How Andrew Torrey Built a Thriving Interior Design Firm from Scratch
From sketching furniture daily to curating luxurious spaces for repeat clients, the self-taught designer proves success can be earned through passion and precision
Andrew Torrey embodies the American dream: raised in the heartland, brought his work ethic to New York City as a young adult, and took a leap of faith by launching his own business after a decade of odd jobs and false starts. In the 12 years since that pivotal decision, the self-taught designer’s can-do attitude and infectious optimism has translated into blistering success for his interiors firm, Torrey, which masterminds extraordinary residences like dazzling South Florida aeries and art-filled Manhattan pieds-á-terre imbued with his signature bold elegance.
Though each project seamlessly blends lived-in charm and sumptuous palettes befitting the steady hands of blue-chip practitioners, Torrey never pursued professional design training. Instead, his steely resolve compelled him to visit every showroom possible, sketch furniture every day, and devour every design book he could get his hands on to sharpen his skills. That dedication to the craft remains his lodestar—and his red-hot passion for design is palpable on the pages of Torrey: Private Spaces: Great American Design (Rizzoli). Literally: the immersive tome is wrapped in a sumptuous red extending across the entire cover, spine, and endpages.
Inside, art historian and Galerie contributor Gay Gassmann unpacks his unlikely ascent and explains how a series of star-making commissions—a training center for the Brooklyn Nets and a louche smoking room at the 2018 Kips Bay Decorator Show House among them—propelled him on to design-world greatness. Despite his successes, Torrey insists it’s always about his clients, many of which are repeats and have challenged him to design yachts, beach houses, and even private planes. “The only thing that matters is that the client is absolutely thrilled with their home and the entire process,” he told Galerie in the interview below, which has been edited for length and clarity. He also talks about lugging bookshelves on the subway, the wisest design advice he ever received, and taking his leap of faith into a new industry.
I had a wonderful childhood in Kansas. I grew up on a farm with a close-knit family. My parents owned a landscape nursery company, designing landscapes and potted gardens. They owned their business for 45 years. I was lucky to be surrounded by such a creative environment and learn hard-working values from the farm, which I carry with me every day.
I started my interior design firm at age 33. I had never worked in design, but held jobs in real estate sales and other industries that added tools to my toolbox. One of my best friends, the designer Michelle Gerson, pushed me to start my business. She said “all you need to know is scale, and you can figure out the rest.” She knew I was a pretty hard worker.
I began with no clients or savings to pay bills for two months, so I needed to start generating income. Even though I hadn’t sketched since grade school, I gave myself a daily schedule that included sketching one piece of furniture every single day. I’d spend hours reading any design books I could afford. Bunny Williams has an amazing book where she gives it all away. I still use her tips to build design schemes from the ground up. When you’re curious and hungry, all the information you need is out there.
Every day, I spent hours at the D&D Building or 200 Lex going floor by floor to every showroom asking every question, opening accounts, and learning everything, even if I wasn’t interested. Due to my real estate background, there was a built-in funnel of people interested in working with me. I could get clients but needed to teach myself quickly how to do the job. Most people would be terrified starting a business with no experience, but it’s New York City! If you put the work in, it comes right back to you. It’ll try to break you, but the harder you work, the luckier you’ll get. I didn’t move to New York to shoot for the middle and just be okay.
For my first project, Michelle referred me to a recent divorcée for a two-bedroom rental on the Upper West Side. Her budget was $5,000, including me. I remember buying damaged West Elm floor models that I fixed myself and carried a bookshelf on the subway. I was sitting on the floor assembling it with a screwdriver. The annoyance instantly evaporated and I thought, “This is the best thing ever! This is amazing! I can’t believe I’m doing this!” That’s when I knew I made the right decision.
The Brooklyn Nets were so great to work with. When they were building the practice facility at Industry City, I was having margaritas at Dos Caminos with one of my best friends, Irina Pavlova, the president of Onexim Sports and Entertainment, which owned the Nets at the time. I was chatting with Tony Brasile, their head of facilities, and he asked for my thoughts. Three margaritas in, I said “You could do better. The Brooklyn Nets are the sexiest team in the league right now!” So I volunteered. It was casual at first, but got serious very quickly. I learned how to scale furniture for people who are seven feet tall. Nets fan for life.
Kips Bay changed everything. Jamie Drake cold-called me: the house was set, but somebody pulled out at the last minute. He asked me to start immediately. The room was tricky, with a low ceiling, odd shape, and 30-foot-long terrace. I sat in the space for a long time and thought it needed to be a smoking balcony with a bar. I spent every penny on that room and was there every day. It paid off not so much in that it generated clients immediately but it made working in the industry very easy. Everyone suddenly knew who I was. After the house sold, the homeowner ended up buying my entire room—lamps, rug, sofa, drapes—except for the art. That had never happened in the 45 years of Kips Bay. Even the custom things sold!
Everything I do is for the client. Without the client, I don’t exist. The only thing that matters is that the client is absolutely thrilled with their home and the entire process. I work very hard to deliver a feeling, from the day we start working to the day we finish. If I deliver a gorgeous apartment but it was a pain in the ass, the client won’t enjoy it! It’s important to listen and make sure you’re creating exactly what clients want, that you’re designing the place they want their kids to build memories in. I like working with very engaged clients. We’ve done nine homes for one client, three for another, and five for another. And none of their projects look the same!
We have two huge multi-year projects that are nearing completion: one in Long Island, another out West. We’re installing works by James Turrell, Gregor Hildebrandt, and Cy Twombly. I’m excited to move into boats, but we’ve also done a few planes. People are flying spaceships now—somebody is designing their interiors and holding rooms for the astronauts. There’s no reason why it can’t be us. My advice is to always keep pushing, but try to enjoy the ride.
