Headliners

-- Interior Design, 9/1/2009 12:00:00 AM

Gates Merkulova Architects

Abe Lincoln Slept Here
PARTNER:Zhenya Merkulova.
COMPLETED PROJECTS: New York University office of development and alumni relations, Sunshine Amalgamedia, and residences, all in New York; a house in Columbia County, New York; a mixed-use building in Mexico City.
CURRENT PROJECTS: A medical suite in New York; a wing and landscaping for the Columbia County house.
MANHATTAN: Russian-born Merkulova arrived in 1983, after studies at Harvard University.
QUEENS: For Thai-Chinese food, she heads to Jamaica.
285 West Broadway, Suite 560, New York, NY 10013; 212-675-0790; gmarch.com.

Highland Associates

Bunny Love
PRINCIPAL, DESIGN DIRECTOR:Glenn Leitch.
COMPLETED PROJECTS: Elie Tahari studio, a Bloomingdale's satellite, Elizabeth Arden shop, and apartment, all in New York; a house in Bridgehampton, New York.
CURRENT PROJECTS: Expansions of the Ellis Island Immigration Museum, ABKCO Music & Records, and a penthouse, all in New York; Macy's Cross County Mall addition in Yonkers, New York.
HONORS: Association for Retail Environments awards; IESNY Lumen Award.
MODUS OPERANDI: "Take what matters to the client, and exploit it in a bold way."
MODUS VIVENDI: On weekends, Leitch loves riding his bicycle, which he considers "the most beautifully designed object ever."
228 East 45th Street, New York, NY 10010; 212-681-0200; highlandassociates.com.

Steven Learner Studio

Mansion in the Sky
PRINCIPAL:Steven Learner.
COMPLETED PROJECTS: Haunch of Venison gallery, VBH Luxury flagship, and a town house for artist Barnaby Furnas, all in New York; an estate in Connecticut.
CURRENT PROJECTS: Residences in New York, Connecticut, and California; a private gallery for collector Melva Bucksbaum in Connecticut; an art foundation in Ohio; a prototype for a sustainable house.
HONORS:Interior Design Best of Year Award.
SUMMER VACATION: In Italy with his two kids, visiting Gio Ponti's Hotel Parco dei Principi in Sorrento.
WINTER BREAK: Christmastime in Montreal, "the most European city in North America."
307 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001; 212-741-8583; stevenlearnerstudio.com.

Lewis. Tsurumaki. Lewis

United, They Sit
PARTNER:Marc Tsurumaki.
HONORS: National Design Award; James Beard Foundation Award; Building Brooklyn Award.
ASSOCIATE:Clark Manning.
COMPLETED PROJECTS: Glenmore Gardens affordable housing, Tides and Xing restaurants, Ini Ani Coffee Shop, and Fluff Bakery, all in New York; a dorm at the College of Wooster in Ohio.
CURRENT PROJECTS: A town house in New York; Arthouse gallery at the Jones Center in Austin, Texas; MGM Mirage CityCenter Buffet in Las Vegas; Claremont University Consortium administrative center in California; an Ordos 100 house in Inner Mongolia, China.
INTERNATIONAL: Tsurumaki's parents are Japanese and Latvian, and his wife is Italian.
DOMESTIC: Manning grew up in Orange, Virginia.
227 West 29th Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10001; 212-505-5955; ltlarchitects.com.

Parallel Design Partnership

A Museum of His Own
PRINCIPAL:Ali Tayar.
COMPLETED PROJECTS: A "net zero" house in Austin, Texas; furniture for Erreti, ICF, and Magis.
CURRENT PROJECTS: A double town house and a loft in New York; a high-performance carbon-fiber yacht in Sydney, Australia.
HONORS: Architectural League Emerging Voices award.
ON THE SLOPES: Tayar skis the Swiss Alps in Zermatt.
ON THE SAND: His preferred beach getaway is New York's Fire Island.
416 West 13th Street, Suite 316C, New York, NY 10014; 212-989-4959; alitayar.com.

Roman and Williams Buildings and Interiors

Ace Is Wild
PRINCIPAL:Stephen Alesch.
PRINCIPAL:Robin Standefer.
COMPLETED PROJECTS: A spa and gymnasium for a condominium building, apartments, and town houses, all in New York; houses in Los Angeles.
CURRENT PROJECTS: A condominium building in New York; a house in Kauai, Hawaii.
ZOOLANDER: Alesch art-directed the 2001 movie.
ZOO ANIMAL: Standefer professes a love for Odin, the swimming tiger at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, California.
324 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10012; 212-625-3808; romanandwilliams.com.

Alan Tanksley

Abe Lincoln Slept Here
PRINCIPAL:Alan Tanksley.
COMPLETED PROJECTS: A town house for Jane Pauley and Garry Trudeau in New York. An apartment in New York and a house in Montauk, New York, for Paul Simon. Houses in Palm Beach, Florida; Aspen, Colorado; Montreal; and London.
CURRENT PROJECTS: Ogilvy & Mather and residences in New York; a house in Vail, Colorado.
OLD SOUL: Drives his 1979 gunmetal Mercedes-Benz to scout vintage furniture and objects.
MODERN MIND: Loves his 7-foot-wide projection TV.
186 Fifth Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10010; 212-481-8454; alantanksley.com.