The Curator: Glenn Gissler
Posted on Feb 10, 2009 by Donna Sapolin
By Donna Sapolin
Designers will tell you that spaces speak in different tongues and tones. In the language of beams, moldings, windows, and doorways, they speak openly about attributes that can be played up or down to their advantage. In the hushed and jumbled language of paint layers, dark corners, blocked views, and the remains of prior residents’ attitudes, they speak perhaps less clearly, but no less earnestly, about the changes that must be made for them to become the best possible versions of themselves for a new set of occupants.
When New York-based designer Glenn Gissler walks into a home, he tunes himself to the many dialogues resonating in its nooks and crannies. Then, through a discovery process that stretches out over many months, perhaps even years, he deciphers its distinctive syntax and shapes a new environment that is all that it can be, all that its inhabitants seek.
When he was first asked to design the interior of a 3,000-square-foot apartment facing New York’s Central Park, the request came from a couple that eventually became the parents of four children and the guardians of a bevy of pets as well as 3000 additional square feet acquired through a purchase of the residence next door. Heeding the signals of the structure’s brawny 1910 architecture, over time, Gissler reconfigured the rooms to capture stunning park views and filled them with an enticing mix of artwork and furnishings that not only have remarkable provenance but are also forgiving of rambunctious family life.
Though he gutted the apartment and both moved and reconfigured all its rooms, the designer followed up on the structure’s assertive visual messages to devise new interior elements. In the revamped foyer, which now could provide dramatic views of Central Park via the relocated doorway and dining room, he added architectural distinction by means of new paneling and casings coated in Donald Kaufman paint. To the right of the doorway, which was positioned to center on the dining room table, he placed a Biedermeier cupboard topped by a monumentally scaled 1870s Christopher Dresser ceramic.
“With its original overscaled millwork, the apartment represented a bold expression of American design that suggested a more casual and relaxed atmosphere than the prissy buildings on the east side of the Park.”
Gissler opted for a clubby atmosphere in the dining room, arranging chairs upholstered in kid-friendly leather around an antique South American Deco mahogany dining table for eight. Above, a wrought-iron chandelier echoed by the iron drapery rods and rings casts a delicate glow. Gissler kept the wool curtains simple so that they would blend in with the wall and not distract from the vista.
In the foyer, a circa-1900 “Malayer” area rug offers up intriguing color while standing up to heavy foot traffic. Gissler selected the 1860s Swiss console table for its whimsical troll base.
“I found the table when the wife was pregnant with her first child. I knew there’d be more kids and thought they should grow up with a table that has a devilish grin underneath.”
Tucked below: A turn-of-the-century Thebes stool. Gissler specified a custom large-scale mirror for the practical primping that occurs on one’s way in and out of a home. The foyer light fixture as well as the fixtures in the adjacent hallway were designed by Gissler and crafted by Daniel Berglund in patinated bronze. The hallway’s Anglo Colonial bench rests beneath 18th-century terrestrial engravings, which the owner already had.
Jonas’ “Breck” sofa covered in a plush mohair fabric from Holly Hunt anchors the main seating area in the living room. Serving as a focal point above it is a contemporary oil-and-wax-on-board painting by Melinda Stickney-Gibson.
“The painting has no frame so it floats away from the wall for an impact that is both modern and casual.”
A pair of caned lounge chairs presents airy companions for the lush but casual area. Holly Hunt’s Therien Studio Workshop coffee table is topped with a hardwearing stone surface. Nearby, Gissler’s studio-designed tray-top side table holds an Arts and Crafts bronze lamp. A Stark carpet lies underfoot; Gissler chose it for its linear weave. “It comprises multiple colors but the effect is subtle,” he says. The same can be said of the mildly patterned drapes, which are made of a Rose Tarlow fabric and hang from bronze rods and rings from Doreen Interiors. Gissler took the 1920s cast-bronze chandelier found at David Duncan to Pell Artifex to have its obtrusive tassels removed for a more sleek profile. The newly added beams preserve the structure’s original heft.
A large painted 1860s English library cabinet occupies one end of the living room. The round Louis Philippe center table is a resting spot for more books and a diverse grouping of once utilitarian objects that now serve a purely decorative function-an 11th century Sung Dynasty ceramic funerary jar and a bronze fire dog.
“The homeowners are completely casual about having these rare objects around,” Gissler says. “They love living with them.” Though they have new custom silk shades, the patinaed bronze sconces are of the same vintage as the apartment building and so broadcast “a true sense of belonging here,” says the designer.
Gissler designed a custom mahogany media cabinet at the other end of the living room.
“This piece is a dance between history and modernity. It references African carving and there’s a gravity to it that captures an historical look even though it doesn’t really exist in history.”
A 1920s turned wood vase joins a photographer’s lamp from Visual Comfort and an antique head sculpture to enhance the decorative interest of the piece. Perfect perches for enjoying an audio/video experience, a pair of Jonas chairs upholstered in a fabric from Jim Thompson Silk sits near the TV cabinet.
Photographs by Gross & Daley.
Fabulous interview! I love Kathleen's style. I'm off to check out those Dur...
What a stunning project, thoughtful, textural, and culturally referential.
Love the white stools Glenn picked as his favorite Decorati items.
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