I just discovered 29 year-old self-taught interior designer Ryan Korban -- while procrastinating my barn renovation project! Of Lebanese lineage, his journey took him from Quaker school in Pennsylvania as a boy, to NY's New School as a young adult where he studied Art History and Drama.
While there he connected with fashion designer Alexander Wang who was going to Parsons at the time (Later, Wang would become his first residential client). In his senior year he co-founded an accessories boutique, Edon Manor, where the shop's interior design and styling commanded so much attention for Ryan that a career was born. Designing by instinct and a love for history his interiors have a deep maturity to them that belies the age of the young creator. It seems he brings with him some past-life experience.
He studied historical fashion while at the New School and he brings some of his appreciation for it to his designs. He dresses his interiors in silks and furs (let's hope those pelts are antique) and the reflective surfaces -- crystal and brass -- shine like jewelry. Rich artwork and antique rugs pop out on a background of his go-to paint color, Farrow & Ball's Cornforth White, creating a restful contrast.
A peek at his 500 square foot home in New York's West Village:
Let's have a round of applause for all the self-taught artists out there! Trust your instincts and have fun. Live now!
