Grant Gibson - The Curated Home: A Fresh Take on Tradition

The Curated Home

A Fresh Take on Tradition

Grant K. Gibson

Photography by Kathryn MacDonald except as noted

The Curated Home

A Fresh Take on Tradition

Digital Edition 1.0

Text 2018 Grant K. Gibson

Photographs 2018 Kathryn MacDonald except as noted

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any means whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except brief portions quoted for purpose of review.

Gibbs Smith

P.O. Box 667

Layton, Utah 84041

Orders: 1.800.835.4993

www.gibbs-smith.com

ISBN: 978-1-4236-4790-4

To M + W

Im sure youve heard this beforea home and its dcor tell the story of its inhabitants. Similarly, I believe that the portfolio of an interior designer says a lot about who he or she is. A room doesnt just convey aesthetic principles and preferences. It can overtly or subtly display the lessons a designer has learned over the years, destinations visited (and loved), under-the-radar shops discovered, and so much more.

Photography by Caitlin Flemming.

This book, which highlights projects from my career, could be described as a visual representation of my lived experiences. It is my personal journey told through the lens of my favorite design projects and my travels near and far. My hope is that after reading along, youll be more confident embarking on your own design journey. After all, you share the story of your life when you invite others into your home. The way you use furniture, colors, textures, art, and even the scent of your home all convey who you are. If you think about your home as an extension of your personality, then who knows better than you what it should look like and feel like?

In the following pages, Ill share with you how I approach my projects and provide insights into how you can work with a design professional, while also imparting ideas that you can apply in your own home. Its not only about practical tipshow to display objects from travels, what to look for when making furniture purchases, and the type of paints that work best in a particular roombut also how to think like an interior designer. If youre wondering if I talk about the importance of dimmers, just like every other design book, youd be correct. (Because theyre that important!)

Wesley, an honorary Grant K. Gibson Interior Design employee, reviews concepts for a project

Photo Grant K. Gibson..

One of the most important lessons I ever learned occurred when I was asked to participate in my first design show house in San Francisco. Opening night happened to fall on my twenty-fifth birthday, which is what I like to think of as the launch of my career. I was young and intimidated by all of the veteran designers. I was responsible for the smallest room in the house, and I filled it with flea market finds since that was all I could afford. The room was entitled A Gentlemans Retreat. I feared being the laughing stock when the doors opened. All of the other designers had hired the best decorative painters in town and had spent thousands of dollars on things such as custom silk curtains. I had been on my hands and knees refinishing the hardwood floors myself and painting the walls with a few gallons from the neighborhood hardware store. Despite its humble nature, the room was a success and I started to receive small interior jobs which turned into larger jobs. The lesson I learned? Trust your instincts. This has been a returning mantra for me.

I grew up in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles in the 80s. As an only child, I would often accompany my parents to dinner parties and museums as well as on tripsexperiences that would later shape my own environment as well as those I conjure up for my clients. I also spent countless hours in my bedroom, letting my imagination run wild. But I wasnt playing with stuffed animals or Legos. No, I was thinking about how the wood paneling would look so much better painted white (it did) and wondering if there were beautiful hardwood floors beneath the carpeting (there were, and I successfully campaigned for the floors to be refinished while I was away at summer camp). It seems Ive spent my life reimagining and rearranging things. Sometimes, its just in my head; other times, Im lucky enough to execute my ideas. (For example, as soon as I get to the summer cottage I rent in Maine, I take down the curtains, move the furniture, and banish to the spare bedroom chairs and lamps that offend my sensibilities.)

My first day of kindergarten at Franklin Avenue Elementary in Los Angeles. (Look at those bangs!)

Photo Grant K. Gibson.

This is one of my favorite memoriesafter brunch at a friends house in Santa Barbara with Julia Child.

Photo Grant K. Gibson.

An excerpt from an elementary school report card. Grant is an enthusiastic learner. He has formed positive relationships with his peers. He enjoys expressing himself in art.

Photo Grant K. Gibson.

My mother worked in fashion when I was young, which perhaps explains my love of fabrics and bringing together different textures and patterns in a cohesive vision. But how she spent her off-duty hours has had an even stronger influence on me: she loved to cook. If I werent an interior designer, no doubt I would be working in a kitchen somewhere. Im comfortable experimenting, and that goes for my cooking as well as my interior design work. Its a mind-set that I often suggest to my clients when theyre overthinking something or getting hung up on one particular idea that pushes them a bit. If you dont like the way certain flavors are working together in a dish, you can add and subtract until its to your liking. The same is often true of design.

My fathers influence on my career path is more straightforward: he has a passion for restoring houses. I spent countless weekends on job sites and tagging along as he worked on projects. I can also blame him for my obsession with real estate and antique stores. When I was twelve, he let me join him on a business trip to New York City. I fondly remember passing the days exploring the citys great museums while he worked. I think, like so many people, I fell in love with the energy of the city and I was fascinated with the liveliness of it all. Eight years later, I returnedthis time, to live on the Upper West Side and pursue a career in interior design.

But there was more to my education. As a struggling, dyslexic teenager, I literally escaped the difficulties I had in schoolacademically and sociallyby traveling. Discovering places like the Sir John Soanes Museum in London, exploring Rome, and spending a summer in Sweden allowed for self-learning about architecture, art, and furnishings from various eras. Additionally, I gained an appreciation for different culturestheir foods and music, for example. My friends often joke that I am usually planning my next trip before my current trip is even complete. Travel is a luxury, I know, and not everyone can jump on a plane whenever wanderlust kicks in. I guess what interests me about travel is the sense of adventure and the discovery of new cultures, from how people live to the architecture to the aromas of the markets frequented by locals. My design aesthetic will forever be intertwined with influences from my travels. Inspiration from travel and using items I bring back provides a fresh spin on my own existing living space and those I help create for my clients.