DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT: JAMES MICHAEL HOWARD on LUXURY TURNKEY HOMES

Luxury turnkey properties are the new vogue in the Hamptons. Luxury homes are being sold completely furnished with not only high end furniture, rugs, finishes but also Frette linens and towels. Clients who desire convenience and a home with cachet and opulent detailing is the right client.  High end Developer/Designer James Michael Howard is at the forefront of the trend with his latest  $25 million Water Mill, NY home. One could say that Mr. Howard's style is classical but there is a modern slant with his use of color, exotic objects and antiques. The architectural features in this home is insane. I'm loving the the amazing inlaid stone patterned floors, the richly lacqured walls, the beautiful patterned ceilings, unique limestone fireplaces and beautiful carpets from Nepal. India and Turkey. 

I am so happy to share an interview with James Michael Howard today....

TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF AS A DEVELOPER/DESIGNER

I studied interior design at Parsons in NYC.  Along with my wife, I own several design stores in Florida, Atlanta and Charlotte, NC. Our firm consists of approximately 51 people and we focus on very high-end residential design. Some of our current projects are in NYC, upstate NY, CT, the Hamptons, Puerto Rico, multiple projects in the Bahamas, California and many other cities across the US.

WHAT IS YOUR SIGNATURE LOOK

I pride myself on not having a signature as I love the prospect of the next project whether it be Darth Vader or Betsy Ross.

WHAT WAS YOUR "AHA" MOMENT THAT LED YOU TO START TURNKEY LUXURY PROPERTIES. 

It wasn’t so much an aha moment as a new idea. Our stores are designed to look like very old and grand homes. Our customers always feel that we bought an old residence and moved in, but we didn’t—we designed them. So after building five stores over several years, and a few of the homes we lived in, I decided to try a house on spec. It sold for more than the asking price and rather quickly. So, I tried it again and again and I’m having the time of my life.

TAKE US BEHIND THE SCENES OF YOUR 4TH TURNKEY PROJECT. ANY CHALLENGES? 

You must be kidding! I liken my life in some respects to that of a heart surgeon. He cuts you open, looks inside, sees the problem and fixes it. No time for research, just look something up. I have been there and seen just about everything there is to see. It is just a matter of aligning all of the moving parts.

FROM TURNKEY 1 TO 4, WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED THE MOST?

Find the best subcontractors, pay them well and say thank you. Our houses incorporate more than 100 sheets of drawings and a very large book of selections. It is daunting and usually involves a sizeable team to get it all coordinated. Communication is essential, but the most important aspect is passion, passion, passion 

Thank you James Michael Howard for the enjoyable interview!

For more information on 41 Halsey Lane, Water Mill by James Michael Howard, 
visit Brown Harris Stevens

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SAVE THE AMERICAN FOLK ART MUSEUM

AMERICAN FOLK ART MUSEUM
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The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) has betrayed New Yorkers.  A couple of years after buying The American Folk Art Museum designed by architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien, MoMA chose to trash this sculptural icon on West 53rd Street. This is not acceptable.  This building has presence and cannot be so easily disposable.  Passersby always take notice of its alluring façade and is beloved for its skin's hand-made feel, just like the art inside.  Now it will be replaced with another typical glass box to be designed by French architect Jean Novel.  Their goal is to get another 40,000 square feet of exhibition space in an adjacent 82 story tower.  MoMA officials said, "the building's design did not fit their plans because the opaque façade is not in keeping with the glass aesthetic of the rest of the museum.  The former folk museum is also set back farther than MoMA's other properties and the floors would not line up."  This statement is outrageous!...