Mark Grattan is lounging on his Layered collection for HBF Textiles. He’s wearing pants by Hermès; sunglasses by Saint Laurent; diamond necklace by Bernard James. Portrait by Eric Johnson for PIN–UP XXL.
The state of Mark Grattan’s apartment is nothing like the high-polish spaces he’s designed and that have been featured in the pages (and on the covers) of glossy shelter bibles like Elle Décor. Instead, it’s an active construction site, covered in dust from constant sanding, with delivery boxes, loose appliances, and building tools scattered everywhere. A hard hat seems almost required. In a few months, though, this nearly 750-square-foot penthouse in a Brooklyn brownstone will be transformed into Grattan’s first live-in showroom — an interior fantasy featuring a library entirely decked out in leopard print, a “green room” with lacquered shelving, adining room with a large marquetry dining table, and a striking red bathroom (“The bathtub is glazed red,” he notes). The current chaos doesn’t faze Grattan. The workshop — and, by extension, construction and manual labor — is his happy place. Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, as the son of a hobby builder, Grattan has been keenly aware from an early age of what two hands could create. His and his sister’s childhood bedrooms were furnished entirely with pieces made by their father, who also built a deck that “wrapped around the whole entire house.” And in an era when most designers rely on 3D CAD programs or even AI, Grattan is a self-professed workshop junkie, spending hours in his Sunset Park woodshop perfecting his designs. You’d never guess such a hands-on approach from the final pieces; in photographs, his work, with its geometric precision and polished finishes, could easily be mistaken for digital renderings. Before moving back to New York in 2022, Grattan spent six years in Mexico City, where he still keeps an apartment. There, he first taught himself upholstery, starting with leather and later expanding into textiles. (His favorite is velvet.) It’s only fitting that beginning this summer, Grattan is launching Layered, his first collection of textiles with the American textile company HBF Textiles.
Felix Burrichter: My first question is about how to pronounce your last name. Isit GRAT-un, gruh-TAN, or gruh-TAWN?
Mark Grattan: That’s a hard one. I’ve been dealing with that my whole life. My mom said it one way, my dad says it another, and so does my sister. I kind of use all three, depending on who I’m speaking to. But my personal preference is gruh-TAWN.
I’m glad we got that cleared up. So, tell me about your collection of textiles for HBF Textiles. How did that come about?
HBF approached me two years ago to design a furniture collection. While we were developing the work, the question of textiles came up. I use a lot of textiles in my work, primarily velvets and leathers. I love repetition in patterns, and I’ve always wanted to create a checkered pattern, so for HBF Textiles we developed Creativo, which is a cut and uncut checkered velvet. We also made a collection of solids to complement the pattern. It’s called the Layered collection and it has 26 different tones. The concept reflects my approach to creative work—designing spaces and objects with depth, stacking elements, and incorporating repetition. It also became a symbol of my character, with the pattern names alluding to my three personas: the creative (Creativo), the woodworker (Wright), and the dreamer inspired by luxury (Decadent).
There’s also a zebra print!
Yes. While I was working on the collection for HBF Textiles, I was simultaneously working on a rug for the rug company C’est Gada. I met Mariam Abouhaib, the owner of C’est Gada, at a panel I was doing for Elle Décor a few years ago. I used the C’est Gada rug initially in my design for Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird’s New York City apartment. I’m also using this new rug design as a wall-to-wall carpet for my upcoming show at Superhouse and inside my new apartment showroom. When HBF Textiles saw that zebra rug collection, Casey [Baxter, VP General Manager HBF + HBF Textiles] loved it so much we decided to further align the projects—the zebra print is called Decadent and we feature it in some unusual color combinations.
Designer Mark Grattan is seen clutching three pillows from his new Layered collection for HBF Textiles. The pillows are upholstered in a cut and uncut checkered velvet, Creativo, shown here in three of the eight colorways: Marquetry (brown), Mable (green), and Starfire (blue). Photographed by Eric Johnson for PIN–UP XXL.
Mark Grattan wearing white tank top by Hermès and diamond necklace by Bernard James. Photography by Eric Johnson for PIN–UP XXL.
What is your earliest memory of textiles?
My mother used florals for all her upholstery, with little pom-poms on pillows — tassels! So, when I first started working with textiles, I subconsciously shied away from patterns, opting for clean, minimal designs. But lately, I’ve noticed a shift toward maximalism. My work is becoming more decorative, and I am embracing bolder choices. I’m less afraid of “noise” now and feel more confident with patterns. I’m still drawn to repetition and stripes, blending rich materials like velvet, reflective surfaces, and mirrors. This apartment, for instance, is a nod to my obsession with Italian design, with bright green and red–colors that remind me of Milano. I’ve always been drawn to the bold use of red in Italian bathrooms, often paired with chrome and unexpected color combos that somehow work beautifully together.
Before you knew that you wanted to become a designer, how did your interest in design manifest itself?
One of the things I always did was rearrange my parents’ furniture. I’d be so judgmental. Why is that there? Move that here. This shouldn’t be there. I’m so obnoxious. [Laughs.]
Your dad was a woodworker?
Yes. We always had handmade furniture, but it was far from minimalist. It was rich in detail — full of intricate carvings. I distinctly remember a pie safe my father crafted, about the size of a small armoire. He perforated the metal doors by punching holes to create delicate patterns. My mother also had a passion for customizing furniture. She adored Ethan Allen. For our sofa, she personally selected the fabric and design, though it was all very traditional. We were middle class, so our resources weren’t unlimited – that said, I had everything I needed. I didn’t truly understand modern or contemporary design until I moved to New York.
Mark Grattan posing on his Decadent zebra print for HBF Textiles, a luxurious combination of chenille and boucle yarns. Two of the seven colorways are featured: Affogato (brown/white) and Copacabana (black/cream). The pants are by Hermès; the sunglasses are by Saint Laurent; diamond necklace by Bernard James. Portrait by Eric Johnson for PIN–UP XXL.
At the same time, custom-made furniture is the biggest luxury ever.
You could look at it that way. You know what else started me on design? Cutting the grass. When you mow the lawn, it ultimately creates pattern and repetition. Some days, I would cut the grass in a diamond shape; some days, I would do stripes; others, I would make it checkered. I loved cutting the grass in unique patterns. In a way, it was my first carpet.
What’s so unique about your practice is your focus on finishes—reflective materials, velvet, these signifiers of refinement—but you are actually a woodworker.
I know the woodshop inside and out — I’m all about a production method. That’s what I’m focused on now: being more upfront about my woodworking skills and bringing it back to the basics. Before I left New York for Mexico, everything I made was wood. But with lower production costs in Mexico City, I started experimenting with different materials and stepping away from woodwork as an expression. The quality of the woodwork wasn’t where I wanted it to be, so I shifted toward upholstery, leathers and metals, eventually becoming obsessed with chromes and polished metals. I still don’t think I’ve upholstered the perfect chair, but that’s what keeps me pushing forward.
Is woodwork therapy for you?
It’s incredibly therapeutic — it brings me peace. When I need to retreat from the world, I head to the shop and lose myself there for hours. What I love about production is the ability to resolve details in real time. That’s why I’m drawn to prototyping and process. Creating a drawing and passing it off for someone else to execute has never felt like the right approach for me. I need to dissect the details as they unfold. Details are what gives objects personality, and I can’t leave those details for others to decide for me. Sometimes, after a long day in the woodshop, when I’ve crafted something, I’ll sit and study it for an hour before I leave, simply appreciating the accomplishment and the beauty of what I’ve created.
Mark Grattan cocooning in checkered velvet — Creativo in Marquetry (brown) — from his Layered Collection for HBF. The pants are by Hermès; diamond necklace by Bernard James. Photographed by Eric Johnson for PIN–UP XXL.
Are you concerned with being trendy?
No. I’m not on trend. I’ve always stayed clear of a trend. Stacking and repetition give me comfort. In my eyes, it’s a beautiful thing to repeat a shape. The new collection has a lot of repeating shapes, like marquetry, which I’m working on a lot at the moment.
Is there a trend you don’t like?
I don’t like the blobs, the plaster over wireframes and make ’em chairs, the stuff that looks like bubblegum. These organic shapes, these blobs — I’m not mad at them, but my mind just can’t go there. I need structure and geometry.
Do you have a favorite wood?
Sapele because it’s mahogany, but it’s not mahogany. It also has ribbing. Look at the ribbing, those lines. It’s repetition. It’s gorgeous.
What is your favorite textile fiber?
I might get some haters, but I love leather. I love the way it smells. I love the way it stretches and its imperfections, and pet hair doesn’t stick to it. I think it’s just so luxurious, and maybe I love it because it’s a little forbidden. My other favorite textile is velvet, like the Creativo pattern I designed for HBF Textiles.
Creativo checkered velvet in Marquetry brown — from Mark Grattan’s Layered collection for HBF textiles. The sunglasses are by Saint Laurent; socks by Falke. Photographed by Eric Johnson for PIN–UP XXL.
Who are your heroes?
I don’t want to sound cliché, but my late mother, Roxanne. She was my hero because she was fearless. She had this remarkable ability to manifest things, and that’s an incredibly powerful trait. She was deeply influential — people listened to her and valued her perspective. As a schoolteacher in innercity Cleveland, she exposed her students to opportunities they would have never encountered otherwise, like traveling outside Ohio — she even raised funds for out-of-state trips. She was the most driven person I’ve ever known.
Are you more like your mom’s side of the family or your dad’s?
I’m more like my mom’s side of the family. They’re all a bit reckless. There’s no caution there — at all. [Laughs.]
What do you find comfort in?
Solitude. I’m comfortable being alone. While many people struggle to find peace in solitude, I couldn’t accomplish everything I do without those extended periods of being by myself. It’s how I replenish and recalibrate.