Design Within Reach / New Mover Brochure / May, 2017

Photography: Jim Bastardo, Styling: Marcus Hay for SMH, Inc 

Photography: Jim Bastardo, Styling: Marcus Hay for SMH, Inc

For a recent promotion, Design Within Reach worked with Marcus and his team on creating these fun "moving-in" images that ended up being used in a brochure sent out to DWR customers with helpful info on all their services available when you have moved into a new home like Complimentary Design Consultation, In home visit's to discuss the space and 3D renderings of your room. 

We planned the shot by using the Arena sofa on the cover as it had just appeared in a new space, surrounded by boxes and other move in items like take out coffees and lunch, just like it is when you move into a new home which can often mean eating on the run and dealing with the often overwhelming task of unpacking, something us prop stylists and photo teams are actually used to dealing with every week, we thrive in chaos and we did feel familiar and "at home" styling this shoot but for most others it's great to know there is help available. Fergus, the Creative Director, Michael Sainato's very cute Corgi made a guest appearance and finished the shot off very nicely for us. We then "unpacked" everything and created the room as it would be finished in the same space which can be seen in the other shots.

It was a really fun shoot to work on and great to work with the team again including Photographer, Jim Bastardo. 

Design Within Reach / 57th Street Store / NYC / Office Space Fit Out

Photography: SMH, Inc

Concepts designed by SMH, Inc

Photography: SMH, Inc

Photography: SMH, Inc

Concepts designed by SMH, Inc

Photography: SMH, Inc

Photography: SMH, Inc

Concepts designed by SMH, Inc

Photography: SMH, Inc

Photography: SMH, Inc

Concepts designed by SMH, Inc

Photography: SMH, Inc

Photography: SMH, Inc

This month Marcus and the team at SMH, Inc was asked to conceptualize and style four distinct office spaces in the Design Within Reach flagship store, on 57th & 3rd Avenue, New York. In order to showcase some of DWR's beautiful pieces, Marcus came up with four spaces inspired loosley by late fashion editor and design connoisseur, Diane Vreeland, a contemporary Eco Designer, the late American Architect, Philip Johnson and an eclectic diarist and photographer - choosing paint colors, artwork and props that would reflect each personality. Visit the store to view the spaces, we'd love know what you think!

Many Thanks to our product partners that helped us out with supplying some of the beautiful props and art for the space Tappan, Santimetre Studio and Kikkerland. 

Design Within Reach/ February Catalog, 17

Interior Photography by Jim Bastardo, Styling: Marcus Hay for SMH, Inc

Interior Photography by Jim Bastardo, Styling: Marcus Hay for SMH, Inc

Interior Photography by Jim Bastardo, Styling: Marcus Hay for SMH, Inc

Interior Photography by Jim Bastardo, Styling: Marcus Hay for SMH, Inc

Interior Photography by Jim Bastardo, Styling: Marcus Hay for SMH, Inc

For the February Catalog, Design Within Reach has put out an amazing catalog featuring portraits of some of the designers whose designs they carry. Marcus had styled some of these interior only shots in each spread featuring their work over the course of a year or two for the Connecticut based company.

Often on a shoot, Photographer Jim Bastardo will see different angles and details we can shoot on each of the products and by simply changing this viewpoint we have a selection of brand new shots, often these shots are in the vault until the opportunity arises such as this to feature them, It’s always a wonderful thing to see!

It’s great that a company will strive to show the face behind modern design and lively black and white shots capture that celebration and achievement.

Design Within Reach Source Book / 2017

Cover of the Source Book for 2017 

Photography: Jim Bastardo, Styling: Marcus Hay for SMH, Inc

Photography: Jim Bastardo, Styling: Marcus Hay for SMH, Inc

Photography: Jim Bastardo, Styling: Marcus Hay for SMH, Inc

Photography: Jim Bastardo, Styling: Marcus Hay for SMH, Inc

Every year Design With Reach publish an amazing volume of their merchandise available to Designers and the Trade. Here at SMH, Inc we feel very lucky to receive this bulky and brimming to the top publication which also feature many of the images we have styled for DWR. 

Each image brings back memories of shooting in some amazing locations including houses in The Hampton's, Brooklyn and Arizona amongst the many. We also get to peruse all the latest product and drool over future potential purchases for our interior design clients and maybe just a bit for ourselves! 

Design Within Reach/ September Catalog, 2016

Photography: Jim Bastardo, Styling: Marcus Hay for SMH, Inc

Photography: Jim Bastardo, Styling: Marcus Hay for SMH, Inc

Photography: Jim Bastardo, Styling: Marcus Hay for SMH, Inc, Right: Photography pieces featured by Brian Reyes 

Photography: Jim Bastardo, Styling: Marcus Hay for SMH, Inc, Photography piece featured: Lauren Van Aswegen

Photography: Jim Bastardo, Styling: Marcus Hay for SMH, Inc

Photography: Jim Bastardo, Styling: Marcus Hay for SMH, Inc

For the September Catalog which is usually Design Within Reaches biggest one for the year, SMH, Inc was asked to be part of the team once again helping produce amazing images with Photographer Jim Bastardo. Taking a very clean approach for this book, everything in the catalog that is featured is new product for Design Within Reach hence it is called 360 degrees of NEW!

The new Noomi swivel chair designed by Danish designer Susanne Gronlund is the star attraction on the cover and comes in a variety of wonderful fabrics and colors. 

A big part of our job is sourcing just the right artwork and photography for the shoot, We would love to thank talented Photographer's Lauren Van Aswegen and Bryan Reyes and Artist Sven Swenson.

Thanks again to all the folks at DWR for such a great shoot! 

Design Within Reach/ August Catalog/ The Story Behind

Photography: Jim Bastardo, Styling: Marcus Hay for SMH, Inc

Photography: Jim Bastardo, Styling: Marcus Hay for SMH, Inc

1. Bantam 73" Sofa in Poppy Boucle, from Design Within Reach, 2. “First Day at School” by McKkev, Acrylic on canvas, from Art for Film 3. Phalaenopsis (Moth Orchids), 4. “Graffiti # 13” by Petrob, print, from Art for Film, 5. Dom Pérignon Champagne, 6. Gentlewoman Magazine, Issue 9,  featuring Vivienne Westwood on the cover, Photographed by Alasdair McLellan, 7. Kate Moss Book, published by Rizzolli, Written by Kate Moss, Edited by Fabien Baron, Jess Hallett and Jefferson Hack, 8. Noguchi® Rudder Table, Designed by Isamu Noguchi for Herman Miller®, from Design Within Reach, Bertoia Two-Tone Diamond Lounge Chair, Designed by Harry Bertoia for Knoll®, from Design Within Reach. Silo furniture images courtesy of Design Within Reach.

For the latest August catalog for DWR, It was great to see some shots being revisited in their full format as a complete story. Marcus styled these Bantam sofa images for Design Within Reach last year but this is the first time this year that they have been seen all together. What many of you may know already that at SMH, Inc we love to work with a narrative or a back story that adds a layer of personality to a shot. Here after some discussion, we thought it was an opportunity to showcase a fashion forward career minded woman who was daring, sexy and charismatic.

We shot this story in The Hampton’s and spent much time collecting just the right props to help get across the vision we had for the person that may own this room. We like to work this way as it helps us give authenticity to a space and allows the viewer to subconsciously pick up on a theme or mood based on the character being projected. It’s not unlike creating a set for a film or stage, every little detail is so important right down to what coffee table books that person may own or what favorite flowers she may have in her vase.

We hope you can appreciate and register with the character reflected here, It something we aim to do in nearly all our work. These images were shot with the amazing Jim Bastardo that understands this approach more than anyone.  

Design Within Reach/ May Catalog and New Images

Photography: Jim Bastardo, Right: Photography: Jim Bastardo, Styling: Studio Marcus Hay, Inc

Photography: Jim Bastardo, Styling: Studio Marcus Hay, Inc

Photography: Jim Bastardo, Styling: Studio Marcus Hay, Inc

Photography: Jim Bastardo, Styling: Studio Marcus Hay, Inc

Photography: Jim Bastardo, Styling: Studio Marcus Hay, Inc

For the May mini catalog for Design With Reach, Studio Marcus Hay, Inc was delighted to see some "locked in the bank" images emerge that have been shot on previous shoots and have been saved for this special catalog.

Also other images and new crops can be seen on the site itself of the George Nelson series we shot recently plus other details, As much work goes into these shots as any other so we love to see them featured, These includes photography we produced ourselves at the studio for the shoot in the way of art seen on the walls which we specially framed.

Studio Marcus Hay, Inc is about to embark on another project for DWR next week, we look forward to working with the team again including Jim Bastardo, whose work is featured here. 

Design With In Reach/ March Catalog, 2016

Photography: Jim Bastardo, Styling: Studio Marcus Hay, Inc

Photography: Jim Bastardo, Styling: Studio Marcus Hay, Inc

Photography: Jim Bastardo, Styling: Studio Marcus Hay, Inc

For the March issue of the Design Within Reach catalog, Studio Marcus Hay, Inc was thrilled to see some past shots used again in the mini catalog, In particular the amazing shot by Photographer Jim Bastardo of the Arne Jacobsen egg chair used on the cover, one of our favourite shots from that series we shot in a Chelsea Architectural office.