Designer Highlight

Want to ask a designer real questions and get real answers? We asked renowned interior designer Gary Inman to share with us his time, ideas and design philosophies. Here's what he had to say.

We interviewed Gary Inman at the N.S.O Decorators' Show House while he was in the midst of his creation, only two weeks prior to the opening to the public. We wanted to know more about this project and how he creates the interiors for real clients, too!

For the 2001 N.S.O. Decorator's Show House, Gary developed a concept based on the personality and lifestyle of a man who would live in a house like "White Oaks". Based on the characteristics of this fictitious man, "Alexander Sinclair," Gary created a special room just for him - a Gentleman's Retreat.

Q - How did you come up with your concept?
A - By interpreting the architecture, time period - and the essence of the lifestyle lived in the structure. This was a building that really spoke clearly and loudly about what it wanted to be. Louis Kahn, the famed American architect, taught his students to begin the design process by "asking the building what it wants to be."

Q - How did you identify key characteristics of your fictitious client, Alexander Sinclair, so you could design your space?
A - Ideogram - this method works for all design projects. Briefly, it is a diagram of the concept itself with the central theme in the center and related themes pulled out from that concept.

For example:
Anglo-American ---- GENTLEMAN'S RETREAT ---- Luxury Travel ---- Intellectualism ---- Film Producer ---- Sportsman ---- Debonair

Q - What are the critical elements of the design?
A - I was fascinated by the juxtaposition of the Anglo-American sense of continuity, tradition, and quality merged with the sleek aesthetic of the American machine age. "Gentleman" - the very word conjures up a particular set of values and an approach to life. We created a fictitious character to personify the qualities of erudition, discerning taste, charisma, and a zest for life

Luxury - desired a luxurious palette of materials that focused more on TEXTURE than color. I also thought about a well-dressed gentleman - thus a fine-grained leather for the walls, cashmere for the drapes, worsted gray wool for the club chair. These were combined with exotic woods and metals that recall the elegance of the art deco. The desk for example is jacaranda, and the Regency-style pedestal table is in ebony, madrona burl, French walnut, and rosewood. The architectural trim is a painted tortoiseshell by the Valley Craftsmen (there are legal restrictions that prevent the use of real tortoiseshell). There is an art deco goat hide cocktail cart and a shagreen mirror.

To add additional luxury I had Erika Vaden paint the ceiling in a brushed silver finish to recall the gleaming surfaces so central to the Machine Age.

Q - What are some of the Finishing Touches?
A - Mies van der Rohe once stated, "God is in the Details."
I agree with this statement and believe it is the finishing touches that really imbue our spaces with a narrative quality, or what one design journalist has called "points of departure." By using photographs of friends and family, carefully selected books, and personal items like a film script with notes in the margin, a partially smoked cigar, and a dog-eared copy of Variety, visitors will have the impression that our fictitious film producer, Alexander Sinclair, has just stepped out of the room for a moment. These sorts of details afford a human quality to a designer house space rather than the sterile photo-layout approach so often encountered.

Q - How does your thinking change when designing for a Show House and a real client?
A - They are fundamentally different projects. In a show house a designer is free to indulge his or her own tastes, values, and interests. The only real limitations are the degree of imagination they possess and, of course, the budget.

When working with a client the dialogue is critical. I try to spend as much time listening as I do stating my recommendations for a project. I do endeavor to maintain a consistent design philosophy, i.e. an attention to quality craftsmanship, unique objects and materials, and a meticulous attention to detail, but I am driven by the desire to capture the values, tastes, and ambitions of my clients. I believe the most unprofessional thing a designer can do is impose their taste upon the client, leaving them with an environment that has nothing to do with their unique lifestyle.

Q - What is your design philosophy?
A - I believe that design at its best is a form of language that speaks of the life journey of the client. I try to interpret their unique view of the world in a clear, evocative manner. Aesthetically I advocate understated erudite spaces that are rich in details, but tranquil and relaxing in overall form. I am also a proponent of organic design and try to use as many natural materials as possible. Texture is as important as color, and pattern can often create a more sophisticated space. I favor a neutral palette with color coming from exceptional works of art and carefully selected accessories. Like Mies van der Rohe, I believe that God is in the details and always use objects collected on travels, family heirlooms and objects of profound personal meaning.

Q - What are the most important questions you ask your clients before beginning a project?
A - What their goals are in terms of timetable, cost, the aesthetic vision, how they wish to live, etc.

Q - What are the significant considerations you evaluate after interviewing a client?
A - Hopefully there is a synergy between the designer and the client. Projects are far more successful when there is a common vision. The pragmatic issues also come into play, of course. We are very hesitant to undertake a project unless there is a clearly defined time schedule, budget, and understanding of how our service will be rendered.

Q - What is the basis of your design concept?
A - It always begins with a single element and grows outward from there. I like to use an ideogram format to develop the central theme into a fully integrated concept.

Q - How do you get one?
A - Typically the site, structure, or client will spark an initial impulse, and the concept develops from there.

Q - Where do you go for inspiration?
A - There are many wonderful sources. Travel is always inspiring. I have spent a significant amount of time in England, and it is a constant source of inspiration. A historic period, a particular location such as New Orleans, or a passion of the client such as gardening can begin the creative process. We have done rooms based on famous individuals such as Coco Chanel or Winston Churchill. The performing arts and film can be rich sources of inspiration, as can an influential designer such as Elsie de Wolfe or Frank Lloyd Wright.

Q - Do you consider a concept or style that fits the architecture of the home?
A - Always. Architecture is paramount.

Q - How do you adapt a creative concept into a workable design?
A - Once we've addressed the architecture and the spatial flow of the structure, we consider in a very pragmatic way just how the concept can be made tangible. If the client desires an art deco bedroom, we begin by reviewing our library to determine which aspects of the style appeal to the client. We sometimes find that a client means a completely different style. With a clearly defined concept in hand, we review our resources to determine which vendors, antique dealers, and craftspeople are best suited to the project.

Q - Is a rendering or sample board essential?
A - It depends on the client and the stage of the project. We often find that renderings are critical in the early stages of a project, but once a working relationship is established and a high degree of trust, it is sometimes more expeditious to simply review materials and schematic sketches rather than delay the process while waiting for carefully drafted plans. We always develop a master plan at the onset, and this drives the project.

Q - What are the three more important factors you consider when designing a space?
A - First and foremost the interior spaces must be integrated with the architecture. Architecture comes first. If the architecture is not well conceived, all the beautiful fabrics, papers, and furniture in the world will not make it beautiful. We often begin by correcting proportional systems, spatial sequences, and so forth before beginning to discuss the decorative elements.

The second key factor is the spatial flow of the home. How will the rooms be used? How many people need to be accommodated? Again if the arrangement of the objects within the spaces is not well planned, it is senseless to embellish it with luxurious materials.

The final key factor is the client's lifestyle. We interview extensively to learn as much as possible about our clients, their family, pets, and so forth. The better we understand how they hope to live, the better we can serve their needs. Typically there is a dichotomy in residential design between the lifestyle a client really wishes to live and the lifestyle they wish to suggest to those visiting the home. A good designer is able to reconcile these disparate desires.

Q - How do you get your arms around the scope of a project?
A - This requires a considerable amount of discussion with the client, architect, contractor, landscape architect, and any other team members. We have a work method that I have outlined in the next answer.

Q - How do you plan a project once the parameters of concept, budget and scope are determined?
A - We use a combination of high-tech and low-tech approaches to manage our projects. Each project is assigned a binder that tracks all memos, billing, and a room-by-room grouping of illustrations, proposals, and photographs. There is also a file for all renderings, sketches, and plans as well as a container filled with sample and memo files for fabrics, wallpapers, and so forth. Finally an excel report is set up to manage the budget, and an action list is established on the computer system so the lead designer and the project coordinator can assign tasks and check progress by reviewing one report.

Q - What are some critical elements to your production schedule?
A - We constantly work to improve turn-around times in what is often a sluggish industry. A client that really trusts the designer and makes decisions effectively is critical to the production schedule, as are long-term relationships with our vendors and craftspeople. We typically find that new resources are the cause of scheduling problems and thus we use these in non-critical areas until we have established a good working relationship. We are fortunate to have an excellent team and strong relationships with a large number of resources.

Q - What do you enjoy most about the design process?
A - I find great pleasure in creating unique objects for my spaces, rather than simply filling rooms with furnishings from a showroom. I work closely with a number of gifted artisans, furniture designers, glass artists, sculptors, and so forth to achieve this goal.

I also am constantly amazed and gratified by the way design projects evolve to reveal a more intimate view of the client than they thought possible.

GARY M. INMAN, ASID

Interior designer Gary Inman, ASID, is a notable new talent on the East Coast. President and Principal Designer of Chatsworth Interiors, Ltd., in Richmond, Virginia, Inman is recognized as a dynamic interpreter of classic design - combining elements of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries to create livable, elegant spaces.

He began his career in New York City before founding Chatsworth Interiors. Since opening the Richmond studio, he has won several prestigious awards and seen his work published nationally. Inman and his team have managed an impressive slate of projects, including Virginia Commonwealth University's Alumni Center and the Kinloch Golf and Country Club. Gary Inman has a holistic approach to design that includes interiors, furniture, gardens and architectural restoration - influenced by a true appreciation for classic lines and contemporary style. In addition to his design practice, Inman is an Adjunct Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University and a popular lecturer at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

The NSO Decorators' Show House 2001 Design Committee is pleased to have Gary Inman participate in this year's show house with the "Gentleman's Retreat." Inman describes it as a "room that merges Anglo-American design traditions with the streamlined glamour of America's machine age."

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