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The entrance to Amanda Nisbet’s West End home. “I like to make transitional spaces special, interesting moments,” the designer says.
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The giraffe-print carpet is one of only two carpets in the house. “This is a highly trafficked space and needed something durable,” Nisbet says. “Plus,it’s cozy and it feels good.”
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Console tables from Nisbet’s New York apartment add interest to the entryway.
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In the powder room, the black lacquer floor, a custom vanity and stripy wallpaper play up quirky angles.
After more than 25 years in New York City, interior designer Amanda Nisbet was ready for a change of pace and a change of scenery. She knew where she wanted to be: Richmond.
“I have all these touchpoints to Virginia. … I love Virginia,” she says. “I feel at home here.”
Nisbet, who lived in Northern Virginia in her teen years and in Charlottesville as a young adult (her ex-husband is a University of Virginia alumnus), relocated to the West End three years ago. She repurposed a garage at the rear of the property for her office space and set about making the house her own.
“My homes have always been my laboratory,” she says, laughing. “I’ve always rearranged things. When my kids were younger, they’d wake up in the morning and ask, ‘Why did you move the ottoman to the other side of the room?’ ”
With a degree in art history and a stint at Christie’s auction house in New York, Nisbet has a keen appreciation for classic style.
“My design is always based in the traditional vernacular,” she says. “I believe in a timeless aesthetic, but I want to keep it up to date. One of my tenets is juxtaposition: a modern painting with an older piece of furniture. Shiny next to matte. I like to play with texture, form and scale — that leads to interesting tension.”
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At the fireplace, Art Deco-style sconces of Nisbet’s design are juxtaposed with large 18th-century urns.
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The Arne Jacobsen Egg lounge chair was “a little splurge” when Nisbet moved to Richmond.
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Nisbet designed the lemon yellow banquette in the dining area of the connected kitchen/living room/dining room space.
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A traverse ceiling rod allows the drapes to fully enclose the bed if desired.
Nisbet’s sister went to school for interior design in London and worked at the esteemed firm of Colefax and Fowler. “She did all the things you were supposed to do,” Nisbet says, “but [she has] told me that she’s envious because I’m not tethered to the rules.”
Instead, Nisbet trusts her instincts.
“My design is quite studied and purposeful, but I don’t want it to look that way,” she says. “I don’t want a room to look like a hotel room; it should be infused with the personality of its owner.”
Nisbet recalls one of her earliest design statements, in a New York apartment she and her then-husband shared. “I couldn’t stand living in the rental with four white walls,” she says. “I went out and bought a gallon of paint. It’s an inexpensive way to completely change the look and feel of the room, and it’s not a big budget-blower if you do make a mistake.”
From that point on, color became a signature element in her designs.
“You can’t paint every room a different color; it’s all about the balance,” she says. “I like for rooms to have different feels. When I meet with clients, I go through a lengthy interview to find out how they are going to use each room. I want them to have different experiences.”
“I believe in a timeless aesthetic, but I want to keep it up to date.” —Amanda Nisbet
The color themes in Nisbet’s own house include orange, pink, gold and chartreuse — a personal favorite — against a backdrop of sisal rugs and predominantly pale furniture in the main living space. “I use color as an accent and connection,” she says.
And while she’s always open to acquisition — “I love the hunt!” she says — Nisbet has some favorite pieces she makes sure to put to use. A shagreen-and-nickel chest, with drawers lined in velvet for Nisbet’s jewelry, had been in her bedroom in New York; now it’s in her main bath. When the plaster mirror that hung above a fireplace in New York didn’t fit above her new fireplace, she had Professional Art Handling of Richmond devise a way to hang it in front of the mantel. Her grandmother’s crystal girandoles, which once anchored a console table, are now front-and-center in the living room. “They’ve traveled everywhere,” she says. “Why not put them out? Why not enjoy them every day?”
Sometimes, she says, certain adaptations are forced, pointing to the artwork that lines virtually every inch of the stairway. “This house has so many windows, but not much wall!” she says, laughing.
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Nisbet designed this room to function as a TV room, library and bedroom for her son when he visits.
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In a bedroom designed for her daughter, Nisbet positioned a mirror slightly behind the end table to open up the room to the hallway.
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The Palm chandelier is from Nisbet’s lighting collection for Niermann Weeks.
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The pink drapes and shagreen-and-metal chest were relocated from Nisbet’s New York apartment.
Over the years, Nisbet has sought to create her own solutions, resulting in her bespoke lighting, textile, furniture and rug collections with Urban Electric Company, Niermann Weeks, Travis & Co., Studio Four NYC, and Kyle Bunting. In 2012, Abrams published her “Dazzling Design” book, showcasing her philosophy and projects. “It’s all a collaboration,” she says. “If I didn’t have all these amazing relationships and trades, I couldn’t do it.”
Despite the range of her work, Nisbet continues to appreciate being a hands-on designer. “My firm is super small, and I like to be with every client,” she says. “I’m happy to do all levels of work, because I’ve been through all those stages of life, from young married to empty nester. Not every home has to feel like it’s magazine-worthy; it just has to feel like home. That’s what’s important.”
