Who’s Here

Jonathan Adler
Designer

By Sabrina C. Mashburn

Jonathan Adler is everywhere. If you’ve ever channel-surfed to Bravo and gotten caught up in a heated debate over whether it’s possible to build a chair without legs in under six hours, Jonathan Adler was there, giving his sound advice and gently biting criticism. If you’ve ever stopped to ponder why pottery is suddenly so chic while gazing into the window of an East Hampton or SoHo boutique, you were probably looking at a Jonathan Adler design. And if the décor of your sunny hotel room in Florida seemed so perfectly whimsical, comfortable and eye-catching that you never wanted to leave, you were probably staying in the Parker Palm Springs Hotel, designed by Jonathan Adler. He is a name and a style dynasty that everyone knows, yet his face and personality were hidden beneath a throw-rug of mystery until this year, when he became the head judge on Bravo’s newest reality/talent show, “Top Design.”

Yet before the eight successful boutiques and addictive television show, Jonathan Adler was just one of the many talented, fabulous individuals who decided to call the Hamptons home for a few months each year. Well, not technically the Hamptons, but that celebrity-studded island that sits like a candle on the confection we call the Hamptons, Shelter Island. Why Shelter Island? Because “Shelter Island is just so chill.” Like the rest of Shelter Island’s inhabitants, Jonathan Adler and his partner moved there to “spend more time at the beach.” Which is why, after the overwhelming success of his first home décor store in New York City, Jonathan Adler looked not to Los Angeles or Miami, but to East Hampton as the site for his second eponymous shop. Soon, the Hamptons were working their magic on the young designer, who belives that his “rustic modern, slightly groovy, hippy-dippy natural” style is “perfectly embodied by life on Shelter Island.” Of course, he has “many strings in his bow,” and Jonathan admits that the more put-together, Lilly Pulitzer style of East Hampton has also had its effect on his personal style. “As I said, I have many strings in my bow – I enjoy experimenting with the preppy style.” Indeed, as someone who counts David Hicks, Alexander Girard, Bonnie Cashin, Hans Coper, Gio Ponti, Andy Warhol, Leroy Neiman, Yves Saint Laurent, Madonna, Big Sur, A-Frame beach houses, raw beams, geodesic dome homes, Louis chairs, chinoiserie, Lilly Pulitzer, The Breakers circa 1972 and “mantiques” (suits of armor, worn chesterfield sofas, heraldic tapest) as muses and stylistic influences, Adler’s take on interior design, and his own life, is colorful, surprising and always fun.

So even though he has eight fantastic stores to look after all over the United States and a new book to promote, when Bravo called to ask him whether he would like to be the Top Judge on “Top Design,” there was no question that the designer would be adding yet another “string to his bow.” He explained that he “had no choice” in the matter. “Bravo called me and I leapt at the chance, because I am such a fan.” Taking some time off from his “normal life, which is quite fun,” Jonathan decided to join the cast of “Top Design.” As a fan of Bravo’s other popular design contest shows, “Top Chef” and “Project Runway,” the process of distinguishing himself from the already-entertaining lineup of top-class hosts and judges was anything but daunting. He explains that all he has to do to make “Top Design” stand out from the crowd is be his entertaining self. “I am myself on the show,” the contestants are themselves on the show. “It’s just about being honest — everyone’s an individual.” Of course, the natural progression from that statement might lead some to believe that Adler’s whimsical, Hampton-meets-Palm-Beach style might steer him away from contestants who prefer more minimalist, corporate-looking designs. But, behind the “groovy” prints and brazen colors, Jonathan Adler is a professional designer in every respect. His eye for complementary forms and colors in any style is flawless and he is as likely to complement someone for their beige and black “Armani Casa” designs as a deftly placed, pseudo-Pucci pillow. During each phase of the judging, Jonathan tried “to get into the contestants’ heads and find out what makes them tick.”

This ability to read into people’s personal tastes has certainly helped him interpret his clients’, and his own, ideal style into functional looks. It has also made him an indispensable resource to his fans, who fill his “Ask Jonathan” section of his website with questions about how to decorate their house in East Hampton, or update their dorm rooms. “The cutest questions will be answered,” he promises, and his advice is amazingly perceptive and right on the money. He even divulges the exact fabric and style combinations he uses in his own houses, allowing his fans to turn their own homes into versions of the “Happy Chic” Casa Adler in Shelter Island. Of course, now that he has eight stores and a television show, Adler can’t possibly make every object he sells under his brand himself. But instead of having his designs whipped up by factories, Jonathan Adler has all of his “Happy Chic” pottery made through the Aid to Artisans organization, which helps artisans in developing countries craft handmade goods for the American market. Adler’s own line is crafted in “a beautiful workshop by the sea with parrots and gardens and incredible artisans” in Peru. Jonathan Adler firmly believes that “branching out into new areas in your professional life gives you tremendous perspective.” With a top television show, design manual, website and legions of fans across the globe, Jonathan’s perspective and possibilities for the future widen with each new endeavor. But no matter how big his world gets, he will always seek the comforts and “Happy Chic” lifestyle of the Hamptons.

“Top Design” airs on Bravo every Wednesday from 8 p.m. until midnight, with the newest episode airing at 10 p.m. and again at 11 p.m. Jonathan Adler’s book, My Prescription for Anti-Depressive Living, is available at bookstores nationwide. His newest store opens this week on Greenwich Avenue in New York City’s West Village.