Unfussy and effortlessly cool are just a few words to describe the work of New York-based interior designer Brett Helsham, who has her own eponymous design firm. She joins The 256 Project this month in the Designer Spotlight and dishes on how growing up around the world influenced her career and her approach to design, the one room that anyone – no matter style or taste – can go really bold in, and what she’s learned about people and their spaces during the pandemic.

Q. I love your style, both in fashion and interior design. When did you first realize you have an eye for aesthetics and when did you realize you could make a career out of it?

A. First of all, what an amazing compliment! Thank you! I don’t think I ever thought, “Man, I have an eye, I should do this.” I think it was something that came about organically. In undergrad, I studied communications and Italian and started working for a high-end fashion PR company that represented Italian clients like Brioni, Missoni and Cavalli. I was always at shows, reading about fashion, but never really felt drawn to clothes itself, but I was always drawn to the fabrics and textures and how they could make you feel. I think subconsciously, growing up around the world, I watched my mother, as we moved from country to country, house to house, culture to culture, either retrofit, rework, redesign, or fully design each space. I was able to recreate my own spaces as well, which was something I loved doing. I think I was very lucky to see the world, and experience how different cultures frame what “a home” is. Then one day, I got the opportunity to help a friend design her own space, and that, as they say, was history. I was hooked. I bribed friends to do their homes to create a portfolio, applied to grad school, and set out into the world of design.  

Q. You had quite the international childhood! What countries did you live in, why did your family move around so much, and how does that type of childhood inform your work today?

A. I was born and raised in Hong Kong, at 8/9 years old I moved to Michigan for a few months, Cleveland, Ohio until freshman year of high school, Seoul, South Korea for sophomore and junior year, Brussels, Belgium for senior year, and then Florence, Italy for my first year of university. I went to NYU in 2002 to finish up undergrad and have been living in NYC ever since! I’m also half Australian, half American. I was a corporate brat, as they say! My father worked for Volvo, in the construction equipment sector. As a third-culture kid, we called each other “Global Nomads,” and I feel that rings true to my design sensibility. It at least gives me a broader perspective, that I aim to influence my design choices, which differ client to client. 

Q. You have a love of wallpaper, statement art and other pieces, and pops of color. How do you decide when to go bold, when to make a statement, and when to let design speak more softly?

A. Great question. I do love wallpaper and making a statement through art or just fun pieces of furniture! There is so much it is dependent on – the function of the room, who is using it, where it’s located, type and temperament of client. Sometimes my clients are more reserved, don’t entertain, but I push them to at least entertain the idea of something bold in the powder room – the one room I think you can go absolutely ham in! Most of the time, it’s just knowing where to push the boundaries and how to juxtapose that with something softer. When it comes to art though, I think you can absolutely do whatever you want! Bold on bold, bold on soft, I feel art shouldn’t be bought for the space, art should be bought because it moved you. And that can speak to you in any space. 

Q. Who, what and where inspires you most to create your spaces?

A. I get inspired by so many things. I really look to my clients and their likes and passions to move me in a direction. Each client, home, and environment is different. Each one wants to feel something a little different in their spaces. So what’s great for me is nothing gets replicated! But I always look to nature, to art, to a photograph that captures a feeling, like the sense of calm you get in the countryside at sunrise in the fall, where there’s dew on the grass, and a color that’s not quite bright yet. Or the openness feeling you might get at a photograph that captures an open window with a curtain blowing in the breeze. 

Q. Color means a lot to you, especially when it comes to paint. Why is color so important?

A. I love color!! I have a YouTube series called B @ Home, and based a multi-episode arc on the theory of color. Color effects us subconsciously, and can alter our emotions and moods. Depending what the effect I want in the room (playful, calming, fun, focused) depends on the colors I choose – it’s not just an arbitrary random choice because “I wanted blue.” 

Q. Green is one of your favorite colors to use. What and where are your favorite ways to incorporate green at home?

A. Green is awesome!!! The obvious one is it relates to nature. In the concrete jungle of New York, I try and bring as much nature in as possible! It also symbolizes growth, harmony and safety and is often associated with money! If you’re talking about paint – it’s awesome for a home office, or on kitchen cabinets! It also doesn’t have to be a straight color to resonate. Maybe it could be a grey with green undertones for a bedroom, or a wallpaper with tons of leafy greens in a powder room! If you’re talking about on fabrics – a deep olive velvet sofa in a den or living room, or a green dyed hide for a chair in the kitchen, super sexy! And always always the easiest way is to just bring in some plants!! Flowers, a Ficus Lyrata – anything to bring balance to the space. 

Q. I absolutely love B @ Home! What made you decide to start this series? And what are you learning about what people need and want since you started this series?

A. Thank you so much!!!! It was something I always wanted to do but never had time for. When the pandemic hit, and my projects slowed down, I finally had the time to sit down and write out episodes! B @ Home is a play on having to “be, at home” during the pandemic and my nickname, B, so it’s watching an episode with, me “B, at home!” I definitely have learned that a LOT of people have put off completing their spaces, and after being in them for so long, have decided to finish them. There’s a real difference between having a house and a home, and I hope to help people achieve that!

Q. Knowing that life will not be returning to normal anytime soon and life at home almost 24/7 will be the norm for a long while, what are your top tips for home design and functionality over the long-term?

A. I always say function is always more important than the aesthetics, because that always comes naturally in the end, but how you use the space needs to be recognized first. In small homes and apartments like we have in NYC, understanding how to have multi-use spaces that aren’t cluttered is important. I always say Marie Kondo things that don’t bring you joy and start focusing on the things you need. For example, maybe you have a spare bedroom that acts also as your home gym AND your office. That’s a lot of use! So pairing down, making sure the items are necessary and needed. Clutter will ruin your focus and creativity. I also think you should have great storage pieces. No one has ever come to me saying, I have enough storage so don’t worry about it!  

Q. People may be surprised to hear that you are hiring an interior designer for your own apartment. Why have you decided to bring someone else in and do you have any tips to share with others on hiring an interior designer?

A. I always joke I’m going to hire an interior designer because I’m worried I’ll get a divorce!!! But I haven’t. But the advice is this though: make sure you choose a designer you trust and like. It’s a thin line of someone you want as your friend, and look at like a boss. And that goes both ways! The process can be long, and it WILL be filled with ups and downs. That person should be able to lead you through it all while making it fun!

Q. You have been quite vocal about racial and social justice issues on social media. Why have you decided to use your platform in this way? Does this type of culture have an impact on your work and what you bring to design?

A. The world is so effed up right now. I grew up around the world. I’m Australian/American. I was born and raised in Hong Kong. I lived in Ohio where I was made fun of for having a thick British accent, lived in South Korea where my Korean peers hazed us for being white. I saw how my Belgian friends treated Moroccan immigrants while living there, and same with the treatment of Northern African immigrants in Italy when I lived there. My best friends were like a United Colors of Benetton ad from every walk, color and culture of life. You can call it bullying or racism, but none of it should exist. I don’t believe in reverse racism, but I have a deep understanding of what it is to be bullied and feel like an outsider. But with that, I also recognize my white privilege, and feel strongly that it’s my right to use it to counter the systemic racism that exists all over the world, not just America, where I can. I think there’s a spectrum of racism. You can call yourself an anti-racist, but I think we should all look at the day and say “what percentage of racist was I today, 5%? 100%? 0%?” Because let’s face it – we’re not all perfect but we mistakenly perpetuate stigma constantly and need to be able to call it out where we see it, in a nice way of course!

Where it impacts my designs, I’m always looking for local artisans to work with, or interesting studios that are culturally aware. Growing up around the world, I have an affinity to so many design sensibilities and always try to bring those in where I can, whether it’s an Asian cabinet, or an Italian blown glass light fixture. I guess I think it’s important to recognize global artists and designers and celebrate them where we can, because there are SOO many good ones out there!! 

Q. How have you been handling life during this pandemic, working as a business owner and entrepreneur in an industry where a lot happens in person, and as a wife and mom to a young son?

A. The pandemic has hit me, personally, in waves. I’ve had to adapt in many ways. As a woman, and a mother, and a business owner, you are forced to make tough decisions on where or what you spend your time, and each one requires your full attention, which we all know is impossible to do/give, irrespective of a pandemic. There are days I feel a failure at one, and others another. It took me a few months to get the balance right, and I’m still working on it. I, of course, see this as a positive, where the pandemic enabled me to spend SOOOO much more time with my son, and I realized the work always gets done. It was nice to be able to slow down, and spend time with my family. I think all my clients feel the same way, and as we’ve begun full swing again back into projects. We all have been approaching the projects a little differently, which is so nice! There are so many more building regulations, furniture is backordered, things aren’t available. Pre-pandemic, when something got delayed it was the end of the world. Now, it’s the new normal, and you just shrug your shoulders and say, what can you do! We’re safe, we’re happy, we have an apartment to decorate/design – let’s keep it in perspective, it could be worse!!! 



Thanks so much to Brett for her thoughtful answers to design, career and life right now. Check her out on IG here and see more of her portfolio here. To catch up on the Designer Spotlight series, read all about blogger and DIYer Dabito here and interior designer Gail Davis here.