Jamie Drake, the New York-based designer, doesn’t. The man behind some of the country’s most dynamic, distinctive, and livable interiors knows how to create delightful environments and craft décor that is as right for a particular place as it is for the person or family occupying it. Equally comfortable in traditional and contemporary styles, he has a natural gift for making modern interiors inviting, and enlivening traditional spaces with a fresh mix of contemporary elements. Drake’s device of choice is color—used boldly, fearlessly, and with great flair. Says, Drake, “there is little that doesn’t inspire me.”

While still in high school, Drake worked for the state’s leading contract design firm and during his undergraduate years at Parson’s, he held a student internship in the office of the late Angelo Donghia. Completing his degree in a mere three years, Drake launched his firm, Drake Design Associates, immediately after graduation in 1978. Since then, he has completed a vast array of projects for an impressive roster of clients. Drake’s notable residential interiors include a Los Angeles showplace for Madonna.. Drake has also completed multiple projects for New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg—a client for almost twenty years—including the recent renovation and restoration of Gracie Mansion, the longtime ceremonial residence of the Mayor of New York and the redesign of various rooms at City Hall.

Drake frequently participates in several of the country’s most prestigious show houses. He has designed rooms for the Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club Decorator Show House, The Hampton Design Show House at Villa Maria, the French Design Show House, and the Southampton Rogers Memorial Library Show House.

His work has been widely published in the leading journals, including Architectural Digest, French Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, and House Beautiful, as well as The New York Times, House & Garden, Newsday, Interior Design, and The New York Post. Drake has also appeared on Bloomberg TV, CNN’s Style with Elsa Klensch, and HGTV. His numerous professional awards attest to the accuracy of that statement. Chief among them was his 2003 induction into the Interior Design Hall of Fame—Interior Design magazine’s venerable acknowledgement of great achievement in the field, now in its nineteenth year, the IFDA New York Circle of Excellence for interior design, and the Andrew Martin International Interior Designer of the year.

Drake also received the 2000 D & D Designers of Distinction Award and a recent Partnership for the Homeless Director’s Award. In addition, he has served three times as a judge for the Sub-Zero National Kitchen Design Competition. An active member of the New York Chapter of ASID, he was vice president of the organization from 1994 – 1996 and received the chapter’s Presidential Citation and Platinum Award. Drake also serves on the board of The Alpha Workshops.

influential, interesting,