You won’t have to venture far into this serene home, in Napa Valley, California, to feel the influence of its designer, Kristen Peña. Schooled in European elegance and proportions, the San Francisco–based decorator, and founder of K Interiors, has established a reputation for creating contemporary designs that thoughtfully balances openness and privacy. Nevertheless, inside this four-bedroom home, Peña has also managed to go further in melding the tailored, largely monochromatic palette of her clients with a playful, sophisticated scheme that elevates the residence’s overall aesthetic.

“It was a very clean slate when I was brought in, so we really wanted to honor all the lines of the interior architecture,” says Peña, whose globetrotting through Southeast Asia, Morocco, and beyond, over the years, has helped cultivate her love of patterns and textures. “[At the same time,] we wanted to provide accessibility and comfort by using lots of artisan designers to

Brooklyn Residential: Rethinking Home Design in NYC’s Most Populous Borough

New York City is defined by its architecture, and in turn, diverse ways of living. As the nation’s “metropolis,” it has also faced some of the most challenging housing problems of any American city. From single-family homes to high-rise residential towers, housing has evolved at different paces and scales throughout the boroughs. In turn, each district and county is home to a wide range of residential styles and housing solutions.

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All five boroughs came into existence with the creation of modern New York City in 1898 when they were consolidated within one municipal government under a new city charter. Named after the Dutch village of Breukelen, Brooklyn is located on the western end of Long Island in Kings County. It is New York

It can be said that a historic house is only as good as its bones, but oftentimes, it takes a little digging to find them. Such was the case for Carrie and Robert Hicks, who found their dream home in the form of a Tudor-inspired house built in 1926 in one of Austin’s oldest neighborhoods.

“We first fell in love with the location and the great big front yard. It was just a really wonderful space,” recalls Carrie, an interior designer who cut her teeth in New York and West Hollywood before settling down in Texas. The house had been through many hands in the nearly hundred years before the couple, who have three young children, took possession in 2015. Layers upon layers of misguided renovations had taken their toll. “The bones were there, and the structure was there, so the idea was to bring in Paul to save the

This five-bedroom, six bathroom home in Studio City, California, was a new Cape Cod-style construction, bought off plan complete with standard issue lighting, fixtures and fittings.

Its new owner, however, wanted to make it her own and introduce more interest, unique features and personality. Above all, she wanted to add happiness to her new home, with texture and natural elements, and called on the expertise of an interior designer to do exactly that. The result of the home’s major redesign truly makes it one of the world’s best homes – spacious, bright and full of clever design solutions.

The interior designer who brought about the transformation is Jessica Nicastro, of Jessica Nicostro Design (opens in new tab), who worked closely with the homeowner to come up with the home’s new look. ‘We came in to de-spec the home,’ explains Jessica. ‘We swapped out lighting, all furnishings, and added custom