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By Greg Waxberg
Natalie Chianese is living her lifelong passion for interior design by designing spaces for her clients that embody a spirit of “relaxed luxury.”
Chianese (chin-AZE-ee) loves textiles, fabrics, textures, patterns, tile, marble—anything related to design. She started in the business working for a kitchen designer in Manhattan and then honed her skills with positions at Homepolish and Kathy Kuo Home. Her passion, however, was to do her own design work, so she started NC Interiors in 2014. At NC Interiors, she can help her clients realize their dreams for higher-end design, whether residential or commercial.
“Anybody can go online, and anyone can choose things, but every room has a story to be told,” Chianese says. “Every client is extremely different, so I pride myself on listening and zoning in on what they want. Every single design is completely customized, completely original, and unique to the client.”
The concept of “capturing your story” is central to her approach and is highlighted on the NC Interior website at www.ncinteriorsinc.com. “Every room can tell a story. Design tells a story. It sets a mood. Every space can elicit a different feeling or emotion,” she explains. “Depending on how a client wants to feel in a space, I can use the design to create those emotions.” Is happiness the goal? She’ll find the materials. Serenity? She’ll find the materials. She uses a combination of furniture, fabrics, and colors to aid in the storytelling.
Clients of NC Interiors do not have to choose between “luxury” and “family-friendly” for their homes. Chianese helps them to achieve both. “My design approach of ‘relaxed luxury’ or ‘casual luxury’ means that you can create a look of luxury, but one that is practical for everyday use. For example, a lot of clients think they can’t have white fabrics or white sofas, but they can.” She cites a trend of people relying on gray, perhaps because white spaces give off a feeling of “don’t use me,” but she believes that trend is going away.
Whether a client wants a white sofa or any other specific design element, Chianese will never buy that element first. This is crucial to her design process. “To have a well-designed space, you have to design the entire space. You can’t buy ‘piece by piece’ because it will never work [because then] you’re designing a room around a piece instead of designing the room as a whole. You have to design completely before decisions are made. You should have everything planned out first as a concept.”
NC Interiors has a network of contractors working together on each project. Each of these contractors has collaborated with Chianese for years. “They are completely aligned with me—they understand my process, they make sure we’re on the same page about floor plans and design, and they double-check my work to make sure that everything doesn’t just visually make sense, but functionally makes sense,” she explains.
Chianese meets new contractors through other designers’ projects, and she will even test potential contractors on projects in her home to see if she can trust them in a client’s home. “My own home is a playground,” she attests.
NC Interiors can help you to achieve “relaxed luxury” in your space regardless of the size or scope of your project. Chianese has worked together with architects to design a home from the ground up, has aided in the design of additions to homes, and has designed dozens of bathrooms and kitchens. NC Interiors has helped to renovate about 15 bathrooms in the past year alone! Photos are available on the website or Instagram. Check them out to see for yourself!