The Detailed Interior: Decorating Up Close with Cullman Kravis

From classic New York City pied-à-terres and townhouses to vast Connecticut estates, airy Floridian mansions to luxurious ski retreats, every room created by interior design firm Cullman & Kravis is effortlessly graceful and balanced, masquing the meticulous research and extraordinary passion that goes into creating such perfectly harmonious spaces.

Cullman & Kravis has a remarkable ability to see whole picture and, at the same time, appreciate the smallest of its pieces and intricacies. Each of their rooms is a magnificent and elaborate tapestry - step back, and a stunning image emerges; look up close, and every stitch is perfectly aligned with its neighbor, every thread a mirror of a larger pattern. This focus on detail subtly influences every component of the residences they design, so that every room harmonizes with the architecture, the setting, the furniture, and the artwork. Hand-carved moldings subtly reflect the embroidery of a throw pillow. The form of an antique chandelier echoes the drape of the silk curtains. Complementary colors emerge in the needlework of a rug, the brushstroke of an abstract painting, the fresh flowers on a table.

The Detailed Interior: Decoration Up Close with Cullman & Kravis reveals how the firm achieves this effect, and how readers can employ these details to endow their rooms with the same sense of elegance and poise. Each project is illustrated with lavish full-color images, illuminating the effect of the room as a whole as well as providing close-up shots of precisely detailed spaces. The photography is coupled with informative text explaining how each of the room’s elements complement each other, breaking down how Cullman & Kravis achieves these flawless interiors step by step.

Ellie Cullmanis a designer and founding partner at Cullman & Kravis, Inc. She has been included on the Architectural Digest AD100 list since 2000, as well as their 2005 list of “Deans of American Design.” Acknowledged for her expertise researching, authenticating, and documenting art and antiques collections, she has been a guest curator at the American Folk Art Museum, a member of the board of the Brooklyn Museum of Art, and is a founding board member of Friends of Florence.

Tracey Pruzan has been a senior designer at Cullman & Kravis for nearly twenty years. A collector of contemporary art, she writes and lectures extensively on antiques and interior design.