Gary Lee Partners
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words by Saundra Marcel
It took Chicago-based design firm Gary Lee Partners three painful years to complete a monograph of its work. Published in 2002, The Complete Interior: Gary Lee Partners, is a textual history of the company’s steady success since it was founded in 1993. But even as he admits that this particular project was among the firm’s most stressful, principal Gary Lee reflects on the time with good humor. “I don’t give up on anything if it’s worthwhile,” he says. The book is a testament to a do-it-right ethic that has earned Lee the reputation of a man able to accomplish just about anything.
Combined with a stunning sense of style, the Gary Lee Partners’ portfolio of work is also one of beauty. The company’s core business is designing commercial interiors, but they’ve expanded dramatically into private residences, creating breathtaking homesteads that sing of high style. They also work in the hospitality arena, with design projects in the works for the Park Hyatt and Ritz Carlton hotels, along with several restaurants. Lee doesn’t stop at interiors—he also oversees product development, designing for a number of manufacturers including Knoll, Halcon and Decca as well as for its own luxury furnishings company, Chai Ming Studios, which injects artisan flair into its range of work.
On top of all this, Chicagoans this past fall witnessed the opening of Atelier Gary Lee, a furniture design showroom located in the Merchandise Mart complex. Always one to maximize opportunities, Lee combines his own products with a number of carefully curated pieces from around the world. The collection contains hand-selected vintage works, museum quality art deco reproductions, and handmade work from contemporary craftsmen like Nicholas Mongiardo, Pollaro Custom Furniture, and Bolier & Company, to name a few.
Drawing from a number of inspirations and combining pieces in interesting ways is just one aspect of what Lee calls his company’s “school of thought,” although he notes that the firm’s work cannot truly be classified. “So many design firms have a signature style. We choose to think that we don’t. Each new project and each new concept is unique to an individual client.” Lee and his loyal “right hands”—long-time senior staffers—are interested in mixing things up. “I don’t do trends,” says Lee, “but I’m always looking for something that adjusts the edge a little bit.”
A recently completed Highland Park residence in suburban Chicago is an example of Lee’s flexible style, this one an ode to art and nature. “The clients had an extensive art collection, so the furniture just needed to be high-style,” says Lee. “I wanted every room to look outside; to be able to use the outside as a wall, so to speak. So we didn’t use a lot of color in the furnishings. Whatever time of day it is, they will reflect the color of the light [outside]. It’s beautiful in the morning. It’s beautiful at night.” Lee’s favorite space is the central living area, where he plays within a subtle color palette and has included precious-yet-comfortable pieces like a gray, silk mohair sofa by manufacturer J. Robert Scott, silver upholstered arm chairs by Dessin Fournir, and a custom bronze and silver patina coffee table by designer Gary Hutton. Lee was specifically challenged to make this home family-friendly, and his clients have reported that it’s become a hub for get-togethers.
Contrast the Highland Park residence with some of Lee’s other projects and his flexibility is immediately apparent. For example, he designed Chicago’s Sepia Restaurant, a warm and eclectic French American bistro with antique lighting and refurbished chairs. “That was in my eBay days, when I was madly scouring for vintage Knoll pieces,” Lee recalls.
Lee was eventually commissioned to design the Knoll Lee Lounge collection. “It was really the dream of a lifetime for me, being such a Knoll junkie anyway,” Lee admits. “The big joke in the office is that finally, after all these years in business, I get a commission from Knoll, and it ends up being one of the cheapest things they’ve ever produced.” But the result is translatable to different environments, and Lee offers, “it’s one of my favorite things that we’ve done.”
On his success, Gary Lee credits the support his loyal team, many of whom have been with him since the very beginning. But looking back over his portfolio through the years, this somewhat modest designer can’t help but boast just a little. He’s proud of every project, and his work, he says, “just gets better and better.”
