The Deco landmark, and others around it, inspired the project palette. “We wanted to [play into] the colors in the structures of those buildings, those browns and blues and creams,” he says. Fittingly, the best vantage point is from Jenkins’s own office, carved out from some square footage in back. “A big question was whether to be a part of the conversation out in the open design studio,” he says. “But I wanted to have a separate suite to meet clients. The staff is out there pumping Beyoncé on the big sound system, and if I’m having a private meeting, I don’t want them to stop living while they’re out there working for us.”
It’s pretty lively in the boss’s office too: Examples of his many brand collaborations are gathered within the shimmering walls, including Jenkins’s Maitland-Smith desk, Hancock & Moore chair, and botanical window treatments for Kravet. Everything, from the salon-style installation of his extensive art collection (including his own portraits for LeftBank Art) to the furniture itself, is installed in energetic, sometimes-asymmetrical arrangements. But it all feels balanced and like it belongs. As for those walls, which feature shimmery gold Arte silk coverings with edges protected by cornflower blue Samuel & Sons tape trim? “When it’s dark outside, this room just glows,” he says. “It’s like the walls are dripping with honey. So fabulous.”
The party continues in the main workspace, which Jenkins has done up in a more neutral palette. Shade Store window treatments let in enough sun to sustain the thickets of plants that surround custom workstations. (“We have quite a few green thumbs on our staff, though I kill everything that comes near me,” Jenkins says with a laugh.) A massive circa-1931 vitrine/accessories cabinet unit sourced from Judy Frankel Antiques via 1stDibs anchors the space. At first glance, one might better expect to come across such a grand piece in a client’s great room or a hotel guest suite—and that’s the point. “When our clients come here, we’re hosting them. We’re working, but sterile spaces don’t have the warmth and the elegance we want for our clientele. And also for the staff: I wanted this palace to be joyful and ethereal and happy and exhilarating.”
And just like at home, everyone mostly hangs out in the kitchen. Just off the front hall and reception area, which is defined by a Maitland-Smith console of his own design and accent chairs and ottomans made with Hancock & Moore, clients are served tea or cocktails and employees attend staff meetings at a 1920s Belgian table rung with Maitland-Smith dining chairs designed by Jenkins. “The space should be a testimonial to the level of quality that we bring to our clients’ homes,” he says. “We finish and flourish every appropriate space with just the proper amount of decorum. And what better way to show that you take your craft seriously than to have your own space decorated that way?”