KBB - January/February 2010 - (Page 26)

Profile A native of Milwaukee now living in New York City, Glenn Gissler began studying art at the age of 11. Later, numerous self-guided tours of Chicago museums and art galleries marked the beginning of a lifelong pursuit of experiencing art ﬁrsthand—a passion that Gissler turned into profession. After graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design with degrees in ﬁne arts and architecture, he worked with interior designer Juan Montoya and architect Rafael Viñoly before founding Glenn Gissler Design, Inc., a Manhattan-based interior design ﬁrm where Gissler— known for his understated, elegant designs—creates unobtrusive and personalized spaces by establishing an “organizational strategy that Q&A Glenn Gissler, GLENN GISSLER DESIGN, INC. brings a luxurious ease to movement in the space.” In addition to having his work covered in publications such as Elle Decor, InStyle, House and Garden and The New York Times, as well as in several books, Gissler has been included on House Beautiful and New York Magazine’s “100 Top Designers” lists and, in 2009, was a visiting critic for the students’ ﬁnal reviews at Parsons School of Design, the Fashion Institute of Technology and his alma mater. Included in his long list of upscale projects are the showrooms and home of fashion designer (and Project Runway judge) Michael Kors and his own Greenwich Village apartment, which he shares with his wife and daughter. Do you derive any ideas from nature or other disciplines? Music? Theater? Literature? I consider that one of my jobs as a designer is to feed my subconscious by any means necessary! I listen to music a lot and love to see live music of almost any sort! I love art museums and art galleries! I enjoy theater, but not generally Broadway. Movies, fashion magazines, travel, food and tasting red wine. I have many, many more red wines to taste before I go! Who are your role models? Albert Hadley, for his commitment to educating the next generation and the restraint and practicality and charm of his design work; Joe D’Urso, for his brilliance in the placement of furniture and objects, and for his incredible editing; and Juan Montoya—his was the ﬁrst real design ofﬁce that I worked in in New York City. When I witnessed what he did, and how he did it, it empowered me to think that I too could do this on my own! What are some of the proudest experiences in your career? I would say that whenever my work has appeared in publications, especially national publications and books, I am very proud. Most of my work is private residential work, so for me it means that I have not only pleased my client and myself, but I have passed through all of the tastemaker gates of the design media to have my design work exist in the public domain. Tell us about your favorite/ideal customer? Nice, educated, trusting, considerate, conscientious and appreciative. And if I am really fortunate, they have a great budget! Do you have any professional pet peeves? Don’t get me started! However, I would say one of my biggest pet peeves is pretense of any sort. It is a direct route to creating a soulless project! What is your most annoying weakness as a designer? Most certainly it would be technological challenges. I am probably from the last generation who didn’t grow up with laptops in their backpacks. I am grateful for the patience and assistance that my staff has with my challenges! What’s the one thing that keeps you up at night? There is very little that keeps me up at night. I give my best during my waking hours, and when I go to sleep, I am typically out like a light in preparation to start it all over again the next day! I —Sallie Moffat To find out Gissler’s favorite place on earth (and more), visit www.kbbonline.com/gissler. And my first real client some 22 years ago—Michael Kors. He has always had a commitment to quality, worked hard to understand his customers and makes his clothing to make his customers look good. He has stayed true to his vision, holding a steady course through lots of wacky trends and through thick and thin—these approaches translate perfectly to interior design. What is your favorite color? I gravitate toward colors that are found in nature, and I don’t mean English gardens! I generally shy away from bright “pure” colors—rather, I ﬁnd that I prefer earth tones, so even a red that I would likely use would have some “earth” in it. With that said, I never say never. If need be, I can ﬁnd a reason to break stride! + K BB January/February 2010 / www.kbbonline.com / The Ofﬁcial Sponsor of KBIS www.kbis.com July 2004 http://www.kbbonline.com/gissler http://www.kbbonline.com http://www.kbis.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of KBB - January/February 2010

KBB - January/February 2010
Contents
Editor’s Note
Online Content
Online News
Trends
Products
Profile
Taste the Rainbow
Semi Formal
Education
Editorial Index
Ad Index
Favorites

KBB - January/February 2010