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By Donna Sapolin

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Interior designer Jamie Drake hops off the curb to flag a New York City cab and answers my call. The urban din—bustling crowds, honking horns and screeching brakes—could rattle even the most inveterate multi-tasker, but Drake manages to calmly and deliberately articulate his design vision while dashing from one pressing errand to the next. (I, on the other hand, drop my receiver when the doorman unexpectedly buzzes me during our conversation.)

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Photography by Eric Striffler.

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This phone session will be Drake’s only “free” time in the next 10 days, he says, and so he persists, asking the waitress to turn down the music when he pauses to grab lunch. If his steady focus and suave, unflappable mien is any indication of the way he communicates with clients, it’s no wonder he’s racked up commissions the world over (from Paris to Saudi Arabia) that are celebrated as much for their acute attention to detail as for their irreverent jolts of color.

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Drake’s personality, expressed not only in his words and decorative schemes but also in his attire, is so colorful and captivating one cannot help but envision the cab’s brilliant yellow paint and the entire visual cacophony of New York City when speaking with him.

.Photography by Nick Johnson.

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Entering a Jamie Drake-designed room, be it modern or historic, can make you feel as if you’re walking into a bold and brazen hot-house or a subdued and serene spa. The most hushed of rooms—bedrooms, libraries—become lush and lively in his deft hands. Gathering rooms morph into restful havens without sacrificing a sense of surprise or sociability. “But the ultimate look is all about the clients’ preferences,” he reminds me. That may be the case but the Drake touch is always evident.

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“My take on color is painterly. I find unusual shades and juxtapositions intriguing. Each room and each project offers different opportunities—sometimes I employ colorful accents in a more neutral space and other times a room will be slathered with color in a variety of tones and shades. Every surface is absolutely considered even if it’s one that’s off-white or gray—it’s all part of an overall vision.”

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The myriad errands to which he’s attending during our chat have as much to do with the trip he’s about to take (Greece and London) as with work (a New York Times interview, project meetings). Drake immerses himself in travel not only for respite but also to fuel his dramatic color-infused worldview. “Last month I spent a week in Paris and Morocco—places that were hardly new to me but reminded me of their fabulosity,” he says. “This evening I’m leaving for Greece. I’m sure I’ll come back from the islands and want everything to be brilliant white. But I’ll be finishing up the trip in London so a touch of opulence will be creeping into my new visions as well.”

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Photography by Eric Stiffler.

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Apart from travel, Drake cites fashion and magazines as key inspirations. “But for me it’s mostly about keeping my eyes open as I move through life,” he says. That’s apparently something he’s being doing since the get-go—Drake is wired for color. His mother was an artist; his father, a printer, and some of his most gripping memories are of paint-encrusted pallets and ink vats.

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He started painting and creating collages at age seven and served as the resident interior designer of his friends’ backyard forts, which he outfitted with “antiques”—broken old bottles, falling-apart farm implements and old washing vats. During high school Drake interned with a large interiors contract firm in Connecticut and after graduation, moved to New York and entered the Parsons School of Design. He graduated Parsons with two commissions in hand and launched his firm. “I was propelled without thinking into my own business,” he says.

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Photography by Lucus Allen.

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Today, Drake Design Associates employs a staff of 12 architects and designers. “In addition to the design development, we work in a collaborative effort to find art and antiques for our projects,” he says. The firm is just finishing up a 4500-square-foot apartment in New York’s fabled Dakota building. “After two-and-a-half-years of work, the clients have moved in and we spent the day yesterday shopping for art—contemporary western art as distinct from the collection of Chinese contemporary art that the couple has in their 10-month-a- year home in Shanghai.”

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Photography by Tim Lee.

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Drake is also are working on two radiation oncology clinics in Jacksonville, Florida. The first is a building his firm designed from the ground up with light-filled, soaring spaces slated for completion and final installations in August.

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In all his projects, Drakes eschews what he regards as the number one mistake designers can make: Creating something expected and generic.

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“I hate uninteresting, safe and banal schemes that look as if they were plucked from a showroom window.”

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He urges risk-taking above all and developing the guts and conviction to do something bold. “Cut the pillow down,” he urges by way of example. “You can make it smaller but you can’t make it bigger.”

Photography by Lucus Allen.

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To convince a client to bring a vision that pushes the envelope to fruition, he says, requires both confidence and a creative thought process.

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“Early on, when I wanted to persuade someone to paint a ceiling in a vibrant color, I offered to paint it back on my own dime it they didn’t like it… but I never had to write a single check.”

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Whether they are designed to be sedate or glimmering, Drake’s projects dare to bust boundaries and bear testimony to a strong belief in a uniquely personal vision.

Photography by Erif Striffler.

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The palette for a library he created in Metropolitan Home’s recent Showtime House—a New York concrete gray with amorphous slate blues and dashes of khaki and olive—gives expression to David Duchovny’s character in “Californication”. “Hank is a low- key kind of guy, even with all his anxieties,” says Drake. “He wouldn’t be living with fuchsia so I went for something serene and thoughtful.”

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The designer situated a sculptural artist-created book tower in one corner of the library to evoke Hank’s writer’s block. “What could reflect his personality more perfectly than a tower of books that comes tumbling down if you pull one out?” he asks. Artist Gary Ponzo’s delicate paperclip chandelier reinforces the occupant’s fragile writerly status.

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Upholstered walls and curtains made of Ultrasuede forge an atmosphere of spare luxe; the ceiling, painted in a satin-finish soft blue from Benjamin Moore’s Metallics collection, serves as a shiny counterpoint to the fabric. The seating is provided by a large double chaise custom fabricated by Delta Upholsters and covered in Ultrasuede and an oversized chair with a totemic back inspired by a tribal throne Drake spotted while traveling in South Africa.

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The desk sports an elegantly eroded finish that is an interpretation of the ancient Japanese technique— negoro nuri. The piece was made by Alpha Workshops—Drake’s favorite charity and one for which he serves as board chairman. The acrylic and resin painting by James Lecce from McKenzie Fine Art broadcasts the room’s full range of hues. “Its patterns are full of movement,“ says Drake. “You can easily get lost in it while daydreaming.” Handcrafted glass and bronze sconces by Jonathan Browning flank the artwork.

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Photography by William Waldron.

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Movement, in fact, characterizes all Drake designs. He ingeniously plots its course with a careful repetition of tones and shapes throughout the spaces he designs. In the case of the Upper East Side NYC apartment he created for a dear friend, a home he describes as “polite and mad at the same time,” he relied on circular forms and colors inspired by a collection of Danish pottery.

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The client, he says, is a fabulous, bold and dynamic woman who possessed some exuberant, over-the-top pieces. “I felt that my job was to stand up to them and enhance them by adding more madness to the mix.”

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To that end, he designed a 16-foot-long buffet (made by Roman Thomas) with orange pony skin- covered doors, arrayed the client’s ceramics on top, and integrated their colors into silk cabochons in a round custom-designed wool rug. The golden hues of the gilded baroque chandelier (from Bernd Goeckler Antiques), mirror frame and candelabra are echoed in the hand-knotted silk fringe applied to the leading edge of the portieres that serve to separate the space from the adjacent living room.

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The tone repeats on the walls, which are upholstered in a Donghia khaki-gold silk and cotton fabric. The Giacometti-inspired table base from Carole Gratale is topped with a round slab of heavily figured Persian onyx. It’s encircled with reproduction Italian provincial chairs painted in an antique plum color and upholstered in an iridescent saffron and plumb silk.

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Photography by Nick Johnson.

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The 2007 Kips Bay Decorator Show House coincided with the launch of Drake’s fabric collection for Schumacher and he put it to zesty use in the bedroom he created for the home. The walls are upholstered in an orchid-colored fresh interpretation of moiré with an embossed dot pattern. A cool base of lush lavender-tinged gray wool carpet from Patterson, Flynn & Martin tempers the room’s exuberant floral palette. Curtains in Drake’s signature “Jazzed Stripe” fabric from Schumacher hang from Michael Tavano’s elegant crystal rods.

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“The custom sleigh bed is both severe and romantic at the same time,” says Drake. “Its square lines were explicitly envisioned to show off my “Not Square” fabric, a silk velvet cut to reveal a soft metallic ground.” Gilt nailheads further emphasize the bed’s form.

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Photography by Nick Johnson.

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On each side of the bed, an Alpha Workshops black wood “Waterfall” table with fuchsia peering through a negoro nuri lacquer finish holds an antique Chinese lamp from Mallett’s. Above the headboard, a painting by David Mann depicts a celestial explosion of energy. “I love the palette, its modernity and its mystical feeling,” says Drake.

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An antique Russian desk purchased at Florian Papp is made of Karelian birch and features verre eglomise drawer panels.

Photography by Tim Lee.

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This book-filled space for a home in backcountry Greenwich reflects Drake’s take on a classical Connecticut panel library. “Having grown up in the state, I understand it quite well,” he says. Apparently, well enough to tweak it successfully:

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“In my own subversive way, I chose not to utilize the expected mahogany or cherry and instead opted for the cool tones of American walnut and for detailing that is more art moderne than 19th-century English.”

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He further pumped up the volume in the surprise department with robin’s-egg-blue lacquered bookcases. A black reveal lends the hue additional pop.

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Eclecticism reigns in this space: Lyrical antique English walnut desk with ebonized detailing joins contemporary Louis XVIth guilt-frame “Swag” chairs (from the Jamie Drake collection for Lewis Mittman) upholstered in woven leather with vibrant red grosgrain welting. A 1940s bronze and crystal chandelier from Maison Girard is “a chic take on a wagon wheel chandelier,” says the designer.

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The red in the chair’s welting is repeated in an antique Japanese enameled lamp base and in the shade’s trim. The room is anchored by a boldly geometric carpet made from pieces of antique flatweave Kilim from FJ Hakimian. It rests atop a cherry red stained oak floor that echoes the adjacent room’s wall color.

In this eastside apartment, a corner room facing both Central Park and lower Manhattan showcases a triptych by Ryan McGinnis over an updated classic sofa. The painted walls and upholstered sofa share an identical shade of August sky blue.

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Pillows and a chair in shocking pink and orange add vibrant dash along with colorful glassware atop Lorrin Marsh’s gilt-base, marble-top table. One of a pair of faux lizard ottomans provides additional seating.

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The acrylic-base end tables’ mother-of-pearl and lacquer tops reveal Drake’s penchant for using unusual materials in his rooms. Some are precious; others are commonplace ones in a less familiar form, such as recycled glass and eco-friendly composites. The carpet he envisioned for the space gives a psychedelic character to wood grain patterns.

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Selected Resources:

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2009 Kips Bay Show House: Bolster trim, Trim on Window Treatments, Coffee Table Embedment, Daybed and Pillow Treatment: CRYSTALLIZEDTM – Swarovski Elements, Sofa, Daybed, Mahogany Armchair & Window Treatment Fabrics: F Schumacher & Co, Tall Lounge Chair, Ottoman & Pillow Fabrics: Reynaldo- available through Michael Tavano Design. Paisley Fabric for Throw Pillows: Clarence House, Chocolate/Silver Fabric for Throw Pillows: Opuzen – available through Koroseal, Ottoman & Decorative Pillows Re-Upholstery & Windows Treatments: Michael Tavano, Painting: America Painting, Hand Painted Wallpaper: Alpha Workshops
Carpet: Sacco, Bookcase: Holly Hunt, Game Table: John Boone, Trims: Samuel & Sons, Paint:: Aura Interior Paints, Benjamin Moore Paints, Chandelier, Porcelain Table Lamps, Bronze Coffee Table, Side Table and End Tables Flanking Sofa : Bernd Goeckler Antiques, Three Door Cabinet with Grey/Black Horsehair Doors & Antique Mirror Top: Roman Thomas, Custom Oval Coffee Table with CRYSTALLIZEDTM Swarovski Elements: Orion Retail, Pair of Tortoise Shell Chairs: John Salibello, Pair of Mahogany Armchairs: Alan Moss
Pair of Leleu Bergeres: Maison Gerard, Floorlamp: Poltrono Frau, Balcony Installation and Flowers: ZeZe Flowers, Papier-Mâché Books By Jean Lowe and Artwork by Chris Gallagher: McKenzie Fine Art Inc.
‘Conquistador’ Artwork by Dan Christensen: Spanierman Gallery, LLC, Collection of 1930s French Ceramic Vases: Robert Altman, Japanese Bronze Vase with Spiral Design: H.M. Luther, Large Tiger Eye and Rhodonite Sphere: H.M. Luther, Russian Amethyst Glass Open Box: H.M. Luther, Pair of Red Glass Decanters: H.M. Luther
French Metal-Mounted Ivory Lacquer Letter Box: H.M. Luther, Pair of American Bronze Bookends in the Form of Male Athletes: H.M. Luther, Swedish Ceramic Sculpture of a Parrot: H.M. Luther, French Patinated Plaster Sculpture of a Young Man’s Head: H.M. Luther, Pair of Italian Obelisks: H.M. Luther, Turquoise Art Glass “Spiky” Vase by Barovier, Ovoid Ribbed Violet Murano Glass Vase: John Salibello, Wallpaper Installation: DecoRada Wallpaper Installation and Michael Ehrlich for Sagebrush Painting Co., Bronze Tree Sculpture: David Duncan Antiques, Ceramic Trains By David Packer: Dean Project

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Metropolitan Home Showtime House: Toray Ultrasuede (America), Inc. Suede Fabric for the Upholstery of the Walls, Furniture, Window Treatments; The Bradley Collection (Donghia) “Knot” Steel Collection for Window Treatments; Michael Tavano Design for Wall Upholstery & Window Treatments; Delta Upholstery for Chaise and Lounge Chair w/ Ottoman; Tom Benson for Free Standing Book Sculpture; Alan Tanksley for Paperclip Chandelier by Gary Ponzo, McKenzie Fine Art for “Juicy” by James Lecce; Scott McBee for Collage Door “Oranje” by Scott McBee; Elitis (Donghia) for “Glass” wallpaper, Benjamin Moore for Aura and Studio Finishes; Alpha Workshop Finish for Hank Moody’s Custom Desk, Floor Finish by State of the Art Flooring; Nella Vetrina Bookcase, Holly Hunt Crystal Sphere Sconces by Alison Berger.

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2007 Kips Bay Show House: Fabrics Jamie Drake For Schumacher, Provencal Cabinet & Saddle Bag Chairs: Jamie Drake For Lewis Mittman, Custom Millwork & Construction Services: Uberto Construction, Lequin Collection Alexandrite Waste Basket, Tray & Box, Boule Collection Black Marble Cachepot; Jamie Drake For Labra, Bed & Ottoman: Jamie Drake By Michael Tavano, White Rabbit Fur & Carpeting: Patterson, Flynn, & Martin, Bedside Tables: The Alpha Workshops, Pair Of Chinese Black & Gilt Table Lamps & 18th Centure German Pier Mirror: Mallet, S X Cut Crystal & Gilt Bronze Vases, Pair Of Lythlalin Glass Tazzaz On Gilt Bronze Bases, Alexandrite Table Lamp: Marvin A, White Ceramic Figurine: Lladro, David Mann Painting: Mc Kenzie Fine Art Inc, Custom Framing: J. Pocker & Sons, Swedish Neoclassical Gilded Sulla Chair: H.M. Luther Antiques, Bronze & Crystal Chandelier, Pair Of Round Tables: Maison Gerard Ltd, Floral Arrangements: Ze Ze, Russion Writing Table: Florian Papp, Saturn Acrylic Chair: Andrew Martin, Gold Picture Frame: Grumps, White Glass Snake: Robb Wynne, Slipper Chair, Wall Upholstery & Window Treatments: Michael Tavano, Fireplace: Andy’s Marble & Granite Inc., White Onyx For Fireplace: Artistic Tile, Bronze Fireplace Surround: Minimum Decorative Arts & Design, Fire Screen 7 Tools: Wm. H. Jackson Company, Lyle 7 Umbach Andirons: Holly Hunt, Cedric Hartman Floor Lamps : Pollack, Trims: Samuels & Sons, Mattress: Charles H Beckley. Terrace Landscaping: Blomdies Tree House Inc., Electronics: Compushine, Painting: Jack Franck Painting & Decorating, Paint: Benjamin Moor