Full of passion and energy, designer Kim Handler approaches her work with an infectious enthusiasm. Her love of design first took hold while working in the fashion industry but her career truly began to flourish when she shifted gears and focused her attention on interiors. After spending some time at a firm in NYC, she was inspired to go back to school, graduating from the New York School of Interior Design and later opening her own namesake firm in 2003.
Back on the East Coast, she has brought this blended style to her own home. “I have always loved mixing styles, but now I love mixing West coast Modern with East Coast tradition. We renovated our current home and I believe it exemplifies this style. I changed the entry stairway to have a modern glass railing, in a Cotswold style house.” For those who would like to add a bit of West Coast style to their home on the East Coast, she offers this advice: “Don’t be afraid to mix East Coast Traditional with West Coast Modern. For example take a traditional antique and mix it with a modern piece from Design Within Reach.”
Thanks Kim!
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Three Questions with Kim Handler
TLV: Design a garden: groomed or freestyle?
KH: I like simple and clean. Lately I have been enjoying box woods, Stone drip edges, pachysandra. A simple, clean, low maintained look. Classic, yet modern.
TLV: What’s your go-to classic color choice?
KH: I love black and white then a pop of color.
TLV: Ideal weekend plans?
KH: Getting out to town and away from commitments of everyday life. Vermont or California are my happy places.
Text by Liana Hayles Newton / Photos by Jane Beiles