A graduate of the School of Architecture of the City University of New York, Carl D’Aquino’s modernist sensibility applied to both contemporary and period design, has been the key to his success. As principal in D’Aquino Monaco, a partnership with fellow Hall of Famer Francine Monaco, he was honored with international design awards for Silver Rain a la prairie Spa and is currently working on residential projects on the East Coast and London, and is redesigning The Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman. His firm lists an all-encompassing project roster of interior design and architecture commissions, including residential, hospitality, and commercial projects. Mr. D’Aquino is a member of the Global Color Research Panel, and is also a member of the Design Council for the Museum of Arts and Design. In 2007 he was inducted into the Interior Design Hall of Fame was a recipient of the 2012 Benjamin Moore Hue Award.
Since its beginning in 1998, Amanda Nisbet Design has become one of New York’s most distinctive, sought-after creators of refreshing, abundant elegance. The designer’s signature bold embrace of pattern, color and texture, all held in exquisite balance, has enlivened exclusive residences in North America and Europe, and resulted in gracious, welcoming interiors that express Nisbet’s special alchemy of refinement and livability. In addition to her interior design work, Nisbet’s has an eponymous textile line and a lighting collection in partnership with Urban Electric Company. Amanda is now developing a line of pieced cowhide rugs with Kyle Bunting and a rug collection with Studio Four NYC due for a Spring 2013 launch. Nisbet remains a frequent and popular speaker about design in general and AND’s work in particular.
Thomas O’Brien is an interior and home furnishings designer based in New York City. He is the founder and President of Aero Studios, one of America’s leading design firms, and the proprietor of Aero Ltd., the influential Soho home boutique that is the retail extension of the studio. O’Brien has been celebrated for his ability to translate modern design into a warm and livable style. His work is best known for its blend of vintage modern elegance and easy domesticity, along with new variations on American traditional and classical forms. Today, in partnership with a range of heritage companies, he creates new-classic lighting, furniture, table and giftware, textiles, carpets, plumbing, bedding and towels that extend his brand to customers around the world. Of late, O’Brien has also stepped into media as an author. His first book, American Modern, was published by Abrams in 2010; his second book, Aero: Beginning To Now is due from Abrams in the Fall of 2013. Thomas O’Brien received his BFA from The Cooper Union in New York City. He lives in Manhattan and in Bellport, New York. His work has been published in a variety of leading publications, including Architectural Digest, Elle Décor, House Beautiful, The New York Times, Time, Town & Country, and Veranda, among others.
After working in the decorating departments at House & Garden and House Beautiful magazines, and establishing a retail home furnishings store on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, Katie Ridder founded her firm in 1995. Known for bringing her editor’s eye and curiosity for unusual elements to the interiors she creates, Katie has clients across the country. Her projects reveal a deft combination of comfort, practicality, and sophisticated color as well as a mindfulness of architectural surroundings. In addition, her first book ROOMS was published by Vendome Press in 2011.
A returning IDA judge, Matthew Patrick Smyth’s firm specializes primarily in residential interior design from Connecticut to New York City and Paris and London, giving careful consideration to blend classic style with comfort. Smyth’s aesthetic illustrates a consistent focus on fine detailing and suitability, within a range of styles. Matthew Patrick Smyth Inc. utilizes high quality craftspeople to provide a finished product that reflects the client’s needs and interest. The firm’s goal is to maintain a long-term relationship with clients. Many of the firm’s clients are on their second, third and fourth projects with Matthew Patrick Smyth Inc. Smyth has branched out into product design with a carpet collection, a line of fabrics, a line of his wall covering designs and a bed collection.
Barbara Sallick
Co-Founder, Senior Vice President of Design Waterworks
Barbara Sallick is the Co-Founder and Senior Vice President of Design of Waterworks Operating Company LLC, which began a new revolution in the American bath industry. Using the time-honored European bath experience as a guide, they imported and created the finest products available, bringing unprecedented performance and style to what had been an overlooked area of the home. Rather than nodding to trends, she looks to history for inspiration. She brings a lifelong interest in design to her philosophy, employing formal principles of architecture and decoration to make this often utilitarian environment as rich and livable as any other room in the home. Barbara is on the Board of Directors at the Institute of Classical Architecture & Classical America, served as Chair of the 2010 Arthur Ross Awards jury and presents design and product lectures at top architect and design firms across the United States and was formerly an associate in the department of American Decorative Arts at Yale University Art Gallery.
This article appears in the June 2013 issue of Over the Wire.
