Mark Eckstrom likes to joke that he came out of the womb knowing where to place an ottoman.
Interior designers Mark and Mikal Eckstrom live in a Regency townhome that was recently featured by Architectural Digest. “It has established our career,” Mark Eckstrom said.
His mother, Dorothy Eckstrom, was an interior designer. His life took a different path, through magazine publishing in New York to marketing and sales development for a Fortune 100 food company in Omaha.
Like many, though, the COVID-19 pandemic changed that trajectory. He and partner Mikal Eckstrom now run a design firm called Studio Eckström.
“I think we all began to assess our larger selves and what makes us truly happy,” Mark Eckstrom said. “And for me, it was decorating.”
One of their projects has been to re-imagine the interior of their Regency townhome.
The transformation happened organically, with the design changing to reflect how they were living in the house. The art, furniture and objects, often collected on their varied travels, worked together to tell a unique story.
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“Every day we get to pinch ourselves that we created a magical environment for ourselves, our doggies and our family and friends,” Eckstrom said. “We love that our home inspires entertaining. The rooms are structured ‘salon style’ to encourage multiple conversation groupings. Even our dressing room draws a crowd. It’s not uncommon during a party to find a group of people gathered around the island in our closet.”
There were plenty of rabbit holes and false starts, too. Their home became a decorating laboratory, Eckstrom said, and ultimately a success.
In what they call a dream come true, their townhome was recently featured in an Architectural Digest web-exclusive home tour. Around the same time, they learned they had been selected as AD PRO interior designers, a list of editor approved designers.
“So professionally, it has established our career,” Eckstrom said. “AD has put us on the radar for many residential and commercial jobs.”
The Eckstroms painted the original cabinetry in their dressing room and added a custom island. The ceiling is a wallpaper that plays off the marble cobble floor.
They credit the beautiful work of Rhode Island photographer Read McKendree for helping them earn the notice of Architectural Digest. He was recommended by New York-based stylist Mieke ten Have, whom they met through Sophie Dow Donelson, who spoke at the Lauritzen Gardens Antiques Show.
McKendree visited Omaha last summer and spent two days photographing their home, finishing with 20 photos the Eckstroms planned to use on their website and to promote their work.
McKendree said the Eckstroms have a unique and varied collection of pieces that have blended together to create a beautiful and comfortable home.
“That they are doing this type of work far away from the design world of New York or LA really speaks volumes to their talent and passion,” he said.
The Eckstroms were blown away by the proofs and ten Have helped connect them to Architectural Digest. She said they are daring, original designers with a strong sense of color and a compelling point of view.
The foyer features a Gino Sarfatti chandelier found in Milan.
The magazine receives thousands of submissions from interior designers from around the world, and the Eckstroms didn’t want to get their hopes too high.
Then they got the call saying that AD was assigning a writer, John Wogan.
“We were literally screaming for joy,” Mark Eckstrom said.
Since the article, their professional pipeline through Studio Eckström has continued to grow.
Hiring an interior designer, they say, is no different than any other professional whether it be a doctor, lawyer or accountant.
You’re paying for creativity, education, ability and talent, Eckstrom said. Part of their expertise is interpreting client stories and creating spaces that reflect those varied lives.
“World-class interior design not only takes expertise and elevated creativity and taste; it also requires a bit of chameleon-like cosplaying and ESP,” Eckstrom said. “We’re constantly putting ourselves inside someone else’s head and home.”
Eckstroms love everything about their house ‘experiment’
A Donghia mirror with a pair of wall pocket vases by Jim and Shirl Parmentier in the foyer.
The living room includes a vintage door and surround, made of painted plaster over wood, that was found in Milan. The walls are done in a custom gray paint developed by Studio Eckstrom.
The banquette was custom made by Studio Eckström. Artwork is by Alexandra Grant.
The powder room off the foyer has a floating marble vanity with a Schumacher taffeta ticking stripe sink skirt. The lampshades and mirror tie match.
The dining room with its Josef Hoffmann pendant light by Woka Vienna. The paneled walls were installed by McDaniel Wallquist Construction.
A corner of the library. The bookshelves, called “Cityscape,” are by Paul Evans.
Sasha Eisenman’s photo “Party Aftermath” hangs in the library with its antique Turkish scatter rugs.
The kitchen range is by Lacanche. The island is the same color as the living room walls. “We carried it throughout the house. It looks different in different light,” Mark Eckstrom said. “That’s why we love it.”
They designed the headboard in the primary bedroom. The artwork is by Lowell Nesbitt.
The Eckstroms painted the original cabinetry in their dressing room and added a custom island. The ceiling is a wallpaper that plays off the marble cobble floor.
The primary bathroom has the same wallpaper as the ceiling in the dressing room. They blew out the ceiling to create the dome, which added height and drama.
The courtyard with vintage chaises purchased at auction. They added the lion’s head wall fountain.
Mark, left, and Mikal Eckstrom live in a Regency town home that was recently featured in Architectural Digest’s online edition.
The fireplace in the home.