Jesse Carrier, Mara Miller

As the saying goes, teamwork makes the dream work in business and certainly in marriage. Jesse Carrier and Mara Miller of Carrier and Company provide us with a shining example. After working in the industry individually, they joined forces as a husband and wife team to work on their shared vision. I was an admirer of their interior design work long before I read their first book, Carrier and Company: Positively Chic but after learning of their backstory, I’m even more enamored.

Just before the holidays I got my hands on a copy and took my time studying the showcase of stunning rooms. The intellectual in me enjoyed aligning their work with their design philosophy:

“Traditional design is foundational to each of our projects, regardless of that project’s particular style…In our design process, we both defer and refer to tradition. We use it as the core, then tip away from it into other styles—modern, tailored, timeless, country, and so on—to suit the individual client and the specific context of the residence.” – Carrier and Company

Reception Area, Carrier and Company Office

The open, airy reception area of the Carrier and Company office offers a rotating mix of design styles that range from treasured finds to client pieces. The oversized mirror adds modern sensibility to an otherwise traditional vignette. The pristine white lamp, also a stand out, boasts a clever mix of functionality and sculpture.

Long entry hall in Florida home

In this front entry we again learn that there is tremendous beauty in simplicity. Editing, they say is essential to making a room feel vibrant and more lush. Carefully selected items don’t have to complete with unnecessary embellishments. In this Florida entry hall, contemporary plaster sand-dollar pendants by Marc Bankowsky along with the clam shell at the end of the hall and vase on the right give clues to the home’s locale.

“Life doesn’t have to be perfect. Furnishings and possessions don’t have to be perfect. But you can still live beautifully.” – Carrier and Company”

I’ll be the first to admit that in the past I needed deliverance from perfection. Perfection is subjective and mysteriously elusive. Thoughtful insights like the above quote makes this book more than just a coffee table book of pretty pictures. In the study, a Navajo-inspired blanket designed by Ralph Lauren introduces a bold, geometric pattern to a space otherwise build upon a monochrome palette and various textures.

Florida Living Room

“Rooms that are timeless, elegant, and chic withstand the tests of time not because they are outside of time but because they manage to survey time—to look forward and backward through the history of design, decoration, and style.”

A French 1950’s Art Deco cocktail table is a remarkable point of interest in this sunny Florida living room. Its zebrawood marquetry is one that transcends time and will be appreciated for years to come.

Even though this duo has some serious accomplishments such as being named to Architectural Digest AD100, and clients such as Anna Wintour (Vogue), Jason Wu, and Jessica Chastain, to name a few—they also know how to incorporate a bit of whimsy into their designs when warranted.

With over 200 full-color images combined with solid, tested, tried, and true design philosophies I highly recommend this book for those with discriminating taste and those who welcome the idea of high style combined with the warmth of home.

Carrier and Company: Positively Chic Interiors