Top decor ideas: The interiors of Brian J. McCarthy

Brian J. McCarthy is a decorator and designer in the true sense, a big step above the standard in the field who is essentially a salesperson/expediter, and only orders factory-made furniture from catalogues and sells fabric from swatch books.

He published his first book in 2013, LUMINOUS INTERIORS by Brian J. McCarthy and launched his own firm, Brian J. McCarthy, Inc. in 1992, and this, his first book, features his interior design for nine spectacular residences. The book consists of Brian’s interesting story of each project accompanied by lavish color photos, many full page. It is one knock-out image after another.

With the philosophy that no two homes are the same, Brian J. McCarthy crafts highly personalized spaces for clients across the globe. At the core of his artful approach to design is a love of layering, by using textures and materials to add depth and character to each unique interior.

On Manhattan’s Upper East Side, McCarthy used a pair of rock crystal lamps to a flank a tobacco-colored sofa. A piece by artist Milton Avery hangs over a mirrored wall. (left) | In the same home, a sleigh-style Empire chair is paired with an extraordinary Banc Crocodile bench by Claude Lalanne. (right)

McCarthy used a fretwork-patterned carpet to introduce a vitalizing element into this simple, predominantly black-and-white New York City bedroom. The custom-designed paisley curtain and chair fabric, with its Anglo-Indian influence, connects graphically to both the zebra patterned bench and the rug. (left) | In the lady’s master bath — finished entirely in marble — the designed embedded a pair of round mirrors into semi-translucent glass, filling the space with a filtered, natural light. (right)

In this living room on the North Shore of Long Island, a diamond-patterned, two-toned hemp carpet adds color and texture. The walls are finished in a Venetian plaster with an irregular stripe, and the branch-form mirror is by Herve Van der Straeten. (left) | A pair of Tron de Pauline bronze armchairs, incorporating gingko leaves, by Claude Lalanne were commissioned for the entry hall gallery of the home. The graphic mid-century-style painted floor introduces a lively, less-traditional element, enhanced by a zebra-print rug and Marc Bankowsky Pieds de Bouc stool. (right)

In the same home, McCarthy used a Gilbert Poillerat-inspired table base (with a faux parchment top) to echo the form of the wall sconces and lantern. Again, the walls are Venetian plaster, this time flecked with gold and lacquered. (left) | In the New York City apartment that McCarthy shares with his husband Dani, a 19th-century gilt shagreen bench sits at the foot of the bed. Photographs by (from left) Minor White, George Rousse and Brett Weston are hung overhead. (right)

Custom-carved plaster panels — inspired by the work of 1920s Paris designer Armand-Albert Rateau — punctuate walls finished in lacquer and gold leaf by Ateliers Meriguet. (left) | On either side of the portal to his dining room, McCarthy placed two bronze crocodile consoles by Claude Lalanne. An Empire chair, upholstered in a velvet fabric designed by Jacqus-Emile Ruhlmann, sits to the left. (right)