PROFILES
FOUNDER
BERNHARD BLYTHE studied Architecture and received his Bachelor's of Arts at Yale University. During college and in between brief stints working at the architecture firms of Robert A. M. Stern and Richard Meier and Partners, Bernhard became engaged with theater set design in the drama department and then for Off and Off-Off Broadway theaters including: the Circle Repertory Theater, The Kitchen for the Performing Arts, PS 122, and The Meisner Theater (at Columbia University). In 1995, Bernhard designed his first feature film, the critically acclaimed "The Delta," followed in quick succession by another 8 films in 3 years including the Sundance award-winning, critically and commercially successful film "High Art." Bernhard's work in the dramatic arts influenced his sense of style and lead him to accept the position of Senior Project Designer at the design firm of Eric Warner Studio, designing showrooms, retail venues, trade show booths, residential and event environments. Clients included luxury goods companies: Hermes, Bulgari, Baccarat, Polo Ralph Lauren, Cristal Saint Louis, F. Schumacher & Company as well as, other corporate and private residential clients. By 2001, Bernhard was on his own designing display and showrooms for luxury brands as well as residential renovation projects. Over the following years, Bernhard honed his talent for reconfiguring and transforming outdated New York City apartments to suit young and established professionals and to accommodate growing and shrinking family sizes. His reputation spread by word of mouth and as a result BLYTHE DESIGN STUDIO emerged and evolved. Today, the full-service interior design firm handles small and large residential projects for a steady roster of clients.
In addition to his eye for design, Bernhard has always kept an eye on his immediate and the larger communities around him. After the death of a friend, in 1991 he took a 3-year hiatus from working in the design field to accept the position of Associate Director of the Volunteer Department at God's Love We Deliver, the AIDS organization at the forefront of ascertaining and meeting the nutritional needs of homebound individuals living with AIDS. There he helped to grow the volunteer department and oversaw outreach initiatives which put volunteers into service right in their own neighborhoods throughout the five Boroughs of New York City. There's more: As one of the founding Board Members of Fair Housing Justice Center and the Board of Directors' second President (2009-2012), Bernhard provided leadership and guided the FHJC through its formative years. His commitment to fair housing and his work to defeat discrimination in housing is evident by his unwavering dedication and promotion of inclusive communities throughout the New York City region. He continues to sit on the Board and act in an advisory capacity.
TEAM
ANDREA BLYTHE thrives when she is working behind the scenes and has a perspective where she sees and supports the big picture with careful attention to detail. For more than 20 years in a broad range of professional positions, she has worked in product development and sales, marketing and editorial roles. After earning Marketing Communications and Buying & Merchandising degrees from FIT, she landed a marketing position in a small design firm that pioneered cross merchandising of home furnishings through licensed collections. When she turned her attention to sales, she managed a Seventh Avenue women's wear showroom where she expanded a private-label program of customized boutique apparel collections into various retail channels. Currently at BLYTHE DESIGN STUDIO, she wears a few hats including managing client projects, expanding the firm's existing interior design consulting business and exploring and implementing related ventures.
MARCUS FIORE, Associate AIA, seemed to posses an innate architectural sensibility at a young age. During childhood, he spent hours and even days building complex structures that integrated Lego® constructions with miscellaneous household items. So naturally, he studied architecture. Marcus earned his Bachelor's Degree in Architecture from Pratt Institute. After graduation, he took a position with CTA Architects, P.C., a New York historic preservation and restoration firm, where Marcus worked on a number of award-winning projects. During this time, he co-founded a start-up atelier offering architectural and 3D ABS printing services. After a brief stint at 212 BOX working on luxury retail design, Marcus has joined BLYTHE DESIGN STUDIO as a Project Architect and Manager.