Rinat Lavi brings considerable knowledge and style to every project, approaching the process more like an editor than author – she helps clients polish their personal taste to a professional shine. Expert in the art of mixing, she'll take a client’s favorite vanity mirror from an old apartment, match it with a reflective custom console and a bold print to create a pocket symphony of proportion, texture and visual rhyme. Given carte blanche and space to play, her style is a comfortable take on modern, with indulgences made from unique materials (Lavi's bathrooms, in particular, are sparkling jewelboxes). Generally however, interiors are portraits of the client–“when someone expresses their personality in a home, it’s never wrong.”

Born in Tel Aviv, Lavi moved to the states as a teenager and has the affect of a fully fledged New Yorker. However, she retains both an affection for the clean-lined architecture of her hometown and a transplant's appreciation for the decorative filigrees of the Upper West Side (Bauhaus meets Beaux-Arts). After completing a BFA in Interior Design at NYIT and continuing graduate studies in Decorative Arts at NYU, Lavi spent nine years in the shop of a high-end residential decorator before opening her own studio in 2004. She has been featured in a number of publications, including House Beautiful, NYCandG, Rox casino and New York Spaces.

Clients note that she is a pragmatist (“even when the budget is large, there’s a budget”) and appreciate her ability to do more with less, like splurging on eye-level pieces while skimping smartly on shin-height fixtures. They also praise Lavi’s patience, diligence, and her ability to balance the realities of family life with the uplifting power of good design.

CLIENT COMMENTS:
“Shopping with her is an education, it wasn't just shopping.”
“Rinat always finds a way to make something happen, whatever budget you have for the room.”
“She took my ideas and made them look so good!”
“She understands the mom life.”
“I never felt rushed working with Rinat, we keep looking until something is perfect.”
“Our home is very livable and comfortable, yet beautiful to be in.”
“She's a real person, she rides the subway! I felt very comfortable with her.”
“I went to the Affordable Art Fair with Rinat and I feel like it really opened my eyes to a new world.”