These 5 top interior designers in New York City really caught our eye in an awe-inspiring way. There are so many interiors waiting to be spruced up in the Big Apple so luckily, there are lots of gifted designers out there working their magic. We just couldn’t write about them all.
This could have easily been a top 50 list, but we narrowed things down to proven talent, pedigree credentials, and personal taste.
So mileage may vary when it comes to the who’s who in the top interior designer arena, but one thing’s for sure, with Park Avenue Penthouses, the Upper East Side, and Lower Manhattan, NYC attracts the best of the best.
Betty Wasserman
With 10 years working as a private art dealer before launching her interior design firm in 1996, Betty was already ahead of the curve with composition, colors, and design, which we see as a warm and minimalist approach to her interiors.
Like some of our other top interior designers, she also designs and brands her own furniture to stay true to her modern vision, like Los Angeles designer Kelly Wearstler.
In fact, many of Betty’s award-winning projects utilize her custom furnishings and accessories that feature crisp, linear designs in wood and steel.
This massive, gorgeous kitchen looks like it was built for one of New York City’s mile-high pastrami sandwiches or chillin’ with a slice of their famed pizza.
She continues to represent over 50 artists, which gives her a great pool of talent to integrate their work into her current projects.
Her interior designs have been recognized in Interior Design, Houzz, The Luxpad, NYC & G, Metropolitan Home, Elle Decor, and New York Living to name a few.
Betty’s artful approach leaves no stone unturned, and her accessories give a room an orderly lived-in feel while not crowding the room.
She makes small spaces look bigger and bigger spaces look tranquil, relaxing, and unpretentious.
Ashley Darryl
Ashley has become one of the top interior designers in New York City by creating a defining style of using bold colors as exclamation marks, figuratively speaking, in her design technique.
She has mastered incorporating vintage pieces from eras past in her projects, mixing antiques with classic and contemporary pieces to create a refined, stylized look.
Featured in numerous media, including Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, Vogue, Luxe, Harper’s Bazaar, HGTV Magazine, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal.
Might as well mention NYC&G, Open House New York, and in the Rizzoli Book “On Style: Inspiration and Advice from the New Generation of Interior Designers,” too.
Ashley was also named a “Next Wave Designer” by House Beautiful in 2014. Fast forward to today and you’ve got yourself one of the top interior designers in New York City.
When you walk into one of her rooms, it’s easy to imagine yourself as a kid running toward a big pile of leaves. You just want to jump in, and no matter how you land, you know it’ll be a soft, fluffy, comfortable landing.
Brad Ford
A big believer in well-crafted furnishings, this top New York City interior designer utilizes a variety of studios and workshops to produce spare, modern aesthetic decor with a warm soul.
Living in Manhattan for over 15 years, Brad established his own firm in 1998 with an emphasis on residential spaces. His interiors showcase signature designs that are understated yet sophisticated, straightforward, elegant, and functional.
Brad is someone who walks the walk when it comes to finding unique pieces for his interiors. In 2014, Ford created the event Field+Supply in the Hudson Valley.
This is a modern interpretation of a traditional arts and crafts fair. It consists of a carefully curated selection of makers highlighting goods, old and new, from a variety of studios and workshops.
You might also want to explore the furnishings at Brad’s other creation, FAIR, located at the New York Design Center. FAIR represents makers and manufacturers from the New York area, the west coast, Denmark, and many other countries.
Using earth tones against a backdrop of subtle whites and creme colors, Brad creates a definitive style of understated elegance.
And of course, there’s always a big pay-off when interior designers go the distance to find just that right piece. Like Brad, we also see this in one of our top Austin interior designers, Rachel Horn.
Shawn Henderson
Shawn’s style leans on the forces of nature, working with sustainable materials, using vintage furnishings, and choosing products that are honestly produced and made.
This adds elegant warmth to the spaces he creates, with a comfortable feeling that seems to say “Welcome home, have a seat, stay awhile.”
Shawn’s work has been featured in Architectural Digest, Veranda, Elle Decor, Luxe, House Beautiful, and The New York Times. He has also been named to the AD100, Architectural Digest’s annual compendium of the world’s top designers.
The reclaimed materials he uses gives us a sense of nostalgia while he still keeps his designs present and contemporary. Reminiscent of mid-century elegance, Shawn’s harmonious mixes create a serene atmosphere we can get on board with.
A little less flair than we see in Marshall Erb’s work in Chicago but still hits similar marks in style and design.
Drake/Anderson
Award-winning designers Jamie Drake and Caleb Anderson lead the charge at this top design firm with luxurious sophistication.
They’ve been the talent behind polishing the interiors of some of Manhattan’s top pedigree buildings including One57, the Baccarat Residences, 520 Park, and Herzog & de Meuron’s 56 Leonard.
Accolades include the prestigious Elle Decor A-List, the Architectural Digest AD100 list, Interior Design magazine’s Hall of Fame, House Beautiful’s Master Class, and Next Wave, to name a few.
Striving for creating timeless spaces, dynamic eclecticism is the hallmark of this New York-based firm.
Drake is widely regarded as one of the first designers to popularize Modernism in interior design, and this is apparent with the perfect balance of clean lines and simplicity we see in their décor on the downtown Manhattan residence and the Midtown residence.
On the other hand, we have Caleb Anderson who is lauded for his layered approach to interiors and the confidence with which he juxtaposes a variety of historic periods from the design continuum. No easy task to pull off, especially with this level of sophistication.
We love the tones and hues used throughout the rooms like Los Angeles interior designer Jamie Bush.
Along with this simplicity of modernism, a flair for elegance stands out with luxurious subtle patterns on the walls while using ceiling lighting as artful statements.
Still, the simplicity of modernism remains the thread that weaves throughout their recognized style. Something that gets our attention when looking for the top interior designers in New York City.
