All-Star Designers: Kate Singer of Huntington
Interior designer Kate Singer poses in a home office that is under construction in Sands Point on Sept. 17, 2015. Credit: Randee Daddona
After visiting an endless number of designer show houses and poring over portfolios, Newsday has pulled together 11 designers, including one husband-and-wife team, who bring beauty and drama to Long Island’s homes. We’ve taken a peek at what they’ve been up to recently and learned a little more about what makes each of them stand out from the pack.
This week, we chat with Kate Singer of Huntington’s Kate Singer Home.
How would you sum up your design style?
Soft, subtle, organic, livable.
What’s your biggest design influence?
Nature.
If you could only use one color in a room, what would it be?
Light gray.
What design trend are you so over?
Mirrored furniture and starburst mirrors.
What is your best recommendation for home furnishing shopping on Long Island?
Mecox Gardens, English Country Antiques and Serena & Lily, out East.
What is the cheapest find that you have furnished your house with?
A carved antique settee bought at an estate sale for a song. Refinished and reupholstered, it was in the Traditional Home Hampton Designer Showhouse before my home. It is still one of my favorite pieces.
What is the most unusual space you’ve ever designed?
I can’t think of an unusual space, but the most challenging was a dark basement room in one of my first designer show houses. The room had no light and no great architectural elements to work with. Not an easy task.
Is there a restaurant or other commercial space that you love the look of?
The Mayflower Grace Spa in Connecticut and the Ralph Lauren flagship store and restaurant in Saint Germain, Paris.
What’s your favorite type of home architecture?
I have always been drawn to Cape Cod and Colonial-style architecture, but homes by the architectural firm Zakary Hagemann in Oyster Bay have been my favorites to work on the past 10 years.
Which is your favorite room to decorate in a show house?
Bedrooms, of which I’ve done many, from Old Westbury Gardens to the Hamptons.
Name a book that would absolutely have to be in your library.
Design book: “The Big Book of Chic’’ by Miles Redd. Personal growth: “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz.
What is your favorite song or music to decorate to?
Anything Van Morrison, which relaxes me. Anything Zac Brown or John Mayer works, too.
Which other designers do you admire?
I admire the work of so many, but Barbara Barry, Suzanne Kasler, Victoria Hagan and Darryl Carter are my true favorites.
