Designer Spotlight: Grant K. Gibson

Today I'm excited to bring you a new installment of our Designer Spotlight Series, this time featuring one of our long-time customers, Grant K. Gibson.

Grant is know for his classic, beautifully livable spaces and has been featured in an impressive number of publications including Architectural Digest, The New York Times, House Beautiful, Traditional Home, and Better Homes and Gardens. Last year, Elle Decor included him in their A-List of the Best Designers in the World. Grant and his team are based in San Francisco, and love creating unique and personal interiors for clients around the country. 

Q: What’s a typical day like for you?

A: ☕️ Coffee before anything!  Then I usually like to check in with my office and see what's happening for the day. 

Typically my day is filled with client meetings and sourcing for projects. I'm lucky if I have time to pick up some sushi to go and eat it in my car for lunch. Not too glamorous, I know, but it's the truth.  

I am very much a homebody, so when I get home, I love to turn on music and cook to unwind and find something to watch on Netflix.

I do like to schedule myself to work from home at least a few days a week, which is where I find myself the most productive.  Maybe TMI, but working in your PJ's all day kind of feels like a guilty pleasure.

Q: Are there any daily rituals or routines that you feel have really served you?

A: No cell phone or devices are allowed in the bedroom. I can unwind entirely and not be tempted to reach to check what's happening in the world, my email or Instagram.

I also set daily limits and turn my phone off at around 6 pm. I have a landline, so if someone really needed to reach me in the middle of the night, they could.

Q: Are you a morning or night person? 

A: That's a good question. Neither? I'm better midday and mid-afternoon!

Q: What helps you stay organized? 

A: I have the best office assistants and designers. They completely keep things for all of our clients and work on project management. Couldn’t do my job without them. 

Q: What's a design mistake you see people commonly make?

A: Rugs that are not the correct scale in a room drive me wild. They can make a room seem smaller than it is. All of the legs of chairs and the sofa should be all on the rug. If you want to use a vintage rug, but it is small in size, use a natural fiber or neutral rug as a backdrop and then layer the smaller rug on top.

Q: What color do you never tire of?

A: Blue. I love it in every shade. 

Q: What's something that clients are usually resistant to initially but then end up loving?

A: Wallpaper. I can’t tell you how many times clients have been nervous about wallpaper. Then the day it goes up, I get emails and calls about how much they love it and what other rooms can we wallpaper next.

Q: What are your go-to pillow sizes?

A: I like 20x20, 22 x 22 and 24x24 pillows. Sometimes I think people are afraid of making a pillow too big. Don’t be. I think it looks funny if they are too small. 

Q: No home is complete without...

A: ...an animal! I have a dog (an adorable westie named Wesley) and something doesn’t feel right if he isn’t around. It completes the interior. 

Q: What keeps you sane?

A: Travel. I love to travel to find inspiration. Nothing else quite does it.

India and Morocco are my favorite destinations. I have been taking small groups of people to both the last years and combining my two great passions, design and travel. Each trip is limited to a small group for an intimate, boutique travel experience, including insider design sources, great food and plenty of laughs. You can see more on my travel page. Why not sign up for the trip of a lifetime?

Q: What’s your favorite part about being a designer?

A: Being able to work with clients to make their dreams come true. 

1. Go-to paint color: Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore

2. Luxury candle: Cire Trudon - Ernesto

3. Flower: Peonies 

4. No-regrets home splurge: Artwork

5. Guilty pleasure: SoulCycle, Travel, White Wine - I am totally embarrassed to say, I like Sauvignon Blanc from Trader Joes

6. Pillows:

• Beatrice Bouquet Indigo - This reminds me so much of all of the custom block printing in India. 
• Cabana Stripe - I love chunky black and white stripes!
  
• Coral Greek Key - Greek key anything.

7. Houseplant: Fiddle leaf fig

8. Travel destination: India and Morocco. 

9. Restaurant or Cafe:  My favorite place beside a cafe in Paris is a place called Chase’s Daily in Belfast, Maine. It's a family-owned business with casual farm to table vegetarian meals with produce from their farm. I go as much as I can when I visit Maine in the summer. 

10. Place to shop for vintage pieces: Chairish, Etsy, 1stdibs

11. Everyday outfit: This is my uniform: dark jeans, a white dress shirt with a black sweater, vest, and New Balance sneakers. I like to feel comfortable. 

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Grant serves high-end residential and commercial clients throughout the San Francisco area, as well as the East Coast from Maine, New York, Virginia to Florida.  To learn more about Grant and his team, visit his website and Instagram profile: 

Website: grantkgibson.com

Instagram: @grantkgibson

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