#284 - JAMIE BUSH, Interior Architect and Founder of Jamie Bush + CO
SUMMARY
This week interior architect and designer Jamie Bush, Principal and Founder of Jamie Bush + CO joins David and Marina of FAME Architecture & Design to discuss growing up with designers, photographers, and artists; studying Architecture abroad in Venice; transitioning into interior architecture; the disconnect between architects and interior designers; differentiating between interior design and architecture; fee structures; and more. Enjoy!
This episode was recorded in two sessions (in case you notice an abrupt change in the conversation towards the end).
ABOUT JAMIE
Growing up in an eccentric family of dairy farmers on Long Island and a small clan of renowned designers, photographers and artists in Manhattan propelled Jamie to study art and architecture in New Orleans and in Venice, Italy with a strong focus on organic modernism and the natural world. After receiving his Masters of Architecture from Tulane University, Jamie headed west seeking to discover the unsung heroes of mid-century modern residential architecture in Los Angeles. After stints at Marmol Radziner and Kelly Wearstler, he founded his own interior architecture and design firm in 2002 and has since been fortunate enough to have worked on some of the most significant historical residential modernist homes in the US.
Recognized for his ability to blur the lines between architecture and interior design, his ethos has always been to approach the design of a space as one holistic vision. Admired for his relevant and keen understanding of architecture and design, his firm has collaborated with some of the most respected names in the business including Steven Ehrlich, Marmol Radziner, David Hertz, Walker Workshop, and Barbara Bestor just to name a few. Jamie’s designs have been featured in over 70 publications worldwide including Architectural Digest, Interior Design, Vogue, Elle Decor, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times as well as several coffee table books. In 2017 Jamie was appointed to the Tulane School of Architecture Board of Advisors and was most recently honored into the 2020 AD 100 top global architects and designers of the year, as well as Elle Decor’s A-List of top designers for 2020.
He splits his time between Los Angeles and his houseboat on Long Island close to his family.
HIGHLIGHTS
TIMESTAMPS
(00:00) Jamie’s background and growing up on a farm with designers, photographers and artists
(10:02) Studying architecture at Tulane University and abroad in Venice
(19:20) How moving to California allowed Jamie to thrive as a designer
(32:37) How Jamie transitioned into interior architecture
“During that time, I was really so enamored with the vintage stores in Los Angeles of mid-century modern furnishings and became sort of a picker, meaning I would go to flea markets and find things that seemed interesting… I think it was always latent in my interest because I grew up in a family, extended family, where everybody had very interesting homes. They weren't necessarily always extravagant, but they were always interesting… They just were always interested in design and objects and collecting and furnishing and interiors and really made very memorable spaces.” (36:14)
(47:28) The benefits of having a foundation in architecture for interior architecture work
“We're not decorating. We really are envisioning an entire sort of sensibility and aesthetic for a project and really looking about long terms, like how they want to live and grow old in this house or not. You know, it might be something like a five-year plan or something that they want their grandkids to inherit. We ask bigger questions about these projects.” (48:30)
(01:07:05) Jamie’s process of working with clients
“It's a delicate thing.., I've learned to not to be too heavy-handed at the beginning because, you know, I have personal things that may not be the prettiest, most interesting objects, but they have a personal story about them to me because they were my grandmother's or whatever, that you hold dear. ” (01:21:14)
(01:26:39) Differentiating between architecture and interior design
“I feel that if the education system was reviewed and looked at and taught in a much more rigorous fashion in this country, I think it would almost be more valued as well. Because I do feel that sometimes… there are clients that really value the architecture and the “decorating” is sort of superfluous and sort of like an extra and they don't consider it as critical or as rigorous as a discipline.” (01:35:14)
(01:42:28) The fee structure of Jamie Bush + CO.
