Jay Spectre (1930 – 1992) American Interior and Furniture Designer

Jay Spectre (1930 – 1992) was an American Interior and furniture designer. He was born in Louisville, Kentucky. He was professionally active in New York.

Spectre went from a teenager designing window displays for his brother-in-law’s Frankfort furniture store, Elliott Marcus, to the top of the interior design industry, propelled by a fresh yet classic sense of style, drive, and considerable charm.

Politicians and movie stars were among his clients. Furthermore, magazines such as House Beautiful and Architectural Digest covered his work. His venture into creating furniture, fabrics, rugs, lamps, and other accessories made his name more well-known in his later career.

Biography

He began his interior design career in 1951 in Louisville. In 1968, he established the design company Jay Spectre in New York. He designed interiors for luxury homes, private jet aircraft, yachts, and offices, which showed Art Deco, Asian, and African influences with high-tech and hand-carved elements. 

In 1985, he and (Geoffrey Bradfield) set up the licensing firm JSPS to sell rights to furniture, china, rugs, and other articles designed by the Spectre firm. 

In 1987, he designed the Neo-Deco line of furniture for the Century Furniture Industry. The collection appealed to many people and could be used in a suburban home or a metropolitan apartment. Metals and light-coloured white oaks add a sense of freshness and sophistication.

He executed rug designs for Louis de Poortere, outdoor furniture for Jordan Brown, Filipino wicker furniture for Century, and lighting for Sunset. 

(With Bradfield) he published the book Point Of View: Design by Jay Spectre (1991). 

Wealthy Clients

“All of my clients have been millionaires. . . I’ve never had any other kind. They are people who have achieved a great deal in life. They are risk-takers.

They are presidents and chairmen of boards; they are people who have, mostly through their own means and skills, achieved what could be considered great wealth.

Socializing does help, but you must define what you want from both your private and professional life. I have never met a client at a cocktail party (Rense, 1980).”

Recognition

1986 he was appointed to the Interior Design Hall of Fame and received the 1987 Bride’s Magazine Award for excellence. The Smithsonian Institution chose him as one of the nation’s top eight designers in its “Giants of Interior Design” program.

Sources

Byars, M., & Riley, T. (2004). The design encyclopedia. Laurence King Publishing.

Rense, P. (1980, September 1). Decorating for Celebrities: Interviews with Twenty of the World’s Best Interior Designers. https://doi.org/10.1604/9780385148108

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