When my friend Michael S. Smith told me, “I’m going to renovate George’s office,” I burst into laughter, assuming it was another cheeky joke being played (at my expense) by the renowned American designer. For one thing, the office that George—my husband, George Stephanopoulos—kept at ABC’s Good Morning America studio in Times Square was a dank ten-by-16-foot hovel. In truth, I couldn’t imagine even Michael giving that sad excuse for a news anchor’s cubby much life. Or light, for that matter.
Why would he bother? In addition to decorating the White House’s residential quarters and the Oval Office, Michael has overseen projects for the 1 percent of the 1 percent, from London townhouses for Arab princes to Manhattan mansions for titans of business. “ Good Morning America reached out to me about redoing George’s office, and how could I say no?” Michael explained over the phone (just as I was spraying pet-stain remover on the velvet banquette he’d had custom made for our home years earlier). Perhaps his willing spirit was the result of jet lag—Michael commutes between Los Angeles, New York, and Madrid, where his partner, James Costos, is the American ambassador to Spain.
A few weeks later (as I was spraying pet-stain remover on an antique rug Michael had handpicked for our living room), he called me. “Ughhhh!” he moaned. “I just saw George’s office. Is that where they shot the prison scenes in Midnight Express ?”
The space was in a sickly state, marked by piles of newspapers, some cheap gold trophies, and a timeworn generic desk probably dating from the days when David Hartman anchored GMA. Really, the closest thing to a hint of decor added by George—who also hosts the Sunday political-affairs show This Week —was a scented candle he’d been given from one of GMA ’s “Deals & Steals” segments. Still, Michael was undeterred. “I need photographs of you and the girls for George’s office,” he bellowed into my voice mail, adding sarcastically, “But for you, maybe something taken in the early ’90s?”
Let me be clear: I thought Michael might generously dress things up with a chic floor lamp, maybe bring in a cocktail table for the cause, and that would be that. But it was a complete gut. The room was stripped totally bare, the carpeting ripped up. “To keep the Ebola contained,” quipped Michael.
In the end he transformed the once-dreary office into a serene, nuanced harbor worthy of Edward R. Murrow. The space is now clad in a Phillip Jeffries wall covering resembling parchment, its subtle texture adding warmth and the gridded panels lending a sense of architecture. Boldly striped carpeting by Stanton elegantly grounds the room’s earthy palette, while injecting a compelling splash of pattern. Lamps in brass and nickel finishes combine with the rich mahogany Ralph Lauren Home desk and bar cabinet (stocked more for coffee than cocktails) to give the room urbanity and grace. A linen-upholstered club chair and ottoman, also by Ralph Lauren, are a cozy spot where George often starts his mornings—more like the middle of the night for most of us—reading six or more newspapers. “I wanted to create an organized and comfortable place where George could have a little calm and collect his thoughts,” Michael says. “He liked it so much that he actually arranged with ABC to buy a number of the pieces himself.”
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