Witzman, Founder of GDD, enhanced his lifelong interest in Art and Architecture when he began the Urban Design and Architecture Studies program at New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts. It was during this time that he received the honor of being accepted to the Institute’s satellite campus in Florence, Italy where he focused his studies on the Renaissance. After completing this program and
acquiring the fundamentals of Design and Art History, he later moved on to completing his Masters of Architecture at Pratt Institute. It is this extensive educational background, along with his world travels, that he draws from in his unique and informed approach to design. While working as a designer at Peter Marino and Zeff Design, he brought a fresh insight to the diverse projects. Most notably, in April of 2007, Theory’s world headquarters was featured on the cover of Interior Design Magazine. The following year Fathom, a 155 ft private yacht, was also featured in the magazine. The philosophy behind GDD is to bring design beyond the commodification of space to a beautiful reflection of the client’s life. It is this very personal aspect of designing that he most enjoys.
“The places in which we inhabit must reflect our individual experiences and interests.” .............................................................................
Jessica Siegel, designer at GDD, honed her eye for color, form, and balance while working in the fashion world. Immediately after graduating from college, she worked as a clothing designer, and most recently as a handbag designer at Coach. When she realized that she loved interior design too much for it not to be a part of her everyday life, she decided to pursue it as her new career path. Jessica is currently in school at Parsons The New School for Design to earn a certificate in interior design and also holds a BS in textile and apparel design from Cornell University. Playing off different time periods and styles in her work, Jessica loves the contrast between wood and metal, raw and polished, playful and sophisticated, antique and modern, classical and edgy, and symmetry with the unexpected. Jessica's style is well thought out and eclectic. At the center of Jessica's design approach is the idea best stated by Dorothy Draper, "decorating is fun;” all designing should be an enjoyable experience where the client and designer collaborate to create the perfect space.
