A native of Kansas City, Marshall Watson received his Bachelor of Arts from Stanford University. Watson founded his design firm, Marshall Watson Interiors in 1986. A subtle blend of transatlantic and American design philosophies suffuses his work. Classic elegance is his hallmark. Though richly layered and often romantic, his work always showcases a meticulous attention to detail and is noted for its sense of “calm and lightness of being.” As his client base has grown globally, his passion for researching and delving into each culture has only expanded his ability to be site specific and locally attuned.
Throughout Watson’s career, his designs have appeared on the covers of Architectural Digest, Veranda, Traditional Home, Ocean Home, and Hampton Cottages and Gardens and his interiors have also been richly explored in publications including House Beautiful, Luxe, the New York Times Interior Design and many others. He also received Traditional Home’s “Designer of the Year” award and has been featured on Luxe’s Gold List.
Marshall’s top selling design book, The Art of Elegance, was published by Rizzoli in 2017. His second book, Defining Elegance, was released this spring. Responses to Marshall’s lectures have garnered him distinguished status as a “Gold Star Speaker” for the Garden Club of America, reflecting exceptional talent, dedication and a profound impact made on the community as across the country.
Watson serves on the boards of the Garden Conservancy, the Isabel O’Neill Studio of the Painted Finish and Fighting Chance. He is currently a member of the Garden Club of East Hampton (GCA) where his garden is being documented for the Archives of the Smithsonian, and he is co-heading the cultivation of a public garden in East Hampton dedicated to the study of 18th century American horticulture.
Watson resides in Manhattan and spends weekends with his husband at his home and garden in East Hampton.