Heather

The relationship with our client, which has evolved over more than 15 years, began when the self-made man and his wife hired Heather to design their 3,500-square-foot Chicago apartment. He saw Heather's drive, talent, and shared entrepreneurial bent (her parents are entrepreneurs), and encouraged Heather to found her own firm.

The project was sizeable enough to allow her to launch Heather G. Wells, Ltd. and to bring other designers—especially Bruce—on board. Over the years our client has encouraged us; he also expresses his dislike honestly. We listen to one another. He respects our abilities, and we revere his life experience and his knowledge as a collector. As with all effective client relationships, we have become a fixture in the couple's lives—they have become like family.

As our clients have gradually changed their décor, adding a new piece of furniture or objet d'art, we have become part of the transformation of their space. And as we first learned with this project, that's how one creates the soul of a space: by caring for it over time. It's an approach we've had the good fortune to apply since then on many more wonderful projects.

Our client proposed a space that would showcase his rare collection of French art deco furniture and accessories, which features glass pieces by René Lalique and furniture designed by Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann.

We created a procession—a sort of guided tour of the collection in which the furniture is a surprise. Our client's lifelong passion for collecting enabled us to learn the research skills that are essential to our work with clients today.

Depending on the project and our interests, we conduct visual and interactive research. We read books, look at images, and read articles online; we visit museums, art shows, auctions, and antique stores, and talk to experts in that field. Traveling and watching movies provides further inspiration.

With this project, we learned how art deco evolved and how to study a style and give it a more contemporary interpretation. Our client's zeal for collecting inspired us to get to the root of his passion. We also learned how to incorporate a collection into walls, shelves, and niches, and to create special spaces for it. Whether it's deco, modern, or another style, each client brings particular interests to a project. We feel privileged to be able to immerse ourselves in a client's interests; it gives each project a distinct personality.

Through working on the apartment, we refined our eye for detail and gained experience handling rare materials. Our client has a discerning eye. With an onyx entry floor, silver-leaf walls, and ornate veneer cabinetry, we realized we needed to bring the apartment's details up to his collection's level. The architecture needed to be a backdrop for the clients' pieces—and also stand up to them.

We created a seamless relationship between the décor, the objects, and the architecture. It's how we approach every project—and it all began with this very grand apartment.

Since the project began before the advent of computer drafting, it necessitated using paper models to plan, for example, the onyx floor. Doing so refined our attention to such detail as aligning the veins in the onyx slabs.

One of the Lalique light fixtures in the apartment was originally designed for the Imperial Palace in Tokyo; it is one of only three of its kind. (The Palace needed two but had a third made in case one broke.) The "extra" fixture landed in Paris, where our acquisitive client found it.

The piece was constructed for a much higher ceiling; its metal rods, which are covered in glass, had to be shortened to fit. Because the fixture weighs 400 lbs., the metal rods were welded to the ceiling's girders. It was especially crucial that the light remain stable: it is suspended over a rare Ruhlmann dining room table.

Since we began this project we've had the good fortune to design additional residences with this level of objects. And thanks to our early exposure, we don't feel intimidated. Beginning our partnership with a very specific style led us to realize that our business could be—and now is—built on each of our client's unique tastes.

Thanks to our very first clients, who are also mentors, we launched our business from a strong foundation of taste and connoisseurship—and learned many of the lessons that are part of our business today.

We'll introduce you to a high-end design site that enables customers to "follow" their favorite designers, and fill you in on Heather's trip to Blackberry Farm in Tennessee, where she met with other designers.