Deborah French is known internationally as an accomplished, multi-faceted designer and artist whose interior design firm, Deborah French Designs, focuses on high-end residential, commercial, and hospitality projects. For over six years, Deborah was Director of Store Development at Polo Ralph Lauren. She was responsible for the design and implementation of many of their most important international and domestic freestanding retail stores, including the Omotosando shop in Tokyo, their largest in the world. From there, Deborah was recruited by the Ian Schrager Company to be Executive Vice President of Interior Design for their venture with J. W. Marriott, the Edition brand of boutique hotels. During this time, she also worked on two of Ian Schrager’s personal residences. Prior to these positions, Deborah was Senior Designer at Dineen Nealy Architects, specializing in residential and hospitality properties. Over the course of her career she has designed lofts, townhouses, high-end residences, and country homes, both domestically and globally. Trained as a sculptor, Deborah began her profession when she intuitively designed the interior architecture of her Tribeca loft. Shortly after, she designed the architecture and interiors for an extensive stone house on the island of Mykonos, Greece. The house, which blended seamlessly into its surroundings, consists of a large main house, guesthouse, chapel, pool house, pool, and gardens. It has been featured in numerous international publications, including Taschen’s Seaside Interiors, Italian Elle Décor, French Marie Claire Maison, and English Homes and Gardens. Deborah’s initial career as a figurative sculptor attracted, noted luminaries, Jim Henson (of the Muppets) and Academy Award winning set designer, Tony Walton, with whom she collaborated on numerous projects for major movies, television, and theater. Her work also caught the eye of Alexander Lieberman, a renowned artist and Editorial Director of Conde Nast Publications worldwide. Recognizing her artistic talent, as well as her natural passion and instincts for fashion, Lieberman recruited her to Vogue, where she worked alongside the fashion icon, Polly Mellen, considered the most important fashion editor of her time. Almost immediately, Deborah became a Sittings Editor, responsible for styling and art directing their editorial pages. Deborah received a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and an MFA from the University of Illinois. She completed her final year of graduate work at the Whitney Museum Independent Study Program.

Using Format