The “Home for the Holidays” exhibit—sponsored by Cumar Marble & Granite, the Over My Shoulder Foundation, Neiman Marcus, Boston Design Week, and New England Home magazine—features three gorgeous, unique living spaces decorated for the season and inspired by a royal residence. “Home for the Holidays” is the vision of Cumar’s own Dawn Carroll, who also serves as the Executive Director of the Over My Shoulder Foundation, a nonprofit organization that promotes mentorship in design. Each of the participating designers—Paula Daher, Eric Roseff, and Gerald Pomeroy—worked closely with a mentee on the project.
Celebrating his firm’s twentieth anniversary in 2015, Gerald Pomeroy specializes in elegant residential spaces with a personal touch. His design projects have been awarded the Bulfinch Award from the New England Chapter of the Institute of Classical Art & Architecture, among others, and have been featured in the pages of Design New England, New England Home magazine, and the Boston Globe. Cumar was able to chat with Pomeroy about his Balmoral Room in the “Home for the Holidays” exhibit as well as the experience of working with a mentee.
How would you describe your personal design philosophy?
I am a classicist, but clearly I have my eye on the 21st century, and as such, there are always modern elements to all of my projects. I believe this mix is what makes for truly elegant and timeless interiors.
What was the first design element you chose for your “Home for the Holidays” room?
Without question the breathtakingly beautiful de Gournay “La Chasse de Compiegne” mural. It was a wonderful starting point to a very special Balmoral space.
Which is your favorite design element in the room? Why?
That is a difficult question for I pride myself on always achieving seamless interiors that as a whole speak volumes. But in this case, the unexpected drop ceiling that became part of the architecture of the room to highlight and celebrate the hearth as well as our English gilt carriage lantern is without question a crowd pleaser.
Which do you think is the most unique element?
This may surprise your readers but I would have to say the simplicity of the room. When a design has all the important elements, i.e. beautiful things, wonderful scale and more than a few surprises, you don’t need much more. It then allows you to pull back, edit and let the room speak for itself.
What were the biggest challenges to this project?
I would have to say the ambitious time frame and still to be able to meet the standards I set for myself and for all of my projects was the biggest challenge.
Tell us about the experience of working closely with a mentee.
This is a subject I can chat about at length about. We always have, for the most part, an intern working in the office. Exposing them and bringing them along on the journey of the design process from start to finish, is something I enjoy immensely and find extremely rewarding. Home for the Holidays was no exception and was perhaps was one of the big reasons I participated. To have the opportunity to take Lauren Cozzi on this adventure, without question, made this experience all the more gratifying.
