The Talent: 2Michaels
By Marcia Sherrill

Strutting their stuff on Milan’s catwalks for the likes of Alberta Feretti, Blumarine, and Gianfranco Ferre – twins Joan and Jayne Michaels little knew that they would someday be cutting a swath through the New York design world. After being scouted by a modeling agent at a high school football game in their native Salt Lake City, Utah, the duo set off for Milan and the fashion swirl only to find life on the catwalk to be vacuous and disappointing. The twins chime in and say,“ We aren’t putting down modeling or fashion – so many of the models were very smart, but it is a business which, at its core, is very superficial and we didn’t want to just be a face or a figure – and we weren’t pretty enough to do editorial…and we have flat feet!” Yes, four feet so flat that neither could walk effortlessly in heels at a “go-see” at Gianni Versace where Jayne’s whole ankle caved in and the pair were ushered to the door. Soon befriended by architects in Milan, the sisters woke up and started sleeptalking about design. Their world suddenly rocked. And the pair, who had lost both parents when they were barely twenty needed solid careers and a supportive world – desperately.

“Milan can be cruel when you’re a struggling model,” Joan tells us, “and we were staying in a bleak pensione with the rest of the models when a relative of the landlord (from Ethiopia) who lived below us died. This stunned us and made us determined to get out of this unhealthy life we had chosen.” After six months, Jayne got sick with double bronchitis that escalated to pleurisy, thanks to a lack of heating and the abundance of mold in the pensione. One day while the twins were taking in some sunlight at a neighborhood cafe’, a stranger came up to them and asked, “Are you girls models?” Joan remembers thinking, “Oh, here we go…” – the archetypal pick-up line. When the man told them about having a famous architect friend, the twins thought in unison, “Right.” But it turned out that the stranger was telling the truth. His friend was the renowned Roman architect Marco Albini.
The girls got lucky and landed (for little lire per month’s rent) the penthouse apartment belonging to Albini’s wife who was traveling out of the country. Albini’s son, Franco, told the girls of the advantage for Romans to rent to foreigners, thereby passing over the strict rent control regulations established in the fabled Italian capital. Though one had to reach the apartment through a narrow spiral staircase, the willowy six- foot- tall Michaels sisters slithered their way up to the groovy pad fully furnished with Albini’s furniture. The small space was truly elegant and sported a magnificent terrace, and while they loved living in this enchanted space, they also fell in love with its décor. Being surrounded by Albini’s creations the girls lived, touched, and breathed Modern design…and they became consumed by it. One Roman spring day, the girls found their modeling agent huffing up the stairs to their penthouse apartment. He demanded they return to fashion and runway work, an idea to which the girls shouted in synchrony (as twins in literature so often do), “Mai!” Never. Sealing their destiny with that one word, the Michael sisters embarked on their journey to formally study design.

Returning stateside, the young orphans matriculated at The Fashion Institute of Technology (their first choice of Parsons being too expensive) to eventually earn degrees in Interior Design. Both did the requisite stints with other designers such as Ronald Borus and Victoria Hagen – after which the decision to start their own firm became obvious. It was a smart idea because as Joan says, “We were the only ones who could put up with each other.” But the pair who finally hung out their shingle, 2Michaels,(ITALICS) in 2001 has done quite nicely with a clientele heavily comprised of writers, bankers and film producers – a specialty assemblage with whom it is a pleasure for 2Michaels to collaborate. Joan explains the canny good vibes as a derivative of being raised by creative but business-savvy parents, “We get along with right brain and left brain types thanks to our brilliant mother and father.”
Bowing to the bright lights is still alluring for the sisters as they starred in their own TV show on Discovery Home. Aptly titled, “Double Vision,” the show ran for one season and was somewhat of an acquired taste for the twin stars, as Jayne says, "At first we couldn't stand watching. Then I starting liking it!,” despite having to relive the scene when a character playing a homeowner (who bore a remarkable resemblance to Tony Soprano) screamed epithets at them and ordered them out, out, out! "It was like being in boot camp," Jayne says.

Jayne dates attorney Todd Pickard who she says“ is our silent partner who not only handles all of our contracts but also helps us think of ourselves as real businesspeople. We always thought ‘WE LOVE DOING THIS’ and should therefore not care about profits, but Todd has taught us the value of our skills and efforts.” Joan smiles and adds, “Yes,a designer also must also possess a keen business acumen for sadly there is no Obama Stimulus Plan for interior designers!” Joan is inseparable from her significant other, Larry Weinberg, a New York antiques dealer and owner of Weinberg Modern. The 2Michaels have learned and further polished their knowledge of design under his tutelage.

And best of all, the mirthful twins can take themselves seriously without losing any of the fun. Joan says, “We have a blast. We always love our clients and they remain clients – or is that friends? – forever.” 2Michaels is a busy firm with talks in the works for several product lines from rugs to textiles to tile. Their ship has finally come in – after a long journey.

HOW GREEN ARE YOU?

We’re trying to be Green and deeper shades of it all of the time.  
We use mainly antiques in our projects and are now using paints such as Benjamin Moore’s Aura and Mythic.  
 
We did a show in the Hamptons in 2008.  It was the first Green Show House.  We immersed ourselves in world of "green".  I - We sourced fabrics from O Echo Textiles,  a company owned by two sisters! They have the most gorgeous fabrics that are non toxic and sustainable.  Also Smart Life fabrics by Kate Korten are wonderful!
And we use eco-light bulbs in all of our projects.  
 
HOW HAS FASHION INFLUENCED YOUR DESIGN CAREER?
I've been influenced by fashion my whole life.  I remember putting in my high schoolyearbook, hobbies: "Dressing Vogue."
Being in a fashion show is a unique and extremely creative adventure.  We'd witness the designers in action, all the last minute adjustments, the adrenaline rush they'd get from seeing their vision turn into reality on the runway!  It had a huge impact on the way we design.  It's all about the process, being in the moment.

DO YOU EVER MISS LIVING IN ITALY?

Italy is rich with history.  We lived there for two years.  We wanted to be an Italians!  The way they live life to the fullest, the joy they get from the simplest of things – like a cup of cappuccino  with a warm brioche in the morning.  That joie de vivre is always something we strive for.  We were lucky enough to meet brilliant Italian designers and architects. They taught us how to look at things with a sophisticated eye.  Beauty is in the details.

A FUTURE IN TV?

We would certainly be interested in doing a tv show.  When we did our show Double Vision in 2005, “Reality TV” was sort of new.  It seemed like everyone wanted to do another Trading Spaces type of show where designers try to create a living space is a day or two on $1000.00.  There's only so much of that the public can take.  I think America is ready to see something a little more special and not so cookie cutter. We’ll see and keep our fingers crossed.