The dining room wows in shades of mushroom grey, accentuated with an inviting table by Hedgehouse Furniture and vintage Danish ladderback chairs. The pendant lamp by Pinch was created with banana-plant fiber and linen. Photo: Thomas Leonczik
After eschewing the suburbs and living in Hoboken for 13 years, Katie and Eric Daleo knew it was finally time to personalize their home. “We bought our brownstone condo in 2011 and, although we remodeled the kitchen and bathrooms, we felt overwhelmed and unable to make general design choices,” Katie says. “We needed to pull our home together, but only tackled it in starts and stops—until we discovered our design team while reading a New York Times article.”
The living room of this 1895 Hoboken brownstone, which overlooks iconic Stevens Park, is graced by a petite antique game table and upholstered stools. Striking millwork and patterned wood floors provide additional charm. Photo: Thomas Leonczik
Both busy executives with travel schedules, the Daleos didn’t have time to manage the entire project, so they hired SPACES by Hollie Velten to design, manage and execute the job. Interior designer and founder Hollie Velten-Lattrell turned out to be the perfect match for this open-minded young family. She, along with studio director Victoria Bailey-Adamson, work out of their Maplewood studio, a reimagined candy shop. Velten, originally from the West Coast, and Bailey-Adamson, who hails from Oxfordshire, brought uniquely Californian and English perspectives to the endeavor.
“These were dream clients because they weren’t afraid of color, pattern and texture,” says Velten. “They wanted to customize their home in a fresh, thoughtful way.”
The primary bathroom is awash in minty green, a hue identified when the design team inspired the family to delve into their innermost design preferences. Photo: Thomas Leonczik
Offering seasonal views of the Hudson River and located directly across from Stevens Park, the 1895 brownstone is home to the couple and their tween daughter. “The residence is special, with an abundance of custom millwork and old, patterned wood floors. Its surrounding neighborhood offers romantic stoop living within a bustling city environment,” Velten says. “Just off the main drag, it feels almost cinematic.”
Velten admits it can be a bit tricky designing for city life because entryways and entrances are smaller and can’t always accommodate large pieces of furniture.
An easy-to-live-with, olive-green office is elevated with a French wall covering by Antoinette Poisson and a well-appointed day bed. Photo: Thomas Leonczik
Luxurious, stay-in entertaining was important, so modular seating was added as a spot for the family to coexist comfortably as they enjoy pizza-and-movie nights and play board games around the coffee table. To maximize every inch of space, a custom, built-in storage unit in the living room hides electronics cords and corrals equipment.
New storage in the dining room offers scads of space to display beloved heirloom serveware. Photo: Thomas Leonczik
Velten specializes in studying and shaping the connection of people to their homes. “Our design philosophy is based on the idea that we must explore and engage the past to create a present in which the ideal future can take shape,” she says. To that end, her team played an interpretive card game with the couple early on. The game invited the Daleos to identify their favorite colors, patterns and textures to understand what’s important to them. “For instance, Eric had fond memories of a nubby alpaca sweater, so we added a similar texture in a living room chair upholstered in boucle fabric,” Velten says.
A sculptural boucle chair from Maiden Home keeps company with an antique Swedish lamp with a handmade shade. Photo: Thomas Leonczik
Based on the game, the couple also identified their penchant for the Catskills, the colors of wildflowers, and the moody hues of the Hudson School art movement. The result was an easygoing palette of olive green, mushroom grey, mustard yellow and brownish pink.
The Daleos’ tween daughter helped create her own bedroom “mood board,” resulting in a vibrant space decorated with cotton bedding, patterned pillows and fabric shades. Photo: Thomas Leonczik
“This was a successful collaboration, not only because of the output, but because Hollie and Victoria took the time to get to know us, to the point that our daughter was inspired to create her own mood board for her bedroom,” Eric says.
“Originally, this home didn’t reflect the family’s personality, so we layered it with joyful color,” says Velten. “Now, the highly customized, light-filled rooms are emotive, elevated and relaxed.”
The Daleo family Photo: Courtesy of Kim Lorraine Photography
“Before we hired our design team, we craved a more cohesive home, but we didn’t know how to achieve it on our own,” Katie adds. “We literally were still living with Eric’s law-school furniture. We’re so happy with our new design because it respects the historic context of our home. It’s warm but clean, and practical, but not cookie-cutter.”
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