Interior Designer Spotlight: Susan Brinson on Creativity, Collaboration & Showhouse Style

Next up in our designer interview series for this year’s Kingston Design Showhouse: Susan Brinson of House of Brinson. A multi-hyphenate creative with a deep curiosity and a sharp eye for design, Susan works with consulting clients on a variety of design and strategic projects. If you’re curious to learn more about her broader creative journey, check out our INSIDE+OUT Spotlight from earlier this year.

For the 2025 Kingston Design Showhouse, Susan brought her signature layered style to the primary bedroom, crafting a space that is both evocative and grounded in storytelling. We caught up with her to talk about the inspiration behind the room, her design philosophy, and the process that brought it all to life. Read on to step inside the design process with Susan Brinson.

The 2025 Kingston Design Showhouse
October 10–26, 2025 | Tickets are $38 and on sale HERE.

INSIDE+OUT: Susan, we’re excited to feature you at this year’s Kingston Design Showhouse! Tell us about the house. What were your initial thoughts, your first impression?

Susan Brinson: I was thrilled to see that this year’s house is an old house, my happy place. The interior had undergone some renovations, like bathroom renovations and reworking the layout. The room I designed is the primary bedroom. The windows are fantastic, the perfect place for art. The room had a new closet built out – many older homes don’t have closets. I wanted the closet to look like its always been there, so it would melt into the other older home features. The scale of the room had a nice opportunity for a dressing area and sleeping nook, adding to the cozy cottage point of view.

Could you share your creative process for the primary bedroom?

Susan Brinson: My first step is to find inspiration. This could be a piece of art, a show at a museum, or my travels. I leaned heavily into the Hudson Valley landscape for inspiration. I love the school of Hudson Valley painters and their color palette. I landed on a dusty purple, the underside of clouds at sunset, and a soft yellow. My second step is taking in the architecture of the home, and this house has a formal roof, but on the second floor, it lends a cottage feel, plus the rooms on the second floor don’t have really high ceilings. I wanted to celebrate the existing structure. The next item I review in depth is the clients themselves. This is a showhouse, so I had to improvise. I invented a couple based on people I know who live in the Hudson Valley. They love the natural beauty of the Hudson Valley, antiques and modern art, and are well-traveled and curious about life.

Take all of the above information, and you see the details translated directly into the room. The wallpaper from Water House Wall Coverings sets the stage for a cottage feel in a custom color; the addition of the second pattern in the closet area adds to the cottage feel. Antique furniture, luxury bed linens elevate the space, adding to the eclectic feel. The cottage feel really comes forward with the lace window treatments, in contrast to the modern art by Gonzalo Pita. I collaborated with Ball & Claw for the Antiques (only 5 miles from the show house, very local!) for furniture and accessories. Another local business I collaborated with is Elizabeth and Thomas from Winslow Antiques for both antiques and the closet millwork. We wanted the closet to look like it had always been there; however, it’s brand new.

What is your favorite part about the design of this room? What inspired you?

Susan Brinson: The location and style of architecture were very central in my inspiration. When I saw the room, I knew it needed wallpaper. A great stripe to move the eye up and accentuate the architecture.

What was the collaboration experience like with Kingston Design Connection?

Susan Brinson: It was really wonderful to meet the other designers and see a celebration of design materialize in a single place – especially upstate – we have a strong design community. I’m thrilled we were able to work in an older house as well. The house has a lot of soul, and it shows in all the different design approaches.

Tell us about your design business. Who are your clients and how do they find you?

Susan Brinson: My design business offers both full service and consulting. Full service is wonderful if you have a project and you want the process managed from beginning to end, while consulting is great if you have a specific need or are just starting a project and want to talk about the creative before starting any work. My clients are really diverse; I work with corporate and residential clients. The one thing my clients have in common is a love of the story supporting the design elements and the process of creativity. I want my clients not only to have a beautiful space, but also to feel connected to it through the narrative.

Follow/Connect with House of Brinson via Website | Facebook | Instagram | INSIDE+OUT Spotlight

Photos courtesy of House of Brinson

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Visit the Kingston Design Showhouse | October 10-26, 2025
721 Second Avenue, Kingston, NY.
Open to the public weekends only
Details, hours and tickets HERE | $38.00 per individual

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About Kingston Design Showhouse

Since 2022, proceeds from the showhouse benefits KDC’s programs with Ulster Habitat for Humanity, including the annual Kingston Design Habitat House produced each year in a newly-built Habitat for Humanity home. To learn more, visit https://www.kingstondesignconnection.com/habitatpartnership

Kingston Design Showhouse connects upstate New York makers, designers, artists, vendors and tradespeople in a collaborative effort that celebrates creativity while strengthening the region’s design and build community. Each year, the project fosters local economic development and shines a national spotlight on Hudson Valley talent, with participants regularly featured in both regional and national press.

Follow/Connect with Kingston Design Connection via Website | Facebook | Instagram | Inside+Out Spotlight