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.