Inside Post Company’s Pristine Lakeville, Connecticut Showroom

A microcosm of the multidisciplinary firm’s hospitality, residential and product design capabilities

To say that multidisciplinary design firm Post Company had a hand in defining the visual language behind New York State’s boutique hotel boom is an understatement. Not only did they apply their talents to the development of the wondrous Catskill compound Inness, they also designed Marram Montauk in the Hamptons, Sound View in Greenport and The Lake House on Canandaigua in the Finger Lakes. Their list of influential endeavors stretches further—from Barcelona’s Casa Bonay to Jackson, Wyoming‘s Anvil Hotel. An expansion into high-end residential projects reflects even broader capabilities, and several highly sought-after product lines round out their suite of offerings. Amidst this growth, Post Company opened a new showroom in an idyllic corner of Connecticut that’s known for thought-provoking galleries, unexpected art studios, unbridled creativity and a commitment to artistic legacy.

It was Jou-Yie Chou, one of Post Company’s visionary founding partners, who championed the move from “a 500-square-foot studio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn to 5,000 square feet in a historic building” on a centrally located parcel in Lakeville. “For us, this is our office in Litchfield County,” Chou tells COOL HUNTING. “The region has a vibrant design community. We felt like we had to participate. It made sense to open a showroom.”

In the Lakeville showroom, a thoughtfully elevated coziness and quietly elegant comfortability underscore their residential design capabilities. It’s necessary, especially as so many of their beloved hotel designs in neighboring Upstate New York, from Scribner’s Catskill Lodge to The Brentwood in Saratoga Springs, act as living portfolios for their hospitality work.

“What we do for hospitality is very residential, so this is a natural extension,” Chou says. “A lot of people see commonalities with where they stay and how they want to live. For our residential work, we go through a similar process. It’s about speaking with the client, understanding their goals, and then trying to create a strong narrative. We form a story that’s well-researched. It’s non-fictional fiction. There’s a through-line that we can continue to point back toward that grounds the design.”

The showroom is also an apt setting for their own lighting and furniture pieces, lending them context in the larger Post Company vision. “For lighting, we first designed and produced these pieces for Inness and developed them with Roll & Hill. That’s how we came to be represented by them,” Chou explains, regarding their relationship with the prestigious furniture and lighting house. “We launched with our Bell collection of pendants and sconces, which offer a bit of an optical illusion. And since, it’s been a process of continued refinement.”

Post Company also produced stately wooden tables and benches with Roll & Hill. “We found it made sense to continue to work together to develop a language outside of a project,” Chou says. “It’s really fun to see our designs living in environments that we did not create.” Additionally, Post Company has partnered with Sixpenny on a softer lounge chair and sofa, and with Brooklyn-based ceramics studio Episode on lights inspired by antique bankers lamps.

Post Company’s Lakeville showroom serves many splendid purposes. “We want to make sure people come to us for our perspective. That we are designing with intent, not just the hand of the client. This demonstrates that,” Chou says. But ultimately, he adds, “It’s also a nice place to gather with friends.” To step inside, to sit down on the furniture or to turn on a light fixture, is to understand who the people behind Post Company are, and the magnificence that they’re capable of delivering.

Images courtesy of Read McKendree

No Responses to “Inside Post Company’s Pristine Lakeville, Connecticut Showroom”

Post a Comment