Designer Series: Vanessa Deleon Defines Glamour

Welcome to PJ's Designer Series where we spotlight standout designer projects and incredible stories. Each feature delves into the creative process and inspiration behind these remarkable designs.

With over two decades as a designer in New York City-area, Vanessa Deleon and her design firm, Vanessa Deleon Associates infuse urban luxury into their projects which have been featured on HGTV, Bravo, and recently NBC’s Open House TV. She coined a term for her signature aesthetic, “Glamilistic,” which is a combination of glamour and minimalism, to describe her dazzling-yet-restrained designs.

Above, Make Waves creates a textural entryway with a hint of metallic glam. Handcrafted by artisans, authentic abaca pulp is combed into distinctive dimensional designs to create a specialty wallcovering.

One PJ Standout Has Vanessa’s Heart
The original Phillip Jeffries HQ neighbored her family’s furniture store in New Jersey. When Vanessa first started her design firm, she opened her first studio near her family's furniture story, too. “Then Phillip Jeffries grew, and my business grew, and I’ve been working with them ever since!”

Vanessa has come to rely on Phillip Jeffries luxurious materials and array of collections. “All the lines are great, but I definitely lean toward the metallics!” A quick scroll through Vanessa’s instagram or website and you’ll spot the standout – PJ’s Kintsugi-inspired Adorn, a wood veneer with luminescent hand-placed metallic leaf. The striking minimalism fits Vanessa’s style to a T, so it's no surprise she has installed it in a variety of rooms, each with a different mood.

For their Saddle River, N.J. home, Vanessa’s clients wanted something standout but classic, so she used Adorn to create a wow-worthy dining room. “That project was my glamilistic style - a hybrid of the bold wallpaper with the gold but paired with a soft neutral,” like the curved Louis XVI chairs, and large-scale sleek minimalist table. “They loved it installed!”

In the same home, she created a music lounge with her client’s favorite lyrics hung over top of PJ’s Flight in Deep Emerald. The client wanted something “swanky,” so Vanessa opted for the the mural, reminiscent of swirling smoke clouds, to set the mood of the room. “It turned into a great conversation space!”

In her own home, she’s installing  PJ’s Vinyl Crocodile Rock to create a swanky lounge, complete with DJ booth. 

Bold Bedrooms
“I'm all about pushing the envelope, but you can pull back and still have a really cool statement.” Vanessa believes graphics belong in every space, even if just a subtle pattern. For the bedroom below, Vanessa chose Splash, an abstract paint drip design to make a dynamic headboard wall below.
 

Don’t Stop at the Walls
Vanessa found inspiration again with PJ’s Flight in this darkly lacquered dining room, extending the swirling moody print overhead to the ceiling. “I think I did wallpaper on ceilings before it became a thing! Clients would freak out even at the concept, but then once they saw it rendered they loved it.” Vanessa’s strategy for ceiling success? “You can’t just use any wallpaper – it has to have movement or a reverse pattern so it works from any angle and with the light fixtures and the seaming.”

Art Nouveau Inspiration
Designing for the Kips Bay Decorator Show House, Vanessa loved the opportunity to design a bathroom that was a modern reimagining of what the bathroom may have been like when it was originally built in 1903. "I really wanted it to be over the top but still make it true to its origin.” That meant layers of rich emerald greens on every surface (including the vanity, tub and toilet!). See the entire show house here.

Interior design by Vanessa Deleon Associates
Photos by Laura Moss Photography, Jason Ducusin, and Sargent Photo