Designer profile: Christine Markatos Lowe

A huge trend for the last year has been to in fact not follow trends at all. Yes, we have seen a few key trends come and go over the last 12 months, but what the overall feeling has been in the world of interior design, is that instead of following trends, the most on-trend thing to do in fact is to design spaces that really reflect the people that live within them.

A home should really feel like a home, filled with pieces that are loved and meaningful. This is the concept that designer Christine Markatos Lowe has followed her whole career. Her aim has always been to work with clients and ensure their homes feel chic and elevated, with nods to current interior design trends, of course, but more importantly, she wants to help design spaces that feel like home.

We sat down with Christine to find out more about her interior designer style, how she works with clients, and how her career has got to where it is today.

How would you describe your design aesthetic?

I think my point of view is best described as transitional design with a California twist. I enjoy working in a multitude of aesthetics, our projects range from elegant traditional rooms to calm contemporary spaces. I am known for creating rooms infused with color and pattern, from soft and tranquil to bold and graphic. Color influences every aspect of my point of view and how I create environments for my clients.

My work is sculptural and edited, often filled with custom furnishings, vintage pieces and found objects juxtaposed in unexpected combinations to create a project specific vibe. By understanding the interplay of architecture and interior design, I strive to create harmonious environments that my clients can be inspired in.

How did you career begin?

After a long history of studying fine art in school and the completion of an MFA in Sculpture at Penn, I moved to NYC to sort out the next step in my creative journey. By a stroke of good fortune, I landed a position at Peter Marino Architect and entered the interiors department as the most junior assistant.

I learned about design from the ground up by working for the designers and assisted with creating proposals, and hand drafting and organizing design presentations for meetings. Over time, I was assisting the Senior Designers in any way possible as they executed their projects. By the end of my tenure there I was the assistant to the head of the department.

After many years at PMA, I was introduced to Michael S Smith, who offered me a position at his firm as a Senior Designer. I had always wanted to live in LA, so I took the offer and moved cross country. I learned all about indoor/outdoor living and from Michael’s eye a particularly English point of view that resonated with me and remains in place to this day. The projects were incredible, and I traveled extensively with Michael.

After two years at MSI, I once again fielded an offer from out of town and moved north to join The Wiseman Group. The Wiseman Group was the largest design office I had worked at and was organized in teams who worked on projects with Paul Wiseman as the Principal. I headed one of the teams and so had my first real exposure to management. The projects I worked on were mostly out of town, so not only did I learn how to manage remote work teams as well as my own team, but I also had a great deal of travel associated with my projects.

It was a wonderful learning experience in a very supportive environment. After four years at TWG, I felt ready to embark on my own. My husband had been offered a new job in NYC, so we made the decision to move in the summer of 2004. By late 2004, I had hung my shingle with a small office in Soho.

What kind of work do you take on now?

We work with clients on projects all over the U.S., often working on multiple homes for the same client. Most of our projects are full-service renovations from the initial concept through the final installation, often where my studio is leading the interior architecture design as well as the interiors.

Additionally, my studio collaborates with architects and landscape designers on ground-up builds and gut renovations. I love renovating vintage houses and have been fortunate to have completed historic projects in Napa Valley and Montecito, as well as current projects in Los Angeles and Southampton where I have been able to breathe new life into some old beauties.

What’s your favorite project you have worked on?

There are too many to mention, but creating a home for my family has been a particular favorite! Fifteen years ago, my husband and I bought a 1920s Spanish Colonial home in Santa Monica which needed a full interior gut renovation and a complete landscaping overhaul.

We are the third owner of the home and it had last been renovated in 1958. I removed walls, changed the flow, added bathrooms and reorganized the kitchen. I also added French doors to open the public rooms to the exterior and created a series of terraces for outdoor living made private by hedges and specimen trees. After a year and a half of renovation, the house was no longer recognizable to what we had purchased other than from the front facade.

What I love most about this project is that it continues to evolve as the needs of our family change. The house continues to bring me joy as I work on small interior refreshes to keep it looking current.

Who inspired you when you started, and who inspires you now?

Each of the design firms I worked for prior to starting my business taught me a different aesthetic and unique point of view. At Peter Marino’s office the design education I received was incredible, from learning about the architectural details to the layering of materials and the museum quality furnishings and art that were sourced for the clients. While my own aesthetic has certainly been inspired by all of my mentors; my current inspiration is a bit more pared back. I am most inspired by Veere Grenney because his work is refined yet casually elegant, deftly edited and filled with beautiful details.

Who are your dream clients?

Our design approach and philosophy with each project is the same. It starts with a story; what does the concept of ‘home’ mean to the client and how do they want to live? From there begins a deep dive into what the project could be. My dream clients are ones who understand how they want to live and come to me to help them refine and actualize that understanding.

What’s next?

We are fortunate to have many amazing design projects in the works stretching from Hawaii to Martha’s Vineyard. One exciting project that is just beginning is a bespoke yacht build that my studio is collaborating on with a London based yacht designer.