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SPOTLIGHT

Style, Taste, Comfort, Lifestyle
Jamie Gibbs offers formal dining at its most grand.

by Kathleen Stoehr

Most everyone in the window treatments industry knows Jamie Gibbs, the opinionated, talented principal of Jamie Gibbs and Associates, New York, NY, an international interior design and landscape architecture firm. A frequent speaker on the lecture circuit, adjunct professor at the Parsons School of Design in Manhattan since 1988 and author of two major design books, Gibbs specializes in the creation of traditional to transitional interiors and period gardens.

Active in New York preservation, horticulture, interior design and philanthropic institutions, Gibbs is also known for his charitable donations of time and talent to a variety of causes, most recently the Scarsdale Designer Show House, owned by the Scarsdale Woman’s Club. The club has a reputation as a center for culture and education with concerts, lectures and seminars given on a daily basis throughout the year. Its commitment to philanthropy supports ambitious projects designed to help those less fortunate, and its goal is to nurture women in the community.

This year, Gibbs enthused, “we have designed a dining room that defines style, taste, comfort and lifestyle.” Using soft greens, cream and fashion pinks, the dining room was set for a dinner party of 12. Two 72-inch round tables were skirted to the floor with rich striped silk taffeta cloths and set with a mix of fine china, crystal, silver and bountiful amounts of flowers. “The room was so large that we decided it would be best designed for a modern lifestyle by creating usage zones in the rectangular room.” Setting the room with two dining tables of six and a comfortable sitting area at the far end of the room, the design functions as a multi-use space and can accommodate large or small gatherings without major adjustments to the furniture arrangement.

THE WINDOWS
With a 1950s picture window dominating the room, Gibbs specified lovely silk draperies, sophisticated valances and Luminette privacy sheers from Hunter Douglas to complement and add the element of privacy and sun control always needed. The soft treatments are the highlight of the room. Kit Plumridge, Plumridge Silks, donated all the silks. The Design Warehouse, Atlanta GA, donated the bump interlining and cotton lining fabrics.

Taffeta table skirts, quilted silk slipcovers and throw pillows complement sumptuous folds of silk damask draperies and silk taffeta valances. Everything is festooned with layers of trim from The Jamie Gibbs Vintage Collection for D’Kei, Inc.

As mentioned earlier, Gibbs teaches at Parson’s School of Design, in particular, window treatment design. As part of the spring semester’s syllabus, the students in his class had the opportunity to assist Mazza Design with the cutting, fabricating and installation of the soft treatments. “It’s been a hands-on experience rarely afforded students,” says Gibbs. “And to be quite honest, we couldn’t have completed such a detailed installation without them.”

“It was a pleasure to work with a designer that is so thoroughly aware,” said Cheri Mazza of Mazza Design. “Jamie gave me complete specifications and fabrication designs. My job was made so easy and yet the perfection required was a challenge.” The students worked with Mazza in her Connecticut drapery workroom and assisted in the installation of all the draperies along with Luminette sheers donated by Hunter Douglas.

Sophisticated, but not stuffy, important but welcoming—these are the hallmarks of a Gibbs design project.