Decorators for the 99 Percent

An interior designer mother and film publicist daughter have teamed up to target an undeserved market: homeowners who would normally not hire an interior designer, but who yearn to express their inner aesthetic on a budget. Sourcing from estate sales and stylish discount furnishing outlets, the duo access their own “sophisticated, original and quirky” sensibilities while interpreting the needs of their clients. They are available to restyle a home with existing furnishings, do a total makeover, or anything in between – in both the Hamptons and the city.
Helayne Kane, who has been a New York interior designer for more than 30 years, saw a niche when clients began to ask her for small jobs: rearranging furniture here, adding a few accent pieces there. Even during her career as a publicist for such companies as Miramax Films, Teri Kane always had a knack for design, so it was a no-brainer to join her mother on this enterprise. “We work to help our clients express their personality and to reinvent their home to make it more comfortable, more individualized,” says Teri, who favors an “English country faded elegance” aesthetic that “values the perfectly imperfect.” She helps clients let go of the ‘must-match’ look and embrace the mismatched.”

“Many people just don’t feel quite right in their own homes, but they don’t know how to style their environment,” says Helayne. A simple matter of “editing down” or rearranging “can make a huge difference. . . . the right pillow, accents displayed just so can transform what you already have into a more updated and coherent look,” says Helayne, who seems born to decorate. Her son Ivan, a nightclub impresario, says his mother has to “put her hands in her pockets” to stop herself from moving pillows around his Los Angeles home.

“We’re very affordable,” says Teri, who says the average cost of a room is $1500 including key accent pieces. But she says attractive objects don’t necessarily come with a high price tag. Those beige bedroom nightstands you were thinking of getting rid of may just need to be painted with a “warm golden finish for a romantic retro look.”
“This is a great idea by pros who have an artistic flair,” says Rita Plush.

For more information: 917.692.1076