Profile
It all started when I was around twelve and discovered the wonders of graph paper. I began designing houses in plan and elevation, before I realized there was such a thing. Next I built communities in which to site the homes. My days were joyfully filled with architecture, interior design and urban planning. In my later teens I put my "childish" doodles aside and focused instead on the fine arts of drawing, painting and photography. Later, my desire not to be a poor, starving artist found me segueing into graphic design.
Then it happened...I renovated my 1920's bungalow and remembered, "Ahh, this is what I really wanted to do". So I went back to school, first at Parsons, where I relished the creative splendor. When I realized that I wanted a stronger classical foundation I transferred to and received my degree from New York School of Interior Design. Before graduating, I started working for Linda Chase Associates in New York City. She was a seasoned international designer and author that shared my love of Northern Neoclassical design. When I started to tire of the commute, I joined Elizabeth Read Interiors, who had a long-standing reputation here in Greenwich, Connecticut. There I honed my skills as the senior designer. Upon the urging of my colleges I started Hansen Design Ltd. in 2003.
My first job (Gallery 4) was the complete renovation and addition of a huge kitchen, dining and family room space. I worked hand-in-hand with the architect from the onset, making sure that the interior layout suited my clients needs. She came to me with magazine pages showing Country French interiors and one of a kitchen with blue cabinetry, which I realized was the image that really made her heart beat faster. I designed a space that was a modern interpretation of neoclassical design that was more laid back than traditional French interiors, with an updated blue palette that quenched her desire for something bolder and more accurately reflected her fun, larger than life personality.
I prefer creating a home that reflects the individuality of my clients rather than creating "cookie cutter" interiors that embody purely my personal design aesthetic. I find discovering what someone really wants and what really suits them very rewarding.
I have had many wonderful clients that have blessedly all come from referrals. My jobs have varied in scope and length. I have come in to pull a room together with rugs and drapery. I have done a ski condo entirely by catalog. I have helped choose paint colors for a new home. I have designed children's rooms, playrooms, and personal home theaters, and performed many bathroom and kitchen renovations.
Little did I know when I was young and doodling on graph paper that I would one day be able to help people transform their houses into homes.