An Interview with Hallie Malitsky

We've talked some about your Brooklyn projects. Do you feel like you have a particular style you bring to all the projects, or is it more like every client's kind of different?

Every project is different. I will say that I definitely have a clear aesthetic more than a style, which is refined, warm minimalism always with curated restraint. I come from a fashion background, I was a fashion designer for 15 years before starting my interior design firm, and that informs so much of my work. In each space I design, the end goal is to create a home that feels quietly elevated and lived-in, with an ease that reads effortless.

In New York?

In New York. When I started my interior design studio, my fashion background gave me a real foundation in color, textiles, and materiality, plus a strong sense of proportion. That informs everything I do. But of course, every project is different. Clients bring what they already have, and that becomes part of the design language, it challenges me creatively and really helps us create a home that feels uniquely theirs.

I’m very driven by proportion, materiality, and a quieter, more edited color palette. But I actually love when a client really embraces color, because it’s not where I naturally start, and it pushes me in the best way. That’s often where a project really starts to sing.

When I’m starting out with inspiration, I’m always looking closely at what the client sends—images, pieces they already own, references they’re drawn to—and then figuring out how to meld their point of view with mine so the final space feels uniquely theirs, but still effortless and cohesive.

I see, that makes sense. Is there usually a really strong direction they give you…

…no it’s the opposite…

…or is it more like they pick you because they like your style?

It depends. Some come to me for my style, and some have a lot clearer vision of what they're looking to achieve. I always like to push my clients a little bit out of their comfort zone because I think that's why they're hiring a designer in the first place: to see what else is possible.

But in terms of how important that inspiration and concept design phase is—it’s honestly the most crucial part of my process. That’s where my fashion background really shows up, because I spent years developing full collections. So the research around color, inspiration, materiality is foundational. A lot of clients want to skip ahead to furniture selections, but that early work is what makes everything make sense. It’s where the story evolves, and it’s what creates a cohesive home. There’s so much R&D that goes into those first development stages of designing a space for someone.

Is there a particular way you start the design process, usually?

For me, it almost always begins with the architecture of the home or the interior architectural details, depending on the project. But then I always come back to the family I’m designing for. We do a deep-dive interview phase, a lot of investigating: how do you actually live day-to-day, how does the family move through the space, what really matters to them?

And I’ll ask things like: what’s your favorite place you’ve traveled to, or a hotel you stayed in and how did it make you feel? Or, thinking back, what was your favorite spot in your childhood home? Those memories are often the clues. That’s the feeling we’re trying to recreate in their new home. Most of my clients are families, multiple people and multiple ages, so that’s always at the forefront. Then my team and I start pulling references and imagery that fit the family and the feeling we want to convey within the home.

That makes sense. Is there a way that after you're done with a project you view it as successful? Like, what makes you think like, oh, that was a great space, or that was a success.

The most successful projects are the ones where there’s real trust from the start, belief in the process, open-mindedness, and clear communication throughout. When that foundation is there, everything clicks into place with ease. And if we’ve done it right, you don’t walk away thinking about a single piece, you remember the atmosphere, and the way the home made you feel.

Yeah that makes sense. You spoke a little bit about how you're usually kind of minimalist, but that you like it when clients like color? Are there any other ways that you tend to adapt your style for different clients?

Yes, beyond color, I adapt a lot through materials, silhouette, and how layered the space feels. Some clients want super clean, edited, and tailored; others want warmth and a bit more collected character, so I’ll adjust the mix accordingly. And with color specifically, I like to bring it in an edited way, often through the accessories and decor, so the space still feels timeless and can evolve easily over time.

And then there’s real life: kids, pets, entertaining, etc. Those details absolutely shape what we specify.

That's something we think about a lot when designing furniture. It's like, we don't want these crazy yellow pieces that you're gonna toss in a couple years.

Do you have a favorite part of the design process?

If I had to pick, I really love the first concept design presentation.

That’s the moment everything clicks for the client. My team and I have been working behind the scenes, the possibilities still feel wide open, and they haven’t seen anything yet—just our past work—so the lead-up and the reveal is always exciting.

And when we present, it’s the first time the story of the home comes together. How it flows, the mood, the direction. We’re essentially saying: this is our point of view for your home—does it feel like you? I love when clients are surprised because the whole concept takes them beyond their initial expectations, and you can feel their excitement and confidence shift in real time. That’s when the project really locks into place.

Yeah, that makes sense, just getting started. When you're kind of getting inspired, do you have like, a go to place to get inspired or a specific…

I travel a lot, so a lot of my inspiration comes from places I’ve been and travelled to—hotels, galleries, a color combination I notice. And then it also comes from the client’s world. When I walk through their home for the first time, there’s always something that jumps out and inspires me- a piece they already own, a photograph, an object etc. I also spend a lot of time with clients before we ever officially start. It’s a two-way relationship, and I’ve found the more I invest upfront in getting to know each other, how they live, what they’re drawn to, what matters to their family, the stronger the starting point is for everyone.

From there, it’s very collaborative and very visual. We do a big image pull from Pinterest, design books, magazines, references from anywhere—almost like a brain dump of images, colors, and materials. Then we start editing: narrowing, refining, and honing in on one clear concept that feels specific to them and the home.

Once you kind of make the bigger decisions on the bigger pieces, is there a specific approach you have to styling the space?

Styling technically comes at the end, but I’ll say, it starts for me right at the beginning. When I’m pulling initial inspiration, I’m always building a styling board on the side for us internally. I don’t show those styling pulls to the client until later, after we’ve locked in the larger furniture pieces, because I want the foundation to be really clear first.

Then once the big pieces are set, styling becomes the layer that makes it feel personal and complete. That’s where we weave in the client’s own pieces; books, art, photographs, heirlooms, and where so much of our vintage sourcing comes in, especially for lighting and accessories. Those details are what finish the story and give the home that collected, lived-in feeling.

Yeah, that makes sense, like, brings things together. You want to talk a little bit about the Prospect Heights project?

That project is a great example. They have a young child, he was a baby at the time. They needed a dining room that would be the beautiful centerpiece of their home but also hold up to the pace of their growing young family.

The apartment is in a modern building, very clean-lined, and we wanted to bring in warmth and a sense of groundedness. So I was specifically sourcing solid wood tables, something beautiful and a real statement piece, but truly durable for family life—and that’s how I came across your table.

We ended up choosing that one table because I loved the architectural quality of it. We were actually between a couple of designs, but because the apartment was so modern, we liked bringing in something that felt almost sculptural. It has beautiful angles, and since the table sits in the middle of the open plan living and dining room, you see it from every direction as you move through the space.

And it’s been such a workhorse. The quality is incredible, their whole life happens at that table. Then we selected your chairs to pair back. I remember you didn’t have the Brooklyn showroom yet, so we were trying to find somewhere to sit on them in person, and we finally found them at that shop in Cobble Hill… Assembly, I think?

Oh, yes, was it Assembly Line?

Yes, exactly, it was the Assembly Line. We tried them in person and confirmed they were as comfortable as they look, especially because that table also functions as their office.

And they’ve been so happy with it. That whole dining set really became the star of the space. It grounds the open plan, brings in warmth, and it’s the kind of workhorse piece their whole life happens around.

That's cool. Well, so it sounds like you talked about warmth. Is that something you think about when you design a home?

Yes, warmth is non-negotiable for me. My aesthetic can read modern and minimal, but I never want a space to feel cold or flat. Warmth and depth are what make it feel livable.

A big part of how I get there is through natural materials; wood, stone, and marble. All materials that have texture, variation, and a life to them. And even with color, I’m always pulled toward tones that you can find in nature. Nothing feels overly synthetic or “trend for trend’s sake.”

I also love mixing materials and wood tones to create dimension. That’s why I’m so drawn to your pieces. The fact that they’re solid wood, and that no two are exactly the same. The grain, the variation, the little differences from piece to piece… that’s the kind of subtle character that brings warmth into a modern home and no two look the same.

That makes sense. Was there anything about the architecture of that space that kind of guided how you designed out?

Well, again, because it was a very modern, white space, it required bringing in a lot of depth with the pieces because otherwise it just feels cold. And, you know, modern new buildings are wonderful…

…but they're all white…

Yes. The architecture was modern and minimal, which meant the room needed a few strong, grounding pieces so it didn’t feel like a blank box. In an open plan like that, the dining area is an anchor, so the goal was to bring in sculptural, architectural elements with that piece.

That’s why I love working with local makers and artists, handcrafted pieces bring character and soul to modern spaces in a way mass-produced items just don’t. And then we built the character through contrast: natural materials, a mix of materials, and vintage pieces.

Yeah, that makes sense. Was there anything about the family itself that kind of influenced the design decisions?

Absolutely—the family shaped everything. This is a young family with a toddler and another baby on the way, so the home needed to be beautiful, but it also had to work hard. For them, the dining table wasn’t just a dining table, it’s where meals happen, work happens, and friends gather. So quality, durability, and comfort were non-negotiable.

I’m very intentional about designing homes that are meant to be lived in. I have two young daughters myself, so I’m always thinking: can kids be kids here? Will these pieces hold up to real life without the space feeling precious? That’s why we lean into natural materials and finishes that wear well and get better with time. Every home we design should feel elevated, but completely livable.

Did you have a favorite detail or corner of that particular space?

It’s hard to choose, but if I had to pick, it’s the dining area. We hung this Japanese paper pendant over the table, and because the apartment is visible from the street, at night you can actually see the space glow.

We’ve become close friends and have been invited over for many dinners, so I’ve been able to see firsthand the space doing exactly what it was designed to do; bring people together.

That's a nice detail.

Yeah, it's very important to me to match the feeling of the design of the home back to the family that is living there.

The last question just to kind of round it out is bringing it a little bit back to you. Have you had a mentor or teacher that you found super inspiring or pivotal in helping you as a designer, whether that's from your fashion days or from now as an interior designer?

It’s interesting because I came to interiors through a slightly different path, I don’t come from a traditional interior design background, and I’ve never worked at another interior design firm. That said, I absolutely had a pivotal mentor that has followed me throughout my career. I was the Women’s designer at Brooks Brothers for seven years, and I had an incredible boss there who really shaped how I lead, how I see design, and how I build processes and organization into everything I do. We’re still very close to this day, I still meet with her monthly. I’m so grateful for that relationship because it continues to influence how I run my studio today.

Oh, that's cool.

When I made the transition into interior design, she was incredibly supportive. She knows how I work so well, so anytime I’ve had doubts, or I’m standing at one of those big business crossroads, like hiring or taking the next step, she’s been such a steady source of perspective and encouragement. She knows me professionally in a way that’s really rare, and she always seems to say exactly what I need to hear to keep moving forward and keep growing.

That's cool to hear. I feel like there's so many interior designers that come from so many different backgrounds, and I think it's really cool when people bring perspectives from other industries and ways of doing things from other industries. I think it just makes for really unique work. Do you have anything else that you wanted to add or talk about?

Just a big thank you, this was a pleasure. I’m a big fan of your work, and I love partnering with makers who care about craft and longevity the way you do. Can’t wait to see what you do next.

For sure. Thanks for chatting!