Designer and gallerist James Yarosh is passionate about the artists he represents, the collections he curates and the rooms he creates. With a background in fine art, Yarosh designs spaces “with an artist’s eye,” and says intuition is the key.
“It’s not too different from an artist painting on a canvas: creating composition, color palette, guiding the eye to tell a story with focal points and subplots to create an interesting living space,” he told Mansion Global.
Art has been his most significant influence, ultimately shaping his design philosophy. “Living with art in a well-designed home gives you fuel to face life’s challenges. It gives us proof that beauty does indeed always exist.”
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Yarosh, 56, made his foray into the gallery world at just 17, eventually managing several in New York and New Jersey. He realized at a young age that his enthusiasm for the works he believed in was infectious, and other people could feel the same about the art he was drawn to. “It’s hard not to be excited sharing with others the art that you find the most beautiful and important,” he said. “Living with fine art is transformative.”
Twelve years later in 1996, he launched his own gallery in Holmdel, New Jersey, about an hour outside Manhattan, segueing into a world of art merged with interior design.
“When I opened my gallery, I had a strong client list of interior designers who would enlist me to suggest art for their projects,” Yarosh explained. “Expanding into interior design was a natural progression, as I’ve always felt that artists have the most interesting homes.”
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His excursions around the world kindled his fervor for both creative disciplines.
“During this time I began traveling abroad often, honing my eye by chasing museum shows and studying from the buildings that house them,” he said. “This study shaped my sense of interior design and what I do today for my clients.” Yarosh references some of the world’s most revered institutions as his inspiration, including the Louvre in Paris, the Leopold Museum in Vienna, the National Portrait Gallery in London and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art in Israel, among others.
Mansion Global caught up with Yarosh, who shared more about his approach to art and design.
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Mansion Global: How does your travel to museums around the world influence the rooms you design?
James Yarosh: Visiting museums not only shapes how I curate my gallery’s art collections, but also orients my understanding of how design elements can lift up art—both in traditional, maximalist settings and minimalist, Zen environments. One example that comes to mind is a large townhouse project I worked on for an art-collector couple who were moving out of a larger home and didn’t want to sacrifice the custom beauty they had created there. My inspiration came directly from a trip I made earlier that year to Amsterdam, where I discovered the dark gray walls of the Rijksmuseum, which brought just the right warmth to the foyer and put all the attention on the art collection.
You seem to be drawn to maximalism in your work. What are your thoughts on the more-is-more style?
I do love the math and beauty of minimalism, but I am an avid collector at heart. I learned how to curate design and art collections as a way to celebrate all of the beauty that I admire. For me, maximalism is the best way to celebrate beauty. It is through curation and discipline that you can then narrow its presentation in a thoughtful way. I don’t chase trends, but embrace beauty that has stood the test of time.
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What’s a good place to start when someone wants to curate an art collection for their home?
The most important starting point is learning the difference between decoration and fine art. With that knowledge, I recommend beginning with an open mind—don’t be afraid to look and learn about art that you don’t understand at first. It’s how we grow our appreciation. Once you find an artist that resonates with you, go for the best piece, or the one that connects to you the most.
What’s your biggest pet peeve regarding displaying art?
Some people think that they don’t have the wall space for larger art works, and this is an important misconception to debunk. A monumental piece can open up a small space in transformative ways; it allows the art to envelop you and resonate within the room. I believe in being open-minded and finding smart solutions that go outside of the box.
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Can you share your No. 1 tip for designing a room around a piece of art?
It depends on the scale of the project. For a new construction or large-scale home renovation, you can start collecting large-scale pieces that will guide the home’s architectural detailing. A great work of art can inspire a well-crafted space. On a smaller scale, you can still rework a room with a painting as the inspiration. Let the colors and patterns of the room take inspiration directly from the artist’s palette. This can lead to combinations you never would have discovered otherwise.
How do you personally define luxury?
Luxury is living in a home that nourishes your soul and helps you believe in yourself every day. Luxury is being surrounded by what makes you happy—art, decor, books, flowers, a trusted cat—and what fuels the way that you want to live your life. A home that fuels your soul and reminds you who you are can be an amazing source of renewable inspiration. No matter where I travel in the world, I always look forward to coming home and finding my center.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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