Studies in Balance: White Webb Finds Elegant Equilibrium

Photograph by Erhard Pfeiffer .

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By Donna Sapolin

Matthew White and Frank Webb, principals of the New-York based interior design firm White Webb, carefully flesh out their responses to my questions. Their divergent perspectives forge a more fascinating exchange than any single voice or outlook could, and the same could be said of the rooms they create. In all their projects, disparate design points of view meld harmoniously to form a multi-layered whole that is all the richer for the contrasting parts that compose it. Indeed, White Webb spaces are studies in the balance of modernist and traditional forces. Though the two men recoil at the notion of an identifiable style in their design work,  they freely admit that the conflation of Webb’s modern leanings with White’s classical ones is a signature aspect.

“We want every project to be different because that means we are taking into account who we are doing the project for. But every space we do relies on our individual points of view to varying degrees and blends them.”

Photograph by Phillip Ennis.

The “Lady and the Tramp” room the designers created for the 2005 Kips Bay Showhouse is a case in point. They transformed a tiny maid’s room into a study for a female dog lover by combining warm hues and several modern pieces with furnishings from their “Intaglio” line, a black and white desk,  and dog bed featuring silk-screened blowups of 18^th and 19^th century engravings. A 1930’s French side chair from Alan Moss, a black lacquer Art Deco side table from Eric Appel Antiques, and a custom armchair upholstered in a houndstooth fabric (all fabrics in the room are from Bergamo) contribute sleek silhouettes to the space.

Photograph by Phillip Ennis.

The side chair, the carpeting from Victor Henshel Flooring and the ceiling jointly offer up pops of bright coral, peach, and sherbet orange that  “make everyone look beautiful,” says Webb. Black-and-white dog photographs flank a large custom mirror, enhancing the graphic appeal of the desk and armchair. Working in concert with this mirror, a duplicate one on the opposite wall creates an infinity effect that visually expands the space.

The frilly sheer curtain, linen covered walls, and the elaborate clock atop the desk mirror provide softening touches amid the profusion of rectilinear forms. These include built-in bookcases on each side of the window, which provide abundant storage for the study.

Photograph by Bjorn Wallander

For the 2008 Kips Bay Showhouse, the designers turned an L-shaped master bedroom suite into an exotically modern studio apartment by reversing the normal uses of the L’s legs: They transformed the large area into a seating and work space with desks and bookcases and morphed the smaller leg into a niche for a queen-size bed with the feeling of a deep sofa. “It’s a modern take on a Maharaja’s bed,” says Webb.

To customize the alcove, they used partition walls covered in tin can lids by artist Clare Graham. “We achieved a very luxurious effect with a very humble material,” says White. An antique miniature table from India inset into the wall enhances the exotic quality of the alcove.

“A sheer curtain makes the sleeping quarters feel both private and sexy,” says Webb. Clearly Classics Alexander tables provide surfaces for flowers and other bedside accessories and capture the designers’ interest in antique forms expressed in modern materials. A variety of Donghia fabrics,  a Patterson, Flynn & Martin vinyl sisal-look floor covering,  and Casa del Bianco bed linens pepper the space with intriguing textures.

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Akbar Table	Ming Table	Hadrian Table	Tangier Table

Photo by Erhard Pfeiffer

The elegant Architectural Digest-sponsored green room that White Webb created for the 2007 Oscars show relies on a largely blue and brown palette expressed in Lee Jofa fabrics and high-gloss paint. But the space was literally green in the sense of its eco-sensitive character.

“This was the first time that the green room was actually green in that way. To achieve that we used a Mohawk carpet, which is made of recycled plastic bottles; low-VOC paints from Paints of Europe; and, in the entrance hall, Maya Romanoff tile made from capiz shell-a renewable resource.”

The George Smith silk velvet sofa and Paris chairs were made in custom sizes and, along with the wool-clad custom ottomans, furthered the designers’ mission of creating a cozy, clubby space in which the world’s top stars could feel warm, calm and protected while waiting to appear before millions of viewers. “The feedback was amazing,” says White. “We achieved that inner sanctum feeling we wanted.”

Photograph by Art Gray.

“Every job has a unique challenge,” says Webb. “This Pasadena living room was freshly painted and round. We couldn’t change the color of the walls or the woodwork because the apartment was in an historically protected 19^th-century building, a former hotel.”

It was difficult for the designers to embrace the green and brown palette until they found a window treatment fabric that could tie the room together. They set the fabric on its side to run its broad stripes horizontally and, in this way, emphasize the circular nature of the space. The rods were custom-made to fit the curvature of the space; the sisal rug was also shaped to accommodate the round layout. And the men created a new shade for the Art Deco candelabrum-style light fixture “in order to accentuate its circular shape,” says White.

“We wanted something sculptural and machine-age in a 19^th century way, since the whole building has that quirky feeling,” explains White.

To deal with the inherent difficulty of devising a furniture plan for a round space, the designers divided it into two parts, using a Michael Berman Art Deco-style sofa at the center point. The commanding gilded iron and glass sofa table they designed serves to bridge the two parts of the room as well as the various vintage furnishings within it.

Photgraph by Art Gray

For the media room of an apartment located in a former office building in New York’s Chelsea district, White and Webb set aside the quieter palette they used throughout the rest of the residence and went for a bold cinnabar hue. Everything in the room was custom designed to integrate this tone and reflect the Art Deco sensibility of the building’s architecture.

“We wanted a room that wouldn’t just be used for watching TV but that would also be a place to socialize-a place to have friends over and enjoy a bottle of wine before heading to dinner.”

A large comfy sofa with rounded ends faces a bookcase with a modern Asian feel. It holds a large-screen TV along with books and artworks to lend a library-like character to the space. “This room is all about art,” says Webb. The designers commissioned the large painting above the sofa from Bob Breen; a former television set designer whose work they spotted in a California gallery. The painting’s circular forms and tribal quality play off the button frame mirror created by artist Clare Graham and a richly patterned carpet from Tibet Carpet.

The Art Deco style light fixture, one of a pair in the room, says White, “is an homage to the building.” A small swing arm sconce from Circa Lighting provides additional illumination. “It’s the only thing we didn’t design in this room,” says Webb.

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Chair by Donghia	Textile by De Gournay	Console Table by L’Etoile Collection	Textile by Michael Divine Home
Table by The Wicker Works	Urn by Vaughan	Side Table by Magni Home Collection	Andirons by Philip Nimmo Iron Works
Chandelier by Pagani Studio	Montreal by Tuell + Reynolds	Chair by Jean de Merry	Venetian Headboard by James Duncan Collections

Photograph by Phillip Ennis.

In 2007, White Webb was enlisted to update the Carlyle Hotel’s two main banquet rooms (named Versailles and Trianon), the elevator vestibule outside them, and the lobby area connecting them. “They were old-ladyish and mini Versailles-like,” says White.

“We wanted to create a more youthful and fresh look and took our cues from the character of the building. We created a Deco feel mixed with classical elements.”

To lend the four spaces a cohesive look, the designers used the same custom carpet throughout-a ‘cleaned up’ neoclassical design, and a consistent neutral palette of golds, pale grays and silvers that created a luxurious atmosphere but one on which stagers of events could put their own stamp.

Photograph by Phillip Ennis.

For the elevator vestibule, a haphazard area chock-full of doors, the designers created a trompe l’oeil wallpaper that gives the space a sense of order and organization via a paneled effect. A similar approach was used in the lobby.

Photograph by Phillip Ennis.

In the lobby, the designers devised an inventive wall treatment to divert attention away from the two different ceiling heights in the space: thin bands of gold leaf wallpaper trimmed with moldings alternate with broader bands of silver-taupe wallpaper around a built-in mirror an sconce. “Together these elements create a calmer, more unified feeling,” says White.

The banquette wears a Bergamo fabric. To flesh out the seating area, the designers separated a pair of Artistic Chair side chairs covered in a Pierre Frey velvet with a small table from Dennis Miller.

Resource List:

Emmys AD Greenroom: Custom Pouf by White Webb, Fabric for Pouf “Hudson” by Bergamo, Westport Slipper Chairs by Kreiss, Fabric for Slipper Chairs by Bergamo, Bolster Fabric “Victoria Jacquered in Aster” by Donghia, Raja Chair by Odegard, Fabric for Raja Chair “Costes” by Bergamo, Alcove Table by Odegard, Gatsby Sofa by Kreiss, Fabric for Sofa “Shalimar in Coral” by Donghia, Custom Pillows by White Webb, Round Pillow for Sofa “Hudson” by Bergamo, Alexander Lucite Tables by White Webb Collection, Custom Wallpaper by White Webb, Sparta End Table by Kreiss, Yoke Dining Chairs by Kreiss, Fabric for Yoke Chairs by Bergamo, Sheer Curtains “Nuages in Peche” by Donghia Creations Metaphores. Trim for Sheers by Samuel & Sons, Main Rug by Patterson, Flynn & Martin, Alcove Rug “Old Khotan Carpet” by Mansour Modern, Pendant Lights by Vaughan, Artwork by Juliette Conroy from Art Gotham in NYC, Rangoon Urns from Stone Yard, Flower Arrangements by Mark Held of Mark’s Garden

Kips Bay Showhouse 2005 “Lady and the Tramp”:: High-back Chair by Clare Graham, Sofa by White Webb, 1930’s French side chair from Alan Moss, Black Lacquer Art Deco Side Table from Eric Appel Antiques.

Media Room: Custom Pendant Lights by White Webb, Custom Sofa by White Webb, Sifa Fabric by Bergamo, Custom Coffee Tables/Ottomans by White Webb, Swing-Arm Lamps by Hinson, Carpet from Tibet Carpet, Convex Mirror by Clare Graham, Commissioned Artwork by Bob Green.

Oscar AD Greenroom: Square Sofa by George Smith, Fabric for Sofa “Empress Silk Velvet in Turquoise” by Lee Jofa, Pillow Fabric “Marchmain Velvet in Aqua” by Mulberry Home, Pillow Fabric “Loft Silk in Chocolate” by Groundworks, Paris Chairs by George Smith, Fabric for Paris Chairs “Grattacielo Silk in Aqua” by Groundworks, Cockerel Stool by George Smith. Stool Fabric “Sateen in Solid Dusk” and “Sateen Solid in Cocoa” by Groundworks, Parthenon Coffee Table by White Webb, Hadrian Cocktail Tables by White Webb,  Carpenting by Mohawk, Mother of Pearl Aphrodite Wallpaper by Maya Romanoff, Vintage Sconces from Downtown, Linden Floor Lamps by Paul Ferrante, “Untiled Painting” by Harrison Storms, “Number 20 Painting by Karl Benjamin,  Vintage Oval Mirror from Downtown

Round Living Room: Sofa by Michael Berman Design from Profiles, Custom Sofa Table by White Webb, Ottoman by J. F. Chen, Marble Bust by J. F. Chen, Custom Gilded Lion Head, Sisal Rug by Patterson, Flynn & Martin

Kips Bay Showhouse 2008 Master Bedroom: Tin Can “Boiserie” Wall Paneling by Clare Graham, Custom Bed by White Webb, Bed Upholstery Fabric “Camelot in Ambrosius” by Donghia, Bed Coverlet Fabric “Hanoi in Huong White” by Donghia Portiere Fabric “Crepe du Lin in Cloud” by Henry Calvin from Donghia, White Webb’s Clearly Classic Alexander Tables from Dennis Miller Associates, Bed Linens from Casa del Bianco, Jardin Planter in Taj Marble from Odegard, Swing Arm Sconces from Hinson.

Carlyle Hotel Elevator Vestibule: Carpeting from Patterson, Flynn & Marton, Table Lamps by Trans-LUXE, Ceiling Fixtures by Metropolitan Lighting, Newport Ottoman by Kravet, Ottoman Fabric by DesignTex

Carlyle Hotel Lobby: Carpeting by Patterson, Flynn & Martin, Table Lamps by Vaughan, Lampshades for Wall Sconces by Trans-Luxe, Wallcovering by Holland & Sherry and Innovations, Custom Mirror by White Webb, Custom Banquets by White Webb, Fabric for Banquets “Times Square” by Bergamo, Slupper Chairs by Artistic Frame, Fabric for Slippers Chairs by Pierre Frey, End Tables by Vaughan, Torque Coffee Tables by Dennis Miller and Associates