Pacific Street apartment, Brooklyn
West 10th Street apartment, New York. Photography by Shade Degges
Beaver Street apartment, New York. Photography by Kirsten Francis
DESIGNER OF THE DAY

Designer of the Day: Gabriela Gargano

After working in finance for more than a decade, Gabriela Gargano decided to branch out on her own and pursue her lifelong passion for interiors. Her full-service firm, Grisoro Designs, has since established itself as one of New York’s most promising young studios—each project, ranging from Upper East Side pieds-à-terre to beach houses on the North Fork, seamlessly blends clean lines with rich textures and eclectic artworks to carve out elevated spaces full of soul and surprise.

After working in finance for more than a decade, Gabriela Gargano decided to branch out on her own and pursue her lifelong passion for interiors. Her full-service firm, Grisoro Designs, has since established itself as one of New York’s most promising young studios—each project, ranging from Upper East Side pieds-à-terre to beach houses on the North Fork, seamlessly blends clean lines with rich textures and eclectic artworks to carve out elevated spaces full of soul and surprise.

Here, we ask designers to take a selfie and give us an inside look at their life.

Age: 37

Occupation: Interior designer.

Instagram: @grisorodesigns

Hometown: Red Bank, New Jersey.

Studio location: Flatiron, New York.

Describe what you make: Contemporary spaces layered with beautiful vintage pieces and eclectic art.

Pacific Street apartment, Brooklyn
Pacific Street apartment, Brooklyn

The most important thing you’ve designed to date: My friend Clayton Orrigo’s home in the West Village. It was the first project in which we as a firm aligned so closely in aesthetic and had the budget to realize our ideas fully.

Describe the problem your work solves: Creating a home that’s warm yet clean, elevated yet livable.

Describe the project you are working on now: We typically work on 4-6 projects at a time. Currently, our roster consists of two penthouse pied-a-terres on Lower 5th Avenue, a new construction beach house on the North Fork, a studio space in Sag Harbor, and a condo on the Upper East Side. I’m feeling especially excited about a full-floor apartment in Noho we’re just starting. It’s the main home of our clients from the Beacon Loft project, and we’re pumped to design a second space with them.

A new or forthcoming project we should know about: We’re a few weeks away from installing our Upper East Side project. The 14-foot ceilings and views are killer, and I’m really excited to see it come together, especially with the hurdles we’ve faced during Covid-19.

West 10th Street apartment, New York. Photography by Shade Degges
West 10th Street apartment, New York. Photography by Shade Degges

What you absolutely must have in your studio: Pablo (my Cavapoo), tall ceilings, laughter, a diverse collection of art, extra dark chocolate, fresh bagels, a huge sample wall, natural light.

What you do when you’re not working: Those occurrences are rare! I love what I do, so I’m very lucky to deeply enjoy working a lot. Lately, it’s beach walks with my newborn baby, scouting new artists and makers, and sipping on a gin and sonic (half soda, half tonic).

Sources of creative envy: Egon Schiele, Diego Giacometti, Pierre Chapo, Joseph Dirand, Gio Ponti, Constantin Brancusi, Ottoman art, Luis Barragán, Cy Twombly, Paris in every way.

The distraction you want to eliminate: Sleep and food. Kidding! I believe distractions are important, because that’s when my brain has space for new ideas to come through. 

Gabriela Gargano
Beaver Street apartment, New York. Photography by Kirsten Francis

Concrete or marble? Both, always.

High-rise or townhouse? Townhouse. Especially one that we can restore!

Remember or forget? Remember.

Aliens or ghosts? Ghosts.

Dark or light? One is only good with the other.

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