Let’s Talk Art with Johnson Sokol Interior Design
JOHNSON SOKOL’s show-stopping interior designs are an art lover’s dream.
“We like to tell our clients that we’d rather build a room around art versus building art into a room,” says Lisa Sokol. “It’s the central focus of our interior design. We prefer to first buy the art and then design the space.”
“A room without art is naked,” adds Sarah Johnson. “We have that conversation right off the bat with new clients. What do you have, what do you like?”
We couldn’t wait to sit down with these lifelong besties/design partners to gab about the art world: who are they following on Instagram? What are their favorite galleries? How do they discover artists? It was a total art geekathon, and it was fantastic.
The Scout Guide (TSG): Where does your enthusiasm for art come from? Are you artists yourselves?
Lisa: I’m not an artist! My grandfather was an artist. A lot of the art in my home is by him.
Sarah: I’m not an artist either. I will say, Lisa comes from a family of fairly large collectors and had that early exposure to art. My exposure was to more traditional artists like equine portrait painters. For Lisa, the exposure was more prolific, and she was exposed to everything from Calder to Picasso to Henry Moore. That background has driven and informed us in a lot of our decision making for our clients.
Lisa: When I was a junior in college, I interned for Sotheby’s and ended up opening my own antique shop and gallery in Old Town Alexandria. We specialized in 18th and 19th century American furniture and paintings. It was a great learning experience. I grew up around my dad’s family collections of Picasso and Calder and Joan Miro.
(Photo by Whitney Wasson)
TSG: Wow, that’s an impressive roster to have personal access to. What a great platform for art history and appreciation.
Lisa: My family tells this story that my dad’s godfather, Nate Cummings of the Met wing, convinced my grandfather to buy this modern painting by this up and coming artist, Jackson Pollock. He told my grandpa to just put it under their bed if his wife didn’t like it. Well, she didn’t like it and insisted he get rid of it. Just a few years ago that very painting that my grandfather got rid of sold for $80+ million!
TSG: I’m speechless. Wow. Changing gears, who are your favorite artists these days? I saw one of you rocking an Ashley Longshore bag on Instagram.
Lisa: People really cling to what Ashley is saying. I stalk artists and dealers because dealers often expose you to artists you’ve never heard of. I like Anna Wunderlich. She’s an art middleman. She posts lots of interesting things and is always looking at new and up and coming artists.
Sarah: We’re both really interested in photography. We like Eric Cahan from New York. And Marilyn Minter. She’s pretty provocative, and her images are very envelope-pushing. Through her art, photography and painting, she makes heavy statements, and she’s label-friendly. She often will take a Manolo Blahnik or Christian Louboutin shoe and embellish the back.
(Photo by Whitney Wasson)
TSG: Have you been to any museums or galleries recently that left you inspired?
Lisa: I was in Paris last summer and went through every gallery known to mankind. So fun to go to the Picasso museum and see Picasso in many different time periods and how prolific he was. The Guggenheim in New York is fun - architecture is amazing. The Morgan Library is such an amazing space. It’s a gem.
Sarah: Even here, I recently took my kids to the Baltimore Museum of Art, and you forget how much really interesting art they have. They had a John Waters exhibit, but just to know that Baltimore has that history and there is the Cone Collection which is really fascinating. Even if you don’t have the budget to go to Paris or New York, there’s so much to see here and in DC. Then we love Winterthur, the Brandywine valley...I’m very drawn to architecture.
(Photo by Whitney Wasson)
TSG: What’s your favorite medium? Paintings, sculpture, pottery, furniture, etc.
Lisa: Right now we’re loving all different forms of photography. It’s such an interesting way to change the dynamics of the room. We’ve designed rooms around photography. I do think mixing photography in with oil paintings and drawings is good.
(Photo by Whitney Wasson)
TSG: How do you let a client’s artwork drive their project design?
Lisa: We’ve had some clients who are incredibly knowledgeable about art, and they would weigh in on what they’d be purchasing. Other clients say, help us buy art, and just bring it to us. We have a client we’re working with right now who’s into equestrian paintings. We don’t focus on who’s trending. We try to make it more personal for clients. We try to show them as many options as possible. We take pictures of art. We do have some dealers who send a working deck via email with samples of some works of art. Often the client can get a sense and from that, we’ll take a client to New York to shop in person.
Sarah: Buying art can be daunting for clients. People feel as if they have to spend an inordinate amount of money on art to make it worth their while. While we do encourage people to look at them as investment pieces, you don’t have to start out big. We can bridge the gap for people and educate clients. If you have a connection with something, that’s what it’s about. It’s not about filling your house with investment pieces if you don’t connect to the artist and the medium. This is a big decision, and you have to connect with what you’re buying.
CONTACT: JOHNSON SOKOL INTERIOR DESIGN
8208 White Manor Dr., Lutherville-Timonium, Maryland
@johnsonsokol