Bryan O’Sullivan Publishes Debut Book A New Glamour With Rizzoli

Photo by Mark Cocksedge

Over the last decade, the interior designer Bryan O’Sullivan has become a prominent fixture on the global stage. O’Sullivan was born in Ireland and founded his eponymous firm just 10 years ago, opening offices in London and New York. Today, his gift for creating contemporary, relaxed, inviting interiors infused with eccentric European elegance and old-school Hollywood glamour has earned him a wide-ranging following that spans residential, hospitality, culinary, and maritime markets. He also recently debuted a line of furniture, lighting, and accessories called the Bryan O’Sullivan Collection that underscores his commitment to custom furnishings and quality craftsmanship.

To commemorate the studio’s first decade of work, the designer is releasing his debut book, A New Glamour, on April 9 through Rizzoli Publications. “While it really feels like we are just getting started, it also felt like a natural moment to reflect on some of my favourite projects,” he says of the milestone. “The book is a celebration of how much my team and I have accomplished.”

The Connaught

The Connaught

Within its pages, O’Sullivan includes venues that showcase the breadth of his work and the relationships at the heart of his practice. “Everything in life is about relationships,” he explains. One of his most profound and enduring partnerships is with Maybourne, whose legendary properties include Claridge’s, The Connaught, and The Berkeley in London, plus The Maybourne Beverly Hills and The Maybourne Riviera.

“Our first project was The Berkeley Bar & Terrace, which felt like the chance of a lifetime,” he says. In 2019, O’Sullivan graced the space with a half-moon marble bar, walnut panelling from a 300-year-old felled tree, and a mural by the New York-based artist TM Davy. The mural is also featured on the slip cover of A New Glamour’s exclusive limited-edition series. The 300 copies are signed and available for preorder on his studio’s website.

Claridge’s

Claridge’s

Additionally, the book showcases projects never seen before, like a summer home in the Greek town of Porto Heli, a yacht that brings residential design to the sea, and a light-filled Notting Hill townhouse. Every project is personal, yet perhaps none more so than O’Sullivan’s family apartment at The Barbican in London. The space, which he shares with his husband and business partner, James, reimagines the original Barbican design for the 21st century, with layers of custom design pieces and vintage acquisitions that complement the brutalist architecture.

Townhouse, Paris

Townhouse, Paris

Townhouse, Paris

Despite the relative newness of his practice, O’Sullivan confides that creativity has been a life-long companion. As a child, he’d often watch his grandfather, a self-taught architect and designer, draw floor plans by hand, and he remembers helping conceive the design for his parents’ restaurant. Those early influences gave the aspiring artist his first taste of the industry.

“In many ways, when I work with my team, I still feel like a kid at heart, playing around and doodling in my granddad’s studio,” O’Sullivan says. “I want people who open A New Glamour to be transported by design and see how diverse and beautiful interiors can be.”

Photography by James McDonald.