Timeless Elements, Proper Lighting and Legacy Homes with Britto Charette
You know that feeling when you walk into your luxury hotel room while on vacation? That trip you've been waiting all year for. The sleek, clean lines. The perfection. The intentional placement of each pillow, each towel, each decorative touch. The room exudes decluttered calm, timeless luxury and minimal splendor.
This is the team that brings that feeling home.
Designers Jay Britto and David Charette specialize in creating luxurious, high-end interiors for their global clientele. From Sag Harbor, NY to The Residences at The Ritz Carlton Sunny Isles, Britto Charette brings their expert touch of crisp lines, custom pieces, minimal and modern aesthetic that exudes calm, luxury and decluttered finesse.
We had the wonderful opportunity to dive a little deeper into these two beautiful minds to learn about design, mistakes to avoid, custom pieces, legacy homes and multigenerational living. Grab your chai, tea, coffee - whatever you'll be having and enjoy the read.
What turns a house into a home?
Jay Britto: “It really becomes a home once you place your personal items in it. For us as designers, the goal is to incorporate within the design as much information (likes, dislikes, cherished pieces, art, etc.) given to us by the client as possible so it feels welcoming and comfortable and familiar."
Biggest design mistake to avoid:
Jay Britto: “Overscale goods and poor lighting are the biggest mistakes to avoid when designing your interiors.”
David Charette: “Underlit rooms. We encourage our clients to spend money on lighting because it’s a design element that is often overlooked or taken for granted and an underlit room just won’t convey the overall interior design to its best advantage. Avoid overhead lighting unless it's a chandelier. Lighting should be dimmable and the same color temps—in other words, maintain consistent color with the bulbs. Also, our team uses a variety of lighting sources such as wall sconces, torchieres, floor lamps, and easels with integrated lights to light pieces of art.”
How to make different styles, colors and patterns work together:
Jay Britto: “Keep the color palette of the largest pieces solid and the same. Then use pops of color and patterns on your accent pillows, art, accessories, rugs, etc.”
David Charette: “Yes, what Jay mentioned is one of the ways interior designers pull off keeping interior designs clean without being matchy-matchy. People often purchase a coffee table, side tables, sofa, bed, nightstands, etc. from the same line. Try to avoid doing that so your design doesn't look contrived. Look for "cousins" that are in the same color palette or texture-go for variety as long as they are related.”
How can people give their home a designer touch and feel if they aren't able to work with a designer?
Jay Britto: “That’s difficult, but the closest thing to having an interior designer create the design is to get inspiration from your favorite designer’s website.”
David Charette: “Declutter. Keep your interior tidy and clean. It seems like such a simple concept, but it makes a huge difference."
"When you see beautifully designed homes on Instagram or the myriad HGTV shows that are so popular, you notice the absence of clutter. Clutter competes with the design.”
What’s your go-to design philosophy?
Jay Britto: Always keeping in mind that if it’s trendy, it may not last. Stay with timeless elements in your design and, if you’re a designer, focus on being and staying relevant.”
Den / TV room. Custom design at the @elysee_miami . Designed by Britto Charette for a private client.
What are you most inspired by right now—in this time where we are at home so much?
Jay Britto: “Product design popping up here and there is exciting. Also, it’s exciting to see that French designers are flourishing again. I think their designs are beautiful and a bit more playful than what the Italian furniture designers are doing—and that’s not to take away from the incredible designs that Italian manufacturers are creating as they have been the number one source for so long in designing furniture and pretty much everything that’s geared for interiors.”
David Charette: “Home gyms and home theaters are having a moment. The technology available now is incredible and as a team we love incorporating it into our designs. Having the facilities in your own home is safe and convenient and it’s something our clients want.
I’m also really inspired with the idea of legacy homes and multigenerational living.It has been difficult, if not impossible, for family members to see each other for the past year. As designers, we are looking at ways to adapt to the new reality of pandemics and how they impact our living situations. The idea that family homes can be designed and constructed so as to allow for multigenerational living—safely “bubbling” together—is a fascinating prospect.”
What is your favorite thing to do with an awkward space?
Jay Britto: “I like to design custom seating that utilizes the space. By creating something with an interesting shape that fits perfectly in the space, it takes an awkward or unusable space and makes it special.”
Media room design for a private residence at the Murano-Portofino. Designed by Britto Charette.
Simple looks easy, but rarely is. We loved the tips of how to play with color, decluttering, looking for "cousins" in home furnishings to make them uniquely yours. These can be applied by anyone looking to style their home and give their home that professional touch. And the idea of multigenerational living completely blew us away. As a family first business who obsesses over how to pass traditions on through generations while allowing them to evolve, this is where our heart will always be. Making it practical and feasible in our busy, daily 21st century life? This is where the work lies.
What was your biggest takeaway from this interview?
Learn more about Britto Charette here
shop with inspiration:
"Then use pops of color and patterns on your accent pillows, art, accessories, rugs, etc.” - Jay Britto Shop Pops of Color
“Underlit rooms. We encourage our clients to spend money on lighting because it’s a design element that is often overlooked or taken for granted and an underlit room just won’t convey the overall interior design to its best advantage.” - David Charette Shop Lighting