Living well is the greatest luxury
WESTCHESTER-BASED LUXURY INTERIOR DESIGN STUDIO
At Alden Design Studio, we believe the greatest luxury isn't simply a beautiful home. It's the confidence that every decision has been thoughtfully considered and expertly carried through on your behalf.
Our role extends far beyond creating interiors. We steward every aspect of the design process — from the earliest planning decisions through final installation —approaching every project with extraordinary care, refined judgment, and unwavering integrity. We value the trust our clients place in us and consider it our responsibility to honor that trust in every decision we make.
Through careful listening and a deep understanding of how our clients live, we create homes that are rooted in the architecture of the space and tailored to the people who inhabit it. The result is interiors that feel deeply personal, beautifully resolved, and entirely at ease.
Whether reimagining a historic residence or bringing warmth and character to a newer home, our goal is always the same: to create spaces that feel as though they have always belonged.
OUR STORY
Shawna’s path to interior design began with a love of art history and photography, first cultivated in high school, then deepened at Washington University in St. Louis, where she earned a degree in Comparative Arts. Early internships with a renowned interiors photographer and a residential interior design firm lead to her first full-time role at luxury residential interior design and architecture firm B-Five Studio, where she learned the art of managing high-end client needs, specifying and sourcing fully custom projects, and orchestrating installations for sophisticated art collections.
By 2017, Shawna rekindled her passion for interiors through select local projects, designing bespoke rooms on nights and weekends, and even lent her fashion styling expertise to high-profile events and personal wardrobes.
After mastering the nuances of luxury residential design, she shifted to editorial and creative direction, spending 15 years crafting visuals and brand identities for top magazines like Organic Style, InStyle, and Every Day with Rachael Ray. Though her favorite shoots often centered on fashion and beauty, she honed a versatile skill set across food, tabletop, and corporate branding, bringing an editorial eye for composition and storytelling to every project.
In late 2019, Shawna made the leap to launch Alden Design Studio full-time, combining her multidisciplinary background, magazine-perfect attention to detail, and passion for custom, client-driven interiors into a boutique firm dedicated to creating homes that feel both opulent and effortlessly livable. Since then, the studio has completed a litany of high-end residential projects across the tri-state area.
“Shawna redesign[ed] our kitchen and not only is it gorgeous, but it wouldn't be remotely the same space without Shawna. We were impressed by her design and vision but also how she ran and organized the business.””
NATHAN | SCARSDALE, NY
OUR APPROACH
Great design starts with listening. We begin every project with a deep-dive discovery session — understanding how our clients live, what they love, and delineating the challenges we need to tackle. Then, with a clear plan in hand, we marry big-picture vision with meticulous execution, from floor-plan layouts and material selection to final installation.
OUR VALUE STATEMENT
luxury is the confidence that every decision has been thoughtfully considered and expertly carried through on your behalf.
MEET SHAWNA
Founder & Principal Shawna Kalish brings a sophisticated, stylish eye to projects both large and small. With 15 years of art-directing and producing photo shoots in New York City, and a background spanning fashion styling, event planning, and editorial creative direction, she sees beyond conventional design solutions.
Shawna’s refined sense of storytelling and deep understanding of composition and materials means every space she designs is as distinctive as the people who live in it.
GET TO KNOW SHAWNA
inside scoop
Morning Ritual: HIIT classes 2-3 mornings a week are a must to maintain mental clarity.
Design Inspiration: My collection of vintage World of Interiors magazines (I might be a magazine hoarder); art history; The Met; The Frick; Bergdorf Goodman; vacation / hotels & restaurants.
Beloved Keepsake: The vintage Cartier watch my mother gave me for my 35th birthday. She wore it every day of my life growing up, and for that reason alone it’s absolutely priceless to me.
Dream Upgrade: Blowing out my kitchen!
Current Binge: I can’t help it: I am forever bingeing Parks & Rec.
Off-Hours Pursuit: Watching funny animal videos with my girls.
Secret Skill: I’m a packing ninja.
Coffee Order: Iced triple shot latte with oat milk
Dream Project: A house on Lake Como or an apartment on the water in Tel Aviv!
Color Crush: Aubergine and oxblood.
Every transformation begins with a conversation. Let’s talk about your project, your wishlist, and how we can translate those into a space that feels crafted with intention and tailored entirely to you.