Creating Timeless Interiors

By Sue Cullen

Bringing together a potent combination of Wall Street business savvy with aesthetic acumen and discerning style, Mark S. Scarmato and Richard P. Hinkle have launched Bartram House Interiors with a big reveal of what their synergistic talents can achieve. The two men have recently completed a yearlong project to create a home with warmth, style and a resort-like environment for Scarmato and his beloved wife, Jeanette.

While interviewing interior decorators for his Sarasota home, Scarmato was impressed by the breadth of Hinkle’s experience, how he handled himself and his approach to the project. As they began working together, he became convinced that others could benefit from Hinkle’s capabilities and proposed a business venture. 

“In a sense, Bartram House has been 30 years in the making. Richard has a talent for capturing a client’s dream and creating the lifestyle they want. We want the Bartram House name to be synonymous with beauty and high quality,” he said. 

Scarmato’s successful three decade career as a Wall Street executive has not only given him experience building businesses but also in identifying and helping develop the potential of good people. What he saw in Hinkle, from his talent to his meticulous attention to detail, convinced him they could bring a level of excellence that clients would appreciate. 

“Richard is truly sui generis. He is precise, exacting and concerned with what you have and how it will work. He started with the proper paint color and flooring and built this beautiful transitional style in harmony with it,” he said. 

“What clinched it for me is that Richard never denigrated anything we had. He never said, ‘who bought that?’ or ‘it all has to go.’ He’s personable and well respected here, and I knew I would never have to worry about him stepping on someone’s toes at the beginning of a conversation.”

Hinkle also brings to Bartram House a solid grounding in fashion and interiors, allowing him to contribute to projects from the architectural/engineering phase through landscaping. He began early in his career with a successful landscaping business and comes by his green thumb naturally. 

Hinkle is a direct descendent of John Bartram, an early American botanist, who is the Bartram House namesake. He also worked in couture in New York City before following his passion for interior styles and decor.

The Scarmato house is a classic French Acadian-style design. Entering the front hall, the dining room is to the right and the parlor lounge is to the left, which Hinkle styled with a luxury feel reminiscent of New York City’s venerable St. Regis Hotel. 

“I don’t cookie cut. Everything is tailored completely to the client, and I take a concierge approach. I work with many different styles, and I like to do classic with a twist that will still look fresh 10, 20 or 30 years from now,” he said. “In Mark and Jeanette’s case, they brought furniture from San Francisco that had some sentimental value. I understand that and implemented a plan that gave it new life with new fabric, and it looks great.”

Hinkle also understands the importance of scale, proportion and color, and his ideas are well-planned in all aspects for every room.

 “I enjoy making things fit perfectly just like the pieces of a puzzle. When I am styling, everything I do is with scale and proportion in mind,” he said. 

“I also am not afraid of color, and I like to bring color into people’s lives, especially since we’re in Florida. I look out at sea grapes and sky and bring those colors inside.” For the Scarmato home, Hinkle had the dining room ceiling painted like a Florida sunset and punctuated the burl wood table, parsons chairs and cherry wood sideboard with a multicolor rug, aqua chair seats and a penshell inlaid mirror.

The master bedroom is also a visual treat built around a unique plum colored ultrasuede headboard and accented with a hand painted vanity, lavender chair and cream ostrich leather lamps. It gets added spark from mica wallpaper laid into the inset ceiling and the vanity wall.  

Another bedroom pays homage to a previous home in San Francisco and to Jeanette’s collection of Marilyn Monroe memorabilia. “The color is the turquoise of a 1960 Cadillac convertible, and the furniture is art deco. The room also has a colorful area rug inspired by the late San Francisco “pop artist” Rex Ray, and clear and black stacked crystal lamps,” Hinkle said.  

Because the Scarmatos did not have the time for extensive shopping and involvement in the details, they appreciated Hinkle’s ability to take the approved interiors, work within budget and assume day-to-day management to complete the project on time. Scarmato believes this is a valuable capability, particularly for someone who has multiple homes and prefers not to travel here for approvals or to supervise progress.

“Richard knows every aspect of the business,” he said, “and I was wowed that he could create this for us.” Scarmato also has plans for future expansion of the business, for which he is the CEO and COO and Hinkle is Chief of Interiors. Those plans call for adding designers and vertically integrating sister companies with skilled, reliable providers to deliver services clients may need to complete their project. Being a good corporate citizen also is important. 

“Integrity is crucial. In all my years on Wall Street, I never had an issue,” he said. “I’ve also always been socially conscious and charitable, and as the business grows, we plan to give back to the communities where we do business.”  

To connect with Richard Hinkle at Bartram House, call 925.765.0442, email bartramhouse@gmail.com or visit bartramhouse.com.

For the past 10 years, Sue Cullen has written about, and enjoyed, the Sarasota scene. When she’s not doing that, she works with clients in her PR/marketing business.