Bestselling author Kate Fillion and her husband first bought this mid-century modern home for its impressive views of the Hudson River. Located in historic Westchester County, the location of the property was ideal but it would need major renovations to suit their family’s needs. Fortunately, Kate knew exactly where to find a designer. “She had been following D2 Interieurs for months on Instagram and couldn’t get enough of my modern, and bold designs,” designer Denise Davies shares. “When it came time to update their newly purchased house, Kate and her husband met with me and hired me on the spot. She and her husband, who have two teenage sons, appreciated the architecture of the house, built in the ’50s. The bones and mechanicals were in good shape, but the interior was quite dated.”

One of the first orders of business was to refinish the honey-toned wood floors, which were stripped and treated to a lighter finish. “The living room beams, formerly an ugly brown, were painted Benjamin Moore’s Simply White, which is also the new wall color,” Denise says. All of the windows were replaced as well; in the living room, a wall of oversized windows bring in a flood of natural light. Drapes in a Holly Hunt fabric encase the windows, which are flanked by contemporary Lawson-Fenning sconces. There’s also a spiky glass chandelier, which brings a sculptural presence that anchors the space.

Another element of the living space is the lack of a television, one of Kate’s main requests. “Instead, stacks of the family’s reading materials fill the room,” Denise explains. “I performed ‘built-in Botox’ on the massive shelving wall that holds the family’s many books. I had the built-ins painted with Farrow & Ball Ammonite, installed new lighting, and did a little zhushing of the books, art, and objects.” There’s a pair of vintage Milo Baughman chairs that Denise had recovered, and a bench finished in a Romo stripe sits by the fireplace, which was thoughtfully redone in a style that reflects the period of the home. “I always love adding an element of fun, which is the hanging bubble chair,” Denise says with a smile.

Kate and her husband love art and already had an amazing collection when they bought this house. “The oversized nude in the living room provided a starting point for the design,” Denise recalls. Inspired by the natural surroundings, they dubbed the home a ‘treehouse’ and brought in a lot of natural elements alongside bold color choices and vintage furnishings. Today, the clients are quite pleased with the retro design and flow of natural light — their vision was brought to life while D2 Interieurs stayed true to the classic mid-century style.

For the designer, it was a near perfect project. She concludes, “I love the way the the space turned out for both for its comfort and the way it suits my clients’ personal style. This is how a home should look. It should be a reflection of what you love and what you collect – what’s important to you.”