No wonder Joan Collins chose to work with John Lyle to design her New York City apartment, as she got ready to sell it through Core Real Estate. He is so intuitive, plus it doesn’t hurt to have an exact eye for great design. So for the first time in her life, the film star decided to work with an interior designer who brought new life to her space while making it warm and inviting for prospective buyers.

“I’m always looking for new and wonderful ways to use the finest materials. Comfort is very important, and I strive to keep that in mind when I am designing. My clients have various lifestyles, some have children, pets, so I design spaces as well as furnishings that fit their lifestyles.” John Lyle, interior and furniture designer

High End Weekly: This Joan Collins’ apartment is both glamorous, and inviting. Pretty much like your furniture lines.
John Lyle: Well, thank you. My company rebrand a few years back as John Lyle Design but in 1985, my former business partner and I founded our design firm and we named it Lyle and Umbach, Ltd. We became business partners at that time because we both loved neoclassicism, and my designs reflected that style and the collection sold at top high-end showrooms across the US. After working with bronze, steel was our next adventure, then fine woods. The latest things we’ve added to our line of furnishings are a variety of exotic materials such as shagreen, parchment, tobacco and beautiful and intricate inlaid seashells. I’m always looking for new and wonderful ways to use the finest materials. Comfort is very important, and I strive to keep that in mind when I am designing. My clients have various lifestyles, some have children, pets, so I design spaces as well as furnishings that fit their lifestyles.

Before

After

HEW: How appealing do you think it’ll be for potential buyers when they find out that this is Joan Collins’ apartment, and that her spirit is reflected in the decor?
JL: Very appealing, indeed. She’s a legend, and a great beauty at that. It’s certainly an advantage for a buyer to have that provenance. This place is now fresh and glamorous, but it also reflects the vigor and vim which represents youth. These days, a great number of young people are buying real estate. These folks are mostly in their 40s, so I wanted to design a space that would make them, or anyone else. feel right at home.

HEW: Is Home Staging the current hot trend in today’s New York Real Estate Market?
JL: This is my first home staging, so to speak, although I remembered helping my brother with his kitchen before he sold his house. I believe that one of the main challenges of staging an apartment in the city may be the cost that goes along with it. The logistics of simply making a delivery to this sort of upscale building became astronomical, and a challenge giving the narrow window of time we were given. The rules and logistics may shy many people away from staging in a city like Manhattan. I’m grateful to so many firms that came to bat with this project. Farrow & Ball for donating the wallpaper and paint, Neidermaier, Leslie Blau, Leah Antiques, Illume Shades, and all the other firms, and people who graciously loaned their magnificent pieces to this project.

The animal reference on these decorative bowls,purchased at an auction house, and suggests the resident’s true sense of travel and adventures to be had !

HEW: Please tell us more about your line of furnishings? Which showrooms carry them?
JL: Largely, all the mirror polished stainless steel pieces are from my new company called Inox New York, which is nationally represented by Donghia. Other pieces are part of the John Lyle Design collection, take a look at the website for our various representative showrooms, including David Sutherland, Holly Hunt, and Johanna Spilman in San Francisco, Jennifer West in Seattle, and Furn & Co. in Boston. The best place to see my work is my Design Studio in Long Island City, which is a great and spacious loft in an industrial building. I enjoy commuting there from Manhattan, while riding my vintage Vespa Scooter. The studio is directly above the entrance to the midtown tunnel and the views of Manhattan are astounding.

HEW: In your opinion, what are some of the most important essentials in a room when it comes to interior design?
JL: Comfort. Scale. Mood. Mood is very important. The secret is in how a room makes you feel personally. David Hicks once said that every living room should have a lower chair so when a woman sits her legs look long and her silhouette can be showed to its best advantage. This in turn will make her feel good, and look elegant.

HEW: Do you urge your clients to buy art?
JL: A longtime client of mine collects a great deal of art. Like his father before him, Robert Rothschild is an avid collector of early 20th century works including Braque, Picasso, De Chirico, Matisse, Miro as well as a very important collection of Russian avant-garde paintings. I usually find that the right textile will present a perfect backdrop for art, and it often sets the mood. With a great art collection, everything else in the room should play second fiddle, and allow the art to take precedence. I enjoy collecting, therefore my apartment’s wall space is pretty limited right now. I love color, I’m into abstract paintings, sculptures, and I mostly like to mix modern furniture with antiques. I collect a lot of art from my friends and colleagues.

HEW: What other profession would be appealing to you if you were not a designer?
JL: A performer, but only if I were a very successful actor, directly out of the box. I wouldn’t have the drive to pay the dues. I guess it comes down to a matter of weighting your passions. I’m totally visual, and designing is such a natural thing for me. Honestly, I just live and breathe design.

HEW: Whenever I see you, you’re always dressed so stylish. If you were to design a clothing line only for you, how would it look?
JL: Most of my clothes are custom-made for me. I like clothing that are clean, classic, simple, although sometimes, I get a little Rock’N’Roll. For the most part, my fashion sense is classic. I enjoy dressing with supple and unique materials, that’s why I’m particularly fond of a well cut, tailored suit. It makes a big difference.

HEW: How would you describe luxury?
JL: Luxury is comfort. Extreme comfort, and inspiration.

The 40th Annual Decorator Show House 2012
The Aldyn Residences

While many will concentrate on the well deserved Albert Hadley tribute which those three design masters pulled together with a vitality that is so rarely seen in a room, I found it hard to take my eyes off from the gorilla in the room – Le Courbusier’ tapestry which adroitly anchored the room.
Brian J. McCarthy Inc., Bunny Williams Inc. and David Kleinberg Design Associates
Living Room tribute to Albert Hadley

Raji Radhakrishnan Design

This tapestry is rarer than one thinks since Le Corbusier designed a total of fifty tapestries of which thirty eight are in France and twelve in Chandigarh. This one most likely made its way to the US with some public auction.

Raji Radhakrishnan is the type of designer that draws her clients in by using her charm, openness, skills, and genuine love for art and design. Being a museum hopper as well, I strongly identified with her subject – The Metropolitan Museum of Art. This home office for The Met’s Head Curator stems from Raji’s love for art and how she envisioned the various pieces that a Met curator would want to surround his or herself with. And what are they? Ancient and modern art, classical and contemporary architecture, fashion and the performing arts. She carefully chose furnishings dating back from the Secessionist, Art Deco and Modernist periods to the present day contemporary ones. I absolutely LOVED the Jules Leleu chairs from Maison Gerard.

If only my current projects called for this enormous sunburst mirror which drew me into the room even more… This showstopper is a reflection of the bright, lightness of the room, and it is simply glorious. Susan Zises Green

Susan Zises Green‘s room overlooked the peaceful flow of the Hudson River, and her color scheme is as soothing as nature itself. She envisioned this room as a grand living space for a newly married couple – and the furniture that you see are the joint efforts of two hearts which now beat as one. “Storage lockers opened and trucks were dispatched to collect the bounty within.”

Unlike what we sometimes experience with large spaces, the soaring ceiling compliment instead of overwhelm the carefully selected furniture, textile choices and art pieces. Susan’s room is next to Patrik Lönn’s dinning room, and the harmony between them ought to be explored and absorbed.

The idea behind this library was to create a new retreat for the book lover, and philosopher as they surround themselves with lacquered spruce green mill work that is contemporary, yet with a retro feel. These custom chairs are über chic and inviting. Along with the custom sofa they were inspired by a Maison Jansen design from the 1940s. The trims on the chairs, and the textile choices for the pillows are immaculate and compliment the lacquered wall to an exact science.

The Murano glass light fixture overlooking Robert Schwartz and Karen Williams’ kitchen for St Charles stood out like no ones business. And that was a good thing. The latest effort from the designing duo, Karen Williams and Robert Schwartz was not what I would call an inviting kitchen, even though it had all the “right fittings”. Recognized brands like the flamberge rotisserie from La Cornue, faucets from Frantini USA, counter tops from New England Stone were overshadowed by the fabulous 1940s Murano glass tulip fixture which was a sight to behold.