About DARLENE

Darlene creates intelligent interiors founded on skillfully selected furnishings, keen attention to detail, and the ultimate respect for her clients. Darlene offers personalized service through every aspect of the process. She believes design is collaborative – and that creating a home means translating a client’s ideas and wishes into a space for comfort, joy, and delight.

Darlene received design degrees from Cornell University, Pratt Institute, and the Victoria & Albert Museum. She spent her formative years working for prominent New York architectural and design firms before joining Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer as the Director of Interiors.

At HHPA, Darlene worked on several innovative, award-winning public buildings – museums, performing art centers, libraries – in addition to private company headquarters. The role required large-scale vision and teamwork, which developed her project management skills, as well as her ability to be a big-picture and detail-oriented thinker.

Upon moving to London and studying decorative arts at the V&A, Darlene was inspired by the juxtaposition of the city’s diverse urban landscapes and the grandeur of historic, idyllic country homes. This prompted her transition to designing private residences that capture the energy of modern life while honoring rich aesthetics and fine details.

Her work is influenced by her studies and travels — from the sculptural forms and dramatic natural light of the pioneering Modernism of Le Corbusier’s architecture to the luxurious fabrics of Mariano Fortuny — innovative at their inception, and still respected for their unique color and expressive patterning to the opulent, rich interiors of the Alhambra — whose colorful patterned tile, intricately carved wood ceilings, and elaborately scripted walls embody a truly balanced whole.

Over the years, Darlene has refined her practice, bringing this point of view to the homes she has created for her clients and for herself. Darlene’s work spans the country, with projects in New York, Sag Harbor, Martha’s Vineyard, Chicago, Aspen, and San Francisco.