The Style Files: Conversations with Creatives

Jane Churchill’s Interior Design work has made her a household name both at home and abroad. With more than 40 years in the business, Jane Churchill has a deep knowledge of the classic decorating tradition. Unlike many Interior Designers who work from a specific style, Jane combines classic and contemporary elements so that each project is unique and personal to the client.

Ariel Okin is the founder of her eponymous firm, Ariel Okin Interiors, a New York based, full service interior design firm specializing in luxury residential, commercial and hospitality projects.

Ariel’s portfolio ranges from traditional to contemporary, with a focus on elegant, livable spaces. A deft use of color, an emphasis on clean lines, and a mix of bespoke and antique items are hallmarks of her aesthetic; she believes every home should reflect its owner’s personality.

A graduate of Columbia University and George Washington University, Ariel has been featured and profiled in Elle Decor, Domino, House Beautiful, Architectural Digest, Vogue, The Wall Street Journal, and New York Magazine, among others.

Ariel is a contributing writer to Vogue.com, Architectural Digest and Domino, and was named one of the top 20 Interior Design Instagram accounts to follow by Domino.

Current projects include a full floor gut renovation on the Upper West Side, an Upper East Side pied-a-terre, a hospitality project in Palm Beach, and multiple homes in the tri-state area.

Over the years Kit Kemp MBE has been forging an internationally-acclaimed reputation, not only for her unique hotel interiors as Founder and Creative Director of Firmdale Hotels but also as a successful textiles, fragrance and homewares designer, author and a highly-respected champion of British art, craft and sculpture.

With a collection of ten couture hotels in London and New York, Kit is celebrated for her individual and original approach to the way she transforms and arranges buildings, with a colourful and detailed storytelling in her design. She has won many awards for her designs including House & Garden’s Hotel Designer of the Year, The Crown Estate’s Urban Business Award, CN Traveller’s Best Hotel in the World for Design and Andrew Martin International Interior Designer of the Year.

Kit has collaborated with leading global design brands such as Wedgwood, Wilton Carpets, Andrew Martin, Anthropologie, Christopher Farr, Chelsea Textiles, C P Hart, Porta Romana and Fine Cell Work, creating collections including tableware, fragrance, furniture, fabrics and wallpaper.

In 2012, Kit published her first book, A Living Space which follows an inspiring personal voyage through the many spaces she has designed. This was followed by a second book, Every Room Tells A Story and her third and latest book, Design Thread.  Kit Kemp has been invited as Guest Editor for Homes & Gardens and Hospitality Design USA.

In 2017 Shop Kit Kemp was launched. An online store complete with a range of products ready to buy for the home created by Kit Kemp and her design team. Spring 2019 saw Kit Kemp launch an exclusive collaboration with New York department store, Bergdorf Goodman. The Loft on the seventh floor was transformed into The World of Kit Kemp where her collections of furniture, fabrics, fragrance and home accessories were brought together for the first time.

In 2019, Kit Kemp launched a blog called Kit Kemp’s Design Thread. This new website showcases her world of colour and design including collaborations, films and an insight into her work and day-to-day experiences in her Design Studio

Kit Kemp is a Trustee of Fine Cell Work and the Heritage of London Trust.

After earning a fine arts degree at Pratt and studying traditional block printing in China, John Robshaw journeyed to India to find natural indigo dye for his paintings. Instead, he fell in love with the fabric-making traditions of the local artisans. The hands-on immediacy and vitality of textiles piqued what was to become a lifelong fascination. His signature look was crafted: an updated spin on the traditional, handmade object; a vibrant mix of sophistication and romantic allure. "I want all the colors, techniques and designs from each culture to blend. I redesign them and mix up the processes. I edit them, learn from them, make them my own, but retain their essence. John's forays in Asia have taken him to the villages of Gujarat and Rajasthan; he has made court batiks in Yogakarta, Indonesia; block printed sarongs alongside a family who has been printing for four generations; he has vegetable-dyed ikats in Thailand. In India, John found that he could apply a painterly aesthetic to traditional methods by mixing up patterns and overlapping them in a more formally artistic way.

Born in Indianapolis, Markham Roberts graduated from Brown University and moved to New York to work with the late Mark Hampton, before opening his eponymous firm in 1997. Called “a master of timeless American style” by Vogue, Markham has earned the reputation as one of the top decorators of his generation. He and his work have been featured in Architectural Digest, Cabana, Domino, Elle Decor, Galerie Magazine, House Beautiful, House & Garden, Southern Accents, Town & Country, Veranda, Vogue and The New York Times. Since 2014, Markham has been named to the AD100, Architectural Digest’s prestigious list of the top 100 interior designers and architects in the world, as well as the Elle Decor A-List.  And in the 2018 book Inspired Design, the 100 Most Important Designers of the Past 100 Years, Markham was honored to be included on this historic list with the all-time great decorators.  Markham’s highly respected monograph, Decorating: The Way I See It, published in 2014 by Vendome Press, showcases his thoughtful, tailored, and refreshing approach to decorating and is widely praised as an essential design tome.  His second book, Notes on Decorating, published in 2020 by Vendome Press, further illustrates his refined and singular approach to designing interiors.

Known for his creativity and his ability to work in a wide variety of styles, Markham adeptly interprets his clients’ needs and wants to seamlessly reflect their style and not merely his own imprint. Markham’s highly respected monograph, Decorating: The Way I See It, published by The Vendome Press, showcases his thoughtful, tailored, and refreshing approach to decorating and is widely praised as an essential design tome.

Whether working on commercial projects or for private clients across the country and abroad, Markham infuses interiors with his sophisticated and personal touch, applying his knowledge and experience individually and specifically to each project.

According to Senga Mortimer, the noted editor, “There is a distinct refinement that runs through all of his work and is, indeed, emblematic of his personality … Markham, with his unflinching ease, his assured eye, his natural understanding of how a house should function, and his total lack of pretense, creates rooms that are timeless.”

Markham Roberts lectures on decorating across the country. He sits on the board of the Cain Foundation, a philanthropic trust established by his late grandparents to support the arts, education, and to assist those in need.

Following her undergraduate education at Georgia Southern University, where she nurtured an underlying passion for philanthropy, Mrs. Dewberry began her career with the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Alexander-Tharpe Fund in Athletic Development. From there she joined Dewberry Group as Director of The Dewberry Foundation, where she manages charitable requests, contributions and strategic planning. A native of Dalton, Georgia, and the daughter of design and home décor retail business owners, Mrs. Dewberry parlayed her appreciation for art and antiques into her latest role with at the helm of Dewberry Group’s Studio Dewberry. As Principal, she oversees design and procurement along with her husband, John.

Dewberry Group founder and CEO John formally started Studio Dewberry in 2014 to handle everything from architecture and interiors to product development and procurement, as well as graphic art and branding, for all of the real estate and hospitality properties within Dewberry Group’s portfolio. Their most distinguished project to date is the opening of the five-star Dewberry hotel in Charleston, South Carolina. Today, Mrs. Dewberry divides her time among the family’s homes in Charleston, Atlanta, and Doonbeg, Ireland.

Acclaimed New York City-based designer, Vicente Wolf is known for his clear, restrained and elegant aesthetic.  A passionate traveler, Vicente’s frequent jaunts to exotic destinations provide him with a global perspective that he weaves into his designs.  His interiors incorporate these authentic, globally-sourced artifacts and furnishings with modern décor in a warm palette capturing a sense of earthy charisma and timelessness.   Wolf’s spaces ‘travel’ through time and remain relevant and meaningful environments for his discerning client roster.

For over four decades Vicente Wolf has fostered the global development of his brand through a simplicity-driven principle that intermingle his many creative endeavors: interior design, photography, art collection and international travel.  From the spacious light-filled loft in New York City where his company is headquartered, Wolf and his team at Vicente Wolf Associates build on his passion for design, maintaining an impressive portfolio that spans multinational conglomerates and private homes to hotels and restaurants across the globe.

Always on the lookout for new ways in which to inspire the world of design, Wolf’s eye for detail has fostered a reputation for quality appreciated by his discriminating clients and the creative industries alike.  Throughout his illustrious career, Vicente has graced the pages of all the top shelter publications and received many of the industry’s top distinctions.  Prestigious honors include perpetual listings as an AD 100, Elle Décor’s A-List, NY Spaces Top 50 Designer and House Beautiful magazine’s 10 most influential designers, to name a few, and has been inducted into Interior Design magazine’s Hall of Fame.

Wolf is an international speaker, book author with five titles to his name, lauded retailer and celebrated visionary.  In 2012, Vicente received his PHD in Design & Architecture from Boston Architectural College and is currently at the helm of two companies: Vicente Wolf Associates and VW Home by Vicente Wolf.

"If it's good, you know it." That says, Alfredo Paredes, is the foundation of his design philosophy, one he's put into practice at his new, multi-disciplinary design studio committed to excellence in projects ranging from residential and hospitality, to special events and product development.  The designer, who's been described as having "visually perfect pitch", is an industry veteran who spent 33 years creating environments, experiences, and products at Ralph Lauren, most recently in the role of Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Office. During his tenure with the company Paredes was in charge of global store design and architecture, and was the creative force behind the Women's and Home Flagship on Madison Avenue, as well as the one on the Boulevard Saint-Germain in Paris. He also oversaw the creation of an array of stores the world over and was responsible for the famed visuals in the windows of the Madison Avenue mansion and other retail stores around the globe, not to mention the conception and design of the now legendary Polo Bar in Manhattan. Those are just the sorts of creative enterprises in which Alfredo Paredes Studio specializes-- the fashioning of spaces, home furnishings, and unique events designed to accelerate the pulse of clients with even the biggest dreams.

A designer, tastemaker, and working mother of two, Aerin Lauder is a modern day style icon. Committed to living life more beautifully, she founded the luxury lifestyle brand AERIN in 2012. With a love for interiors and a talent for creating warm, inviting spaces, Aerin’s elegant, effortless aesthetic is a reflection of her unique upbringing. As she says, “Beauty is my heritage, but home and accessories are my passion. There was an opportunity in the market for a lifestyle brand based on feminine, modern and effortless products with strong heritage. I decided to launch AERIN and make the whole concept of beauty part of the way we live today.” Aerin brings ease and beauty into all aspects of life and, as a dedicated

philanthropist, into the lives of others. She is passionate about her work with The Breast Cancer Research Foundation and an active board member of the Education Committee for the Board of Trustees at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, International Council of the Museum of Modern Art, Foundation for Art & Preservation in Embassies, and Gods Love We Deliver. Aerin was presented with the Golden Heart Award for Lifetime Achievement at the 2013 God’s Love We Deliver Golden Heart Awards.

Peter Dunham was raised in France and educated in England at Stowe. He read modern languages at Exeter College, and business administration at the American University in Paris. After graduating he worked in real estate in New York City.

Peter moved to Los Angeles in 1998 and immediately started his interior design company. In 2003 he launched his eponymous fabric and wallpaper collection, now sold through 16 showrooms worldwide. To house a growing collection of handcrafted, made-to-order furniture, textiles and vintage finds, Peter opened Hollywood at Home in 2007. Located in the Los Angeles design district, it has become a leading destination for design lovers. In 2020 he established his third product arm, Peter Dunham Home, venturing into stocked, indoor/outdoor furniture.

At the firm, Peter and his design team split their time between restoring landmarked houses and collaborating with renowned architects on ground up projects. Current projects include a modernist Marmol Radziner house overlooking the Pacific in Montecito, residences in Los Angeles, the Bay area, Newport Beach, Montana and an iconic 1963 Horace Gifford house on Fire Island.

The Wall Street Journal described his style as “Merchant Ivory Moderne” and “restraint with a kick.” His international style embraces color and pattern, mixing bespoke furnishings, vintage finds and modern luxuries. His design work has been featured in Architectural Digest, ELLE Decor, House and Garden, House Beautiful, Coastal Living, WSJ, Veranda, Domino, Hollywood Reporter, Los Angeles Times, and more. Peter is on ELLE Decor’s A-List and included in Vendome Press’s new book, Inspired Design: The 100 Most Important Designers of the Past 100 Years.