Design Panel
Chic Couples on Creating Beautiful Collections
Saturday, Jan. 13: 2 p.m.
Carrier and Company
Jesse Carrier and Mara Miller, the founding principals of Carrier and Company Interiors, are a husband-and-wife interior design duo who create rooms that offer a confident mix of timeless and contemporary design – both familiar and fresh at once. Their guiding philosophy connects client with place in a manner that reflects the distinct and singular nature of both. From bohemian glamour to country charm, from modern luxe to the timeless and ineffable, from the historically informed to the tailored and refined, the Carriers delight in adapting their impassioned sensibility to the unique elements each project presents.
Their latest monograph, Defining Chic: Carrier and Company Interiors (Rizzoli), showcases homes that express their clients’ personalities and dreams, through the practical filters of lifestyle and location while revealing the design principles behind them. The range of projects includes a historic, art-filled New York duplex replete with period vestiges, an updated Mediterranean-style Southern California house with an art deco-era core, to a refreshed Connecticut lakeside retreat with glass expanses designed to capture stunning views. Discrete touches revealed throughout the body of work highlight the overall Carrier effect. This book will appeal to design fans of chic, livable spaces.
The Carriers have been sought out by leading furnishing manufacturers to bring their unique vision of home and interiors to a wider audience. Carrier and Company Collections can be found at: Century Furniture (upholstery and case goods); Visual Comfort (decorative lighting); Lee Jofa, (fabric and wallpaper); Loloi (area rugs); and Soicher Marin (custom framed art). These partnerships showcase the Carriers’ talent for bucking trends while staying current and combining elegance with livability.
Named to the prestigious Architectural Digest AD100 and Elle Decor A-List, the Carriers have garnered accolades from the world’s most prominent publications, including Architectural Digest, Vogue, Town & Country, Elle Decor, House Beautiful, Veranda, Luxe Interiors + Design, Milieu, and World of Interiors.
Jesse and Mara met at The Fashion Institute of Technology and worked for a number of AD100 interior design firms before establishing Carrier and Company Interiors in 2005. They live in New York City and the Hudson Valley with their two children.
JAMES Showroom
Meredith and Hunter Ellis are a dynamic husband-and-wife duo that has garnered significant attention and a loyal, discerning clientele through their fresh approach to the showroom model. The couple founded their showroom, JAMES, in 2015 and have since expanded across the state of Texas and, most recently, to New York City.
JAMES combines beautiful curation with a roster of the most coveted vendors and brands in the design industry, providing patrons with an unforgettable experience. The idea of JAMES initially came from Meredith and Hunter’s observation eight years ago that Texas was experiencing incredible growth, and yet there seemed to be a glaring lack of designer resources that were readily available in other areas of the country. They opened the first of their network of to-thetrade showrooms in Austin, followed by Dallas, Houston, and then New York City, a move largely inspired by the launch of Meredith’s own line, Meredith Ellis Textiles.
The desire to house Meredith Ellis Textiles in an environment similar to JAMES outside of Texas was the driving force behind the showroom’s East Coast move. Their unique approach to the showroom model has attracted many brands who seek a similar showroom experience that was previously unavailable in New York City. Together, Meredith and Hunter represent dozens of internationally-known brands of fabric, wallpaper, furniture, lighting, and carpets. The couple divides the responsibilities of the showroom; Meredith handles the design and curation aspect, while Hunter conducts the day-today operations and logistics.
Meredith brings over 25 years of experience across the interior design industry to her eponymous design firm, Meredith Ellis Design. She creates sophisticated yet livable spaces, expertly layering patterns, texture, and color to bring a collected feel tailored specifically for each client. Her exceptional attention to detail and eye for the creative have earned her many design accolades and features in prestigious publications.
Hunter is a former Navy F/A-18 Pilot with over 10 years of service. He was an award-winning host for The History Channel and KCBS/KTLA when he met Meredith.
Meredith and Hunter currently reside in Dallas with their 14-year-old daughter, Parish, and their 12-year-old son, Bourne. The couple finds plenty of time to travel between showrooms and Meredith’s many design endeavors.
For press inquiries, email sydney@nivenbreen.com.
Stacey Bewkes
Quintessence founder Stacey Bewkes is a well respected voice for original written, photographic and video content in the world of design and lifestyle. From interiors, art and architecture, to antiques and decorative arts, jewelry, travel and more, Stacey presents the stories behind the style with thoughtful, well-researched and beautifully documented content. Her popular Quintessence video series, produced with author Susanna Salk, garners millions of views worldwide. She was also the principal photographer for Susanna’s books At Home with Dogs and Their Designers, At Home in the English Countryside: Designers and Their Dogs , At Home With Designers and Tastemakers and Making a House a Home. Her online shop Q Worthy is a carefully chosen collection of products, with a focus on craftsmanship and fine design, from artists, artisans and smaller companies around the world.
Stacey is a dot connector, creative collaborator and insightful curator of product and talent. She worked with Beth Dempsey of Images and Details, on the 2016, ’17 & ’18 Ancien et Moderne Pop Up Design Salons in Paris, has been a sponsored blogger at innumerable events including the Architectural Digest Home Design Show, High Point Market, KBIS and La Cienega Design Quarter Legends, a featured speaker and moderator at many public and private design related functions such as the Nashville, Philadelphia and San Francisco Antique Shows and an inaugural member of the BlogTour team at the London Design Festival. She has also collaborated on content and/or events with numerous prestigious companies from Miele and DXV to Christie’s, Pierre Frey, Jim Thompson, Houlès and more.
After earning her degree in the History of Art and Architecture from Brown University, she pivoted from continuing on to architecture school to New York City where she spent the next 17 years as an art director at publishing powerhouse Simon & Schuster. Stacey is the proud mother of four children whom she raised with her husband in Connecticut before moving full time to her Nantucket island home where she is currently co-chair of the Nantucket Historical Association‘s popular fundraiser Nantucket by Design and continues to bring you Quintessence, a discerning online guide to noteworthy people, places and products around the world.
Quintessence has been featured in numerous print and online publications. It was named one of Domino’s 26 favorite design blogs, was the winner of the 2013 Design Bloggers Hall of Fame for best blog, selected by Traditional Home as one of 10 design blogs for the 2012 spring issue of TradHome and was awarded the 2012 American Home Furnishings Alliance (AHFA) HOME Award for outstanding journalism in the new category of social media.
Lecture Tickets
KEYNOTE LECTURE
The Secret Recipe to Beautiful Entertaining: A special conversation with Ina Garten
LIFESTYLE-DESIGN LECTURE
A Parisians’ Guide to Celebrating the Good Life: Ajiri Aki
FLORAL DESIGN LECTURE
The Artistry of Flowers: la MUSA de las FLORES
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