent graduate of design school, applied for a position at Parish Hadley, where I was one of the senior designers. Needing help desperately on my projects, he was given the job of my assistant. His name was Brian McCarthy. Coming fresh from design school, his idea of a color scheme was various shades of mauve, but within weeks the most beautiful fabrics and trims began to appear in the office after his shopping expeditions. Albert Hadley soon saw his amazing potential and took him under his wing to assist him on his projects. This was the beginning, but it was Brian’s passion for design and all the decorative arts, his passion for architecture and art that has made him the great designer he is today.

The richness of Brian’s work comes from a curiosity and knowledge of all periods of design. He is a constant student: reading, traveling, absorbing the best, and, in the end, creating his own interpretations. He has traveled the world seeking the greatest artisans, whose work he incorporates into his projects. He has an incredible eye and passion for art, always seeking new talent. Because of this knowledge his projects are always unique and the variety is that of a truly great designer.

Recently, Brian, David Kleinberg, and I have come together on various occasions to celebrate the life of Albert Hadley. It has been like siblings finding each other after a period of time and having the most wonderful moments talking about and exploring our upbringing. Like Albert, Brian’s body of work is brilliant, innovative, and timeless, and will be an inspiration to many for years to come. This book will become a classic.

—Bunny Williams

9

INTRODUCTION

Though I’ve had my own interior design firm since 1991, the nine residences selected for this book were all completed within the last six years, and represent the crystallization of my particular design vision: the direction in which I’ve begun to move (and the variety of styles I employ), after more than thirty years on the job, as a mature practitioner of my craft. Yet the process of selection—of going back and scrutinizing dozens of projects, and considering each in the context of a larger body of work—has reminded me that what I do today is the outcome of a long process of discovery, a creative and personal voyage that reaches back in time to a largely vanished world, and has taught me invaluable, and occasionally unexpected, lessons.

Surprisingly (even to me), while I always had a lively interest in houses, and an even greater one in art, I never had the slightest intention of doing what I do today. My desire was to be on the back of a horse: I began show jumping at the age of ten, and continued for nearly forty years; I confess I would have loved to have been an Olympian. But my parents, a naval architect and a social worker, didn’t consider “horseman” to be a proper profession, and, after spending a year full-time on the equestrian circuit after high school, I didn’t believe it was the life for me, either. My academic record was pretty undistinguished, but riding had taught me that if I applied myself to something, I could be good at it. So I put my confidence in my drawing and painting skills and decided to tackle art school.

Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, which I loved the moment I arrived for my admissions interview, proved to be the perfect environment. When I started...

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• Luminous Interiors