What Sets Studio Kestrel Apart — And Why It Matters for Your Home

I've walked into a lot of beautiful spaces that didn't feel right.

Gorgeous tile, perfect lighting, furniture that photographs like a dream — and somehow the room still felt like it belonged to someone else. Or worse, to no one at all. That disconnect is what made me start Studio Kestrel, and it's the thing I think about on every single project.

The short version of who we are

Studio Kestrel is a full-service interior design studio. We do residential and hospitality work in New York City, the Hamptons, and Miami. I lead every project personally — that's not a tagline, it's how the studio is structured. We take on a limited number of clients each year so I can actually be in the room for the decisions that matter.

My background is unusual for this industry. I studied biomedical engineering before I got into design, and honestly, it shows up in everything I do — the way I think about spatial flow, the way I analyze materials, the way I plan a room around how a body actually moves through it. It's not something I talk about much, but clients feel it. Things just work.

What we actually do (and why it's all under one roof)

Here's something most people don't realize until they're deep into a renovation: interior design, architecture, and landscape are three different conversations happening about the same space. When those conversations happen with three different firms, things fall through the cracks. The kitchen counter height doesn't quite work with the window detailing. The outdoor living area feels disconnected from the interior. Small things — but they compound.

We handle interior design, architectural detailing, and landscape design together. One team, one vision, one set of drawings. That means when we're designing a living room, we're already thinking about what you see through the window. When we're planning your kitchen, we're thinking about the light at 7 a.m. when you're making coffee.

We also do custom furniture and millwork — because sometimes the piece that would make a room perfect doesn't exist yet. And we work with real estate professionals on listing strategy and buyer planning, because understanding the market side makes us better designers. We know what holds value. We know what doesn't.

How a project works with us

Every project follows four phases: Concept Development, Design Documentation, Procurement and Project Management, and Installation and Styling.

It starts with a two-hour paid design consultation. We sit down together and talk about vision, layout, scope, timeline, and investment — honestly and in detail. That fee gets credited toward full-service design if we move forward. I set it up that way because I want both of us to know, before we commit, that this is the right fit.

After that, the process is structured but never rigid. I'm not handing you a binder and disappearing. We're collaborating — and I'm managing the complexity so you don't have to chase contractors, coordinate vendors, or make fifty decisions in a week without context.

What organic modern actually means (to us)

People use the term "organic modern" a lot right now, and I get it — it's a useful shorthand. But for us it's not a trend. It's a design philosophy rooted in how materials age, how light moves through a room, and how a space makes you feel at 9 p.m. on a Tuesday when nobody's watching.

It means natural materials — stone, wood, linen, plaster — chosen for texture and longevity, not just aesthetics. It means curved and softened forms that feel human, not sharp edges that perform minimalism. Warm palettes. Lighting designed to make people feel good, not just to illuminate a room. And proportions that are felt before they're noticed — the kind of thing where you can't explain why a room feels right, but it does.

The spaces we design are meant to get better with time. I'm not interested in interiors that peak on day one and start declining. I want the leather to develop a patina. I want the stone to tell a story. I want you to love your home more in year five than you did when we finished it.

The wellness piece

This is the part I'm probably most passionate about, and it's the hardest to explain because "wellness design" has become a buzzword. So let me be specific.

I mean: circadian-aware lighting that supports your sleep cycle. Air quality that's been considered at the material level — not just at the HVAC level. Spatial planning that gives you places to decompress, not just places to sit. Acoustics. Thermal comfort. The feel of a floor under bare feet.

These aren't luxury add-ons. They're the difference between a house that looks good and a home that actually makes you feel better. My engineering background is probably loudest here — I think about these things in systems, not in vibes.

Where we work

New York City, the Hamptons, and Miami are home base. We take select projects in other locations when the scope is right and the fit makes sense.

If any of this resonates

The best way to start is a conversation. No pitch, no pressure — just a real talk about what you're working on and whether we're the right studio for it.

Website: studiokestrel.com

Phone: +1 (646) 360-0599

Email: hello@studiokestrel.com

Instagram: @studiokestrel

LinkedIn: Paul De Andrade