New York, markgrattan.com
We first named Grattan to our Hot List back in 2018, when he was helping lead the studio VIDIVIXI in Mexico City. Since then, much has changed: he went solo, appeared in our book, moved back to New York, won Ellen’s Design Challenge, began working with Cristina Grajales gallery and Solange, and recently, nabbed the cover of Elle Decor with an interior he designed for Megan Rapinoe. Which is to say, he’s had a big two years, enough to demand a revisit — and an acknowledgement of his successes under his own name.

What is American design to you, and what excites you about it?

That’s a tough question. For a country that hates me so much, I’m amazed at how far I’ve gotten. If and when I get to the top, I’m excited to blast this shit wide open.

What are your plans and highlights for the upcoming year?

I need to get to know myself next year (for the first time?). I turn 40 at the end of this year. 2023 pushed me into corners I had no business being in. I was in places I thought I needed to be, but they turned out to be the wrong places. I learned a lot this year and wasted a lot of money doing it. The world I’m creating and have wanted for so long isn’t slowing down; I can see it behind me haunting me, ha. How do I find peace in the superficial necessity of it all? What I do creatively is fulfilling, but those things on the other side deserve scrutiny. My dreams at night are telling me I need to start giving back and how to do that has been the big question for me lately.

What inspires or informs your work in general?

I’ve been inhaling MDF dust for months, and painting it super glossy. High-gloss piano lacquer has been an internal trend for my practice. New pieces and old pieces are now taking on candy-like finishes. (Look for a huge oversized Hermanx in high-gloss cafe con leche). It’s not very common for my body of work, but I’ve been very satisfied. It’s a different type of retro glamour, and pairing the durable finish with metal finishes like polished stainless steel help keep my demons happy. I’ve made (another) sick bed for my apartment in Brooklyn in high-gloss black lacquer and expect to launch a collection of case goods in high-gloss with UNNO Galeria in Milan.

Photo by Kelly Marshall