HOUSE BLEND

For clients in Brooklyn, London designer Leonora Hamill mikes period styles, historical references, and disparate objects into a beguiling brew

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WHEN LEONORA HAMILL received a DM from someone she didn't recognize, asking to schedule an introductory video call to discuss a potential project in New York City, the London-based designer wasn't sure what to expect. A few days later, as the screen popped to life, Hamill—noted for her eclectic style, historical references, and penchant for pattern—was surprised to see a young, attractive couple in a minimalist space. The now husband, scruffy and ponytailed, was stroking a cat ("and I hate cats," Hamill laughs). But what was meant to be a 20-minute call ran for well over an hour, marking the beginning of a three-year creative journey, a bona fide friendship, and one of Hamill's favorite projects to date.

"I didn't know them from Adam; we have nobody in common—there was a freedom in that," the decorator explains of meeting the homeowners. "They wanted to change as little as possible, which was really fun," she adds of the pair's newly acquired 1878 Victorian Gothic brownstone. "They're such interesting, considered people but quite green when it comes to decorating." To help familiarize them with her influences, Hamill soon began pulling together mood boards, as well as pointing them to books on the designers who had the biggest impact on her own practice, legends such as Renzo Mongiardino, Federico Forquet, and Henri Samuel.