wxgsi In honor of Mother’s Day, we’re shining the spotlight on three skilled mothers — a designer, a painter and an antique collector — and their children, who are fixtures in the design market (including Tommy Smythe!). Read the interviews from our archives with the stylish households below, and see why style is in their DNA.
The Makeover Artists: Interior decorator Michelle Lloyd and her daughter, artist Olympia Bermann, share a skill for reinvention.
Michelle Lloyd Bermann
How does your Miami house catch your signature style?
Michelle: I like white — an airy area that looks fresh is my trademark — and art, especially black and white photography. I look for an eclectic mix of high and low. Miami has beautiful vintage pieces that are serious but playful.
Michelle Lloyd Bermann’s Miami living room.
You and Olympia have both worked in fashion. What effect does she have on your creativity?
Michelle: Olympia keeps me young and fresh. Her spirit of adventure influences me every day. She’s an artist, and a fashion designer for J.Crew. I was head of fashion at Club Monaco, so she’s bring on the tradition.
Is there anything in Olympia’s house that you desire you had?
Michelle: I do covet the institution desk I bought at Goodwill. It was in our living room, and I provided it to her when she transferred to new York. It has the names of pupils carved in it, and sometimes her buddies add their own names. Oh, and I’d like her view of new York. who wouldn’t want that?
Olympia Bermann
What’s your preferred piece in your apartment?
Olympia: My desk — it’s a function piece. I utilized to have a drafting table, but this is like a painting to me. There are all type of markings on it: who liked who, with dates from the 1960s and ’70s. It has a graffiti-esque high quality that has so much character.
Olympia Bermann’s new York apartment.
How does your mom influence you?
Olympia: She and my father are fantastic at discovering special and unique items. I like to reappropriate things and make them my own. My mom provided me the Louis-style chairs; she suggested I cover them in black duck, a utility fabric. I discovered the bench and painted the whole thing white, even the upholstery. We both like to be creative. She has a tremendous amount of energy, a curiosity about life, and she lives and breathes design.
What’s your signature style?
Olympia: My mom and I tend to utilize white as a base to keep things clean. fashion has always been an important influence; I utilized to look at all my mom’s books. and we both like to hang up special clothing we’re influenced by, and utilize it practically like art.
The new Traditionalists: Painter Martha Solomon schooled her daughter, designer Montana Burnett, in the art of taste.
Martha Soloman
What are the signature aspects in your living room?
Martha: I have always liked a classic and simple look, mixed with special pieces — art, furniture or collections of objects as accents. My style is clean in the sense of palette: whites, creams, straws and browns are all inviting and calming. I like to inject bursts of color, whether it’s in the type of a painting, an fascinating stool or pillow, or my art collection.
Martha Soloman’s living room.
How did Montana influence the look of your living room?
Martha: Montana has always been creative, and that spills over into her interiors. She has a bolder method than I do, and that encourages me to try new and different ideas, like adding more color, or utilizing pattern and texture. We worked together on the placement of the art and furniture in my living space — she had many great suggestions.
Is there a piece in Montana’s living space that you desire you had?
Martha: I desire I could move into Monty’s whole house; it’s charming, inviting and adorable.
Montana Burnett in her home.
Your mom is an artist. Did that influence you in ending up being a designer?
Montana: I grew up surrounded by my mother’s stylish friends, and the exposure to their fashion and decor certainly scrubed off on me. My mom is a painter and always discovers charm in unforeseen places. I discovered to appreciate great taste because of the environment that she created.
Describe your signature look.
Montana: A white base: it’s extremely important to have a clean combination to build the other aspects on. I like to integrate natural textures, like the sisal rugs — they provide an earthy feeling to the general space. I tend to throw in classic pieces like the armoire and gilt mirror to juxtapose the white base and earthiness. I believe that the contrast of simple and elaborate aspects produces a curated area with interest.
Where in this space do we see your mother’s influence?
Definitely in the white slipcovered furniture, and more specifically, the wingback chairs. She taught me that classic shapes are emphasized by simplifying the upholstery.
The Antique Aficionados: designer Tommy Smythe and hismother, Anne McCreath, embrace heirloom antiques that represent a family legacy.
Anne McCreath
What are a few of the things that define your style?
Anne: I have always liked neutrals, and white. I like mirrors because of their sparkle. but fresh flowers are truly my thing. I shop for them every Friday, and Tommy and his sister, Christie, do the exact same thing now.
Has Tommy influenced exactly how your hall looks?
Anne: Tommy provided me the wall brackets; he discovered them on a Saturday morning poking around. I like the method his spaces never look like store windows: they have spirit and character, and show the people who online in them. He’s intuitive about making areas people delight in — and I’m not stating that just because he’s my son!
When did you understand Tommy was destined to be a designer?
Anne: When he was six, and he embellished his space in herringbone wallpaper, wood beams and animal-print bedding.
Tommy Smythe
Did your mom influence you to become a designer?
Tommy: My mom was intensely supportive of any creative quest [Tommy’s sister, Christie Smythe, is a fashion designer]. every time I drew something, I was applauded and provided new pencils. When I was 13 or 14, I was enabled to design my own furniture for my bedroom. My parents looked with my drawings, then submitted them to the company that was making our kitchen. It was not affordable to do, but they wished to provide me the experience.
Tommy is understood for mixing heirloom antiques with rich gold accents.
What aspects in this space did your mom influence?
Tommy: The mirror was passed down from my paternal grandmother, Dorothea Smythe, who was also a designer. The console in my mother’s hall was hers as well; every time my grandma moved, she shed her belongings. Heirlooms bear witness to the history of our, and others’, lives. investment antiques hold their value and get reused. I also like to cycle in contemporary, upholstered pieces.
Is there a piece in your mother’s house that you desire you had?
My sibling and I have provided her a listing — we have extremely open dialogues! There’s an English bull’s-eye mirror, French 19th-century chandelier, English 18th-century armoire…. It’s never about dollar value; it’s about our emotional attachment.