By Kathryn O' Shea-Evans, ELLE DECOR
The design world isn’t what it used to be - and that’s probably for the best. Social media has become not only a creative outlet for a new generation, but also a crucial way to find clients. An innovative young jeweler exhibits her wares not just at the usual trade fairs, but amid the avant-garde innovators at Design Miami. And a communal studio space in Manhattan provides a new template for how designers can work, both together and apart.
In the six years since Instagram burst into the App Store, the social-networking site for the visually oriented has become the clickbait of choice for interior designers-Bunny Williams has 129,000 followers-and, for young decorators especially, a source of new clients as well. “I’ve met so many people on Instagram,” says Mark D. Sikes, whose preppy, all-American style has earned him 75,500 fans. “It’s less polished than a professionally produced design portfolio, but it puts you literally into the hands of the public, showing them who you are and what you love.” Here, 10 design firms talk about the power (and pitfalls) of Instagram.
1) Kapito Muller
On Instagram, they mix their own work - airy, tailored rooms - with posh urban exteriors. “We try to break the mold every time,” says Alyssa Kapito (right, with Vivian Muller).
2) Ashley Whittaker
The self-described “youthful traditional” decorator sees Instagram as advertising. “Clients feel like they know you - your style, your humor - before you even meet,” she says.
3) Tilton Fenwick
Editors have reached out to Anne Maxwell Foster, right, and Suysel dePedro Cunningham after seeing posts of their projects in progress. A rule: Not too many kid photos.
4) Ryan Korban
New York City–based Korban approaches Instagram with wit. He has posted a living room swathed in cash and one with a fur hammock. Recent projects include a Balenciaga store in Madrid.
5) Mark D. Sikes
The L.A. designer with a passion for blue and white has found that posts on gardens and big Federal-and Georgian-style houses garner the most likes. “And never say anything negative,” he says.
6) Grant K. Gibson
The San Francisco decorator says naturally lit shots and images of his Westie, Wesley, bump up engagement. An editor, whom he met through Instagram, is publishing his first book in 2018.
7) Hernandez Greene
Duo Joshua Greene and Katrina Hernandez take a low-key online approach. “The platform trains you to be your own PR machine, but the narcissism is out of hand!” jokes Greene.
8) Nick Olsen
This former Miles Redd associate calls his feed a “hodgepodge lodge of inspiration.” “I love color and texture, but humor is a must!” Olsen says. “I take this seriously. But I never want it to read as ‘serious.’”
9) Paloma Contrearas
Contreras says she has been hired by Instagram followers, but just as often they want details about the rooms she designs: the wallpaper, fabric, furniture. “I post once a day,” she says.
10) Sara Gilbane
“A client resisted the blue-and-orange palette I proposed for her dining room,” says Gilbane. So she posted the scheme, it got 500 likes, and her client was sold. “Instagram,” she adds, “is a great third opinion.”
