Gil P. Schafer: Profile on a Modern Classic

We have all been captivated by the timeless work of architect Gil Schafer. (How do I know this? Schafer was the top search term that brought readers to EEE over the past year.) Many inches all over the blogosphere have been dedicated to his NYC townhouse flat and his upstate country house, both of which are graceful expressions of Classical design (and feature the snappy decoration of Miles Redd).

Schafer's NYC triple parlor flat

The tremendous level of interest in his work makes it clear that Classical architecture is alive and well.

As the icing on the EEE birthday cake, Gil was gracious enough to answer some questions, many of them purloined from Proust...

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Sleeping late

What is your greatest extravagance?

A house in the country

What is your current state of mind?

Freaked out by the economy

Which words or phrases do you most overuse? 

“Hideous” and “Chic”

Which talent would you most like to have?

To be able to watercolor and to play the piano

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Surviving childhood


Where would you most like to live?

Right where I am!

What is your most treasured possession?

Friends and family—but you don’t really possess them

What is your most marked characteristic?

Perfectionist

What do you most value in your friends?

Their patience with me

Which architect past or present has most influenced you?

There are several: Lutyens, David Adler, Charles Platt, and George Washington Smith are some from the past. And I learned a great deal from Mark Ferguson for whom I worked for nearly 10 years.

When did you first know you wanted to be an architect?

Early childhood.

What is your favorite historical house?

an outdoor tiled room at Val Verde

Hard to limit to one: Tudor Place in Georgetown, Mount Vernon, Boscobel in Garrison, the Wheeler House by Adler, Greywalls by Lutyens; Val Verde in Montecito

Your country house looks like it could have been built 200 years ago. What were ways you adapted the house for the comforts of today?

an exterior view of Schafer's country house

Central heating and AC; a good kitchen with the necessary modern appliances; French doors that are slightly larger than they would have been in the 1840’s to make it more comfortable to get in and out of the house; great, albeit simple, bathrooms. Otherwise it’s pretty much like an old house.

What relevance does Classical design have in the 21st century?

It’s a timeless language that works in any century. And because it is a “language” more than a style, and a very flexible one, it allows you to use it to solve all sorts of design problems, from whatever century you find yourself in.

All photos courtesy http://www.gpschafer.com/, except top: Phil Mansfield for the New York Times; and #8: Spencer Weiner for the Los Angeles Times

Gil Schafer, Part II: In Town

Photo by John Lei for the New York Times

900 square feet of perfection.



Architect Gil Schafer meticulously designed every square inch of his historic Greenwich Village parlor floor-through, resulting in a space that sensitively conserves (or replicates) many of its original 1830s Classical details AND accommodates all the necessities of 21st century comfort.

This gorgeous burnt orange color was also used in Schafer's country house - I wonder if he wanted to create a sense of continuity between the two residences or just loves the color?

I am always curious to see the homes of designers - with no client demands to conform to, they can really let themselves go. It is clear that Schafer, who has done much for the Institute of Classical Architecture, walks the talk. Together with decorator Miles Redd (who also worked on Schafer's country house) and a crew of talented craftsmen, Schafer has created a mini-Palladian mansion in the tradition of English aesthetes Lord Burlington and William Kent, chock-a-block with prints, drawings and curiousities worthy of the Grand Tour. AND I adore that Schafer's TV is out in the open - why apologize for it?


Click here to read more about how Schafer ingeniously reconfigured the layout and how he handled having 13' ceilings which gave him more wall space than floor space.

Photo #2 by Rene Stoeltie, #3 and #4 © Paul Costello

Pleasure of the Day: the Gil Schafer house

Would you believe that this paragon of Greek Revival architecture was built in 1999?

Architect Gil Schafer built this country house from stem to stern for himself in New York's Dutchess County after finding all the period examples were out of his price range. And yes, you may recognize some of the rooms, decorated by none other than the sizzling Miles Redd.

Click here for the full tour at The New York Times.

All photos by Phil Mansfield for The New York Times.