Casa Cavaliere
If you could have a second home anywhere, where would you live? Nusco, Avellino, Italy- the town where I was born and raised before moving to NYC when I was 7.
What are three words to describe your style?
Collected
Fearless
Maximalist
Tell us about your childhood bedroom? In Italy, I had a matching white 1980s melamine bedroom set with a bookcase full of books. In New York, I shared a room with my two sisters and slept in a wooden bunk bed from Gothic Cabinet Craft. It wasn’t fancy, but it was practical and lasted forever.
What’s the first investment piece you ever bought for your house? A vintage Chinese pagoda mirror. I spotted it in an estate sale ad and immediately fell in love, but I couldn't make it out to Long Island for the sale. I called the estate sale company anyway, and after a lovely conversation, the owner remembered me when it didn't sell and offered it to me for $200. My husband drove out to Kings Point to pick it up at night the next day and nearly drove off a cliff in the process, so to this day it's one of my favorite pieces and one of our favorite stories.
In the history of design, if you could hire any designer other than yourself, who would it be? Henri Samuel
No room is complete without something weird. A piece of art, a questionable statue…something that makes people go ???
People think of me as maximalist, but I am really a curator.
Things you omit from
A flower arrangement: Stargazer Lily
An hors d’oeuvre platter: anything with foam or that requires an explanation
A bar cabinet: anything neon colored (like hpnotiq)
A song for:
Dinner at home: Miley Cyrus Party in the USA (my 5 yr old loves it)
Working at your desk: Early 2000s Pop hits
Going for a run: I don’t run but I dance so anything by Bad Bunny
Biggest Vice? Treasure hunting at a flea market, thrift store, or estate sales
If you were on an Ambien high and internet shopping, what would you buy? Christian Lacroix dress.
Or Fornasetti cabinet! Or both, why not?
Do your clothes reflect your design sensibility, if so, how? Absolutely. I see fashion and interior design in the same scope, really. I've always loved history and art, and whether I'm collecting a handbag, a lamp, or a piece of fabric, it's all driven by the same curiosity. I'm constantly in a state of play, mixing different eras, colors, textures, and styles. I genuinely enjoy decorating just as much as I enjoy getting dressed. And I, like Alexa, have many pairs of fabulous sitting shoes!!
Who is your star crush? Adam Driver. He has some weird mysterious energy also I’m a Star Wars fan and he was excellent in the movies and Kylo Ren !!
What is the thing you would never do on a project, but don’t detest when you see others do it? Wallpapering a room with a sloped ceiling and leaving the ceiling bare. My instinct is always to take the wallpaper all the way up and envelop the entire room. I call this a “Full drip”.
What design book do you find yourself going back to again and again? The NYSID HOME by Ellen Fisher and also Mario Buatta: 50 Years of Interior decoration
For posterity, what would you like your work to be known for? I hope my work is remembered for helping people see beauty and potential where others might not. I want people to buy what they love, trust their instincts, embrace their individuality, and create homes that reflect who they are and how they live, not what they think they're supposed to be. More than anything, I hope my work encourages people to be unapologetically themselves and to have fun. Because Dorothy Draper said it best: decorating is fun! And if it's not fun, you're not doing it right.
A Few Favorites:
Movie: Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince
Book: The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle Jensen
Scent: Baccarat Rouge 450
The fabric you always come back to: Scalamandre Le Tigre
Dream project: A venetian palazzo or a folksy, whimsy, English cottage
Meal: Tortellini Boscaiola
Drink: Iced Coffee
Hotel: Hotel Chelsea in NYC, Bradford House in OKL
Travel Destination: Amalfi Coast
Artist: Piero Fornasetti
A cause near and dear to me: Encouraging people to be unapologetically themselves. Whether it's in their home or their wardrobe, I want people to trust their instincts, embrace what they love, and not be afraid to stand out.
Thing to collect obsessively: Art! Shoes! Dior Galliano pieces
Era in the history of design: Rococo
Museum: The Met
Benjamin Moore Paint Color: Chantilly Lace, the perfect white
Favorite person to follow on Instagram: @Ngadc the museum rizzler!!
Dogs, Cats, or No Pets? CATS, always!!



