THE SAGE OF DESIGN

Top interior designer Andrés Gomez stands apart in his field

“My dream is to design in more cities and countries, and then to create my own furniture line”.

The ambitious come from all continents to settle in the world stage that is New York City. People bring their hopes and wildest aspirations to reach the top. Many start out in deadend jobs that help pay the rent until the day of opportunity arrives.

For Andrés Gomez, who immigrated to the United States from Venezuela with these very dreams when he was 21 years old, this was his story. After making this country home, he worked in several food service jobs over the course of many years before an inner desire to express his talents consumed him. In his moment of truth, it was his passion and love for design that helped him take a leap of faith.

“I gave myself one year to keep working in restaurants and start designing,” says Gomez, who made ultimatum with himself. “By the following New Year celebrations, I quit. I hadn’t any real job yet, but I was convinced about what I was going to do.”

Fast forward to the present day and Gomez is in the driver’s seat of his career as a top interior designer. New Yorkers may have seen his work first hand at places like the Londoninspired pub Whitehall in the West Village, designed to be industrial chic with a warm and cozy touch. He has also left his fingerprints in more intimate settings, having designed everything from lofts in SoHo to a number of other popular restaurants and bars.

What sets him apart, according to clients, is his eye for the unusual and his creative touch. Although based in the Big Apple, his following is growing with clientele spread around the globe whether in Atlanta, Arizona, Cancún, Miami or even China people have recognized his talent for making spaces come alive.

So what is it exactly that gives him the edge?

“My relationship to design starts from my firsthand understanding of the materials, the engineering and the construction of every piece,” Gomez explains. “Others may design something but have no inkling of how to start making it. I don’t just go to a website and buy light fixtures, but rather I make them myself.”

Born in Colombia to Colombian parents, Gomez was raised in Venezuela since he was a toddler. He designed and built his very own design table when he was 14. And while he went to school for graphic design, he didn’t limit his knowledge to just one field.

“As a kid, I would go to stores and instead of looking at the merchandise, I would try to figure out how the store itself was made,” Gomez says. “I still do that today.”

Gomez isn’t letting success sway his adherence to quality and the principles that made him successful in the first place. As much as possible, Gomez says he tries to work on one job at a time, giving 100 percent devotion to each one.

But he doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon. In fact, he will expand even further.

“My dream is to design in more cities and countries, and then to create my own furniture line,” he elaborates. “And it’s tangible. I’m already spread out among different continents, but I want to do more.”