Ralph Harvard has been working as a Designer in New York since 1981 and in related fields for over forty years. His office, just off Fifth Avenue, is a cabinet of curiosities that also serves as a gathering place for misplaced Southerners (and Southerners-at-heart), where hospitality, savory pork products, and silver-cupped libations reign.

A die-hard Virginian, Ralph has an unparalleled knowledge of 18th-century material culture and architecture, and there are few, if any, who know more about the early architecture of the coastal South. His best skill, however, may be his knowledge of how to live well and comfortably in a large house. Most importantly, he is supported by a convivial and dedicated staff of six with more than 60 years’ experience amongst them, many of those in related fields giving them expertise in paint, hardware, and the decorative arts.

Ralph Harvard, Inc. has an extensive network of trusted and highly specialized resources throughout America and Europe, regularly trades with the major regional and international auction houses and maintains excellent working relationships with a wide-ranging variety of dealers and workrooms. The firm also offers a full understanding of traditional construction details, techniques, and operations, from conception through installation.

Most of the firm’s projects involve great, old country houses, and Ralph has been lucky enough to have worked on some of the foremost 18th-century dwellings in the South, including the Dulany House in Alexandria, Carter’s Grove and Evelynton on the James River, the Miles Brewton House in Charleston, and Cottage Gardens in Natchez. Ralph Harvard Inc. also counts a number of clients in Manhattan, out East, and as far afield as Chicago, Nantucket and Nassau. Additionally, a large percentage of the firm's work is from repeat clients, with whom there are warm long-term relationships, one of the best parts of the job.