interieurs by Francine Gardner

Francine Gardner is the best thing to happen to me since I started my renovation project almost two years ago. If I'd hired her from the start, she would have saved me a lot of money and stress. But I made the mistake of thinking I didn't need both a designer and an architect. I believed the architect when he said he could do it all. In my case, that was wrong. Fortunately, Francine's skill and resourcefulness are getting me out of a big mess. And -- although this was not our original goal when we started working together -- her compassion and honesty are helping me recover from a traumatic process. When I hired Francine about six months ago, I was almost finished with the construction process of combining two apartments in Manhattan, but unhappy about the way certain things had turned out. I didn't know what was worth fixing and what I should leave alone. Within minutes of walking into the apartment for the first time, Francine saw what was wrong with the kitchen area. It's the most challenging part of the apartment because of structural elements that can't be moved. To my amazement, she figured out a solution that, with as few changes as possible, will conceal the structural problems and create a beautiful, efficient hub for cooking and entertaining. She has also worked with my kitchen company to choose colors and finishes, and with my architect and contractor on the remaining construction to be done. Despite the complexity of the problem I threw at her, she has also been cost-conscious! I couldn't ask for a better combination. For the first time since I started construction, I feel I have a partner in the process who truly understands what I'm trying to achieve -- AND has the skill to implement it. This is a huge relief. Now Francine is helping me with what she calls the "easy part:" paint, fabrics and furnishings. I have been a fan of the Interieurs showroom for almost 20 years as it has moved from Soho to Tribeca to the East 50s. This is where I first encountered Francine's gorgeous taste and hoped that someday I'd be able to have some of it in my home. Now I will. So, why didn't I hire Francine right at the beginning? Because I didn't understand the difference between designers and architects and what each does best. Now I do. Thank you, Francine.

Francine Gardner is an extraordinary talent. She was judicious with our budget and successfully pulled us through a large makeover of our home -inside and out. Her esthetic is timeless and fresh and she is a light to work with, I cannot wait until I can work with her again !

I have known and worked with Francine Gardner for almost 10 years. What makes Francine unique is her ability to understand her customer's vision of a space and design and then transforms that vision into an exciting living space. Visiting Francine's store, Interieurs on east 58th Street is an amazing experience that excites your senses, from wonderfully scented candles, to soothing music to array of lighting fixtures, furniture and beautiful soft luxurious fabrics. All this and more combined provides her customers an almost unlimited possibilities in creating a beautiful home environment.

Francine was instrumental in helping me downsize my home and yet maintain the elegance and spaciousness that I had grown accustomed to. She was able to keep the pieces she selected to the proper size of the new space. End result, sophisticated and enticing home for the new ME!

Francine has remodeled 3 apartments and 2 beach houses for our family, from small starter homes on a tight budget to large and more luxurious properties - a downtown loft and a country house. Francine led architectural work (including floor plans, materials, lighting and plumbing fixtures) on 3 of the projects, and did complete design work on all five including furniture, window treatments, and accessories. The end result was always a beautiful, elegant yet relaxed home, modern yet eclectic, and always deeply personal. Francine has a great talent and unique ability to see beauty in objects and translate it into a lifestyle. She is not beholden to any particular era or style in design which so many decorators are. As a result her homes are always interesting and unique, and always driven by her client's needs.

I love the ambiance, and soothing scent of the space every time I visit the showroom. All the items are beautifully placed in a harmonious manner....you can always discover some unexpected treasure for the eyes. As you ascend the stairs, you are greeted by yet another series of creatively arranged items calling out to you to take them home so they can bring calm and beauty to your personal space.

Francine Gardner and her team are a pleasure to work with. I used a combination of the interior design studio with their own line of customizable furnishings to bid on a project where the developers want to offer a penthouse totally furnished. I have been a fan of the Interieurs esthetic for many years (since they were in Tribeca) and jumped at the opportunity to work with them. It truly takes a colleague that is well traveled to comprise a space that is not only stylish but also harmonious. Francine’s two-story showroom is beautifully appointed, you simply must experience it first hand.

Francine hired me to help Interieurs and Interieurs Studio with public relations. I have seen many of her projects from beginning to completion. Francine's projects are inspired by her upbringing in the southwest of France and her passion for global travel, art and her philanthropy in Borneo, Asia and many areas in Africa. Francine's design projects have been featured in National and International life style magazines. Her design projects are designed individually for each client. Her clients' styles range from modern to traditional but the common thread through all of Francine's projects are a fresh, worldly, sophisticated, timeless and relaxed esthetic. Francine is a pleausre to work with. Her projects are on time, on budget and intelligent. The majority of Francine's clients hire her for the design of their multiple properties. Francine is admired and respected by many industry professionals as a tastemaker and an exceptional interior designer. I highly recommend Francine.

I chose to interview Francine Gardner to design my very modern, architecturally distinctive apartment due to the diversity of her portfolio. Instead of seeing the same design elements in different spaces, I saw each space in the portfolio as unique. I hired her and was not disappointed. Francine understood my style and sensibility from the start, and improved on it. She literally and virtually travels the world looking for the perfect pieces. I am very happy with her work and will hire her again.

I've known and worked with Francine for close to 20 years. As a magazine editor I've produced a number of stories on her interiors and feel I know her taste and work ethic intimately. I can't praise her more highly. Her attention to detail, innate sense of architecture accompanied by her love of materiality; the importance she places on comfort and individuality make her a unique talent. I've met a number of the people she has created homes for who've gone on to become close friends and that, in my estimation, is the ultimate test of a designer's work.