aspire design and home proudly presents The Art of the Home, a transformational designer showhouse set within a breathtaking 13,000-square-foot estate in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. This curated exhibition of world-class design, architecture, and fine art will run from September 19 through October 19, with an Opening Night Event to benefit the Tunnel to Towers Foundation on September 17.
Each Tuesday and Thursday, we’re spotlighting a different designer whose creative vision is shaping this bold, curated home. From behind-the-scenes peeks to personal stories, you’ll get an inside look at the minds reimagining what a home can be. Today, we take a look at a bedroom/bathroom combo designed by Rachel Brill.
Rachel Brill is an interior designer with a strong foundation in art history and a deep belief in the power of art to shape a space. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Vassar College, where she studied Art History and Italian, and honed her expertise in the NYC Kitchen and Bath industry before launching her own design practice. For The Art of the Home, Rachel drew inspiration from Virginia Woolf’s seminal essay A Room of One’s Own, creating a secondary bedroom and bath that celebrates the concept of a creative, personal sanctuary for women. The room features two striking portraits by José Lerma, sourced in collaboration with art advisor Donald Christiansen from Chelsea Art Group, and selected from the Nino Mier Gallery in SoHo. With their layered impasto style and simultaneous nod to both abstraction and classical portraiture, the artworks shaped the emotional tone of the space, evoking a mood of creativity and comfort. Based on Long Island, New York, Rachel lives with her husband, two sons, and their Portuguese water dog, Ruby. She also offers art consultation as part of her design process, ensuring that every interior she creates feels deeply considered and artfully composed.
Tell us about your concept for The Art of the Home — what inspired your approach to the room?
Rachel Brill: My concept for my space in the showhouse, which is a secondary Bedroom and bath on the second floor of the house, is one that evokes a female space or “a room of one’s own,” referencing Virigina Woolf’s feminist essays that she delivered in 1928 to the women’s colleges at the University of Cambridge, which argues that an income and a room of one’s own are essential to a woman’s creative freedom. This reference came after finding the artwork for the space by Jose Lerma. The paintings are in Lerma’s style of layered impasto, depicting faces of two different women, one piece is painted face forward and the other is in profile. The paintings have a contemporary approach, but also reference art historical portraiture. They are both abstract and figurative at the same time.
Once I saw these paintings in person at the gallery, I knew they would have a pronounced effect on the person entering the room and would help shape the rest of the interior choices in the space.
What mood or feeling are you hoping to evoke with this space?
RB: The mood or feeling I am hoping to evoke is one of creativity and comfort. I want people to walk into the room and feel both impacted by the art and its scale, but also feel like they want to settle into the space and relax.
What can you share about your palette, textures, or material choices? Are there any unexpected combinations we can look forward to?
RB: The shape of the room includes a deep and narrow window space against the far side of the room when you first enter. When I first walked the house, I immediately felt that the window space either had to become a cozy nook for a child or a desk/work area used for creativity and writing. The window nook’s walls will be covered by a unique paper manufactured by Innovations, which is constructed from recycled newspaper. Each roll is unique and brings different textures and colors to the wall. Above the antique midcentury desk that will be placed in the window nook, Architectural Grill has made custom shelving in a bronze finish to provide space to showcase unique ceramic and metal accessories, along with books referencing the feminine space. Architectural Grill also provided custom metal and powder-coated side tables that will be placed in the room or bathroom, providing a perfect surface for a glass of wine or coffee cup.
The remaining walls of the bedroom will be painted Sherwin-Williams 9632 Serenely, which is a soft color that complements the paintings being placed in the room, as well as the stone tile choices in the bathroom, but shouldn’t distract from the artwork itself.
The furnishings in the room were chosen with soft, textured fabrics that invite comfort and style to the space, but are also practical for everyday use.
RB: We chose a king-size bed by Lee Industries to be upholstered with a grey and lime boucle fabric with a blue linen piping detail on the headboard, so the bed is large and inviting, but also has a unique color detail. For the bedding and hand towels in the bathroom, we used the showhouse’s linen sponsor, Bella Notte, which has a very relaxed, but feminine look.
The lighting choices were also chosen to complement Lerma’s artwork. They are very soft and white in color, so as not to interfere with the art’s impactful colors.
Designing for a showhouse comes with a unique kind of freedom. How has that influenced your process so far?
RB: It is definitely a different experience designing for a group like the aspire showhouse, as opposed to designing for a client. It provides a sense of freedom, but the starting point is a little overwhelming. I think the design takes shape in a more organic way, because it is coming from the designer’s head, versus what the client needs and wants.
What’s been the most exciting part of dreaming up this space?
RB: I have had a lot of fun putting this bedroom and bath together and coming up with a concept, but the most exciting part for me has been sourcing and consigning the artwork from prominent galleries in the city. Having that kind of broad access to artwork through the aspire showhouse is unusual, and I am grateful to be able to highlight Lerma’s work in my space.
Were there any creative challenges you’ve had to navigate already — or ones you’re anticipating?
RB: Because there weren’t any limitations to what I wanted to do with my space, the way I was able to narrow down the scope and choices out there was by working with the showhouse sponsors and sourcing from those vendors. We had great access to big companies like Visual Comfort, Kohler, Fabricut, Lee Industries, ect. But also some smaller companies that were extremely helpful and generous with their products.
Is there a material or piece you’re using that holds a special meaning or backstory?
RB: The desk in the space is a midcentury teak desk that I was lucky to find during one of my mindless antique store searches. The size was perfect for the window space in the showhouse. While I tend to design in a clean, modern way, this desk infuses a bit of vintage, which I like to do when I am designing a space, into what is a newly constructed, modern home.
If your room had a soundtrack, what would it sound like?
RB: A mix of female rock, folk and jazz singers, ranging from Blondie to Alicia Keys to Billie Holiday.
How do you balance staying true to your signature style while working within a completely new architectural context?
RB: I think when designing a space, it is always important to consider the style of the house and its details, including doors, moulding, hardware, staircases, etc. The design of the space shouldn’t be an extreme departure from that of the home’s architectural aesthetic, but it can also push boundaries through furnishing and art that leans more contemporary or traditional. In the context of this showhouse, I tried to choose materials and furnishings that I love and want, and let the room speak for itself.
Purchase tickets to tour The Art of the Home here.
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