IN CONVERSATION WITH BRIAN GLUCKSTEIN

BRIAN GLUCKSTEIN

I am so excited to have an interview with one of my all time favourite Canadian designers, Brian Glucktstein. The Canadian design star’s work has graced the pages of many magazines such as Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, House and Home, and House Beautiful. His book Brian Gluckstein: The Art of Home is a must in any design library. Brian’s style has a strong emphasis on symmetry and is effortlessly comfortable, neoclassical inspired, soft and neutral, always elegant, yet never boring due to the right mix of eclecticism – juxtaposed eras and materials. Says Brian himself: “The interest of a good interior is in the mix, the tension between contemporary and past designs.”.

Brian Gluckstein has created highly detailed, bespoke interiors since founding his eponymous firm over three decades ago. Recognized as one of the top designers in the world by Andrew Martin’s Interior Design Review Journal and voted Favourite Interior Designer by House & Home readers, Brian has appeared regularly on North American daytime television show Cityline for 30 years.

I can’t wait to pick Brian’s brain for his take on the current design scene, and future plans. Please read on to get in on the conversation…

Interiors by Brian Gluckstein

Iván Meade – What was your first experience with design?

Brian Gluckstein – I was quite young when I was first exposed to interior design. My parents had an interior designer when I was young, so I had some insight through that process. There weren’t that many design magazines out there at the time, but a family friend always gave my mother European design magazines, from Italy and France. I would look at them all the time and I loved them.

Interiors by Brian Gluckstein

Iván Meade – What is your philosophy in design and life?

Brian Gluckstein – It’s to enjoy what you do and enjoy the environment you live in. And don’t take life too seriously.

Interiors by Brian Gluckstein

Iván Meade – What project has given you the most satisfaction over the years?

Brian Gluckstein – All of my projects do give me great satisfaction. Your current project is always your most exciting project when you’re working on it, but I love all of our projects. I don’t think there’s one that I can specifically call out. The GlucksteinHome product brand was a very satisfying achievement and a project that I love working on every season. Through the product collection I was able to bring my design sensibility to a wider audience, which was always a goal of mine.

Interiors by Brian Gluckstein

Iván Meade – What is the best advice you could give to somebody who is new in the world of design?

Brian Gluckstein – You really need a very thorough education on the history of interior design through the 20th century and further back. It’s important to explore the work of all the great designers over the last two centuries to really get an understanding of where we are today, why we do the things we do today, and how to use those references from the past. It’s not really possible to design by just looking at current interiors on social media. The history of design shows us the evolution of trends, why certain things become classics, why other things are more fleeting, and that informs how we design today.

Interiors by Brian Gluckstein

Iván Meade – … And what is the best advice you have received in your career as a designer?

Brian Gluckstein – The best advice I received was about how to run a business and that’s enabled me to create the companies that I have today. That advice came from some successful clients who generously guided me in the business side of what I do. Not every interior designer wants to manage their own practice, but if you do, you need to develop your business acumen as well.

Interiors by Brian Gluckstein

Iván Meade – You are known to use classic/timeless materials in your projects, what is your favourite material and why, and what is your new favorite material?

Brian Gluckstein – I just love the feeling of natural materials, whether it’s a chunky linen or a silk or something else. And we’re working with a lot of interesting glass at the moment. Whether it’s glass with linen in it for a room divider or coloured glass or thick cast glass for furniture, we’re having a lot of fun with glass.

Interiors by Brian Gluckstein

Iván Meade – The selection of your furniture pieces is always exquisite – What inspired you to include pieces in your projects that are no longer commonly used in today’s homes?

Brian Gluckstein – The interest of a good interior is in the mix, the tension between contemporary and past designs. If you don’t create that mix and contrast, whether it’s through art or furniture, your spaces represent a moment in time that will eventually be out.

By incorporating different points of view from varying periods, we create a timelessness of a space. We see so many interiors today that are completely of-the-moment, and it doesn’t do the client a service because those spaces are going to feel dated in a very short period of time. We create spaces that will endure for a very long time.

Interiors by Brian Gluckstein

Iván Meade – As a designer you have tremendously elevated the design aesthetic in Canada with your furniture, home décor and bedding collections. Your own brand is a guarantee of good taste. What is good taste for you? and why do you think the general public is very fond of your style?

Brian Gluckstein – Taste is very subjective but as far as my taste goes, I think there’s a refinement, an understatement, some classic elements, and a bit of adventure. That applies to the spaces I design as well as my product collection.

Interiors by Brian Gluckstein

Iván Meade – You have a gorgeous furniture collection – Do you have a piece from any of your collections that is your favorite and why?

Brian Gluckstein – Rhodes bedding

I have all of my GlucksteinHome product in my house, but I just love our Rhodes bedding collection. It features a Greek key motif, and it goes with any style of interior. It’s for people who like white bedding, but it has a little more embellishment than a standard white linen. It really works well in any space – it adds a classic quality to modern spaces and a modern quality to classic spaces. It’s really a sort of neutral. Even if you have a patterned duvet cover, Rhodes is a nice option to change things up for a new season.

Rhodes bedding by Brian Gluckstein

Iván Meade – You have accomplished something very unique in the interior design world; creating a strong, timeless and beautiful signature style – In this same manner however, your style keeps evolving – How or where do you find your inspiration?

Brian Gluckstein – I have a strong curiosity and a strong interest in design that never stops. And I look beyond my comfort zone. I look at fashion and architecture and interiors from a broad assortment of sources. Some things I like and some things I don’t like, but I always get something out of what I see.

Interiors by Brian Gluckstein

Iván Meade – If you were not an interior designer, what other profession would you like to do?

Brian Gluckstein – I would be a landscape architect. I just love gardens.

The Art of Home by Brian Gluckstein

Iván Meade – One of my favourite design books is The Art of Home your more recent monograph – It is a book with a very sincere approach to design and how to convey beautiful spaces – What can you tell us about this book?

Brian Gluckstein – Thank you so much; I’m so glad that you enjoyed it. I had been asked for a long time to produce book, but I had resisted because of the time commitment. When the timing finally worked out, it was a unique opportunity to show spaces that very few people have ever seen. I wanted to give readers a bit of insight into how spaces are created, what inspires me, and hopefully inspire them in their own homes.