The Nantucket Historical Association presents the fifth annual Design Luncheon on Wednesday, August 3rd, moderated by Hilary Gustafsson and featuring John Ike, Thomas A. Kligerman, and Joel Barkley of Ike Kligerman Barkley at Great Harbor Yacht Club. The luncheon begins with a champagne reception and a multimedia presentation by the designers, followed by a Q & A session.
Ike Kligerman Barkley is a renowned architecture and interior design firm that specializes in everything from personalized living environments to high-profile public buildings. With offices in both New York City and San Francisco, they serve clients from coast to coast and beyond, using both traditional handicraft and cutting-edge processes.
Ike Kligerman Barkley has received numerous awards including the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter Award, the Decoration & Design Building Stars of Design Award, the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art (ICAA) Julia Morgan Award and the ICAA Stanford White Award, as well as participating in Architectural Digest’s AD 100 since 1995. In 2010, they published their first book Ike Kligerman Barkley: Houses, and their second, The New Shingled House, in October 2015.
N MAGAZINE: When did you first come to Nantucket?
IKB: We have been in love with the island since 1980!
N MAGAZINE: What is one design element that changes a room?
IKB: Windows! For our design sensibility, nothing changes the character of a room more than its window design and placement. There are so many options to choose from in creating beauty and function. Imagine a triple-hung window, floor to ceiling!
N MAGAZINE: Is designing an island residence different than other locations?
IKB: One has to capture the special air of an island, whether it’s balmy tropical breezes or crisp salt air.
N MAGAZINE: What designers have inspired you in your career?
IKB: One designer who inspires us and is somewhat under the radar is John Calvin Stevens. His simple, crystalline forms are gorgeous, and entirely without pretension.
N MAGAZINE: What advice would you give to an inspiring interior designer?
IKB: Draw! Keep Drawing!
N MAGAZINE: What are you most proud of in your career?
IKB: The collaboration on our recent book, The New Shingled House. Working as a partner team, with our firm’s associates, photographer William Waldron, and with so many expert consultants, was a joy. We love the projects in the book, but also the chance to write essays about their creation.
N MAGAZINE: What do you think are some of the biggest mistakes that people make when designing a home?
IKB: Hanging on to very specific ideas during the evolutionary process of conceiving, designing and constructing a house. We advise our clients that custom houses take on a life of their own at some point, and the team needs to be creatively flexible and be open to setting aside initial very specific ideas if they no longer suit the evolving house design.
N MAGAZINE: What is your ideal weekend getaway?
IKB: Anywhere near an ocean!
Ike Kligerman Barkley are appearing as the keynote speakers at the NHA’s 2016 Design Luncheon on Wednesday, August 3 at the Great Harbor Yacht Club as part of the Nantucket by Design week of events. For tickets, click here.
