Suzanne Shaker Design Brooklyn Brownstone
photo: maria robledo

A few years ago Suzanne Shaker made the decision to change her path, from stylist par excellence to interior designer. She quickly became known for “a unique style that combines modern, traditional, and custom-designed furnishings, using natural materials and the sculptural qualities of light, personal objects and art” to make serene, minimalist spaces. Soon, she was invited to be in Remodelista’s coveted Designer Directory, where you can view some of her work.

Also check out the recent story and slideshow in the New York Times about the house she and her husband Pete Dandridge built from scratch on Shelter Island, under fierce budgetary constraints. The story of her struggle to make hard choices to stay within her budget is a compelling one.

Suzanne Shaker design house gordonmgrant.com
photo: gordon m. grant for the new york times/gordonmgrant.com

At the time I was still working as a magazine stylist. I’d seen a lot of magnificent homes over the years, and I was filled with big ideas. I’d say to our architect, Deborah Berke, “Let’s do this.” Or “I want that.” And she’d say: “Well, you can’t have that. Your budget won’t allow it.” So, what followed was a tremendous lesson in restraint. We were forced to edit every one of our choices. In the end, though, this improved, not impaired, the design.

Check out the whole story, with slideshow, here, with photos by Gordon M. Grant.

You’ll find more pictures and resources Suzanne and Pete used at the our post on their “modernist island retreat” here.

Related posts: a modernist island retreat (on a budget)
repurpose: japanese screen as window “shade”
real-life interiors
otto zitko scribble scrabble walls in action

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2 replies on “voyeur: suzanne shaker’s interiors

  1. I am looking for this table. Where can I find it in Germany or something like this table?

  2. My understanding is that the table was handmade for Suzanne, as a gift from friends.

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