Designer Spotlight

The Best Minimalist Interior Designers on the AD PRO Directory

Because simplicity and restraint can still speak volumes

Good design doesn’t have to be loud—or in your face. For minimalist interior designers, there’s beauty in simplicity and restraint. But the quiet, sophisticated spaces they create are far from boring. These minimalist interior designers skillfully incorporate clean lines and neutral palettes to devise interiors that are comfortable and highly functional. If you’re already a fan of minimalism or craving a more pared-down style, look no further than these talents, who are all featured in the AD PRO Directory. Whether they’re designing sleek, art-filled condos or calming country homes, they all prove that even the most minimalist spaces can still speak volumes.

Sergio Mercado Design

New York City–based designer Sergio Mercado creates minimalist interiors that are both contemporary and timeless, utilizing rich textures, curated color palettes, and eye-catching details. His firm, Sergio Mercado Design, works on residential, commercial, and mixed-use projects across the country and abroad and also offers art curation and bespoke furniture design. Known for his polished and comfortable spaces, Mercado’s design process is driven by collaboration, and the firm works to develop a shared vision with each client. Notably, Mercado designed the primary bathroom in the 2023 Kips Bay Decorators Showhouse in New York.

For a project in Palm Beach, Florida, Sergio Mercado Design devised a minimalist space, allowing the colorful artwork to take center stage. The firm constructed the bar from mitered and joined slabs of stone, creating the illusion of a single solid block of stone. Pieces by Nick Dawes, David Burdney, and Murray Fredericks hang on the walls, and the modular Edra sectional is paired with a Mondo Collection table.

Photo by Ken Hayden

Chango & Co.

After working for talents such as Benjamin Noriega, Ilan Waisbrod, and Mark Zeff, Susana Simonpietri founded her own firm, Chango & Co., in 2009. The Brooklyn-based residential architecture and interior design firm is known for its warm and welcoming minimalist interiors that take inspiration from the location and history of each home. Simonpietri is particularly adept at making minimalism kid-friendly, creating joyful and frequently color-filled children’s rooms within calm and comfortable family homes. Chango & Co’s easy-going style has helped the firm amass quite a fan club, and it has completed hundreds of projects in New York, the Hamptons, Connecticut, California, and the Bahamas.

Chango & Co. introduced a zen, minimalist look to a modern beach house in Sag Harbor, New York. The cream-colored Dmitriy & Co sofa and rounded-edge chairs from Atelier de Troupe illuminate the space, while the round stone fireplace adds a contemporary touch.

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Weatherleigh Interiors

New York– and North Carolina–based designer Leigh Kirby specializes in turning her clients’ homes into sanctuaries. A former fashion stylist, the Weatherleigh Interiors founder takes a curated approach to minimalism, bringing in antiques and heirlooms in addition to contemporary pieces for a streamlined but collected look that reflects the style and personalities of her clients. Kirby is drawn to neutral palettes and raw materials, such as brass and steel, which she carefully incorporates through lighting and bathroom fittings to make a strong statement in the otherwise serene spaces.

“This Connecticut farmhouse was originally built in 1835 and was partially renovated in 1920 before my clients purchased the home,” says designer Leigh Kirby. “Since then, they have transformed the space into a minimalist retreat.” In the dining room Kidby covered the walls in a gray tadelakt plaster to “evoke a sense of movement and intrigue.” The bronze wishbone dining table is from BDDW, and the chairs are Hans J. Wegner for Carl Hansen & Son. The designer balanced the contemporary pieces with a vintage buffet console.

Sissy+Marley Interiors

Mother and daughter team Diana Rice and Chelsea Reale bring their experiences in fashion and design together with their Brooklyn-based residential interior design and architecture firm, Sissy+Marley Interiors. The design duo and their team craft minimalist spaces with a bit of edge, incorporating beautiful textures, mixed metals, luxe textiles, subtle patterns, and modern furnishings. Each of the firm’s interiors is unique, but all their spaces feel elevated and inviting. Sissy+Marley Interiors works on projects in New York City, the Hamptons, and beyond.

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For an apartment in 432 Park Avenue—the tallest residential building in the world—Sissy+Marley Interiors created an oasis in the sky for a family 66 floors above the bustling city. B&B Italia Tufty Time sectionals anchor the living area, and window seats offer a perfect perch to take in the incredible views.

Photo by Marco Ricca

Lucas Interior

Seattle-based Lucas Interior was founded in 2012 by siblings and collaborators David, Suzie, and Rachel Lucas. The firm focuses on the way its clients live to devise spaces that are functional and beautiful. With a signature style that’s both minimal and distinctive, the design team incorporates custom furnishings, cabinetry, and textiles and works with a talented roster of architects and artisans around the world. Lucas Interior works on projects of any scale, whether a client is building their home from the ground up or refreshing existing spaces.

For a kitchen located in Palm Desert, California, Lucas Interior installed a large quartzite kitchen island that floats in the middle of the kitchen against a backdrop of bespoke cerused-oak millwork. “The kitchen plays on weight versus weightlessness through its use of a strong negative reveal in contrast with the weightier metal pendants from Urban Electric and barstools covered in dark upholstery by Thomas Hayes,” notes Lucas.

Photo by Douglas Friedman

Rushda Hakim Design

Designer Rushda Hakim brings a global perspective to her minimalist interiors. Hakim studied in Mumbai and London and held positions at Foley & Cox and Interior Marketing Group before founding Rushda Hakim Design in 2021. Hakim prides herself on demystifying and streamlining the design process for her clients, working with them to create highly individual spaces. The firm has completed projects in the Hamptons, New York City, New Jersey, Florida, and India and is currently working on apartments in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Miami.

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Hakim used a warm, neutral palette and luxe textures to create a calming sanctuary in one of four bedrooms in a Manhattan residence. The designer incorporated a Phillip Jeffries silk wall covering illuminated by Visual Comfort & Co. sconces and installed a custom bed upholstered in Kravet fabric.

Photography courtesy Rushda Hakim Design

Justin Charette Design

New York native Justin Charette isn’t afraid to go bold in his modern, minimal interiors. The designer and founder of Justin Charette Design crafts restrained yet dramatic spaces using eye-catching black-and-white elements, large-scale artwork, and beautiful natural materials. The firm keeps comfort and functionality top-of-mind in each of its carefully curated interiors. Justin Charette Design works on projects throughout the United States and is currently designing homes in Manhattan, Miami Beach, Palm Springs, and the Hamptons.

Designer Justin Charette fashioned a family-friendly apartment on the Upper West Side for a couple with a young child. In the dining room, a sculptural Lindsey Adelman chandelier hangs above a classic Knoll table and Carl Hansen & Son chairs.

Photo by Sean Litchfield

Magdalena Keck

Designer Magdalena Keck’s elegant and light-filled spaces showcase the New York–based designer’s artistic eye and ability to craft emotionally evocative interiors. The firm has become known for its pied-à-terre and vacation home designs for international clients, including residences in New York, the Catskills, the Hamptons, and Hawaii. The firm also collaborates on commercial spaces for clients in the tech, financial, and real estate industries. Keck’s passion for art also prompted the designer to open Magdalena Keck Gallery in 2018, and the firm's residential work was showcased in the 2017 book Pied-à-Terre: Magdalena Keck.

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Magdalena Keck designed the interiors of a 1969 glass house in New York's Hudson Valley, bringing in materials and objects with history and a personal connection to the client. “The design has also considered how the internal spaces would be experienced through the expansive floor-to-ceiling windows,” says Keck. “The visual connections between out and in became paramount, and close attention was paid to the silhouettes viewed from the grounds—balancing positive and negative space through distinctive shapes—while ensuring harmony with the nature enjoyed from within.”

Photo by Jeff Cate

Light on White Design Studio

Architect and interior designer Alizee Brion founded her Miami-based firm, Light on White Design Studio, in 2016, and since then the studio has amassed a client list that includes celebrities, pro athletes, and high-profile developers. Specializing in luxury residential projects, the team of architects, designers, and project managers works on projects across the globe, drawing from a wide range of influences, including Scandinavian, French, and Japanese design. The firm's peaceful aesthetic incorporates clean lines, natural materials, and soothing hues.

In the bathroom of a Tuscan estate, Light on White Design Studio covered the walls and ceiling with tadelakt plaster and installed textured limestone floors. An antique wood door that the firm sourced locally and refurbished adds to the rustic beauty of the space.

Natalie Priem

Are you looking for an interior decorator or designer to hire for your next project? Wherever you are in the US, visit the AD PRO Directory to browse our list of AD-approved designers and find your match for a design consultation