Stephanie Rapp Interiors has earned a reputation for creating award-winning spaces that are both inviting and chic, utilizing clean lines and refined details. With over 25 years of experience, Stephanie Rapp takes a thoughtful approach to ensure that every project reflects her client’s story, while being functional for their lifestyle.
What inspires you? The architecture and the setting of the home always inspires my design process. I am constantly soaking up visuals found in everything from nature to fashion and from that I find new ideas that continually evolve my design outlook. The best projects have a balanced mix of design elements; to achieve that it’s helpful to have multiple inspiration points and then layer them for a look that has depth and feels inviting.
What are your top three design rules? The Stephanie Rapp Interiors philosophy is that your home’s design should articulate who you are and what your style is without saying a word. So I always say:
1. Make it Chic.
2. Make it Inviting.
3. Make It Relevant.
What one element do you think no design can do without? Just a touch of bling. It doesn’t need to be glitzy but a reflective surface, such as a mirror, polished metal or glazed ceramic adds some ‘jewelry’ to a space. Even in organic design, a counterbalance of materials gives the design more depth.
What was your inspiration for becoming a designer? Since my days studying design at Parsons School of Design, I’ve been influenced by the New York fashion aesthetic and wanted to translate that to the home. Fine workmanship and refined details have always been important to me.
What is your favorite room to design? Is it fair to say the whole house? What
I like to do is influence the design concept of the home from the ground up, either through pre-construction consultations or making up-grades to existing spaces. Foundational changes to the hardware, millwork and lighting go a long way toward creating an elevated design in a home, even if it’s just one space. And then the furnishings have a complementary framework in which to reside.
Stephanie Rapp Interiors: 203-216-5835
Photograph by Jane Beiles
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