Jonathan Glatt is the CEO and Creative Director of O&G Studio and a faculty member for the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). After completing his MFA from RISD, Glatt worked at Sotheby’s Auction House in the American Furniture department, where he developed his eye and gained his love of furniture and design. Glatt would later go on to work as a jeweler before he returned to his love of furniture and co-founded O&G Studio in 2008. His work has been featured in numerous publications such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, World of Interiors, and Vogue. Learn more about this impressive designer in this week’s Designer Friday.
This rustic New England-style breakfast room is a perfect place to start every morning. The torn-look wallpaper gives the room an antique feel to it while framing the windows that look onto a picturesque forest and lake.
Andrew Joseph: What about your design style has shifted post-quarantine?
Jonathan Glatt: Quarantine made us all look so closely at where we lived and for me, I realized that I truly love where I live. I have always tried to go by the motto, “be where you are”, meaning try to appreciate and be present for what you have rather than pine for what you don’t. Quarantine allowed me to fully appreciate and enjoy my surroundings. Post quarantine I am open completely to allowing the sites, smells and feelings of where I live to unapologetically inspire my work and the lifestyle I am trying to build for myself, family, employees and clients. Don’t get me wrong, I have been bitten by the travel bug, but I also realized that I could work a lifetime and still not exhaust a fraction of the inspiration I find around me. Prior to quarantine, I think I was looking further afield for inspiration, which in hindsight, was never going to be as authentic as working from what I know.
AJ: Are you a good cook? If so, what’s your specialty?
JG: I love to cook! Lately my specialty has been fairly simple, my friends have dubbed it “The Sandwich”, which I’m pretty proud of because when you add capital T (The) in front of something it marks it as an authoritative standard. The Sandwich is a riff on a caprese, I make it on a large 20” ciabatta, brush with olive oil and grilled on the inside face only. Layer that with mozzarella from a local cheese maker, fresh tomatoes, pesto, fresh basil and sometimes roasted red peppers or chicken breasts pounded thin and grilled. Nothing better for a day on the water with friends!
Twin art deco floor lamps make a statement on either side of this living room and compliment the central, rounded square-top coffee table. The velvet green armchairs, which mimic an oxidized copper, coordinate with the overall deco feel of this room.
AJ: How would you describe your personal style?
JG: Most days, my style is ‘Beach Work Style’ – blending a little bit of utility with good fit, nice construction and great fabrics like chambrays, madras, linen, denim, and sometimes terry cloth when I want to tap into my early 80s childhood. I always end up on the factory floor and can’t resist getting my hands into something so I try to straddle the line between being ready for a client meeting or a moment behind the workbench – it’s a fine line and I’ve ruined so many nice things.
AJ: Favorite app?
JG: Sharktivity – it pings you with the time and location of every white shark sighting in New England, it’s the only app whose notifications I allow.
AJ: What are some of the podcasts you listen to and why?
JG: I love listening to Dennis Scully’s Business of Home Podcast. Dennis has some great guests, asks great questions and gets candid answers. It’s always interesting to hear the paths people take to success, failures, triumphs and all.
This cozy foyer is perfect for this simple and sophisticated home. The exposed beams on the ceiling match the untreated wooden floor and give the room a traditional, rural feeling. A fluted bar cabinet right by the door makes for easy indoor-outdoor entertaining.
AJ: What’s your favorite cocktail?
JG: Gin and tonic with Botanist Gin and fever tree tonic made short in a rocks glass
AJ: Must-have clothing items everyone should have in their closet?
JG: Just one? There is no substitute for great shoes! My personal favorites are slip-on vans for sneakers, Ariat for nice casual boots, Chippewa for work boots and Ralph Lauren, Made in England Bench Made shoes for dress.
About the Designer | Jonathan Glatt is an American designer living and working in Rhode Island, where he is the creative director of O&G Studio. In his early career, he interned and worked at Sotheby’s Auction House in the American Furniture department, where he honed his eye and gained his love of furniture, design evolution and craft. After 10 years practicing as a jeweler, designer and fabricator, Glatt returned to his love of furniture and co-founded O&G Studio in 2008. O&G’s work has been shown in the London Design Museum and has been featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, World of Interiors, Elle, Vogue, Dwell and other publications.
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