Interior Design Portfolio Selections

Helen helped me create a home that is contemporary, stylish and family friendly.

My client was looking for something family friendly yet stylish and sophisticated at the same time. This home has three active young children. Everything needed to be comfortable and hold up to everyday life. We engaged the children in the process. It was really great.

The views were spectacular. We wanted to include them as part of the design. Wall colors and window fabrics were selected to enhance the light streaming through the huge windows.

Creating a home with children is always a challenge. Fabric and furniture were selected with stain resistant and heavy wear finishes. Lots of custom storage was added for each child to keep their books, toys and games. A banquet seating area in the kitchen is a fun place to eat. All this was accomplished along side sophisticated slipper chairs and leather and chenille seating. The living room and all the rooms are well lived in and enjoyed by everyone.

Within two weeks we had multiple offers and sold the apartment for more than our initial asking price.

The client needed to sell their 800 square foot apartment and move into a larger space. The use of staging an apartment to help a sale in a tough market is just what they needed. With a second baby on the way and no bids coming in, they needed help. We decided to renovate the kitchen and update the bathroom. I had one week before a real estate Open House, and their return from vacation to work my magic.

I was so delighted by the results. We created a beautiful new kitchen, using "green" design. We included bamboo cabinetry, recycled counter top material, and energy star-rated stainless steel appliances. They sold the place in two weeks and recouped 100% of their investment in the redo. Then we got to work on the new place in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, NY.

We got a three bedroom out of a two bedroom space!

With a baby on the way, this growing family had sold their small apartment and were looking for a three bedroom. As it was price prohibitive to find what they wanted, we had to find a usable space for a nursery.

What a great challenge. A stair landing was transformed into an adorable baby's room close to the master bedroom, with privacy as well. The perfect nursery was created by using an existing desk shelf attached to a wall, as a changing table. Adding a fabric skirt gave us much needed hidden storage space. Window treatments allowed for room darkening when it was sleep time. We sectioned all this off with a graceful set of French doors.

Helen's flair for color is fantastic.

My clients enjoy entertaining at home. We created a comfortable den with storage for a hidden home office. The den also doubles as a guest room, complete with a queen size sleeper sofa, and a flat screen TV.

We wanted an open , airy living ,dining area. The large adjacent foyer’s console table doubles as a bar when entertaining and a place to display the couple's collectibles beautifully.

Custom cabinetry in the master bedroom was designed to conceal the air conditioning /heating system. The television glides out of the wall on a track.

Window treatments were selected to allow for easy access to the dual flip windows. The paint colors on the walls are key to enhancing the openness of the space and the flow from room to room.

Helen has the patience of a saint.

This young couple owned some very beautiful antique mahogany pieces. We used their antique pieces in with the new purchases and added comfortable seating with traditional style. A carpet that would complement the furniture was an important piece, but they were not ready to make the investment on a collectible carpet at this time. They had a growing family and wanted to feel at ease with their surrounding, without compromising style.

Most quality traditional mahogany pieces are works of art done with remarkable workmanship. I did not want the home to feel like a museum, especially for a young family. I wanted whatever we added to the room to enhance the beauty of the pieces. We selected fabrics with patterns that were both current and had a sense of history. The use of historic paint colors on the walls help establish a feeling of warmth. We selected a Tabriz carpet with subtle colors to blend with the sofa and loveseat. Now that they have two children, we had to move on to their rooms!

This house in Madbury, NH, had great "architectural bones," but suffered from an absentee owner.  When it was time to sell, the house had to have more than just a face lift.  All the signs of aging, old formica counter tops, old cabinets, vinyl flooring and ancient carpeting, had to go.  Tiles and bath fixtures, appliances, well, don't ask. 

After much discussion with the owner and his contractor, we came up with a plan of action. All floors were replaced with maple hardwood. New maple cabinetry, including an island and all granite counter tops and stainless appliances gave new life to the kitchen. Porcelain "green" tiles were used throughout the bathroom floors. A master bath and walk in closets were carved out from a small bath and a hallway of fold out louvre closet doors. A double vanity with a quartz top and a walk-in tiled shower for two emerged. The best was the walk-in closet, complete with a window, a heated window seat, and a pocket door. 

The two other bedrooms needed painting and new carpeting. The family room with a double height ceiling had a clear sight line to the lofted kitchen above. Wood paneling was removed, new sheet rock and the correct paint colors transformed the area into a light and airy space.

The transformation was a success. Buyers and brokers alike, gave praise to the home.  Even the owner was sorry to say goodbye. A new house, a new family and another happy ending to a project.

A great home away from home.

My West Coast clients wanted a chic New York Pied a Terre. They selected the Tribeca section of New York.

The small space had very little light but we set it up with open space and gave it a roomy, light feel. There is storage in the large ottoman/coffee table in the living room, and a sleeper sofa equipped with an air mattress insert is available should any unexpected guests arrive.

Even when I changed the whole direction of the design, Helen was right there with me and carried it out to my delight.

My client loves color, contemporary fabrics and also traditional pieces. She found an apartment close to the office and convenient to entertain clients and friends, and sleep overs for her grown children.

This apartment was fun to work on. My client is in a creative field and wanted her personality to be reflected in her home. We started by trashing all the old Formica Miami 1980's rental furniture that came with the space. We worked on a mixture of bold, modern fabrics and carpets with traditional items such as a Secretary desk and a Bombe chest. Each dining room chair is upholstered in a different color velveteen. The paisley fabric piping used on the chairs are tied in with a chair in the living room covered with the same fabric. The best was a boudoir chair in hot pink panne velvet - now that is a statement!

A custom tile back splash of cows in the kitchen brought the calm of the country into my city life.

This small condominium apartment is as eclectic and colorful as the owner, a collector and an artist. A sense of order was necessary to create calm rather than chaos.

All the paintings, needlework, sculptures and years of work, show off the diverse talents of the owner. We balanced function and form to use every available bit of space to have this apartment be a warm, friendly, meeting place for the owner's family and friends. There are over 150 variety of cows in the kitchen, including the custom mosaic backsplash. It is an homage to the owner’s love of cows and Ben and Jerry’s.

This design project in York, Maine involved re-designing two challenging spaces within a home. This included a first-floor powder room, and a former walk-in closet that we transformed into a sewing room.

The powder room has nine-foot ceilings and a large window facing the front yard of the home. The room had some personality. I introduced natural elements to the space by painting the room a soft sage green. I also hung a mobile with origami birds from the ceiling. The light fixture is hand-painted, hand- fused glass.

Upstairs, I turned a large closet into a sewing room. It had no windows, a sloping ceiling, and no natural light. I envisioned it as a corner, stolen away from the rest of the home. I painted the walls a soft gray and installed a versatile closet system, enabling the space to be used for more than just sewing materials. An antique sewing machine and a Victorian light fixture added drama to the room and gave visitors an opportunity to reminisce about their own sewing experiences.

A private sanctuary, a guest suite, was created in the space above the garage. It is infused with an eclectic approach to design, combining new items with antiques and recycled, redefined articles.

The space, less than 650 sq feet, is lit with silk lanterns It boasts its own entrance, bathroom, and a luxurious queen sized bed. It even has a sleeping loft above the kitchen area. A hand painted floral screen is made from four folding panel doors. The space allows guests to enjoy their visits with true privacy. There is a wine refrigerator combo unit. The backsplash is made out of radiator grill panels.

A beautiful iron and wood “prie dieu”, French prayer bench, is used as a footboard for the queen bed. Soft blue & muted chartreuse were used to paint the walls. The color palette inside changes to mimic the lush gardens and water outside the window, as the sun moves across the sky. So relax at the bistro table and chairs, sip a glass of wine, and enjoy the view of the pool below.