McMillen, Inc.

About Ann Pyne

Ann Pyne is the President of New York design institution McMillen Inc., founded in 1924 by Mrs. Drury McMillen (later, Mrs. Archibald Brown). Pyne joined the firm in 2002 and has since received many honors, including the New York School of Interior Design’s Albert Hadley Lifetime
Achievement Award for her leadership of the great American firm, which is celebrating its Centennial.

Ann has a Master’s degree in Decorative Arts from the Bard Graduate Center, as well as an MFA in Writing and an MA in English and American Literature, both from Columbia University. Before her tenure at McMillen, she was a teacher, the author of a book of short stories, published by Knopf, and a collector of aesthetic-period furniture and ceramics. Ann’s work has been published by outlets such as Architectural Digest, VERANDA, Interior Design Magazine, New York Magazine, The New York Times, Elle Decor, and House Beautiful.

In celebration of its Centennial, McMillen participated in the Kips Bay Decorator Show House 2024, creating a room inspired by McMillen’s 1964 renovation of Blair House, partnering with Gracie to reproduce the room’s iconic wallcovering. Ann Pyne’s book, McMillen: 100 Years of Decorating, will be published in Spring 2025 by Vendome Press, also in tribute to the firm’s 100 years.

About Elizabeth Pyne Singer

Elizabeth joined McMillen Inc. in 2009 after having worked at Sotheby's, where she was a specialist in the Old Master paintings department. At McMillen, Elizabeth has completed interior design projects throughout the United States. Her “Old Guard/Avant-Garde” approach to decorating, mixing traditional motifs with contemporary art and design, has captured the attention of leading shelter publications. Elizabeth’s work has been published by outlets such as Architectural Digest, VERANDA, Galerie, New York Magazine, The New York Times, and House Beautiful.

McMillen was founded in 1924 and is the oldest, continuously operating design and decorating firm in America. In celebration of its Centennial, McMillen participated in the Kips Bay Decorator Show House 2024, creating a room inspired by McMillen’s 1964 renovation of Blair House, partnering with Gracie to reproduce the room’s iconic wallcovering. In Spring 2025 Vendome Press will publish McMillen: 100 Years of Decorating by McMillen Inc. President Ann Pyne.

About McMillen Inc.

McMillen Inc. has been, from its beginnings -- November 24, 1924 -- a full-service interior design firm that emphasizes the importance of architectural backgrounds and business practices. Its interiors, which were created for Americans such as Millicent Rogers, Doris Duke, Marjorie Merriweather Post, President and Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson, have mirrored trends in culture, fashion, and fine art, and been ahead of those trends at various points in its history.

McMillen has also served as a breeding ground for iconic designers, including Albert Hadley and Mark Hampton. McMillen participated in the first Kips Bay Decorator Show House in 1973 and participated most recently in the 2024 Show House, creating a room inspired by McMillen’s 1964 renovation of Blair House and partnering with Gracie to reproduce the room’s iconic wallcovering.

Celebrating its 100th year this year makes McMillen Inc. the oldest, continuously operating design and decorating firm in America. Today the firm is led by Ann Pyne, who serves as President and is authoring a book, McMillen: 100 Years of Decorating, to be published by Vendome Press in Spring 2025.