HOMEWARD BOUND
Canadian designer Brian Gluckstein offers insight into spaces, design in his first book
Brian Gluckstein knows the power of a good book. And not just for what’s bound within its covers.
Viewing images of the Torontobased design talent’s past projects will yield countless views of carefully curated living spaces — many of them punctuated with at least one pile of books.
In fact, it could be said that Gluckstein is a bit of an expert on procuring publications, admitting he has amassed a personal collection containing hundreds of books on art, architecture, textiles or history, throughout his life.
“I have a big library both at the house and at the office,” he says. “They’re on the floor or on tables. And I have multiple books that I’ve bought multiple times for different houses. I love books.”
And now, he has another book to add to his private collection: His own.
Gluckstein’s new tome, titled Brian Gluckstein: The Art of Home (Figure 1 Publishing), features 256, full-colour pages of home decor, highlighting fabulously furnished rooms in equally elaborate homes.
“It’s a beautiful coffee table book, which does have lessons in it — but it’s a visual thing,” he says. “It’s not a step-by-step. It’s more about my insight into why these spaces look the way they do.”
In fact, it was this very visual element that was the final push that prompted Gluckstein to do the book after being offered the opportunity several times before.
“It’s funny, because I’m a real consumer of design books, I really am. But I had not really thought about doing one,” he admits. “Nothing against those do-it-yourself paperback books that we see from some of the celebrities from television, but that’s not our market. That’s not our esthetic. So, it had to be the right time and the right book.”
Gluckstein says that, when he was finally approached with the opportunity to do what he refers to as his “ideal book” he couldn’t pass it up.
The fact that he regularly incorporates books into his designs likely didn’t hurt, either. Nor did his belief that books are, for lack of a better term, back.
“I think they’re very strong. I think they’re stronger now than ever before,” he says of the popularity of physical books despite our digital tendencies. And, in many ways, it’s those same online preferences that have prompted the return of paper volumes.
“I don’t really think the average consumer was buying design books the way designers were doing it,” Gluckstein says. “I think with all the social media — the Instagram, the Pinterest — that has grown in popularity, and I’m a big user of those platforms, there is a real appetite and growth in the consumption of design books. The average consumer that really is not buying a lot of books anymore, is seeing these as inspiring — and the books that they’ll display on their tables and bookshelves.
“We went from the bookshelves full of books, to people saying they don’t read anymore or they don’t read actual books, they’re reading on Kindles and things like that. So, people were giving away books. And now they’re back.”
Gluckstein often curates the collection of books on display in a client’s home, a fact which may lead one to wonder: how exactly does he choose them?
“If you are selecting design books for clients, and you are picking books that are going to be displayed on coffee tables, consoles and coffee tables, as a designer, you want to pick books you think will resonate with clients,” he explains.
Gluckstein assures skeptics the books he picks out for his clients are, indeed, ones they ultimately end up reading. No, really.
“They’re not just sitting there,” he says with a laugh of the dualpurpose decor items. “Because I’m picking books that really are reflective of them and their esthetic — not because the cover is the right colour.”
So, what does Gluckstein’s expansive personal book collection say about him?
“It says I have a very diverse and eclectic interest in design and architecture,” he reveals. “Anybody that would be in my house would definitely know that I’m in design, because of the breadth of hundreds of books. I thought, oh my god, if I really stopped to add up how much I’ve spent on books (sighs), — I can’t even believe it.
“They would definitely say there’s definitely a design focus, but a very diverse design focus. Because, I love all different styles and periods of art and design. As long as it’s in beautiful taste and well done — I love it.”
In addition to good taste in all things design and books, Gluckstein has become celebrated for his overarching ability to create uncluttered spaces that don’t feel at all sparse or boring.
Through his firm, Gluckstein Design Planning Inc., which he started in 1986, he has created countless interiors for customers spanning Toronto, Palm Beach, New York City — and beyond.
“There is definitely a cleanness to our spaces, whether they’re modern or traditional,” he explains.
“Not clean in the sense that they’re austere, because I want them to be soulful and I want them to have an eclectic mix of elements. But there is a cleanness to the space. It’s definitely not cluttered, but they’re not spare. It’s somewhere in between.”
Colours are thoughtfully chosen in a Gluckstein-designed home, an element that is mirrored in the items on offer in his Gluckstein Home line, which is available in Canada at Hudson’s Bay. And patterns are even more restrained.
“There is a refinement in the selection of pattern and colour that we use. We don’t use a lot of pattern. We don’t use necessarily bold colours for large expanses,” he explains.
But while crazy colours, obnoxious patterns and superfluous knick-knacks are typically absent from his designs, there is an abundance of the one thing Gluckstein finds the most important key to creating a unique living space: personality.
It’s one element he says is increasingly absent from the sparsely decorated spaces that are proving popular today.
“I don’t find it comfortable. You can have limited items in a space, but not to the point where it’s sterile — and almost soulless,” he says of the less-is-more style. “I’m looking at spaces more and more that I question. I wonder, is it just done for the photo shoot? Or do people really live in that space? One issue, is they look generic. I can’t quite get the personality of who lives in that space. And I don’t understand that. Who would want a generic space that doesn’t reflect any of their interests?”
“People have to have some emotional connection — to things, to art, to books, to artifacts and travel. I can’t imagine someone who wants nothing in their space that reflects some personality,” he adds. “And, if their personality is so spare — well, oh my. I don’t know if I’d want to socialize with them. There’s no humour in some of these spaces. Where’s the fun? Where’s the humour? Where’s the soul of the spaces?”
Creating a space with a soul — a unique combination of good taste and personalized elements that reflect its inhabitants — is the ultimate goal for a great interior design.
That, according to Gluckstein, is what people should focus on when they’re considering decor for their homes — not just what they’re seeing on Instagram.
“I think people are worried more about the style than their style. People are decorating to make a statement,” he says of the omnipresent online influence. “Don’t decorate your home to make a statement. Don’t design a home to make a statement. Design a home that is soulful, is comfortable, is beautiful.
“That’s what will give you that ‘aha’ when you come in.”
I can’t imagine someone who wants nothing in their space that reflects some personality. And, if their personality is so spare — well, oh my.