TOP Interior Designer in NY: Jayne Design Studio

Jan

TOP Interior Designer in NY: Jayne Design Studio

For the past twenty-five years Thomas Jayne has designed rooms that reflect a strong connection to history and place. Whether the locale is a SoHo loft in a late 19^th century industrial building or a historic Federal house built by New England whaling merchant, the settings become part of the narrative, their history providing the impetus for the design.

Thomas Jayne reflects, “I have always been attracted to history and to objects linked with it. I find their connections and evolution fascinating.” The emphasis in his work always being to discover the relationships and associations that add texture, richness and depth, the elements that lend a room its spirit and character.

While that is the cornerstone of his philosophy, it filters through a clear eyed view of present day expectations. “I like old things, but I want them to look fresh – and that often comes from looking again at the old source and rethinking it in color, shape and juxtaposition”.

In practice, that means translating engaging ideas into tailored, comfortable houses or apartments that suit the current needs of the client, whether they be young families or advanced collectors. Hence, the catch words for Jayne Design Studio: Decoration: Ancient and Modern.

Thomas Jayne’s academic training greatly influenced his design philosophy. A graduate of the University of Oregon School of Applied Arts, he studied with the noted architectural historian Marian Card Donnelly. Winterthur-trained in American material culture and the decorative arts, Jayne earned his Master’s Degree from the University of Delaware and pursued advanced fellowships at the American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Historic Deerfield and the J. Paul Getty Museum before accepting a position at Christie’s Estates and Appraisal Department.

His interest in architecture and the decorative arts naturally lead him to pursue a career in interior design. He was fortunate to work in two of the most influential design studios in America, Parish-Hadley & Associates and Kevin McNamara, Inc., before opening Jayne Design Studio in 1990.

In addition to his well regarded practice, Thomas Jayne is a noted author, frequently writing on historical themes in art, architecture and decoration.