We had the pleasure of providing a selection of our furniture to the super-talented interior designer Brendan Flanigan on the Hampton Designer Showhouse.

This foundation has raised funds for the Stony Brook Southampton Hospital for nearly two decades and is led and operated by a dynamic team of experts from the worlds of marketing, public relations, fundraising and special events production. Proceeds from donations have been specifically earmarked for the hospital’s Healthcare for Heroes Fund for COVID-19, which helps support hospital staff and provide additional equipment and resources.

In this year’s installment, eleven design firms converged on a 9,000-square-foot home to design 12 out of 17 spaces in Sag Harbor, transforming run-of-the-mill rooms into jaw-dropping spaces.

Come take a look with Hamptons Cottages and Gardens at what the teams created this year. Brendan is featured around the 4.30minutes mark, and his exquisite design using a selection of our furniture is quite spectacular…

As you can see, he’s quite the talent! We took a moment to talk to Brendan about his background and his work on this exciting project.

When did you realize you had an eye for interior design?
Well, for as long as I can remember. We had this great fireplace in the house I grew up in, and when I was five years old I remember being beyond excited to style it. And pretty much from that day forward I have been designing every room I have walked into, in my mind. I had a near photographic memory of one of our favorite restaurants and my family would quiz me with what was where.

How did you get started in the industry?
I was working as an accountant as my first job out of Siena College and the business was doing improvements that I would weigh in on. My suggestions were transformative and I began taking on friends as design clients. My sister also had a bespoke drapery business so I had exposure to textiles and design. Plus, Saratoga, where I grew up is beautiful and had lots of exposure to great restaurants, inns and bed and breakfasts that were very design-forward, and it quenched my visual thirst that was always a part of me.

Do you have any major influences or designers that you look up to?
I love the late Zaha Hadid for her imagination and visioning with curves, lines and 3 dimensionality. Steven Gambrel is a huge inspiration as well.  His work is classic but new; always inventive colors and has that ‘effortless style’ I bring to my work – luxurious but not fragile… rather meant for living and to carry out a life well-lived.

How did you get involved with the Hamptons Designer Showhouse?
After winning the IDA (Innovation in Design Award) in 2019 where David Rockwell was also honored, I met the head of the show houses — he was actually seated at my table! The Showhouse Production company formally invited me to participate. It was natural to do so, as I love livable luxury ad I wanted to bring a collected secular decor to the Hamptons. So often I think the Hamptons goes directly to ‘coastal’. I wanted to broaden this aesthetic to a collected look for how people really live. And, especially in 2020 with the shifting of people’s vacation homes into their mainstays, (literally), vacation homes need to wear like main residences— luxury you can live in, and come home to in any season, and not feel you need to redecorate. My room has rich velvets, juxtaposed against rattan bent modern chairs- in every season you can walk into this room and have a corner, a vignette speak to you, and that was what this room does. I wanted to create a room anyone in the world can walk into and feel at home, with comfort, originality and artistry so adept — that they would never want to leave.

What attracted you to working with Brass & Burl?
I love the bespoke collections, and the ease of your website. I wanted this show house to give value to those who toured it and for it to give them a valuable takeaway- you can adapt any room in your home to meet your needs – quickly! I furnished most items in this room in 14 days, the custom sectional in 30 days. You guys met my time requirements with ease and certainty. Beauty and speed – you really do have it all for your clients! Also, your website is tech savvy – you can search by brand, room, or piece. Technology needs to be spot on and no matter how nice your collection, if I can’t catalog it quickly, time is lost. The support is spot on, fast, and with great product knowledge.

Can you explain a little on your thought process with choosing some your favorite items from Brass&Burl?