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Who

Couturier is one of the best-known interior decorators in town and the founder of the firm Robert Couturier Inc.

Backstory

The scion of a Parisian family that made a fortune producing photographic gelatin, Couturier studied design in Paris before moving to the U.S in 1981 and taking a job working for restaurant design guru Adam Tihany. Couturier spent five years working with the Israeli-born designer making over restaurants and nightclubs like the Midtown Italian standby Bice and the now-shuttered La Coupole. In 1986, Couturier headed off on his own, earning his first big commission when late British billionaire Sir James Goldsmith hired him to design Cuixmala, Goldsmith's massive estate in Mexico, a project that took nearly a decade to complete. These days Couturier is one of the city's most popular decorators with socialites and moguls with money to burn. He crafted the look of Jay McInerney and Anne Hearst's penthouse in the Village and Frederic Fekkai's prewar duplex on the Upper East Side. Other local clients include Michel David-Weill, real estate developer Francesco Galesi, style writer Amy Fine Collins, and pharmaceutical entrepreneur Howard Solomon as well as his son Andrew Solomon, the author of The Noonday Demon. He designs the occasional event, too. In 2005, he crafted the look of the Frick's annual Young Fellows Ball.

In person

Couturier is rumored to be an extremely difficult boss: He reportedly bans his employees from eating Chinese food at work as he can't take the smell. His crankiness may have something to do with his lack of sleep. A lifelong insomniac, Couturier claims he hasn't slept more than five hours straight since he was a child.

Personal

Couturier's romantic partner, Jeffrey Morgan, is an architectural restorer. The couple lives with their three shih-tzus in SoHo, above Couturier's studio. They spend weekends at a 16-acre property in South Kent, Connecticut.