- Interior
The beautiful textures and clean lines of an Alyssa Kapito interior will make your heart beat faster. Alyssa Kapito designs bespoke, elegant interiors with class that make her studio stand out in the design world.
Designer Alyssa Kapito from New York is known for her fantastic work in the design field and was added to the Elle Decor A-list of top designers in the world. A beautiful and honourable achievement! It is not easy to choose her most beautiful project as all her designs are stylish and inspiring, but Kapito's project 'Upper West Side Apartment' and the design of a living room in an Upper East Side apartment caught the eye of Imagicasa. Several projects and Kapito's studio have already appeared in well-known publications such as Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, Vogue and The New York Times. Imagicasa also likes to inspire her readers with beautiful interiors by the American designer.
The founder of Alyssa Kapito Interiors tells Imagicasa more about her studio and passion in an exclusive interview.
Did you always want to become an interior designer?
"Actually no, I was very much on the art trajectory for a bit. I was an art history major in college and then I even went on to get a graduate degree in renaissance art before I realised that my truest love of art actually came from an interior lens. I wanted to see the art in a room, from a collector's perspective, living with people in their homes, not in a museum. Most importantly, I wanted to see the art I learned about interacting with furniture. I took a summer internship at Bunny Williams’ design firm in New York and after that, I really never looked back."
How did you become an interior designer eventually?
"It all started with that internship after I finished my master’s degree in renaissance art. After that, I worked at other firms for about two years. Then, I decided to start my own business at a pretty young age, I was about 25 years old at the time. I'm 32 now, and it's been an incredible seven years. I've been very fortunate to have worked with incredible clients who somehow trusted me when I was just starting out."
What do you love most about interior design?
"Creating beauty. That never gets old."
How would you describe your style?
"Klassiek, strak, neutraal en op maat gemaakt. Ik hou enorm van neutrale elementen en kleuren, dat is dan ook hoe ik zelf woon. Bij mij thuis nemen materialen als brons, staal, eik, perkament en leer vaak de plaats in van kleur of patroon."
Which colours and materials do you usually use?
"I love to use colours like beige, browns, blacks, the very dark greens and the palest peach pinks. I like metals a lot, and leather with some patina. Parchment is also one of my favourite materials to use, along with rift cut oak and of course plaster."
Do you follow trends? And what are the upcoming trends for 2019 according to you?
"“Not really, my work is pretty classic. I do think there’s a resurgence of the Wiener Werkstätte and a Josef Hoffmann-sphere, since such vibes are happening a lot lately."
What was the idea behind the ‘Upper East Side living room’- project?
"This was a project where I really was able to express my own aesthetic to the fullest. It was a wonderful exercise in mixing pieces from different periods and genres. I love that everything is unified by the neutral palette that runs through the room. I mixed French and Danish antiques with modern art and classic architecture. The room was meant to feel contemporary with a nod to the past."
Imagicasa also loved the 'Upper West Side apartment'-project, can you tell me a bit more about that?
"This project, believe it or not, was for a client with four boys. The lady of the house very much wanted some more feminine spaces. We chose a pale blueish gray palette with touches of ivory and ran it through the whole space. Since her boys are young we used a lot of durable fabrics but in a way that isn't very obvious."
How is your relationship with your clients and how far does your clientele reach?
"We have a wonderful relationship with our clients. We are, after all, creating a space for them to live in, and that is an extremely personal and specific art. If the result would be beautiful but impractical, I wouldn't consider it truly successful. I want my clients to fully enjoy living in the spaces we create for them for many years."
What project are you most proud of?
"I really love all my projects. Picking one would almost be like asking a mother who her favourite child is! I'm honestly proud of all of our projects, they all have a little bit of me in them."
Who do you look up to in the design world?
"Stephen Sills and Jacques Grange have been hugely inspirational to me."
What’s on your design bucket list?
"To create a furniture collection. And that dream will soon come true because our furniture collection is set to come out in 2019."
The founder of Alyssa Kapito Interiors tells Imagicasa more about her studio and passion in an exclusive interview.
Did you always want to become an interior designer?"Actually no, I was very much on the art trajectory for a bit. I was an art history major in college and then I even went on to get a graduate degree in renaissance art before I realised that my truest love of art actually came from an interior lens. I wanted to see the art in a room, from a collector's perspective, living with people in their homes, not in a museum. Most importantly, I wanted to see the art I learned about interacting with furniture. I took a summer internship at Bunny Williams’ design firm in New York and after that, I really never looked back."
"Creating beauty. That never gets old."
How did you become an interior designer eventually?
"It all started with that internship after I finished my master’s degree in renaissance art. After that, I worked at other firms for about two years. Then, I decided to start my own business at a pretty young age, I was about 25 years old at the time. I'm 32 now, and it's been an incredible seven years. I've been very fortunate to have worked with incredible clients who somehow trusted me when I was just starting out."
What do you love most about interior design?
"Creating beauty. That never gets old."
How would you describe your style?"Klassiek, strak, neutraal en op maat gemaakt. Ik hou enorm van neutrale elementen en kleuren, dat is dan ook hoe ik zelf woon. Bij mij thuis nemen materialen als brons, staal, eik, perkament en leer vaak de plaats in van kleur of patroon."
Which colours and materials do you usually use?"I love to use colours like beige, browns, blacks, the very dark greens and the palest peach pinks. I like metals a lot, and leather with some patina. Parchment is also one of my favourite materials to use, along with rift cut oak and of course plaster."
Do you follow trends? And what are the upcoming trends for 2019 according to you?
"“Not really, my work is pretty classic. I do think there’s a resurgence of the Wiener Werkstätte and a Josef Hoffmann-sphere, since such vibes are happening a lot lately."
What was the idea behind the ‘Upper East Side living room’- project?"This was a project where I really was able to express my own aesthetic to the fullest. It was a wonderful exercise in mixing pieces from different periods and genres. I love that everything is unified by the neutral palette that runs through the room. I mixed French and Danish antiques with modern art and classic architecture. The room was meant to feel contemporary with a nod to the past."
"I want my clients to fully enjoy living in the spaces we create for them for many years."
Imagicasa also loved the 'Upper West Side apartment'-project, can you tell me a bit more about that?
"This project, believe it or not, was for a client with four boys. The lady of the house very much wanted some more feminine spaces. We chose a pale blueish gray palette with touches of ivory and ran it through the whole space. Since her boys are young we used a lot of durable fabrics but in a way that isn't very obvious."
How is your relationship with your clients and how far does your clientele reach?
"We have a wonderful relationship with our clients. We are, after all, creating a space for them to live in, and that is an extremely personal and specific art. If the result would be beautiful but impractical, I wouldn't consider it truly successful. I want my clients to fully enjoy living in the spaces we create for them for many years."
What project are you most proud of?"I really love all my projects. Picking one would almost be like asking a mother who her favourite child is! I'm honestly proud of all of our projects, they all have a little bit of me in them."
Who do you look up to in the design world?
"Stephen Sills and Jacques Grange have been hugely inspirational to me."
What’s on your design bucket list?
"To create a furniture collection. And that dream will soon come true because our furniture collection is set to come out in 2019."
All Images © Joshua McHugh & Nick Johnson