If you haven’t heard about Jamie Drake and his firm,
Drake Design Associates, don’t feel bad. There are a lot of firms out there to be familiar with. But do try to remedy it as soon as possible. Drake’s style is unique, powerful and distinctly fabulous, and we think just about anyone could get a ton of inspiration from him and his work.
The first thing we notice, of course, is his love and talent with color. He’s not the first or only person to be skilled and talented with wielding color in its many forms and hues, but he’s definitely one of the first who’s done it with such style and grace. Most of the times when someone uses a lot of color in spaces, it’s done in a shocking or attention-grabbing way. Not so with Drake’s interiors. We’re not sure how he’s done it, but he’s managed to make even some of the glossiest and boldest hues seamlessly integrate into interiors so lovely, you hardly notice how bold they are.
Drake is a man and a designer not afraid of pattern, either. One of our favorite photos is of a guest bathroom where a rainbow checkerboard paint treatment was placed on the walls. It’s not jarring or too much; it’s just lovely. Other favorites are rooms all decked out in hot pink (yet somehow still relaxing) and a bright yellow that somehow still manages to let the neutral-colored furnishings be the star. We’ve seen plenty of designers who are able to be in cahoots with color, but hardly anyone who seems to tame it like this designer.
Like we said, he uses a lot of color, but not in a too bold or brash way. He uses color—in all its forms (furnishing, wall and art)—intelligently, and that really translates into highly personalized spaces that yes, look like a magazine, but also look like quite awesome homes.
From the biography on his website, we learn that Drake is one of those designers who was just born with the talent, but he didn’t let that stop him from getting a degree at Parsons in record time. Immediately starting his firm after graduation in 1978, he’s never looked back since. And for that, we’re thankful. And like all of our favorite luxurious designers, check out all those fabulous lamps he uses!
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