At Home With the Founders of Fort Street Studio
‘We didn’t use a designer,’ Janis Provisor, co-founder of hand-knotted carpet producer Fort Street Studio, tells me when I arrive at the Tribeca loft she shares with her husband and business partner Brad Davis.
This much seems clear — the space is too layered with whimsical ceramics, one-off art pieces, vintage furnishings and inventive reupholstery to be the work of a disinterested professional.
A vintage cabinet by Carlo Hauner and striking light fixture from Angelo Brotto comprise the entrance vestibule. Sculptures by Klara Kristalova complement a bronze Singing Siren piece by Kiki Smith. Photo by Jonathan Leijonhufvud
‘We wanted to create the feeling of a vestibule here at the entrance, even though it’s a big, open space,’ says Davis, gesturing to a sculptural glass and bronze wall light by Venetian designer Angelo Brotto hanging above a Carlo Hauner-designed sideboard from Brazil.
On the adjacent windowsill, a ceramic creature — half mermaid, half penguin — by Swedish artist Klara Kristalova presides over the loft, a cheerful Moroccan rag rug at her finned feet.
‘This type of rug is called a Boucherouite,’ Provisor explains. ‘The Berbers originally made them for dowries. Our dealer told us if you go into a Moroccan house and you see this rug on the floor, you know it’s a good marriage.’ If the rug, or indeed the couple’s luxury rug business, is any indication, their decades-long marriage is a great one.
‘We don’t always agree,’ Provisor admits. ‘If one of us really doesn’t like something we can veto it,’ Davis says, before Provisor adds, ‘Sometimes we’ll say “Well, if you really like it you can put it in your studio, but I don’t want that in the house”.’
A sparkling 1960s Accolade coffee table made of resin and broken glass was picked up at a Paris flea market. In the foreground, early 20th-century Chinese cloisonné cups make an eye-catching complement to the couple’s more modern pieces. The artworks on paper are by Thomas Nozkowski. Photo by Jonathan Leijonhufvud
When the couple met in the 80s, both were artists showing at New York’s Holly Solomon Gallery, and both were already avid fea-market hunters. But, according to Davis, when they got together ‘there was an explosion’. ‘It was a great collision,’ Provisor agrees. ‘We realised that collecting together was our form of play.’
The open-plan living space is home to a mid-century American glass-topped coffee table from Lane Furniture. The green velvet chair by Sawaya & Moroni draws the eye, and is surrounded by more objects. Photo by Jonathan Leijonhufvud.
The loft, which they have occupied since 2002, is the result of decades of play — at flea markets, auctions, galleries and art fairs. In addition to a keen eye for materials, a fondness for mid-century furniture and a loveof warm olive tones, Davis and Provisor have a thoughtful approach to how space is utilised.
Provisor’s preferred spot for answering emails and eating meals is a plush green Polder sofa designed by Hella Congeries for Vitra that anchors one end of the living room. ‘I don’t eat a meal at the table unless I have to,’ she says.
The striking chair in the master bedroom is a Ragamuf piece designed by Tuula Poyhonen and produced by female Syrian refugees. Hong Kong artist Wilson Shieh’s works adorn the walls. Photo by Jonathan Leijonhufvud
In the bedroom, an entire wall is dedicated to figurative paintings by Hong Kong artist Wilson Shieh, a favourite from the pair’s time in Asia, while bolder contemporary art is reserved for the main living space.
‘We call this wall our female gaze,’ says Provisor, pointing to large colour prints by American artists Catherine Opie and Mickalene Thomas. Opie’s stylised portrait shows a young woman in front of a green backdrop, her eyes locked on the lens. ‘It reminds me of a Hans Holbein,’ says Davis, referring to the Renaissance painter who also isolated his subjects against vibrantly coloured backgrounds.
Beneath a Mickalene Thomas photograph, the sideboard by Florence Knoll holds a variety of sculptural pieces including a seated figure by Paloma Varge Weisz. One of the couple’s favourite pieces in the entire home is the Italian standing lamp in the corner. Photo by Jonathan Leijonhufvud.
Both Davis and Provisor can recall where every artwork, lamp or chair was discovered and why it first caught their eye. Thus the home is more than an accumulation of collectables; it’s a map of their life’s journey, with objects woven into their own histories. As Provisor puts it: ‘All of this stuff is a part of our big adventure.’
This story appears in the December print edition of Design Anthology
