Mid-Century Modern Pouf Ottoman, Holly Hunt Cream Fabric, Handmade by Greenapple

Rute Martins, Creative Director and co-founder of Greenapple, has been at the heart of the brand's designs since its establishment in 2005. As the creative force behind Greenapple, Rute designs every piece, from the core collection to bespoke creations that bring clients' concepts and desires to life.

Alongside iconic pieces like the Bordeira coffee table and Biloba sideboard, she has developed bespoke interior designs for clients around the world, including projects in New York, Miami, London, and Switzerland. Her work has been featured in 1stDibs Introspective magazine, Incollect magazine, and the Financial Times’ How to Spend It.

Born and raised in Portugal and mother of five, including two sets of twins, Rute holds a degree in economics. After founding Greenapple with her husband Sérgio, the company’s CEO, she shifted from her economics background to pursue her true passion for design, earning a design degree in Lisbon.

Drawing inspiration from Portugal’s natural beauty and rich cultural heritage, Rute’s designs embody meticulous precision, unique creativity and a personal touch, characterized by organic and contemporary elements. With an intuitive talent for design, Rute channels her creativity into each piece, much like a composer or writer expresses their inspiration through their art. Her deep understanding of client preferences and aspirations allows her to seamlessly balance her sensibilities with her clients’ dream designs. 

Find Rute's designs for Greenapple, including seating, tables, cabinets, lighting and more on 1stDibs.

(Biography provided by Greenapple)

The success of Holly Hunt — both the designer and her eponymous empire of textile and furnishings showrooms — is based on instinct.

The Chicago-based Hunt trusts her own tastes, reflected in her signature lines of elegant, low-key furniture, lighting and fabrics. She also trusts her judgment about the wants of the buying public, and this savvy sensibility has allowed her to cultivate and market the work of a range of contemporary talents, from minimalists like Christian Liaigre to eccentrics like Christian Astuguevieille.

Hunt is a design world impresario — a prominent arbiter for stylish modern interiors and known foremost for fabrics, seating designs and light fixtures. Modern sophistication, attention to detail, and a desire to cultivate talented contemporary designers are at the crux of the company’s success.

Born in central Texas to schoolteacher parents, Hunt was a creative girl who made her own clothes and bickered with her mother about decor. After graduating from Texas Tech, Hunt worked as department-store buyer and costume jewelry designer before marrying and helping her husband build a multimillion dollar transport company. Her hobby was decorating their homes. After the two divorced, Hunt purchased a showroom in the Chicago Merchandise Mart in 1983. Within 10 years, she was winning applause for her understated designs, her lavish showroom parties and her eye for rising design stars. Liaigre was her first discovery. Correctly surmising that his pared-down furniture in dark wood would play well in the United States in the aftermath of the go-go ’80s, Hunt began marketing the French designer’s work in 1994.

Over the subsequent years Hunt has added a half-dozen showrooms and, following her own style barometer, has taken on other fresh talents, including glassmaker Alison Berger, French designer Christophe Pillet and couturier Ralph Rucci, making a foray into home design.

One constant over that time have been the aesthetics of Hunt’s own designs. Her fabrics — the first choice of many dealers when re-upholstering vintage seating — are understated, mixing muted colors and updates of classic patterns. Her furniture is simple and refined. As you will see on 1stDibs, the name Holly Hunt represents a sense of timelessness and sophistication.