“It never ends!” says Nathalie Danilovich of designing her Brooklyn home. She and her family moved into the Brooklyn Heights home—then a white-walled blank canvas–in 2015, and nearly 10 years later, she’s still not done.
Danilovich, a landscape designer who launched her garden design firm Nathalie Pierrepont Design last year, likens her perpetual interior design interventions to the mindset of a gardener. “Friends laugh when they come over because our place looks different every time. It has been through many iterations. I have been influenced by my garden design practice—it’s the slowest moving art form—and the evolving structures of plants over time,” she explains.
Inside the home, visitors are met with nearly seven-foot tall windows that frame views of a Gothic Revival church across the street. The vista is one that Danilovich cites as the defining feature of the property, and it’s used as a reference alongside several others that add textured layers to the eclectic home—homes in Beirut, Hydra, Paris, and Tapalpa in Mexico were just a few of the photos on Danilovich’s proverbial moodboard. “For the den, which has been converted to our son’s bedroom, we referenced a bedouin tent, and for our bedroom, we looked to Donald Judd’s minimalist and functional style,” she explains.
The home sits squarely between minimalism and maximalism, vibrant and understated. In the living room, a French antique writing desk with delicately curved legs and gilt detailing is coupled with a sculptural and angular Pierre Cardin dining chair. In the primary bedroom, an all-monochromatic, minimalist vibe gets a bit of personality by way of an antique Louis Vuitton trunk used as a bedside table—an heirloom passed down from Danilovich’s grandparents.
The varied collection of objects on display represents a breadth of provenance—Danilovich had been sourcing pieces from travels (a cane chair from Malawi; a hand-made leather basket from Italy), auctions, 1stDibs, Antique & Artisans Gallery, and extended family members. Danilovich also called upon her creative friends for the finishing touches. Her friends Costanza Theodoli-Braschi and Chiara de Rege launched their wallpaper line, Maison C, and a bird-filled pattern now sheaths the walls of a powder room. In her living room, the bookshelves (a DIY project undertaken by Danilovich’s husband using reclaimed wood from a barn upstate) contain a lop-sided disco ball that appears to melt off its station—sourced from her friend, the event planner Serena Merriman, who had used them at one of her parties.
Of her favorite corner, Danilovich points out a reading nook—more a day bed than a bench, the concave space is cozily partitioned off with a canopy; sage-hued striped walls, with little niches perfect for book storage, add dimension. “Like so many families during the pandemic, we craved privacy, a separation of space, so one of the ways we achieved that was to convert a wide hallway into a reading nook,” she explains.
As far as her family’s favorite element? The sofas, which are lima bean-shaped couches she had reupholstered in a grey velvet fabric. “They’re sculptural, but also super comfortable and far from precious—our children and friends have figured out that they make for a dramatic stage with the windows as a backdrop—and when we’re not looking, great trampolines.”
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The resulting atmosphere is as inviting as it is impressive—and while Danilovich is professionally dedicated to beatifying outdoor spaces, she could very well be commissioned for interiors as well. “The practice of garden design differs, of course, because of the seasonality and evolving nature and needs of plants—as well as the long time horizon—it takes time for a garden to grow—but, generally speaking, it’s not too dissimilar,” she says. “We embrace the natural beauty of a place. We maintain a sense of whimsy.”
When her friends return, they may also happen upon another addition to her home: A new paint color splashed on the walls, or a screen hung as a painting. Because, as Danilovich explains, no project is ever really complete. “Nothing is static in nature,” she adds.
