Featured Designer: Haleh Niroo "I instantly fell in love with Habersham’s Old World elegance." - Linda Vickers

For Linda Vickers, it was love at first sight … Visiting homes with her real estate agent in anticipation of a planned move with her husband to Potomac, MD , Linda came upon a spec home by David Niroo, Niroo Masterpieces. During her tour of the 25,000‐square‐foot home, Linda was taken with the custom kitchen that David’s wife and interior design partner Haleh Niroo, Haleh Design, Inc., had created.

Working with the custom kitchen cabinetry design team at Habersham, Haleh had fashioned a stunning space that is as fabulous as it is functional. Haleh’s choice of rich, hand‐styled finishes for the spacious island, Venetian Hearth range hood, integrated refrigeration and other cabinetry exuded an Old World look and feel that instantly captured Linda’s attention.

“She fell in love with the kitchen and when I told Linda about Habersham’s custom capabilities for other rooms in the home, including the master suite, she saw a special opportunity,” says Haleh. “The chance to create an interior design environment custom tailored to her own needs and style sensibilities was especially appealing to Linda.”

For the master dressing room, Haleh was faced with a number of challenges ‐‐ a third of the closet space was taken up by a large window and the other walls had obstacles and obstructions. Haleh’s solution – to outfit the space with wall‐ to‐wall mirrored panels and storage areas by Habersham. Framed in a soft, hand‐styled Sandemar finish , the mirrors helped to dramatically open up the small 10 ‘ x 12’ space.

“Your home should envelop you in luxury every time you step through the door. That’s especially true with the master bath,” says Haleh, pointing to the Habersham custom vanity and mirror designs she chose for the space. If you look in the mirror you’ll get a glimpse of the Habersham Bibilotheque that is also part of the master suite.

“I believe that beauty is in the details,” adds Haleh, explaining how Habersham’s finishes and custom designs provided the perfect complement to the master bath’s chandelier and ceiling mural. “I worked very closely with Linda to understand exactly how she wanted to use and enjoy this space.”

For the family room, Haleh chose Habersham’s dramatic, custom‐styled and hand‐painted Belmont TV unit as the central focal point. Habersham’s Valencia Table and Adelaide Chairs provide a casually elegant touch to the dining room.

Haleh and Linda are still working together on other parts of the home, including a “Doll Room” where Habersham cabinetry has been used to showcase Linda’s exquisite collection of antique and rare dolls.

“I love working with the Habersham line,” adds Haleh. “From the limitless custom capabilities to the versatile styles and finishes, Habersham always helps me meet and exceed my client’s expectations.”

Featured Designer: Cheryl Nestro "Habersham’s capacity for custom work is nothing short of amazing." - Cheryl Nestro

When Cheryl Nestro learned that Habersham had significantly expanded its fine furniture and cabinetry custom capabilities a little over four years ago, she knew the line was the perfect match for her newest project.    At the time, the award‐winning interior designer and owner of Michigan‐based Tutto Interiors had partnered with a local builder, the owner of Vistal Homes, to help design the interiors for his 8500‐square‐foot showcase home in Northville, MI.

“I’ve always had a passion for Habersham so I introduced the builder to the line and he loved it,” Cheryl says. “Habersham’s grand scale furnishings and stunning finishes have been the perfect fit for the larger Michigan home projects I typically work on, like this one. And, the company’s capacity for custom work helped seal the deal.”

Always up for a challenge, Cheryl started with the home’s expansive living room. “This was an oddly shaped room with all sorts of angles that were best dealt with through custom, built‐in design work,” she explains. “So I took specifications from a Habersham furniture piece I thought was stunning, did some drawings of the space and then worked with the Habersham team to redesign and modify the piece for the area around the fireplace. Habersham shipped the finished design and the builder installed it onsite.”

For the library, Cheryl chose a configuration of Habersham’s Belmont library system to work within the space. “We installed the Belmont first and then the builder followed with a lovely coffered ceiling and wall paneling to give the room a rich, built‐in look.”

Cheryl also created a striking built‐in look for the dining room with Habersham’s St. Julien Cabinet . “We literally built the room around this piece,” she explains. “The crown molding was designed to meet the crown of the cabinet. I chose the beautiful Empire Studio finish to complete the look.” As she was designing the home to reflect the style preferences and design tastes of her builder client, Cheryl worked to carry these deep, more masculine finishes through key rooms of the interior space.

The home itself is nestled along a small body of water. To complement the beautiful view from the master suite, Cheryl chose the Palm Court Media Center in the soft, Sandemar finish, to create a light, airy look. Providing the perfect contrast to the light tile and stone in the master bath, as well as a hand‐finished barreled wall concealing a stairway to a gym below, Habersham cabinetry was hand‐finished in a rich, deep Brittany tone for a stunning effect.

The home was recently sold to new homeowners who fell in love with the location, unique architectural styling and Habersham furnishings and cabinetry.“When you find someone who really loves Habersham, who understands the nuances of the line and the grand statement it can make, there’s no turning back,” adds Cheryl.

“Habersham helps an exquisite European chateau feel right at home in Banner Elk.”

For Boca Raton couple Jim and Pegi, their dream vacation home was not designed to be the place to get away from it all. “Rather it became the place where everything comes together,” says Pegi.

Nestled among the rolling hills of a 2.5 acre lot within the renowned Elk River golf community in Banner Elk, NC, the 15,000-square-foot home has allowed the couple to surround themselves with many of the things they truly love and enjoy – family, friends, golf, horses, natural beauty and a grand European design that offers space…lots of space.

“I’d always been fascinated by Biltmore and the grand, yet casual looks of European chateaus,” explains Jim, a commercial real estate developer and trained engineer who worked closely with Andrew Scott Kirschner of Jackson, Kirschner Architects and Associates in collaboration with Rick Palmer, Rick Palmer Associates of Banner Elk to design the home. “Habersham furnishings were a natural choice for us. The richly detailed, soft European styled finishes and designs, combined with the character, strength and scale of the pieces, provided the perfect complement for our large rooms, high ceilings and lifestyle look that flows through our home.”

Officially named “Porte Cochere” by Jim and Pegi, the home soon gained the nickname “baby Biltmore” from the county’s Planning and Zoning Department. Living up to that noble title, the magnificent mountain estate truly captures the European architectural styling, design and spirit of entertainment and hospitality that once defined the landmark Ashville, NC estate at the turn of the century.

From beds and occasional tables to dining tables and chairs, Habersham pieces can be found throughout the 6 bedroom, 7.5 bath home. “Habersham fits perfectly with our home, our lifestyle needs and the beautiful natural surroundings,” says Pegi, explaining how the home quickly swells to 18-plus when the couple’s four children, spouses, nine grandchildren, nannies and dogs come from around the country to gather at the family vacation home during the summer months. “We designed each bedroom to be a master suite to allow optimum comfort and convenience. Habersham’s beautiful hand-painted beds and other casual, yet elegant furnishings helped to create the warm, welcoming and unique looks we wanted for each room.”

To help with the massive interior design project, Jim and Pegi enlisted the help of their daughter Jamie, who recently launched her own design business, JKM Design Associates LLC, in the Atlanta area. “Our challenge was to maintain the elegance and sophisticated European home style my father loved, but with a casualness imperative for a mountain estate,” Jamie explains. “We thought that the only way to achieve this difficult objective was through the look and feel of the antique furniture. When I saw the Habersham collection for the first time I was thrilled. I knew I’d found the solution. Not only were they some of the best reproductions we’d seen, but they had such a wide range of finishes, as well as incredible detail and unbelievable craftsmanship. They were better than the real thing!”

“For this project, we genuinely needed pieces that said, ‘Come in. Sit down. Stay awhile,’” she adds. “With Habersham, that is exactly what we’ve achieved.”

Featured Designer: Haleh Niroo "Habersham’s old world elegance helped us create a kitchen that is the new heart of our home." -

“I wanted a beautiful new room that just happened to be a totally functional kitchen,” said the homeowner to her designer, Haleh Niroo, Haleh Design, Inc. Sometimes renovations can be tougher than starting from scratch. But Haleh understood exactly what her clients wanted. The homeowners both agreed that “working with Haleh was like no work at all.”

Taking care of three children and managing busy medical and surgical practices left little time in their demanding schedules to begin renovating parts of their lovely 14-year-old home. The goal? To begin transitioning some of the home’s beautiful contemporary interiors to reflect styles that were more classical in nature.

While flipping through the pages of Home & Design magazine, the homeowner saw a feature article about the home of leading Maryland luxury interior designer Haleh Niroo.  One look at the Habersham furnishings that Haleh had chosen for her own home, and the homeowner knew she had found her designer.

“I knew right away that Habersham was the perfect choice for this client’s lifestyle,” explains Haleh.  “The attention to detail – meticulous handwork, the design, the fabulous finishes – all came together to exude the old world feeling and look they wanted to bring into the kitchen.”

Using the Habersham line, Haleh and her team members, Theresa Hamilton and Eunjin Kim, worked on a number of designs until they  hit upon the perfect one.

“Haleh Design provided us with countless different layout options and had no problem changing things as we went along, “ adds the homeowner.    “Everything went so smoothly and her renderings were so perfectly accurate, that we knew exactly what to expect before we started the renovation.”

Meeting and exceeding client expectations are standard practice for Haleh Niroo.  Working with Habersham, she created a stunning kitchen design where form truly flatters function.  Island and peninsula designs provide needed prep space for the client, an avid cook.  A casually elegant, unique hearth range hood design is complemented by plentiful Habersham cabinetry in richly contrasting dark and light hand-styled finishes.  To complete the look, meticulously detailed crown molding and corbels add just the perfect touch of understated grandeur.

“A kitchen for a feast with friends or an intimate family gathering is what Habersham and Haleh brought to this home that we love with all our hearts,” says the homeowner.

Featured Designer: Nancy Scott "We have two fabulous kitchens, we call it His and Hers Habersham" - Mike & Cookie

Cookie has always been a fan of Habersham and their custom-designed, handcrafted furniture. “I was absolutely delighted when I learned that Habersham is now creating extraordinary kitchen and bath cabinetry,” said Cookie. “It’s a natural extension for them because their design sense just organically lends itself to the whole home.”

Rich looks and European-styled artistry are the heart and soul of Habersham’s philosophy. Old world charm and absolute function make Habersham the obvious choice for homeowners like Mike and Cookie. Building their dream home on the intracoastal waterways of Hampstead, North Carolina gave Cookie another chance to show what a Habersham fan she truly is.

Mike and Cookie have always loved the water, too. The couple moved to Wilmington, North Carolina more than 23 years ago. In 2007, they found the perfect lot to build their dream home. To help make her dream a reality, Cookie engaged the services of Nancy Scott, founder/owner of one of North Carolina’s leading interior design firms, Master’s Design, Inc. Scott, who has worked with Habersham line for many years, is now in the process of assisting Cookie in choosing a variety of select pieces for some of the most important rooms in the home, in order to bring the project to completion.

Cookie, an avid collector of sea shells, wanted to reflect this coastal spirit in her home. “It was wonderful to blend Habersham’s hand-finished furnishings and cabinetry with so many of our antiques. Habersham’s soft palette and remarkable custom-designs just went hand-in-glove. Perfect.”

Offering a unique, sophisticated, and relaxed coastal style, this Habersham kitchen is as fabulous in European flare as it is functional. “It all works seamlessly with the appliances we chose,” says Cookie. “It’s ideal for entertaining family and friends, and everyone loves the easy elegance of this place we call home.”

Mike, a retired naval officer, also had Habersham create his own Summer Kitchen, complete with a working bar imported from Ireland, game room and full kitchen. Mike laughs, “His and Hers Habersham. It just doesn’t get much better than this.”

“The feel of a Mediterranean villa, right here in Great Falls. Grazie, Habersham.”

When Laura and Stephen Robinson began designing their home in Great Falls, they had two goals in mind. First, the home was to serve as a showcase for the wide range of capabilities and custom features that Stephen’s business, Chesapeake Construction Company, could provide. The second was to create an environment conducive to large-scale entertaining for the many fundraising events the philanthropic couple hosts throughout the year.

“As I designed the home”, says Stephen, “I knew we needed large, open spaces that could be used to serve dinner from 30 to 300. But at the same time, the same space was to operate as our private home, so the challenge was to keep it functional, yet warm. The layout of the rooms had to be well thought through, and we needed a furniture company that understood our challenge. The grand scale of the Habersham pieces with their old world feel helped to add warmth and personality to the home’s large spaces.”

Quad Belmont Bookcase with Ladder
Click the Image for More Info

As the interior designer, Laura appreciates that Habersham has long been known for a fabulous color palette that lends itself to a wide array of decorating styles. “When you tell Habersham you want a kitchen that captures the spirit of the Tuscan Countryside with its warm gold and red tones, they can deliver,” says Laura. In fact, much of this exquisite home’s palette actually emanated from the Habersham pieces she selected for each room. For example, in the upstairs master suite, Laura relied on the delicate aviary motif of the Habersham Ashley Manor bed and vanities to create a space reflecting quiet Italian elegance. She drew on the colors in the artwork for the walls and fabrics, and even had her faux painter recreate the pattern depicted on the side panels of the vanities for the grand arch separating the master bedroom and bath. In the dining room, the soft finish on Habersham’s grand Trouville breakfront enhanced the old world feel of the room with its fresco walls and silk chairs. And, the Belmont wall unit, with its sliding ladder, adds a substantial backdrop to the charm and beauty of the hearth room where a warm fire greets visitors to the home.

“When it’s all said and done,” said Laura, “I really left the outside design to my husband. But the inside belongs to Habersham.”

“Habersham helped us bring the Mediterranean to Massachusetts.”

“We can’t imagine life without our Habersham kitchen,” exclaims Kim. “This incredible space, which includes our wet bar and pantry, is the heart and soul of our home.”

“We didn’t just want our kitchen to look good, we wanted it to feel good. This is where friends and family gather to share the moments of the day and make memories for the future,” says Kim. “The artistry of Habersham has created an environment in our home that immediately takes us to our favorite places in Europe. We could be having wine along the Seine, or dining in Siena. But it’s all right here in Sherborn.”

Kim and Paul have built a stunning house that takes its inspiration from the grand mansions and country homes of the chateaus and villas of France, Italy and Spain. “Our love of traveling in all the Mediterranean regions gave us the vision of building something rooted in centuries of rich history and old-world traditions,” says her husband, Paul.

Much of this project was actually designed by the homeowner, Kim Dacier.

She and her husband worked with builder and Habersham Kitchen and Bath designer, Ed Tarca of E.W. Tarca Construction located in Hopkington, MA. Tarca features a Habersham design studio on their premises. “That certainly made the whole process much more convenient,” said Kim.

Biltmore™ Collection Valencia 72" Round Table
Click the Image for More Info

Kim and Paul both feel that Habersham’s Grand European Continental style fits perfectly with their lifestyle. “Working with the Habersham design team was truly a labor of love. They listened to our ideas and brought them to life even more beautifully than we could have ever imagined,” Kim tells us.

The spectrum of Habersham’s handcrafted, custom-designed cabinetry along with their unique architectural elements, motifs and sophisticated style are what bring authenticity to any home that requires a worldly blend of hand-finished textures, fine design lines, meticulous detailing and a rich color palette to compliment today’s gracious living.

Featured Designer: Allison Belans "Habersham is right at home on the waterfront." - Allison Belans

Life at Reynolds Plantation revolves around the amazing natural beauty of rolling hills, pristine landscapes and the wide shimmering expanse of Lake Oconee. When Allison’s clients, who reside fulltime in Melbourne, Florida, decided to build their second home in this much-desired area, working with Allison truly was a dream come true.

“Every client has a story to tell me about their ideas on life,” says Allison. “The first thing I want to know is what is important to them, what is not, and how they’ll want to spend time in the home we are creating together.”

St. Julien Cabinet
Click the Image for More Info

Her client’s home is situated on a beautiful point in Reynolds Plantation and has 600 feet of waterfront with spectacular lake views from almost every window. “That means the outside is virtually part of the inside,” Allison said. “So I knew the interior design had to reflect that beauty and become just as warm and inviting.”

Allison Belans has been a kitchen designer for 10 years and works with her clients from the initial concept to the final details. Once the client’s vision had become hers, as well, Allison knew that Habersham would give them the desired effect of nature “at home” in their house.

Habersham’s custom-designed cabinetry was the perfect choice for a kitchen with 12-foot ceilings, a coffered ceiling detail that is 14 feet high, and a floor plan that opens into the family room, dining room and breakfast area. Because the kitchen is the center of this entire space, it allows for 23 to sit down and enjoy family, friends and great meals.

“One of the architectural points that I love the most is the massive mantle in the kitchen that features exquisite hand-painted Lombardy Art by Habersham. They offer such unique touches, color palettes and custom-crafted artistry that it’s often hard to make up your mind,” says Belans. “Habersham’s options are amazing. And there’s always something to match the sensibilities of my clients.”

“My role is to be my client’s advocate guiding them through the process of designing and building their dream home. My job is to support them in making good decisions and following through to the point of perfection.” Then Allison Belans smiles and says, “My client’s job is just to relax in their Habersham Home…and dream on.”

“The first part of the process in building your dream home is finding the perfect place,” says Gwen. “I wanted the convenience of an urban setting, but also wanted lots of tree-lined streets and a true neighborhood feel. I found it in beautiful Vienna, Virginia.”

SAGE, Gwen’s thriving interior design business in the Fairfax County area of Virginia, attracts an affluent clientele who looks to her for help on a wide array of projects – from single rooms to complete home design.

“My home is a classic DC Bungalow, impeccably designed on the outside and beautifully furnished on the inside with many extraordinary pieces from Habersham Home,” adds Gwen.

“The word ‘Home’ was key in my mind,” she says. “The interior called for many of Habersham’s grand scale pieces, but the overall feel is warm and welcoming. This line really lets you express your own sense of style in every room.”

“I know looks, textures, color palettes and what pieces match personalities,” Gwen says. “Habersham is unequaled in their offerings. You can truly customize each piece according to your tastes and lifestyle. I look to them for creating the perfect pieces for every space. For our home and for my client’s.”

Gwen made sure the kitchen took center stage. “This is the heart of my home,” she says “I have a 19- year old son and a big old Bernese Mountain Dog. Our kitchen and family room are the hub of activity.”

Gwen worked closely with Habersham to create a Grand European, casually elegant, working kitchen. “It’s absolutely ideal for entertaining, relaxing and unwinding. We created two islands, topped with richly textured Jerusalem stone and embedded with fossils. That is uniquely us.”

Habersham completely understands “focal points” and personal touches. A perfect example is the hand-painted Venetian Hearth range hood design flanked on either side with curio cabinets framed with antique glass.

“As I worked through the interior design of my new home, I knew that Habersham would be my partner in creating our lifestyle,” says Gwen. “Their tastes and talent match mine, perfectly. At the end of the day, we all love coming back to our Habersham Home.”