Talk Shop: Kerri Pilchik // Kerri Pilchik Design

ABOUT KERRI

Kerri Pilchik Design is a boutique interior design studio that blends modern-day sensibilities with a timeless foundation, transforming good design into something truly exceptional. Kerri’s aesthetic is layered yet uncluttered, sophisticated yet approachable, elegant, and effortlessly livable. Her approach is intentional and discerning, curating each piece to work in harmony and reflect the unique ethos of every client.

She designs with heart and purpose, creating spaces that honor the past while celebrating a future rooted in love, authenticity, and a lifelong passion for growth. A storyteller at her core, Kerri invites her clients into a thoughtful dialogue—one that explores color, contrast, and craftsmanship in meaningful and lasting ways. Read on for our conversation with Kerri, covering everything from her design process to the pieces she’s currently loving!

Describe your style in three words or less:

Colorful, sophisticated, considered.

What have been the three biggest influences on your aesthetic in your life:

My grandmother’s love of wicker, chinoiserie, and bone china teacups; my parents’ midcentury modern furniture; and frequent trips to London.

How did you start your company, and/or what is your favorite thing about what you do:

I practiced law for 14 years and then decided to follow my passion. So, in 2014, I enrolled in design school and started my business a few years after that. I did not work for anyone else first or have any connections in the industry, so I feel like I really started from scratch. It’s definitely been more difficult than being a lawyer in a lot of ways, but I think that all of my hard work has paid off, especially when I see the finished homes and how much joy they bring my clients. That is my favorite thing about being an interior designer. I have always thought that how you feel in your surroundings is so important to your well-being.

Do you have a mentor in your career, and if so, how have they helped to shape your trajectory:

I have not really had a mentor, but I definitely have people in my life who have significantly impacted my career trajectory. My marketing consultant, Caitlin Hill of Citrus & Cedars, has been invaluable in helping me cultivate my brand. She always dispenses sage advice about engaging with the industry and clients. When I was an attorney, I worked with a partner who was constantly editing my work. I think that helped me to be self-critical and understand what it takes to please a discerning clientele.

What does your home say about you:

It says that I am too busy to work on my own home! Actually, I am just about to start a big renovation project and I can’t wait to do all of the things that I have always wanted to do but clients didn’t go for - army green kitchen cabinets, Delft tiles, a sectional upholstered in a large-scale print.

Where do you find inspiration:

Everywhere! I am constantly reading and looking at everything - design books, Instagram, and Pinterest, and I love a period dramas. I also get lots of inspiration from traveling.

What are your key ingredients for entertaining:

Be relaxed! Make the meal easy by preparing as much ahead as possible. Always have enough wine.

Do you collect anything:

Pottery of all kinds is my vice. I can’t stop buying it. Vintage silver, coffee table books, blockprint napkins, tableware, vases.

Favorite Instagram accounts to follow for inspiration:

@lorenzocastillofe, @leahoconnelldesign, @historicalconcepts, @picnicforlunch, @willowcrossleycreates

What design “rule” do you always follow, and which is made to be broken:

I love symmetry, but sometimes asymmetry is the answer.

What are you working on right now:

Some of the projects that I’m working on right now are a second home in Turks & Caicos, a renovation for a sweet family in Ridgewood, NJ, a classic UWS apartment for a young professional, and a theater room in the Hamptons for a prior client.

Wardrobe staples:

A good cashmere sweater, comfortable and flattering jeans, a blouse that hits at just the right spot on your waist, and cute flats.

Favorite fabric/wallpaper:

That is like choosing a favorite child! I’ll always love Peter Dunham Samarkand and Schumacher Citrus Garden, which are iconic classics. New fabrics that I love are anything from the collaboration between Namay Samay and Decors Barbares.

Best interior advice you ever received:

When I first started my company, Young Huh was so gracious to meet me for coffee, and told me something that I think Bunny Williams told her. She said, “Don’t look left, don’t look right, just look straight ahead.” I try to follow this advice, but it is hard!

Best career advice you ever received:

If you fantasize about getting hit by a bus on the way to work, then maybe it’s not the right job for you.

Types of home purchases you invest in, and save on:

Invest - fabrics for sure. A fabric that you love on a sofa, window, or chair can change your whole outlook.

Save - vintage accessories make your home unique and don’t have to cost a lot.

Your greatest extravagance:

My new kitchen is going to be my greatest extravagance.

Favorite places to shop for home:

1st Dibs and Chairish. I would love to buy all my furniture from Nicky Kehoe and Hollywood at Home.

Most prized possession and why:

My children.

Your interiors motto:

Details make the design.

Your life motto:

Life is short. Take the trip. Buy the shoes. Eat the Cake.

Advice for someone looking to define their own interior style:

Always buy what you love and allow yourself to fall in love. Continuously look around, read magazines and books, and pay close attention to what you gravitate toward and how the images make you feel.

Take Ten: My Favorite…

Food: French fries

Drink: Red wine

Film: Hmm, if they’re on I will always watch Almost Famous, Overboard, and Parenthood.

Hotel: It’s hard to pick one favorite. Parrot Cay in Turks & Caicos and the Ngala Tented Camp in South Africa were standouts.

City: New York City. I’m a loyal New Yorker!

Bedding: Matouk for sheets, Les Indiennes and Biscuit Home for printed duvets and quilts

Tea or Coffee (and how do you take it): Coffee, black

Playlist: I can’t get my Spotify account to work on my office speaker, so I can only listen to my husband’s music, but I like a combo of Brandi Carlisle and 80’s hip hop

Weekend Activity: TV in bed

Design Book: Veere Grenney A Point of View and Tom Scheerer More Decorating