So much of what unearths a room relies in the physical styling and rearranging of pieces within the space. That is where the magic occurs. That is the set for the director. That is where I have always found my strongest footing- intuitively, albeit at times chaotically, moving a chair eleven times within a room, nudging it, slanting it, and splitting the difference until it lands.

In some cases, it can be difficult for clients to leave the comfort of a provided furniture plan, replacing it with a limbo of trust and experimentation. I’ve had clients who wanted to know where every table lamp would be positioned on the furniture plan, before committing to them. (You can never have enough table lamps. They will always find their home.) I’ve had clients look at a plan and offer concerns that the room looks too crowded and stuffed on paper, only to call me after install to express that the room feels empty and could use more furniture. (A room will always hold more than you think it can.)

I recently listened to a wonderful podcast. In it, Marie-Anne Derville articulated what I’ve only just now attempted to.

She explained that at the beginning of her career, “It was very organic. It was very much about trust. ‘We are going to do this room, in this color, in this fabric and you should buy a this piece of furniture because it goes very well with this floor lamp.’ You know, you buy a lamp…You don’t know where exactly the lamp is going to go, because it’s just about a feeling when you are in the room. [We didn’t] have to show it on an artificial image.”

In comparison to drawings, “The drawing is something else. In the drawing there is poetry. It will never be exactly the drawing.”

Some time ago, we decided as a studio to return to the physicality of the craft of interiors. Initial furniture plans are always hand drawn. Visuals of rooms, millwork, and designs are hand-sketched and often water-colored. A piece of paper and a rough sketch mid-meeting goes along way.

Similarly to my discourse above about the rigidness of furniture plans, renderings can often be too specific. It leaves little up to the client’s imagination and can encourage one’s eye to focus on the details, versus the holistic concept you are trying to sell.

It also leaves very little to surprise. Culturally, we have come to learn to mitigate surprise as much as possible, but there are moments of great surprise that we are missing out on. The kind of surprise that manifests when we leave something up to chance. The unforeseen magic that births itself the moment we release control of the outcome.

Those are the moments one remembers when decorating their home and those are precisely the moments we, as a studio, try to encourage more of.

Notebooks and Notepads

• Kokuyo Surveying Field Notebook - I came across these gorgeous sketchbooks on an antiquing trip upstate. I found them in the store Pidgeon and purchased two. I’ve since purchased them in bulk via Amazon.
  
  I keep them on a shelf in our studio for anyone to grab if in need of a notebook. My pet peeve is not finishing a notebook, so I appreciate that these are really compact, grid lined (I find it neater to write) and hardcover, so it can slip into any bag and not get damaged.

• Midori Memo Pad - I like keeping a lined and a grid version on my desk for quick thoughts. In general, I love the Midori brand. They’re notebooks are wonderful. I have these weekly calendar notebook stickers that I love placing on pages of my notebook to organize my weekly tasks at a glance in a calendar view.

• Leather Field Notes Cover paired with Mini Saddle Stitch Notebook - the tomato red leather cover paired with the light blue notebook is an award-worthy combination.

• Kartotek Copenhagen Monthly Planner Desk Pad - I keep this pad on my desk to plan particularly busy months from a bird’s eye view.

  

• Borgo delle Tovaglie Notebook - arguably has the best taste of anyone I know. Her recommendations never miss. She personally favors these European, fabric-covered notebooks that are made by hand and come in so many colors. These aren’t on my desk at the moment, but I am thrilled to be adding these into the rotation very soon.

• Pettinaroli Milano Agenda - Another honorable Monica-mention. Should you find yourself in Milan, Pettinaroli’s yearly agendas are a great addition to your stationary line-up. They have great leather goods, including notebooks and catch-alls that look great on a desk (I love the Antique Pink).

Writing Tools

• Ohto Japanese Mechanical Pencil - My absolute favorite mechanical pencils are from Front General Store in Dumbo. It’s walking distance from our studio and I often pop in to pick up a new one every so often. I love that these are wooden like an traditional pencil, even if mechanical. The short and stout version is so fun. Slim version, here.

• Wooden Pencils in Bulk - I place vessels throughout the studio with solid wood pencils sharpened and ready to go. The ones behind my desk are in a repurposed Xinú candle vessel.

  

• Sakura Pigma Micron Pen - I use these for everything. I have them in Black and my favorite, Burgundy Brown. I also keep a Red one handy to cross off tasks I’ve completed from my to-do lists.

Decorative

• A stack of vintage Architectural Digest magazines - My mother has been collecting and preserving these for decades. I take a year’s worth of magazines from her at a time, swapping them out for another year when looking for more inspiration. Currently on my desk is the year 2006.

• Artwork painted by my daughter.

• A handful of Murano glass candies - from my grandmother.

• Beautifully addressed envelopes and place cards- I am a sucker for beautiful handwriting and save envelopes addressed to me, or even place cards from a seated dinner. Sometimes it’s the handwriting, sometimes its the combination of ink color against the envelope.

• A Murano glass duck from one of our trips to Venice, Italy.

• My grandmother’s chair sketches from when she volunteered as eldest student and enrolled in design school to accompany my mom to class.

• A vintage nautical desk clock that was on the desk of my grandfather’s home office for as long as I can remember.

This week in Site Visits we head to a Park Slope duplex nearing completion, a brand new project on the Upper East Side to survey, install an intricate staircase runner featuring cut and sewn Persian rugs, pay a site visit to a Tribeca residential lobby in construction and a check in on a West Village historical door design in review with Landmarks.

01. Park Slope, Brooklyn

This week we installed a staircase runner using three different vintage Persian runners at one of our residential projects in Brooklyn. We worked with our special projects team and hand cut and sewed the runners on site to create an intentional layered effect and directional pattern.

We have done this kind of runner before for another residential project in upstate New York, cutting and sewing preserved runners (some more than 100 years old!) from a dealer in Midtown along a grand staircase. Our initial inspiration came from the Ralph Lauren men’s flagship on Madison. The most essential part of both installs was ensuring that the runners looked intentionally layered atop one another versus made to look like one cohesive runner.

With this kind of runner, there is always a ton of on-site problem solving to resolve, requiring everyone to put their heads together to offer solutions and visual opinions. It’s a real team effort and makes for a very rewarding install in the end.

Our Park Slope residential project was a gut-renovation duplex that we’ve been working on for a year and a half. It’s now nearing its completion, so during the runner install we reviewed art placement and punch list.

02. Upper East Side, New York City

We recently kicked off a new residential project on the UES, heading up the architectural and interior design of the space.

When visiting this week to survey the site for plans, the kitchen windows offered the most wonderful view of a snow-capped Central Park.

Later in the week we kicked off our initial conceptual meeting with the clients to talk through client inspiration, demo and proposed plans, preliminary lighting and furniture plans, entry foyer floor design and project schedule.

03. West Village, New York City

We recently designed a historical door for a residential building in the West Village that is currently under review for approval from Landmarks.

We drew inspiration from traditionally historical doors in London, while also referencing nearby residences and design characteristics of the neighborhood.

04. Tribeca, New York City

Our Tribeca project has kicked off construction, as a redesign for a residential lobby begins. We visited the site recently to check on progress.

Winter was, (I write this as the impending blizzard is set to start any minute now) beginning to feel…warmer. The sun is setting later through our Southern-facing windows and the pink light that bounces through to the kitchen, just before the sun tucks itself in feels familiar. It has me anticipating spring more than ever, in which hosting Easter feels like the yearly kickoff to the season. A tsunami of nostalgia and pastels await, summed up in this carousel of what to look forward to.

My inbox begins to flood with Easter e-commerce directives. Yesterday when popping into CVS briefly, I found myself stalling in the far-sided aisle abundant with children’s Easter basket fillings. The other morning, while having espresso, I began to ideate my table setting for the holiday. Below is a list of what I’m browsing, mostly under $50.

P.s. the book I’m referencing in this letter’s title is David Hockney’s.

The List

1. Svenskt Tenn Tulip Ornament - Last year, I picked up these beautiful curly branches from the local florist and dressed the branches with pastel yellow Easter eggs (pictured above). This year I will add these beaded tulip ornaments to the branches. I love that the roots are included!!

2. Gallina Rabbit - I also plan to add a couple of brass bunny ornaments to the arrangement.

3. Vintage 1960’s Japanese Ceramic Egg Cups - This set of four ceramic egg cups are shaped like single tulips and are so darling. I would pair it with:

4. Svenskt Tenn’s Eggwarmer Tulpaner - Perfect for covering a single egg in an egg cup to keep it warm.

5. Rush Chair Pad - After spying a “not for sale” set of rush chair pads in Sag Harbor a few summers ago, I have continuously been on the hunt for something similar, until I went antiquing in the Hudson Valley and found gorgeous ones at Pidgin. I’ve felt for long now that these would make for great accents on our Rainer Daumiller pine dining chairs.

6. Peony Napkin - A perfect print. I would consider the tablecloth too.

7. Chinese Hand-Painted Tulip Vase

8. Tory Burch Lettuce Ware Card Holders - I’m not the biggest fan of name cards when hosting at the table, but I do love a printed menu. With the right paperweight, these lettuce ware card holders could be perfect.

9. Rooster Butter Dish - I’ve searched across the entire Internet for similar looking butter dishes and none come close to this one.

10. Set of 6 Goti de Fornase Murano Glass Tumblers - In blue millefiori.

11. Oiseau Salad Plate - The scalloped eyelet border!!

12. Vintage Aux Au Provence

This edition of Studio Rec features everything that is currently in my shopping cart, across the wide internet, that I haven’t hit purchase on just yet. It’s short and curated.

From Etsy:

• I’ve been eyeing this Embroidered Suzani Kilim Rug with a colorful fish motif. I feel it would be perfect in our children’s room. I know my daughter would love spying fish below her feet. The rug feels playful, but storied and sophisticated too.

• Sec of Florence Silver 925 Picture Frames. Some of my favorite silver frames were sourced from Italian flea markets. This Etsy shop is a great alternative source when shopping online.

• Turns out Maurice Sendak’s Little Bear toys are quite the investment in the resale world. My daughter is obsessed with Little Bear and when trying to find related toys, all I could find were expensive collectibles. Until I came across this carved wooden set on Etsy.

• A buttery yellow fringed scarf.

• In continuing my collection, this set of 7 Noritake Ireland “Pursuit” cups and saucers is high on my list, as I have one cup and saucer from the collection currently.

• Vintage Crayola Collectors Tin from the 90’s. A perfect tin for storing children’s art supplies. Our collection of crayons doubles by the day.

From Ebay:

• A vintage Nicholas Mosse ceramic mug. I love the hen motif on this one, but the floral one is just as good.

From Marketplace:

• In all honesty, our dog Basil will likely have zero interest in this custom Robert Kime Dog Bed (she’s more of a sofa dog), but it is too chic to pass up on. It is a great floor cushion, and if your dog happens to use it consider it an added bonus.

• A Royal Doulton Bunnykins set from the 1970’s. This ceramic set is so darling.

• A perfect cream and red color combo featured in these “vintage” tea towels that simultaneously claim to be brand new. I love Marketplace descriptions.

• Vintage Metal Nespresso Machine in the silkiest, buttercream color.

From Auction:

• Harry A. Hilbert Baskets from Wilton, CT, late 20th century.

From The Real Real:

• Giorgio Armani Wool/Cashmere Twin Set (for $36!)

• Etro Wool Paisley Print Scarf

• Dries Van Noten Silk Shawl

• Maria McManus Button-Up Shirt (All of my best button-ups are from Maria McManus- no one does it better) This white one is a great updated classic.

I’ve always wanted to pursue the education of color, beyond what my eye simply identifies. Color is so deeply nuanced, and extremely difficult to get right without a profound understanding.

In the meantime, I’ve settled for building a grand reference for color, from which I pull from when trying to just get it right. Below are all of the peculiar places I’ve sourced color from.

Etel Adnan’s practice with color

“I discovered that color was the manifestation, the expression, of the will to power of matter. So there—color. Color is an affirmation of presence so strong that it’s almost alive, almost human. There’s a power in color.”

Few understood color combinations as intimately as Etel Adnan once did. Perhaps it makes a case for natural-born intuition triumphing technical training in some cases.

In an interview with Laure Adler for The Paris Review Adnan explained, “What’s beautiful, too, is the mixing of color. Since I had no formal training in art, no one taught me how to marry colors. Painter friends told me, “You’re not supposed to mix these colors, you’re not supposed to juxtapose them. How do you dare do that?” Because no one told me not to do it. I don’t see why I couldn’t. They have preconceived ideas. Mixing colors is very engaging because you witness the birth of a new color. It’s really a birth, like a child arriving. You put in a particular red, you put in a white, and you have a pink that you’ve never seen before and that helps with the following stage. I play by ear, as they say.”

Elena Ferrante’s L’amica Geniale Ending Credits on HBO

Luis Barragán houses in Mexico City

Barragan notoriously played with color and light, using light as a supporting character to the vibrant leads he worked with. We recently referenced this play when designing a residential project in Park Slope.

A Dictionary of Color Combinations

The best source for color combination inspiration. We have three copies of this book throughout our studio and are constantly referencing it, bookmarking combinations and translating pages into our day to day work.

Gammarelli Socks

It’s not new news, but Roman shop Gammarelli, the official tailor to the Vatican, has really great socks. I have the Cardinal red socks and the Bishop violet socks. A few years ago while designing the RIXO pop-up in Nolita, we referenced my pair of Bishop violet and paint-matched in order to get the right shade of purple for the fitting rooms.

Chanel 440 Arthur

Nearly ten years ago, one sticky hot afternoon of summer, I was in a design meeting in a street-facing conference room on Canal Street. As the Creative Director of a forming marketing agency, I was sitting in on a branding presentation of the agency’s potential logo, brand color, primary and secondary fonts, and other nuances.

While the founder knew they wanted red as the brand color, none of the presented colors were fully landing. Hours were passing and the temperature inside was rising. I pulled out a Chanel lipstick I had in my bag. 440 Arthur. It was and still is (though sadly discontinued) one of my favorite shades of poppy red.

The designer held on to my lipstick after the meeting and ended up color matching it to achieve what became to be the marketing agency’s brand color.

People!

The best source for unexpected color combinations, always.

On the coffee cups I’ve collected, the stories they hold, and where I acquired them (most are vintage and some can still be sourced!).

Last summer, I purchased a set of four Richard Ginori 1735 coffee cups and saucers from the discontinued “Boboli Gardens” Collection. I came across them on Marketplace and picked them up in Brooklyn one weekend while Adalberto was in Spain.

Nearly eight months pregnant with our second child, I was increasingly sentimental and hosted a nostalgic fragility that was eager to crack at the sight of an old photograph or the listen of a song. A silly old listing on Marketplace lassoed me emotional.

The Boboli Gardens, and Florence, Italy in general, carry a weighted prominence in my life. It is the city where Adalberto and I met at just twenty-one years old, at a karaoke bar in front of Santa Croce. It is the city we returned to to celebrate our daughter Alba’s first birthday. I wept from atop Piazzale Michelangelo while showing her the city that quietly, unassumingly harbored the soft pages of the story that would eventually lead to her.

The pattern of Ginori’s “Boboli Gardens” first debuted in 1998 and ran until 2005. The lattice detailing on the saucers call for memories of the trellises that encouraged the growth of flowers throughout the garden. Roses colored in the most perfect shade of pink I have ever seen. The grass sprinkled with four-leaf clovers. If you were lucky enough to find one. The bees that circled the benches where I used to sit, wanting to say hello, even if I didn’t feel like it.

Though this collection from Ginori is discontinued, you can find options in the resale market. Ebay has a great inventory. Search term: “Ginori Boboli Gardens”

I received a set of these blue and white country toile espresso cups and saucers from my mother three birthdays ago. She had found them while antiquing. Along the grassy aisles of The Elephant’s Trunk flea market in New Milford, Connecticut, her pursuit halted at the sight of this sweet little collection in pristine condition. The bottom is stamped “Japan.”

She still kicks herself for not having purchased the cream and sugar set that was for sale along with it. I continue to hear about this “mistake” over the phone at least once a season.

This mug and saucer is the latest recruit to my collection. While, I wouldn’t dare abandon espresso, I am curious about matcha. Mainly for its rep as a more steady, sustainable (speaking to energy spikes) caffeine option. A matcha latte calls for larger cups than I have in my home. I haven’t found a matcha mug that truly suited my style. Many feel as though they are trying to replicate centuries of craftsmanship boiled down to a mass produced, watered-down version. I changed course and settled on a mug that felt more me.

Enter Keltcraft, a line of stoneware made in Ireland by Noritake. The “Pursuit” collection depicts an English countryside scene. Though this collection is discontinued, there are ample options across Etsy and Ebay alike in which you could purchase pieces from the collection. Search term: “Keltcraft Noritake Pursuit”

Last Christmas, my mom walked into the dining room from the kitchen, carrying a petite mug filled with water for Alba. Glowing with pride, she explained that this was my cup from when I was child. In the kitchen cabinet sat a second identical mug, that belonged to my sister when she was a child.

At the end of the Christmas holiday, before driving back to Brooklyn, my mom wrapped up both mugs and gave them to me. A transfer of possession. A continuation of memories to be had. This is something she has been doing randomly since I started having children- slowly releasing pieces from her personal maternal archive, sending them onward to gain their generational patina.

Admittedly, I have not given these to my daughter just yet, as I’ve happily embraced reusing them myself. They’re familiar and comforting, in a way that I don’t remember, but just feel.

Last January, Albe and I traveled to Paris. We visited the Paul Bert Serpette antique market in Paris Saint-Ouen. It was a freezing, rainy afternoon. Though severely, improperly dressed, we determinedly walked the entire market. Our bones cold, we hopped into stalls that appeared to have electric heaters, browsing to buy time in warming ourselves.

I eventually stumbled onto these miniature espresso cups and saucers and thought they would be the perfect souvenir to bring home to Alba.

From the moment her little hands were able to grab things, she has been imitating us drinking our espresso. Carefully carrying the saucer in one hand, while throwing her head back with a pretend (and very dramatic) gulp from the cup in the other hand.

Every morning, it has since become a habit, to not just make an espresso for the both of us, but a third, delivered on a tray for Alba to “cin cin” together.

Adalberto and I were living in Europe at the time we decided to move to New York. Me, returning home. Albe, signing up for a completely unprecedented experience in a country he’d never visited. Nearly three years had passed living between Milan, Venice and Portugal and we were in pursuit of our next address.

We traveled to Napoli to request a visa for Albe to be granted travel to the U.S. We were twenty-four years old, navigating pressures in our relationship most don’t experience at that age.

It was the day before the interview at the American consulate and Albe’s passport still hadn’t arrived from Cuba. Without it, no interview. Upon receiving tracking information that it would arrive that day, Albe ran downstairs and grabbed a plastic chair belonging to the cafe below the apartment we were renting. He propped it outside our building’s door and sat outside for the entire day, fearing to miss the delivery courier. Under a veil of thick, southern heat he waited. I came downstairs for an espresso next door while passing the time with him.

It had arrived. And it was a miracle.

Later that evening, while navigating through the city, I stopped by a street vendor who was selling espresso cups. I purchased two for 5€.

On the morning of the consulate interview, I awoke to prepare breakfast. The stove clicked patiently until the flame ignited. I placed the moka pot on the burner and watched the heat form a layer of steam swiftly blanketing the base.

When the moka purred, I poured the espresso into my newly acquired Napoli cups. Our good luck charms! I told Albe.

I have the fondest memories of our time in Napoli and I still have my espresso cups. Now they’re a little chipped, a bit worn, but still full of character- much like the city. Our lucky city. The city that gave two kids a chance. The city that gave me these espresso cups. Cups I still drink from on mornings when I am in particular need of a bit of higher luck.

This set arrived carefully bubble-wrapped in a suitcase from Veneto to Brooklyn. Albe’s teenage cousin from Italy had come to spend two weeks of summer in New York with us. His mother sent him with this hand-painted set for me.

From the moment I first met Albe’s Tia Tamara we shared a language for vintage and antiques. A language that was not English, Spanish, nor Italian. Rather a dialect of admiration and appreciation for storied things.

We would visit antique and flea markets on the first Sunday of the month in neighboring cities, losing hours on end to the thrill of the find. She would help negotiate for me, until I was confident enough to do so myself, in Italian.

Even today, when I visit, we find ourselves visiting a few antique shops, and if timing aligns, a market. And when we’re not in the same country, we send each other our finds on Whatsapp.

Espresso cups are a safe souvenir for me. Something most cities offer. Something I know I will hold on to for a very long time. Something I know I will interact with daily.

A few years ago, while visiting Oaxaca, Mexico, I was on high alert for ceramic espresso cups. On the very last night, on our way to dinner in town, I passed a shop that called my attention. The shop was Kun. We hurriedly rushed inside, knowing it would make us late to our reservation.

The shop was closing but stayed open just long enough to allow for a speedround of procuring. Sometimes a little bit of pressure gives such a thrill to shopping. You become more decisive. The experience more exciting.

I selected these beautiful, ceramic espresso cups with fish painted on them. I purchased a set of two.

Once back in New York I regretted not having purchased more. I connected with the shop owner Silvia on Whatsapp and asked if she could send four more additional cups. She had four specially made and packed them in her suitcase, as she serendipitously had an upcoming trip to New York booked.

I’ve continued to purchase pieces from Kun via Whatsapp (Silvia will send me photos and videos of her shop when she gets something new). When designing and styling a heritage-focused flagship in SoHo, I reached out to Sylvia and placed many pieces from her shop on the walls and organically hand-shaped niches throughout the store.

It makes me smile, having a random connection to a small store in Oaxaca and reminds me how much of a gift travel is in creating relationships and finding originality.

This set is one of my firsts and favorites. Our friend’s mother, Eva, is a ceramist in Stockholm, Sweden and designed this incredible collection of “tattooed porcelain” inspired by the sea.

One of my previous jobs brought me to Stockholm quite often. During one of my first visits, while staying at her home, Eva brought me to the nearby Skroten Café. We had a very Swedish lunch (Toast Skagen) and chatted for hours.

Bellies full and caffeinated, I took a passeggiata in the form of browsing the cafe’s shop, which included ceramics from Eva’s brand, By Mutti. It was a period of time where I was traveling excessively, and the home at last sailor memento struck a cord. The perfect souvenir.

The collection is timeless and I look forward to adding to mine, piece by piece.

One afternoon, a friend wrote me with the encouragement to write a letter sharing organizational tips for children’s belongings. Upon giving it more thought I realized that organization is something most moms, myself included, often seek out in a home with children. As a mother, when so much is out of your control, organization creates balance, a veil (albeit a sheer one) of order, which in turn, feels reassuring. And when said organization feels like you’ve figured out a hack, it’s triumphant.

More often than not, nurseries and children’s rooms are where an abundance of time, thought and coordinated detail is shared in our residential projects. In residences with additional space, clients often jump to designate an entire room as a playroom for their children. Though I see the appeal, what I’ve learned through my own experiences is that children want to be where you are. Even if playing independently, they gravitate towards you. They want to play with their toys on the rug at your feet. Read a book alongside you on the sofa. Color at the table where you are having your morning espresso. Cook in the kitchen while you too are there preparing dinner.

This is why I prefer to focus on portable organization systems. And that’s especially where baskets come into play.

Baskets are one of the most interior-complimentary tools for organizing. They look beautiful in a room, as if they’re meant to be there, and can easily be brought about to different rooms of the home.

Baskets are also professional stand-ins at hiding the mess. I try to categorize the play by making one basket home to wooden blocks and animals, one home to taxis, buses and trucks, another for stuffed animals, another for books and a big miscellaneous one (an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink one if you will). I have baskets in all different sizes that I’ll rotate into rooms with different series of toys. Lorena Canals has some quirky themed baskets that are really fun for kids, like their chicken basket, truck baskets, jam jar basket and Dachshund basket.

Repurposing beautiful tins is another great way to categorize and organize toys. I have a Scandinavian holiday cookie tin that I use for Alba’s Maileg bunnies and accessories. Maileg has great tiny tins that I like to use for a few crayons on the go (say, in a restaurant with Alba), or to hold her Yoto audio cards.

I also adore vintage footstools. They offer a discreet alternative to toys and crafts storage. They’re dynamic in that they 1) look great in a room decoratively-speaking 2) pose as a fun seat for little ones and 3) tuck away toys in a really engaging way (my two year old appreciates the element of surprise).

There are an abundance of vintage footstools you can find via the likes of Etsy, Ebay, auctions, or by simply antiquing around the outskirts of the city. They’re generally quite affordable and can be easily recovered with a different textile- no need to bring it to an upholster, just get yourself an electric staple gun.

Functional furniture is so valued when you co-sign to have toddlers as your long-standing roommates. Daphne Javitch of Doing Well offered a tip so in a league of its own, it’ll have you questioning what sport you thought you were playing.

Daphne Javitch, Intergrative Health Coach & Founder of Doing Well

Organizational Systems of Choice: We store toys in [my partner] Pali’s beautiful built-ins and use lots of baskets

Holy Grail: The Kitchen Drawer

“My most valuable tip I have is to keep some kids clothes in a kitchen drawer! We don’t have to go back to their room to get them dressed for school, which makes for an easier transition.”

Author’s Note: This tip lends itself to baby and early toddlerhood too, creating total convenience when your child is having a particularly messy mealtime- just change their clothes right there in the kitchen and keep the mess in one place.

A storage ottoman is arguably one of the more chic hiding spots for children’s toys, and definitely one of the most functionally diverse pieces you could have in your home. I recently visited Lauren Williams Russett’s (of Studio Solenne) townhome and was immediately taken by how inviting the design of her home was, with a palette consistently woven throughout all mediums that was both playfully unpretentious, yet incredibly sophisticated. Lauren’s home is like a candy shoppe for the eyes- everywhere is a treat. The glass-blown colorful hardware on the kitchen cabinetry. The petite flush mounts above the island. The perfectly proportioned upholstered ottoman.

Lauren Williams Russett, Founder of Studio Solenne

Organizational System of Choice: Vintage woven baskets

“For toys that are used more frequently, I store them in various vintage woven baskets that fit around the room. I found mine at our local antique shop, Yesterday’s News, and I would happily reuse them in the future for blankets or decorative items - they are gorgeous.”

Holy Grail: Storage Ottoman

“The best thing I did for my family room was get a fully upholstered storage ottoman. This bad boy is really checking all the boxes: The most obvious is that it stores most toys totally out of sight (and is especially good for all the little random ones that don’t necessarily have a place). It’s a quick clean up - just throw it in and slam it shut. It also serves as a great place to incorporate toy rotation (so my kid sort of forgets these toys exist, and then they’re like new when they reappear). I firmly believe you don’t always need to shop in the kids section for this type of thing, which is why I think this room doesn’t feel like it’s just a playroom for my daughter.

Since I knew this piece would serve a major function, I ended up going the custom route - getting the perfect size and in my choice of fabric. I had it made via The House Upstairs in the UK.”

One of the most creative people I know is Designer & Visual Artist, Jessica Vitucci Penagos. I would dare to argue that her creativity has somehow amplified since becoming a mom to two, and is a trait that is undoubtedly manifesting its legacy through her children. She is someone I consistently turn to for creative play ideas.

Jessica Vitucci Penagos, Designer & Visual Artist

Organizational Systems of Choice: Thrifted baskets, vessels, and under-bed storage

“Thrifted baskets and wooden bowls are great for pretend play, or to hold wooden toys and plushes. I always have textile baskets around, with flatweaves, doilies, cotton napkins and table cloths. We’ll throw colorful silk over baskets that are full of random toys for less visual clutter.”

Holy Grail: Vintage footstools

Simply put, no one does baskets like basket extraordinaire, Erin Jennie Pollard, of Underwater Weaving Studio. Woven baskets are already a pillar fixture throughout Erin’s home, and so organizing her son’s dinos, legos, arts & crafts in baskets is decoratively seamless.

Erin Jennie Pollard, Founder of Underwater Weaving Studio

Organizational System of Choice: Baskets, obviously.

“I’m partial to pack baskets for kids, because they can hang on a hook, or on the floor.”

Holy Grail: Baskets, obviously.

Luisa Falco, Brand Director of If Only If Nightwear

Organizational Systems of Choice: Baskets (Toast has great ones), Vintage Storage Tables and Crates

Holy Grail: Totes!

“I use an old straw bag for my daughter’s laundry. Aykasa folding crates are amazing for medicines. Lastly, don’t underestimate the trusty L.L. Bean tote! My daughter loves putting things in and taking things out.”

Organizing arts & crafts in an accessible way is so encouraging for independent play. The more autonomy my daughter feels she has with grabbing what she wants to create with in that moment gives her a lot of independence.

The dining table centerpiece tip is one of the most cleverly intentional ideas I’ve picked up from of .

Christene Barberich, Writer of

Organizational System of Choice: Interesting vessels

Holy Grail: The Dining Table Centerpiece

“One thing I like to do is make our dining table centerpiece a station for art supplies. That way drawing and collaging becomes more available to all of us on a regular basis.

IKEA always has the best patterned oversized trays that I switch out regularly. I also use oversized silver trays that I find at thrift stores. I find that when I keep art supplies in tidy and cool vessels my daughter favors them over screentime.”

Standing screens are masters of trickery when it comes to beautifully concealing areas of the home. They’re discreet and intriguing. Partitioning part of the crib with a divider is such a smart design trick I gained from Photographer and Art Director, Jenna Saraco. It offers an elevated room accent (especially when incorporating textiles), while moonlighting as a privacy screen for your little one to help them fall asleep without distraction.

Jenna Saraco, Photographer & Art Director

Organizational System of Choice: Woven bins

Holy Grail: Standing screen

Henrietta Rix, Co-Founder & CEO of RIXO

Organizational System of Choice: Utilizing shelves with baskets and bins

Holy Grail: Kitchen banquette with toy storage

Georgina Duarte, Senior Jewelry Designer at Tory Burch

Organizational System of Choice: Varied baskets

Holy Grail: Art Supply Board

“I was inspired by my neighbor Tuli. She has a similar setup and always has such great ideas for her kids’ room. [My daughter] loves to draw, so I like offering her a few different markers, colored pencils and crayons to (hopefully!) spark a few minutes of independent play.”

When we were approached by London-based clothing brand, RIXO to design their debut New York City pop-up in Nolita, I excitedly proclaimed how aligned this collaboration felt and rambled on about a discontinued dress of theirs that has ceased to escape my mind since its launch several years ago. (One of my favorite books as a child was Put Me in the Zoo by Robert Lopshire and Albe is convinced that this dress hits a nostalgic nerve for me). The dress, I was told, coincidentally enough, would be re-launched from the archive, specifically at the New York location, in celebration of the pop-up. This would be the basis of our design, I immediately conceived.

We played heavily on the motifs offered by one of their most iconic dresses. When conceptualizing the design of the store facade we added adhesive vinyls reminiscent of arched stained glass windows (similar to those you would find in Havana, Cuba- our designer in Cuba referenced stained glass IRL) and recreated the print of RIXO’s Gio dress to crowd the corners and carry inward.

In further emphasizing the Gio print, I happened across this art piece up for auction in Palm Beach, Florida, immediately bidding. The similarity felt like kismet. We framed this piece and hung it at the center of the store behind the cash counter.

From the moment the keys of the space were handed over to us, to the moment RIXO hosted their official inaugural opening was a total span of 3 weeks time- arguably one of the shortest timelines we’ve ever designed up against.

The project required lots of international FaceTime calls with the RIXO team and a Whatsapp group populated with auction bid requests and time-sensitive flea market finds. Since we had just three weeks to furnish the space, we exclusively sourced local finds, as the timeline was too short for shipping. We even worked with a local curtain shop in Dumbo to create the dressing room curtains with fabric we sourced from Mood in Midtown, as ordering curtains online was not an option.

The previous store had dressed the entire space with horizontal wood planks throughout. The RIXO team sent their preferred wallpaper and tiling from London to offer a subtle similarity by way of reference point back to their flagship store in the U.K.

We passed several rounds of conceptualizing the right color for the back space of the store. In the end we landed on a very specific plum hue that was a direct reference to a pair of Bishops socks I have from the Vatican’s preferred tailor in Rome.

The RIXO team connected with Zach from Heirloom in Brooklyn in search of rugs for the space. Zach has a gifted eye for curating the most decadent, rare floor coverings. We decided on an antique Chinese deco rug and a quirky, sunburst-like round rug.

We sourced all furniture locally. A pair of bamboo accent chairs from Marketplace. Wicker chairs from the Fritz Hansen New York showroom. A coffee table from ZZ Driggs. An antique wooden jewelry display counter from Hudson, NY, that we used as a cash wrap. A rattan hutch from Marketplace.

We sourced and layered decorative sprinkles that felt true to the brand’s identity throughout the space. From dried coral branches, Murano glass candies, rattan woven fish, vintage Holiday magazines to swirled candy glass carafes, the space called to be discovered, every little detail.

It was our fastest-paced interior design project to date and a ride we would happily be passengers on again. With the timing constraints needing the process to be exclusively localized, it felt as though the best of New York came onto this project, and in turn, 19 Prince Street very much stands to me as a love letter to the city.

I was invited by to attend The Ticking Tent- the brocantes-style market that pops up twice a year in different locations. This season’s market was hosted in Bedford. I drove up for an autumn afternoon of antique sourcing & inspiration seeking and decided to whip up a visual recap of what I saw.

This was my first time attending The Ticking Tent and the turnout was undoubtedly abundant. I took multiple laps throughout the market, weaving in and out of the crowds, each lap happening upon something I couldn’t see in the previous one.

Decorative pillows were easy enough to come by when visiting most vendors. Above were some of my favorites. I particularly fell for the Pierre Frey Greuze pillows from Trove, but didn’t end up purchasing them. There are some options available on Etsy to buy. The Barns by Ali Mahon featured a pair of beautiful tapestry cushions.

As usual, I am always drawn to textiles first when shopping and noticed some really great ones during the trip. Forbes Hill Textiles had Suzani throw blankets for $500 that were art in and of itself. Antique American quilts appeared as indiscreetly as Martha Stewart did upon arriving. Floral chintz fabrics, block-printed textiles and vintage Fortuny made its way around the market on several occasions.

I ended up purchasing a sweet, little footstool with an original floral Chintz cushion from Sam Bowman and Nick Olsen. I was drawn to its pillowy, plushness by way of the cushion.

Since arriving home with it, it has made for a favored seat by my two year old and a very comfortable foot rest, as verified by Albe.

Very much inspired to plant Paperwhite Bulbs in a cachepot to style indoors. Strengthening my not-very-there green thumb is high on my list as I casually explore the layers and nuances of landscape architecture.

Everything I Wore During My Entire Pregnancy
These are the outfits I rotated constantly throughout the different stages of my pregnancy. They’re not maternity-specific, so they have a longer shelf-life beyond the shelf-life your bump holds for you.

Unexpected Hospital Bag Must

We’ve had these Audo Copenhagen Portable Torso Table Lamps for years and we always find ourselves purchasing more. We’ve recommended them for nearly every project we’ve worked on too. They don’t look like most portable lamps, but rather like a true, smaller-scaled table lamp. They’re dimmable and add the warmest glow to any space. These lamps look particularly perfect when styled on a bookshelf, but are surprisingly welcomed in a hospital interior as well.

We brought ours to the hospital when giving birth to our daughter a couple years ago and kept all the lights in the hospital room off, except for these, to create a really soft, warm environment. We brought them again this time around when giving birth to our son too.

For both births, one lamp inevitably broke each time, repetitiously creating some sort of right of passage, that I ultimately interpreted as a sign of good luck and new beginnings- like breaking a plate in Greek culture.

Nursery

My favorite newborn bassinet is the Babybjorn Baby Cradle. It’s super lightweight, so very easy to move between rooms. The design is pretty minimal too, so it just melts into the background of a room, versus acting like a standout piece of furniture. The legs also have some bounce to them, allowing you to soothe your baby while in the bassinet.

Both times around, we repurposed small chests of drawers as changing tables, versus buying dedicated changing tables. It allowed us to customize the size and style much more than the readily available ones. For our daughter, we used a burled wood three-drawer chest of drawers and for our son, we repurposed an antique chest of drawers I found upstate New York while antiquing with my mom. Both topped with the Nyla Changing Basket.

I love keeping up with my family’s tradition of a dedicated baby blanket for each child that serves as a keepsake they can have for their children one day. I have my mother’s baby blanket, and my baby blanket. While in Paris, we purchased the French Versailles Quilt from Caramel for our daughter. In general, I love the children’s pillows and bedding from Caramel. For our son, I have been eyeing a baby quilt in the Coromandel Coast print from Les Indiennes.

Lisa Corti makes punchy, vibrant baby quilts that decoratively embellish any room.

Janie Kruse Garnett makes the most chic baby bedding (amongst other things!). The Lamartine Garden crib sheet in Racing Green has been a favorite for years.

I have an ever growing collection of baskets that float throughout our apartment, carrying different purposes. I use baskets as clothing hampers, toy bins (more on toddler toy organization another time!), additional diapers and burp cloths, swaddle blankets. You name it, and I have a basket for it.

The Babybjorn Bouncer is an essential (it even has a long shelf life with my toddler who loves to sit in it as a chair and bounce up and down like she’s on the back of a horse). I have been eyeing the Binibamba Milk Snuggler to use on top of the bouncer in the colder months, for maximum cosiness. Minicoton makes adorable covers for the bouncer too.

From the Favorites

From my favorites folder on Etsy live these vintage glass semi-flush mounts with children motifs fit for any nursery or toddler’s bedroom.

I really love Minicoton’s bedding. This particular Camomile print is my favorite, and I would purchase anything and everything in this print!!

Charco Kids is a Spanish clothing brand I really adore. They mix a lot of textiles in their garments, playing with different prints and patterns. I love that they create unexpected combinations that don’t necessarily read as common children’s clothing. They have really sweet doll clothing too!

I love these slippers from Folk Loore and am constantly purchasing Cienta Mary Janes in the next size up. Vibi Venezia Mary Janes are also always on rotation.

I’m really looking forward to purchasing these Gingham bubble pants from Etsy. In general, I buy a lot of children’s clothing (or birthday hats) from Etsy. This year our daughter’s Halloween costume (she’s going as her favorite book, Goodnight Moon) came from Etsy. For her 2nd birthday, I ordered this seersucker birthday dress that had embroidered chickens holding balloons on it.

Lorena Canals has adorable children’s items for the home. She does quirky animal baskets (I love the chicken) and sweet cushions and poufs. In particular, I’m excited to eventually create a custom rug with them- if you upload your toddler’s artwork, they turn it into a small area rug.

One morning while visiting my parents on Long Island, Albe and I sat down at the breakfast table in the kitchen for an espresso. We were leaving the following morning on a flight to Florida to visit my mother-in-law. I checked my emails while waiting for my espresso to cool. Our flight had been cancelled, with no resolution offered.

A bit superstitious (likely the Italian in me), I took this as an offering to revise our plans. With certainty, I decided in that moment that we were simply not meant to fly this time around. By the time I finished sipping my espresso, we had concocted an itinerary for a multi-day road trip from New York to Florida, and back. For the next 24 hours my parents observed our chaotic idea manifest itself to reality, as the thrill of this ideated adventure grew for the both of us. We rented a car, booked a couple of bed & breakfasts, and devoted hours to researching food hits along the route we would be taking.

The following morning, we picked up our rental car and headed south, before the sun could even whisper good morning. On the ride down we listened to audio books together (we finished Matthew McConaughey’s Green Light) and talked about more topics than a variety show could offer. We stopped in Virginia at ZZQ - a slow smoked barbecue spot with Central Texan influence.

Eventually we arrived in Charleston and checked in at the John Rutledge House- the c. 1763 historic home-turned-Inn, of once Governor, considered Founding Father and signer of the United States Constitution, John Rutledge. For hours, we walked the charming streets of Charleston, noting the architecture and design of the many historic homes, before happening upon FIG with the utmost blind delusion to ask for a table in the moment. We were seated at the communal table, likely due to the persuasive combination of “It’s our anniversary! We just arrived to town, driving all the way from New York! We’re here for ONE.NIGHT.ONLY!” With content tummies and cheeks warm from wine, we slowly walked home, witnessing Charleston in quite literally different light- through compelling shadows and warmly lit windows offering curious intrigue, yet with the distance of a closed door.

After several recharging days in Florida, that not only felt slow, but truly paused, we reunited with the road for our descent home. We stopped in Savannah, Georgia and checked into The Gastonian- a Bed & Breakfast set in two adjoining Regency-Italianate mansions, built in 1868. We decided to take a historic house tour at the Mercer-Williams House- an 1800’s home designed by New York architect John S. Norris for General Hugh W. Mercer. The home was later residence to James A. Williams, one of Savannah’s earliest private preservationists. Walking through the rooms hosting 18th and 19th century furniture and portraiture, collections of Chinese export porcelain that had been found preserved at the bottom of the ocean in a shipwreck and curiosities and objects (like a Jade horse resting on a fireplace mantel that I still think about) from all over the world awakened a dormant creativity in me that felt intoxicating. This historic house tour would eventually be a contributing influence that pivoted my entire career.

We dined at Husk, an ingredient-driven Southern fare restaurant in a landmarked mansion and walked Savannah by night, stopping at The Olde Pink House for drinks in the tavern. The 1771 house offered imagination with a side of haunting (I admittedly was too chicken to use the bathroom in the vaulted basement alone for fear of ghosts and made Albe join). The next morning we rose before the sky-covered curtain of a new day lifted and we got on the road. The host met us in the kitchen with baked provisions in a brown paper bag for our trip.

The drive home to New York from Savannah was the toughest, but reflectively, the most transcendent. The thrill faded. The buzz wore off. The road felt long and familiar. In between listening to stand up comedy acts, Albe and I challenged each other on deeper topics and more weighted conversations.

It had been a very transitional year for us. My father was diagnosed with a rare cancer ten months prior. The news shook the foundation of our family, and cracked the pillar that is my father. At the same time, our apartment in Brooklyn Heights welcomed a ceiling leak in the bedroom that had us sleeping on the floor in our living room between our sofa and partially under our dining table for weeks. With the weighted news of my father, and the conditions of our apartment, we packed up all of our belongings in 48 hours, put it in storage and moved back in with my parents on Long Island, to be with my family during the period of operations, radiation and chemotherapy treatments that awaited us.

Work had never been busier. As an in-house Creative Director, I was producing campaigns on a near-monthly basis. I would often drive to the Upper East Side to hug my father before an operation and then drive downtown to a studio set to direct a campaign for 12+ hours at hand. I was beginning to feel the early onset symptoms of creative fatigue and a resentment towards repetition was brewing.

I began reflecting on the elements that felt electric in my work and the environments I felt I thrived in. I adored storytelling. I think I always have. I grew increasingly aware that I perform best in sprints. Project-based universes that I could throw myself entirely into. I appreciated a start and a finish line to the creative race of producing a body of work.

When we decided to move back to Brooklyn Heights, we moved into an apartment that for the first time, felt like an adult apartment. It felt like a space we could grow into for years, and we did. With this, the process of decorating the apartment was so much more invigorating than decorating our other apartments, that often felt temporary, with an expiration date looming over each design decision.

What about interiors? I catapulted the idea over to Albe in the car to see if it would land or ricochet. Albe, a Venetian-trained architect working for a high-end residential firm in SoHo at the time, absorbed it carefully and mindfully. It landed. Driving through Washington D.C., we dreamt up scenarios of teaming up together, designing interiors that felt inspiring, that represented the equal sum of both of our varying influences.

My mother was a stay-at-home mom, but had aspirations of becoming an Interior Designer. Once my sisters and I were in middle and high school, she decided to go to university for Interior Design. My grandmother, a vice president of a bank in Connecticut at the time, decided to enroll in school with my mother, so that she would have a classmate. With my grandmother’s enrollment, my mother was no longer the oldest student in class. Every Monday morning, my Grammie drove from Connecticut, to attend class with my mom. I still have her notebooks with her notes, furniture sketches and folders of worksheets she studied during her courses.

The idea of diving into the deep end of this industry felt like some sort of a homecoming to the lineage of women in my family. Each of them got closer than the other to their hope of working in the world of interiors. I would be picking up where they left off, vowing to get a little farther than they.

When we arrived back to New York, we made a dire stop at my parents house again. I ran downstairs and shoveled through boxes, grabbing with both arms, textbooks, workbooks, notebooks and folders from my mother and grandmother’s classes. This would be my first school.

Then I began researching actual schools. Albe convinced me not to focus so intently on the technical training that school would ultimately offer. Becoming too technical can divert your natural, intuitive eye. Try to preserve that. He would advise. Instead, I decided to take abbreviated online courses from Interior Designers themselves. Afterwards, I figured my best school would the first-hand experiences (read: trying and failing and trying again) of working on projects. I persuaded my closest friend to give me the opportunity, free of charge, to design her home in Coconut Grove, Miami. Eventually, I began landing other clients and went from there.

In the end, I would work as a Creative Director for two more years, while working on interior residential projects on the side. I would give birth to a daughter who would give me an opportunity to be reborn in ways I could never have imagined, ultimately instilling an unwavering, new-found confidence in me that would allow for a certain readiness to commit full-time to interiors.

I will always carry a petite character of imposter-syndrome in my pocket with me throughout my process. There will always be someone more trained than I, someone with more experience, someone who knows more technical terms and descriptive periods, someone who has memorized the correct height of a nightstand and can recite the dimensions of bed sizes without hesitation.

At a holiday cocktail party last winter, an Interior Designer passionately disclosed her distaste for Interior Decorators to me in conversation, demoting their profession as less skillful, less qualified, less able. I sunk a bit deeper into the leather Percival Lafer sofa I was sitting on. Am I an Interior Decorator? Can she read the words “NOT FORMALLY TRAINED” tattooed on my forehead? I blushed and smiled politely, with little to offer to the conversation.

Eventually, for the first time in my life, my search yearning for a title halted. I have an eye that is trusted to create a vision, to translate an emotion, to tell a story, to imagine a world. And that is something I hope to continue to do, in any medium, for as long as I possibly can.

During New York Fashion Week, J.Crew debuted an immersive experience, taking over the historic, former Germania Bank Building at 190 Bowery. Over the weekend, the public was invited to tour the crafted “home” of the brand, reimagining the J.Crew heritage and legacy through the lifestyle showcase of a multi-floor universe.

As with the brand’s own style, the interiors showcased a delicate ping-pong match between storied vintage and breaths of modernity- a duality I have always attributed to timelessness. You can find my guide on how to achieve timelessness and longevity in interiors, here, or read about the balance of antique and modernity through our Brooklyn Heights Showhouse participation, here.

Stripes & Florals

Stripes were prevalent- through different applications- within the home’s entirety. Whether ticking, pin, or bold, stripes always offer an air of timelessness that lightens the weight of most rooms. Take these Vintage 80’s Polo Ralph Lauren Ottomans and simply recover their rattan-resting cushions in a Dedar stripe (inspired by neckties) and you have two versatile pieces that would look chic in a study, library, or living room. This Vintage Striped Chair from Marketplace is also an incredible find.

Design tip: admittedly, I do not tap into AI very often, but I do love requesting OpenAI to reupholster vintage finds in specific fabrics to help myself or our clients better visualize the potential of something.

Alongside stripes, were also a great deal of vintage florals. When offset (pair it with something less antiquated and stuffy, for a balanced surprise) properly, I think vintage florals are incredibly charming in interiors.

Pattern Play

The space carried a lot of mixed patterns and prints without a doubt of uncertainty. Heriz ebbed with paisley and flowed with kilim.

Table Lamps

The jewelry of any room, table lamps, were a protagonist throughout the J.Crew “home” giving a lived-in warmth to each space through soft glows. The table lamps traveled through different periods, styles and cultural influences. Unexpected in their categories, pleasant surprises in their assembly.

Antique Furniture

Similarly to the table lamp approach, the furniture throughout the space presented the widest range of duality between past and present. Once more, vintage and antiques were introduced to contemporary in an intricate dance that pirouetted throughout the “home.”

In dressing up the Renaissance Revival/Beaux-Arts building, J.Crew proved the longevity of their brand through the marriage of classic, timeless design wed to a contemporary lens, in an arrangement that somehow appeals to multi-generations. Much like the patina-dipped interiors, J.Crew continues to give a lesson in wear- it just gets better with time.

Access the entire sourcing list (30 pieces) below..

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It’s been nearly a year since our studio, CASA Angulo, participated in the Brooklyn Heights Designer Showhouse. Last autumn, we were fortunately selected amongst fifteen other design firms to transform a room in an 1840s Greek Revival brick row house in historic Brooklyn Heights.

I had attended a previous Brooklyn Heights Designer Showhouse two years prior, as they occur biennially, and promised myself then that CASA would be on the participating roster for the next one. I emailed the Brooklyn Heights Association for two entire years, reminding them that we were interested.

As manifesting would have it, we were eventually told of the news that we had been selected to participate in the Showhouse. Only caveat- we had just booked a two week holiday to Italy to celebrate our daughter’s first birthday with family. This meant that of the short four weeks we were given access to the house to work, we would be out of the country for two of them. We accepted, confirmed our participation and decided our design would have to adjust to reality a bit.

I think perhaps the greatest impact our designed room had on visiting guests was the invitation to reimagine a small room and challenge the limiting beliefs of what it can hold. The before and after provoked disbelieving reactions.

Partially because I am a deeply nostalgic person, additionally because we are approaching the anniversary of the Brooklyn Heights Designer Showhouse, and because I admittedly am not great at sharing behind-the-scenes, I thought there’s no time like the present to pull back the curtain.

Upon confirming our participation, we were invited to tour the house and give our top three selections for preferred rooms. Quite immediately, I knew that I wanted the smallest room in the entire home, on the very top floor, at the end of the hall. I wanted the end result to feel very storied and layered and knew that we could confidently achieve this with a smaller space. We were also hyperaware of our approaching Italy trip that would take exactly half of our design time as collateral.

Our second visit to the house was after we received confirmation that we were assigned the room we were hoping for. We stopped by to take measurements of the space and reimagined some of our initial concepts. Though the room was small, it had incredible height and we became focused on drawing more attention to that. The crown moulding was very short for a room with such height, so much so that it felt quite disproportional.

One of our first design decisions was to extend the crown moulding and draw more attention upward to the grandiose height of the room and to revive historical details back into the space.

Our next supporting concept to enlarge the room was to paint the ceiling and crown moulding in a chocolate brown high gloss paint. We knew that the subtle reflectiveness of the high gloss would help give the illusion of a larger room.

The high gloss paint looked like rich, melted chocolate when being applied. As someone who visited Hershey Park frequently as a child, it was such a satisfying and childlike visual- sans the enveloping chocolate scent.

And this is essentially how we left our room for the next two weeks, while traveling in Italy.

At this point, the room began fully taking form as a Venetian study.

We had finalized all the moving pieces to manifest our conceptual design and were ready to return home and roll up our sleeves for the final two weeks.

Our third initiative to expand the space included dressing half of one wall in mirrors. We created nine mirrored panels and set bronzed daisy rosettes at the meeting point of each of the corners. This semi wall of mirrors reflected the single window back into the room, giving the illusion of more than one window, and much more natural light bouncing off the walls.

For window treatments, we sought after two end goals: 1. Remind visitors that they are in a historic 1840 home and 2. Further expand on the single theme of enlarging the space, both in width and in height.

We collaborated with to create custom wooden shutters, much like the ones you still find on historical brownstones, but in this particular case were removed.

Additionally, we decided on a Triple Pinch Pleat cream curtain from Wovn, with an accompanying Flat Roman Shade. We mounted the curtains just under the crown moulding (not directly above the window frame!!!).

The complementary combination of the seemingly historic wooden shutters, alongside the dramatic drapery manifested a transformative space.

For the final two weeks it felt as though we, ourselves, had moved into the space.

We were there every day, from morning to evening, accepting deliveries, overseeing installs, arranging and rearranging and arranging again. Every so often, I would peek out of the window to see Albe’s aunt walking by on an afternoon stroll with Alba and it would bring me so much comfort.

I had initially sourced this incredibly special pillow stack sofa upholstered in Missoni fabric on Marketplace. The seller’s mother worked with an interior designer decades ago to create the custom piece.

In the end, we opted for a Danish shearling sofa, as the room possessed a delicately intricate balance of vintage/antique and modern, and we were concerned the Missoni sofa in matrimony with the vintage Shiraz Persian rug would force the room into a heaviness that would be difficult to offset. I still think about this Missoni sofa a lot, so it probably was the one that got away in the end.

As a former Creative Director, the styling process is always one of my favorite points of any project. I am obsessed with the complete intentionality behind styling that so often goes perceived as serendipitously placed, if done truly masterfully.

Objects, oddities, books make up a small collective of details that have a mighty impact on a room. In my opinion, this is precisely what makes a room, furthermore a home, feel storied, interesting and lived in. It is a kind of layering that should feel as though the featured items have been collected over a lifetime, each carrying their own story.

It’s also deeply personal, which is why we decided to style our room solely with objects and books brought from our home.

Our design manifesto written for the space:

For the Designer's Studio, CASA Angulo designed a Venetian-inspired creative study, rich in textiles, objects and sentiment. CASA approached the small, rectangular room using techniques to emphasize both height and width. Working to manifest a grand and expansive reflectiveness in the room, a custom mirror with bronze floral rosettes was applied to the wall, while the ceiling and expanded crown moulding were painted in a high gloss, chocolate brown.

An antique scroll desk and empire bench added a timeless counterbalance to the modernity brought in by Audo Copenhagen, Ralph Lauren, Gino Sarfatti and Fritz Hansen. Grounding textiles manifested a weighted richness to the room through a Shiraz Persian Paisley rug layered atop a natural rug, an antique deco tapestry, and a pair of Pierre Frey reupholstered 19th century footstools.

With a great affinity and belief that objects evoke the curiosities and intrigue that feed the soul of a room, CASA infused decorative oddities and books, entirely from their personal collection, throughout the space. Murano glass eggs and woven tassels from Venice, an antique burl wood caviar dish, sat alongside glass grapes and a marbled peach passed generationally through family, adjacent to a marquetry-framed sketch of chairs, drawn by Jennifer's grandmother and an old, childhood Domino set from Havana, Cuba, carved with Adalberto's name, once his grandmother's. The objects throughout the room are intentionally placed to reflect the realism of one's own home- a collection of old and new, sentiment and nostalgia, memory and present. It is with this intent, there is a hope that each of you feel an emotion of home, or of stepping into the room of an old friend, upon entering ours.

As I write this, bursting with nostalgia (exaggerated by the autumnal whisper of wind coming through my window), I am reflective of how special this opportunity was. The participating designers and the supportive community that was born during our time at the house, the collaboration with deeply creative talent, the emphasis on the importance of Brooklyn design, the older community of Brooklyn Heights who attended the Opening Night Gala and encouraged Albe and I to make it in the neighborhood, the reminder of why I choose to live where I live, and the appreciation that I get to create with my partner, my greatest friend, everyday for a living. Gratitude is a very cool thing.

Sourcebook is meant to be a visual referential of inspiration pertaining to something that is currently inspiring us at the studio, or a subject we are deep in research in for one of our projects.

For this Sourcebook, I wanted to share visuals from The Architecture of Western Gardens that I found to be so transportive, paying closer attention to the evolution in design of Italian landscape architecture.

The Boboli Gardens on the grounds of the Pitti Palace in Florence are so sentimental to me. It’s one of the first places Albe and I visited when we first met in Florence at twenty-one years old. I recently acquired a set of four vintage Richard Ginori teacups and saucers from none-other-than Boboli Gardens collection from Marketplace, so this particular landscape has definitely been top of mind as of late.

In this month’s edition, you can expect to find a pair of Murano light fixtures for under $175, Japanese glazed pottery and porcelain, vintage Florentia Italian mirrors, a Ralph Lauren table lamp, the perfect vintage coffee table book for $20, Viennese lighting, a nostalgic decorative addition to any baby nursery, and a fantastic way to showcase your tulips.

I’ve come back to this reed loveseat numerous times. It’s particular and belongs in the right space for sure, but the combination of the reed and the floral reupholstery is just so complementary.

This recently reupholstered, vintage 1940s Edward Wormley Lounge Chair and Ottoman is a great as-is Marketplace find. The sides feel Paolo Buffa-esque. The reupholstery looks fresh- all that’s needed is a decorative accent pillow or throw to bring some layered interest.

In terms of lighting, this pair of Murano flush mounts for $160/set is a great price for a decorative addition that still feels relatively neutral. This Ralph Lauren Cerulean Blue Table Lamp, on the other hand, packs more of a punch and would love great on an end table in the corner of a room. I would consider swapping the lampshade (a great, easy DIY) for a creamy silk one, or a great red one (blue and red makes for the best couple in interiors!).

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Latest (What I’m Eyeing, What I’ve Purchased, What I’ve Noted)

• Tableware

  • Cabbage, Lettuce, Radicchio

    I’ve been on a lettuce ware kick recently and have found myself drawn to this category as of late. Tory Burch Home has always been well equipped in this category. Take this Teapot and Teacup & Saucer set, for instance.
    
    This Tiffany & Co. Cabbage Leaves Bowl for $50 has taken up residency in my saved folder on FB Marketplace.
    
    PORTA, located in Brooklyn’s historic antiques row, sells a Radicchio Serving Platter that is begging to take centerstage on any table. The matching Salt & Pepper Shaker is equally as deserving for a seat at the table.

  • Cottagecore

    shared a pair of the coziest Nicholas Mosse bowls to her Instagram recently, prompting me to run, not walk, to Ebay to browse a few options: Apple Pattern Mug Set of 2 for $50, Farm Charger Platter for $130, Cow Jug for $53, Sheep Mug and Cow Mug, both for $54 each. It reminds me a lot of my childhood Emma Bridgewater cup, that I now use an espresso cup in the mornings.

  • Vintage Tiffany & Co. Children’s Tableware

    This is quite a niche category, but my algorithm has recently thrust upon me vintage Tiffany & Co. children’s tableware and I can’t seem to now get enough. This set from Marketplace for $80 initiated the intrigue, followed by the Toys set, also for $80.
    
    Ebay has an abundance of options in this category (search: “tiffany & co baby dish set”), such as this Alphabet Bears set for $85, the Race Cars set for $69, another Toys set for $45, the Fire Station & Dalmation set for $95, or the Alphabet Bears Divided Dish set (I love a divided plate for children) for $47. The search goes on, but I limited myself to Page 1 for sanity purposes.

  • Enamel
    Enamelware has been calling more of my attention than usual recently. I’m not sure if it has to do with the fact that our nearly-two year old insists on having her morning water and Gocciole cookie served to her via one of our nicer espresso cup & saucer as if she’s dining at Marchesi in Milan, but the idea of enamel feels a) very nostalgic and b) very durable, aka toddler-friendly.
    
    Salter House has always had the best selection of enamel mugs and other enamelware. This Cream & Black Enamel Mug brings a degree of chic to its ordinarily unpresumptuous simplicity.
    
    These Marbled Enamel Green Mugs from Milan-based Casa Cabana are incredibly fun, as is the Il Pesce Enamel Cup from PORTA.

• Textiles

  • Some saved items in the textiles aisle:

    Garda Tablecloth from Casa Cabana; Rush House Original Rug (a recent discovery from ’s brilliant Substack, Charlotte’s Web); D’Ascoli Luca Linen Napkins; Rush Chair Mat from Pidgin; PORTA French Vintage Tea Towel; a myriad of accent pillows, including, Katie Leede Decorative Pillow, Svenskt Tenn Linen Cushion, Les Indiennes Coromandel Coast Small Deco Pillow, Pierre Frey Braquenie Mauresque Pillow (slightly more affordable here), Claremont’s Tree of Life Lumbar Pillow & Square Pillow, Children’s Nursery Decorative Pillow

Editor’s Note

My previous post, Antiquing Out East received a lot of engagement, and so I thought to do a follow up on that, as well as a shoppable follow up on The Art of Balance in a Room, as Told by Seasons.

Revisiting Antiquing Out East

Starting with this greatly shaped stool and cushion. A lot of you commented on the fabric, which happens to be Lisa Fine Nicobar Sky Coco. The printed linen fabric is available in three color ways. You can find beautiful pillow cushions on Etsy with this fabric.

The Tiffany & Co. Scallop Shell Placecard Holders peaked the interest of many of you, sending me down a rabbit hole of both sea-themed tableware and sterling silver/pewter table accessories.

Revisiting The Art of Balance in a Room, as told by Seasons

I recently wrote about my personal cheat sheet for harnessing the seasons as a guide to find the ideal equilibrium for a room to achieve sophistication and longevity. A guide utilizing four seasons (or categories), to ensure your room is never too much of any one thing, but rather a precisely coordinated blend of many things.

In this Editor’s Note, I sourced a small board of items (much like the boards we present to clients), featuring a little bit of autumn, winter, spring and summer. Happy Shopping!

As the Northeast Coast enters its full, encompassing swing of summer, I am reminded how my style shifts during this season. I lighten up. I look towards whimsical play. I gravitate towards pieces that entice fun. I take myself less seriously, and seek relaxed interiors to match my seasonal shift.

Talking about seasonal shifts, I recently bid obsessively on this Missoni-esque ottoman coffee table that came up for auction with DOYLE. I didn’t win, though I had already imagined how I would style it, offsetting the spirited, riviera atmosphere with a decorative tray atop that reads more sophisticated.

This shift is seasonal, though. And so, when the summer holiday mindset takes hold, I am mindful not to let it take the driver’s seat wholeheartedly- the front passenger seat will do.

I think this nuanced mindfulness applies to trends quite perfectly as well, which had me thinking further about the musical chairs in the car of balance and harmony, and how it is helpful to always know who is driving and who is a passenger.

As I thought more about this, I realized a simple way to approach the weight of design of a room is to think in terms of seasons. It’s a dumbed-down rule of thumb (I am self-taught after all, so my interior practices will always be a bit unconventional), that I’ve used to check myself when designing a room, and to ultimately guarantee that I am designing a space with longevity, not one that will feel dated or outgrown in a short span of time.

Spring. Summer. Autumn. Winter.

This is the checklist I run in my head when looking at a room holistically. I mentally categorize items into their seasonal baskets and ensure I have each season represented.

There is no formulaic equation as to what classifies a piece as a certain season, and it is, maybe, a bit hard to explain, but I just look at something and it tells me what season it is.

When decorating, I am careful to always balance a “summer” by a “winter” or an “autumn” and vice versa. Similarly to opposing an antique piece, by a closely placed more modern piece, the juxtaposition invites intrigue, and a steady recourse from leaning too much in one direction.

This nuanced seasonal balance is present throughout our Brooklyn apartment- in obvious settings such as the furniture and textile choices that make up a room, and in more discreet settings such as an arrangement on a record player chest, or in the styling of a bookcase.

This simplified seasonal guide is a tool I use to stay in check when decorating a room. Similar to the rule of thumb when accessorizing (always take one item off before leaving the house), this interior practice makes for a well-balanced room, that is equal parts all things, to allow for refined, worldly design that withstands time.

While as imagined, the prices were steep- I attended with the idea that it would serve more as an inspiration, than anything else. Keep reading to see some of the standout pieces I observed, and similarly, if not identically, found versions online (for less).

These two (one pictured below) hand-painted ceramic pieces were the first objects I found at the Show. At $850 each, they were not your average ceramic lidded canister, but justifiably so (if we must justify), they stood like a piece of art and made a beautiful statement. If taking our justification a step further, I have not come across a single ceramic piece like it in all my sourcing- on or offline.

I really loved this silver fish at one of the tents. I would style it on a writing or drawing desk and place business cards or portfolio postcards inside. The object wasn’t tagged and I couldn’t find the antique dealer, so it was unclear whether or not it was for sale, but I found identical options online linked below, all under $50. You can find options on Ebay and Etsy by searching “silver-plated fish napkin holder” or “silver-plated fish letter holder.”

One vendor displayed a large table sprinkled with vintage Tiffany & Co. trinkets. The selection was beautiful. I was completely enamored with this set of 6 Scallop Shell Place Card Holders, pictured below. They were for sale at $495 for the set of 6, which was actually a very competitive price for these.

Any way you search it, these are an investment for your decorative tablescape. This set of 8 here at $895, and this set of 6 at $730 are some of the lower priced options available. I did see that the Hudson-based auction house STAIR, sold a set of 6 for $300 once, which prompted me to set a notification for this item on my auction account. While thoroughly in my search, I did come across these elegant Vintage Swan Card Holders for $38.22, for the set of 6.

I loved the idea of storing a bedspread or quilt in an open basket (like this one below) in a guest room. It further validated the case argument that one can never have enough good baskets around, as they can always be put to use.

Read more

Friday:

7am: We left Brooklyn Heights and made the drive to East Durham, NY, our furthest stop on our trip. I brought with me a vegan chocolate coconut bun from the just-opened Swedish bakery in the neighborhood, Ferrane (by one of the co-owners of Bon Bon, the Swedish candy store).

9:30am: Arrived at The Marketplace East Durham- a rough around the edges spot that houses over 125 vendor stalls over the span of 20,000 square feet. It’s the kind of place that requires patience and sifting, but guarantees a deal.
2195 NY-145 East Durham, New York 12423

Purchased: a $5 Book on French Garden Style by Georges Leveque and Marie-Francoise Valery.

11am: Drove a few minutes down the road to A.Therien, an outpost in the northern Catskills, on a roadside family farm, that presents antique furniture, books and found objects in a deeply curated visual exhibition.
Barn, 3026 Route 23B, Cairo, New York 12413

Purchased: The Architecture of Western Gardens, MIT Press

12pm: After lulling around in A.Therien for an exceptionally long time (reason is a toss up between the visual satisfaction the space gives you, motivating you to explore every nook, cranny and intentional detail and the shop owner’s strong-personality Brussels Griffon) we arrived, 15 minutes or so down the road, at Pidgin, an antiques and objects storefront in Oak Hill, New York.
7811 Route 81 Oak Hill, New York 12460

Pidgin was a treasure trove of beautiful objects and textiles. The curation was refreshing and unique. The shop owner told me that they recently soft-launched their E-comm, so now you can browse their latest, without taking the drive.

Purchased: A small hardcover field notebook to keep in my bag at all times. I loved that it was petite, with tiny gridlines for small handwriting and wrapped in hardcover, to guarantee it doesn’t get bent and creased in your bag.

I would have loved to stop at Gardenheir and also explore Cornwallville along the way, but we didn’t have time and knew we would spend several hours at the next location.
61 NY-296 Suite 1, Windham, NY 12496

1:30pm: Pulled into the Coxsackie Antique Center and took a much-needed pause for lunch. Before leaving Brooklyn, I had prepped pasta with shaved zucchini and broccoli, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and parmigiano, with a side of crunchy, roasted chickpeas.

Coxsackie Antique Center is similar to The Marketplace in East Durham in that it is warehouse-like, with a vast array of individual vendors, but it differs in its curation slightly, offering a higher-quality assortment, as well as much more furniture. It’s similarly a place that requires patience and sifting.
12400 State Route 9W, Coxsackie, NY 12051

Purchased: An antique, solid maple dresser that I plan to repurpose as a changing table and dresser for baby-in-waiting, two c.1890-1920 footstools that I plan to reupholster in our studio’s workroom, and an antique cigar table that I plan to update by recovering the existing interior green velvet with a beautiful silk.

4:00pm: With the help of three strangers, we piled our procurements into the car and made our way to Chatham.

4:30pm: We arrived on Main Street in Chatham just in time to pop into one of my favorites, The Chatham Bookstore, before closing at 5pm.
27 Main Street, Chatham, NY 12037

Purchased: Andre Agassi’s autobiography, Open and The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan.

5:15pm: Checked in at The Inn at Silver Maple Farm, a countryside bed & breakfast in East Chatham.
1871 NY-295, East Chatham, NY 12060

7pm: Dinner reservation in Old Chatham, at the Old Chatham Country Store- a farm-to-table restaurant (with a weekly rotating menu) and market place with an emphasis on local food, farms, and artisans. I ordered the OCCS Big Caesar Salad with extra virgin olive oil instead of Caesar dressing and Ricotta, Spring Vegetables & Almond Pesto (a deconstructed version of the Buckwheat Crespelle menu item), with country bread.
639 Albany Turnpike, Old Chatham, NY 12136

Saturday:

8am: Breakfast at the Inn in The Great Room. I had a coffee, yogurt with Maine blueberries, chia seeds and pumpkin seeds and a slice of vegan banana bread, made by the inn keeper, with local butter. Sat on the porch afterwards for a bit, reading Open.

9:30am: Checked out and made our way to Hudson, which was a 30 minute drive.

10am: Parked a block from Warren Street (Hudson’s Main Street) and started hitting some of the local shops. There is always turn over on Warren Street and I usually look forward to seeing what is new and what has changed since last visit. My mom was born and raised in the center of town in Hudson. While the town is very different now than it was as she remembers it, we’ve been coming to Hudson since I was in high school to shop. However, this visit in particular, I felt that there were a lot of vacancies and noticed a good number of the shops were less curated than I remembered, though a few of my tried and true favorites remained and I did love stopping by those locations.

Some spots I recommend on Warren Street & the surrounding area:
Les Indiennes, for really good textiles.
444 Warren Street, Hudson, NY 12534

Purchased: 3 lavender sachets in their block printed fabric, to put in each drawer of the antique baby dresser I purchased the day before. I have my eye on a baby quilt in their nautical textile.

STAIR Galleries, for inspiration, and to get a look at upcoming auction items.
549 Warren Street, Hudson, NY 12534

The Maker Hotel, for atmosphere and coffee.
302 Warren Street, Hudson, NY 12534

Rebus, for chic baby and toddler clothes, accessories and toys.
337 Warren Street, Hudson, NY 12534

Olde Hudson Market & Cafe, for for provisions, something savory, or something sweet. An essential pit stop!
449 Warren Street, Hudson, NY 12534

Purchased: for the road, a pre-made orzo salad with tomatoes and scallions, a few slices of Vermont cheddar cheese from the cheese counter, taralli (always), and a French black olive tapenade spread.

The Antique Warehouse, for antique and vintage shopping at a slightly more reasonable price point than the center of town. Give yourself time here! You can easily lose the entire day browsing.
Door 21, 99 Front Street, Hudson, NY 12534

2pm: Left Hudson with the plan to stop at a few farms & markets on the way home. Meisner’s Heritage Farm Market (3771 US-9, Hudson, NY 12534) and Holmquest Farm and Greenhouse (516 Spook Rock Rd, Hudson, NY 12534) are worth pulling over for.