PER MY LAST EMAIL

How an ambitious (and detailed) correspondence begot a refined yet fanciful forever home in Albany, New York, with interiors by Nicholas Obeid.

- KATHERINE BERNARD

For a designer obsessed with detail, it’s a fantasy to find a friend, much less a client, with the enthusiasm and stamina to sustain an 80-email thread about one fabric trim. But this was the level of unrushed, joyful consideration that Elle Decor A-List designer Nicholas Obeid shared with homeowner Deirdre Brodie while working on her historic townhouse in Albany, New York. After completing a gut renovation on the 1875 home, which abuts the city’s 90-acre Washington Park, Brodie and her husband Dan Odabashian tapped Obeid to create some enchanting cohesion among the home’s three floors, and to delight in the details—and emails—alongside her.

In the living room of Deirdre Brodie and Dan Odabashian's 1875 townhouse in Albany, New York, which was renovated by Nicholas Obeid, the custom sofa (right) has passementerie by Samuel & Sons. The vintage armchairs (right) are in a Scalamandré velvet, and the walls are painted in a limewash from Portola Paints.

Opposite: In the stair hall the custom mural features classical motifs and was hand-painted by Ning Stanley