Family Architecture Business Adds Interior Designer

John David Rose Architect P.C. AIA, an architecture firm with offices in Westhampton Beach and Southampton, has added interior design services by Emma Jean Rose, the daughter-in-law of the firm’s namesake.

The Westhampton Beach office reopened during the spring as an interior design branch of the firm, with a redesigned space by Ms. Rose. The new office also features a gallery; artwork by Eastport painter Emma Ballou, a friend of the family, was recently on exhibit.

The office used to be considered a satellite of the main branch in Southampton Village, which opened its doors in 1994. The firm specializes in residential and commercial designs, with an interest in historical preservation and renovation.

“We have a lot of our clients that come to us and start and do homes, and then they ask about interior design,” John David Rose said during an interview at the Westhampton Beach office. “We were doing a lot of that work initially. We were picking tiles and toilet bowls and fixtures and fittings. But, we weren’t picking furniture and art, nor did I have the skills too. Emma certainly does. So, it really works well. Although we do architecture here as well, this is primarily the interior design office.”

Ms. Rose met Mr. Rose’s son, Scott Rose, at Philadelphia University, where she graduated from in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in interior design. She and Scott Rose married in June 2018. He’s been with the firm full-time since 2013.

“[Scott] has been in the Southampton office full-time doing architecture — that’s what his degree is in,” Mr. Rose said. “We started as a one-man show, a family business, and then it’s grown and grown and grown. And the family has been getting more involved. It’s just been fun to have everyone aboard.”

Mr. Rose said that many of the clients who come to the firm for services already have an interior designer, adding that he and his business have “no desire to compete with them.”

“This is really only for those who need the services of an interior designer and do not have one selected yet,” Mr. Rose said, adding, “When [clients] come to us, though the interior design is very important, they’re thinking about the bigger picture, what the exterior is going to look like. Is it modern, is it traditional, is it shingles, is it white? All sorts of things. They may not focus on the details of the table, which is Emma’s specialty.”

Ms. Rose’s favorite aspect of interior design is “seeing all the fabrics, textures and furniture pieces coming together.” She added that her style is “classic Hamptons,” defined by neutrals, light colors and bright blues.

“Many of the other offices do [architecture] or [interior design], and they do a fantastic job,” Mr. Rose said. “But, if you can have all that in-house, understand that when we meet a client, over time we get to know them really well during the process of designing the house itself. By the time it’s time to talk about furniture, we really understand them. We know how they currently live, how they hope to live. We designed the whole exterior, so [having an interior designer] is so natural and that’s what makes it special. It’s easier for the client and it’s easier for us.”

Since Ms. Rose has joined the firm, there have been multiple projects with needed interior and exterior work underway. Scott Rose said that having Ms. Rose onboard has made his job easier, as Ms. Rose, who also has a lighting design background, can take on electrical work, kitchen drawings, bathroom elevations, and closet drawings, among other projects.

When Ms. Rose was attending Philadelphia University, she focused more on commercial design. Upon graduating in 2014, she stayed in Philadelphia for almost three years, working as an interior designer at Blackney Hayes Architects, which focuses on commercial projects such as corporate, health care, higher education, hospitality and multi-family housing. She gained more experience working on large-scale residential projects when she worked as a project coordinator at Osman Design, Inc. in Southampton for two years. There, she focused on lighting design.

“After two years I wanted to get back into interior design and this was a natural fit,” Ms. Rose said.

John David Rose Architect P.C. AIA’s Southampton office is located at 596 Hampton Road and the Westhampton Beach office is located on 62 Main Street. For more information, visit johndavidrosearchtitect.com.