The Designers of Metropolitan Home's Showtime House

Meet the Designers

Marie Aiello, Dexter Foyer, Living and Dining Room, Kitchen, and Terrace

Marie Aiello dove into the interior design world while living in Paris and studying art and design. This rising design star has a portfolio filled with the homes of influential entertainment and music execs and corporate CEOs in some of New York City’s hottest locations. The enigmatic Showtime House returns Aiello to her roots—she actually began her career as TV producer.

Matthew Berman and Andrew Kotchen, Nurse Jackie Waiting Room Lounge and Triage Garden

Matthew Berman and Andrew Kotchen, cofounders of workshop/apd, are committed to integrating sustainability into high-end residential and commercial projects. In 2006, the dynamic design duo won the Sustainable Design Competition for New Orleans, sponsored by actor Brad Pitt and Global Green USA, for helping to rebuild the city with their work on a 120-occupant,eco-friendly housing project.

James Biber, Weeds Dining Room

Architect James Biber’s work touches the lives of millions every day whether they are sports enthusiasts, music lovers or history buffs. Among his vast clientele are the NFL Arizona Cardinals, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Harley-Davidson Museum, The Coper-Hewitt National Design Museum, The Library of Congress, Disney Imagineering, the American Institute of Graphic Arts and the White House Millennium Council. Photo credit: Christian Witkin

Christopher Coleman and Angel Sanchez, Nurse Jackie Master Bedroom

Interior designer Christopher Coleman and fashion designer Angel Sanchez bring together the best of fashion and design when collaborating on projects such as DIFFA Dining by Design and the Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse. Coleman’s spaces are filled with graphic sensibility, industrial materials, a mix of shapes and sizes, and often a dose of humor. Sanchez, a prominent bridal and evening wear designer, brings contemporary style to a host of premier clients, including Meryl Streep, Eva Longoria, Taylor Swift, and Elizabeth Hurley.

Markus Dochantschi, Californication Master Bedroom

Markus Dochantschi views architecture as a collaborative creative effort and teams with artists, choreographers, and videographers to create enlightening environments that break conventional boundaries. His work crosses international borders with projects like Ski Jump Austria, the Vista Master Plan Singapore, and his newest construction—the Raising Malawi Academy for Girls, an all-girl’s school and community center sponsored by Madonna’s Raising Malawi foundation, which is due to start this year.

Susannah C. Drake, Californication Outdoor Living Room

Susannah C. Drake’s award-winning design firm brings landscape architects, urban designers, sculptors, scientists, and architects together to create culturally-inspired and eco-sensitive projects. Two such examples are the Gowanus Canal Sponge Park, a public open space system designed to absorb and remediate urban storm water, and the Brooklyn Bridge Pop-up Park, a temporary waterfront open space that attracted nearly 200,000 visitors in its six weeks of operation last summer. Drake is also collaborating on the Raising Malawi Academy for Girls project.

Francine Gardner, United States of Tara Duplex Apartment

French-born Francine Gardner transforms homes into modern, soulful living environments that delicately interplay form, scale, and texture. Among her clientele are Hollywood A-listers including actress Julia Roberts. Gardner is owner of Interieurs, a showroom, retail store, and design studio located in New York City and Los Angeles. She is also the designer of the Interieurs Collection, an eco-sensible furniture line created with natural, recycled, and reclaimed materials.

Joannah Kornak for Holly Hunt, Californication Master Bedroom and Balcony

The work of Joannah Kornak inspires design pros from coasttocoast. As senior creative director for Holly Hunt, Kornak designs and styles Hunt’s internal and external showrooms that represent the brand’s luxury furniture and textiles. Throughout her career, Kornak has worked with fashion labels including Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Bally, Prada, and Armani.

Paul Latham, Weeds Lounge

Paul Latham makes a space livable by blending old and new with a modern sensibility. His design firm specializes in residential and commercial projects ranging from Manhattan townhouses and lofts to Hamptons retreats to headquarters for international companies. His portfolio features work for celebs such as Lenny Kravitz and Sean Combs, as well as landmark residential homes like the Frank Lloyd Wright House in New Canaan, Connecticut.

Piero Lissoni with Nicoletta Canesi, Lissoni Associati, Tudors Dining Room and Exterior

Italy’s Piero Lissoni is renowned for using simplified formstocreate timelessly elegant interiors. He and Nicoletta Canesi are cofounders of Lissoni Associati, which has studios in both Milan and Miami Beach. Among the firm’s clientele are Alessi, Boffi, Kartell, and Elie Tahari. Architectural projects span the globe from Istanbul’s Bentley Hotel and Tokyo’s Mitsui Garden Hotel to Jerusalem’s Mamila Hotel, and the redesign of the historical Zanin pastry shop in Milan.

James Lord, Roderick Wyllie, and Geoff di Girolamo, United States of Tara and Weeds Outdoor Rooms

James Lord, Roderick Wyllie, and Geoff di Girolamo are principals in Surfacedesign, a California-based firm specializing in landscape architecture and urban design projects that emphasize craftsmanship and sustainability. Their diverse global portfolio ranges from New Zealand’s ARA Vineyards and Stadium New Zealand to the Chaplin estate in California. Representative work includes Lord’s master urban design plan for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and Olympic Park; Wyllie’s New York showroom for fashion icon Donna Karan; and the W Palm Springs Hotel and Condos in Palm Springs.

Kara Mann, United States of Tara Multiple Personality Room

With clientele from New York to Los Angeles and along the Gold Coast, Chicago’s Kara Mann travels between the interior design and fashion worlds without missing a beat. Included in Metropolitan Home’s “Design 100” and Vogue’s “The Vogue 100,” Mann merges fashion, art, and design to bring clients edgy, yet attainable, interiors that are both timeless and unexpected.

Richard Mishaan, The Tudors Small Study and Sitting Room

Richard Mishaan’s stellar career spans architecture, interior design, fashion, and home furnishings design. He approaches each project with the eye of a curator and is known for his artistic flair in blending collectibles and antiques with art and furnishings. Equally adept in residential and commercial projects, Mishaan’s clients include Sony, the Trump Organization, and the St. Regis hotel chain. He has just authored his first design book, Modern Luxury, which was released in spring 2009.

Glenn Wallace and the Savannah College of Art and Design, Foyer

Glenn Wallace, founder of Wallace Designs, transforms existing buildings—both industrial and historic—into structures that marry classical and contemporary forms, integrate bold color, and mix contemporary art with antiques. An alumnus of the Savannah College of Art and Design, Wallace’s work has earned the school accolades from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Art Deco Societies of America, the American Society of Interior Designers, and the American Institute of Architects. The Savannah College of Art and Design offers more degree programs and specializations than any other American art and design university.