Ep. 171: architect Damian Samora

Our guest this episode is NYC-based architect Damian Samora. Damian studied at the University of Notre Dame and began his career in London before moving to New York and joining the esteemed architectural firm, Ferguson & Shamamian. Ferguson & Shamamian is on the AD100 and has been featured in all of the top design magazines. Damian has designed everything from rustic mountain retreats to historic apartment buildings to large family homes. We discuss why Damian and his firm always work in tandem with an interior designer, the challenges of working within the confines of NYC apartment structures, what to look for when hiring an architect and more.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Ferguson & Shamamian have a deep-rooted philosophy in designing spaces with interior design at the forefront.
• NYC apartments are often limited in their structural changes. How Damian and his team confront those challenges to achieve the client’s vision.
• How Damian works with an interior designer to face challenges like finding sources of light even in tiny apartment hallways and combining two apartments into one.
• Familiarity is often how people choose their “warm” or comfort in their homes.
• While being at home more, people are more activity-focused. Things like pools, homework rooms, dual offices, etc., are becoming more popular. So are doors and walls!
• After living in London, Damian’s design was influenced by parts of the English style like respect for context and uniqueness.
• How furniture structure can evoke a feeling and affect a mood.
• Why soundproofing and hiring an acoustician can be so important to the function of your home yet is often overlooked.
• Damian’s tips on where to spend and save; depending on if it’s your forever home.
• When looking to hire an architect, Damian recommends finding the firm whose work you like then trusting their referral to the individual architect. It should also be treated as any other relationship.
• Damian gets most excited when clients want to design around their art collection.
• Are people still doing screens on their windows? Yes, but Damian recommends being selective and not placing screens on every window.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Ferguson & Shamamian

#FergusonShamamian on Instagram

Decorating Dilemma

Hi Kate,

It’s going to be helpful to think about where your priorities are and then weigh it against what is most cost-effective. Your rangehood and your island carry the most weight in those spaces. So unless you are going to replace them, you have to work with them and not against them. In terms of light fixtures, we would shy away from matching them because they are doing different work. If you want to pull focus to the island, you could try a pot rack light fixture or something linear to give the kitchen some weight. For the breakfast room, we would definitely add a round table. We also like upholstery on the chairs to soften things up (Sunbrella or other performance fabric would be great with kids). Regarding the window treatments, you want them to be sort of “talking” to each other, and this is a great place to bring in some fabric. The backsplash is always hard and right now it’s grabbing too much attention. We would contemplate replacing the countertops to match the backsplash. We all agree that we like the color of your cabinets and painting it another color white won’t do much; the tile is the real problem. We also don’t think you need to paint the rooms; just balance the lighting and the window treatments. The island doesn’t necessarily need to change color either, but the stools should tie more to the value of color of the cabinets. Think of the breakfast room, the kitchen and the family room each as a node that pulls you inward to them. There’s a lot of great space here; don’t be down on yourself and give yourself some time.

Good luck and please send us the after photos!