LIFE BEYOND FIRST CLASS
DESIGN & ARCHTIECTURE
LAYERED
& FEARLESS
Melanie Calder Russo, principal of Calder Design Group, blends architectural daring with intuitive elegance, leading her family’s legacy into a bold new era defined by layered materials, personal storytelling, and fearless design decisions.
ANN JO
At a private residence framed by clerestory windows and precision steelwork—an AIA New Jersey Design Award winner—the drama isn’t in what’s declared, but what’s revealed. A curve of Moroccan tile. A lacquered ceiling in midnight blue. Textures that pull you in before you even notice the proportions. It’s a signature move by Melanie Calder Russo, the principal of Calder Design Group, whose work resists the expected and embraces the expressive.
Russo isn’t interested in neutral. She’s interested in nuance. “I’ve never designed for the sake of trend,” she says. “What excites me is making bold design decisions that still feel timeless five or ten years from now.” From glass-clad towers in New York to coastal estates in Palm Beach and contemporary residences in the Hamptons, her spaces are layered, theatrical, and personal—grounded in architecture, but always with a certain sparkle.
Her aesthetic—a deft mix of high-gloss finishes, natural textures, cultural influence, and fearless materiality—echoes her upbringing. Calder Design Group was founded by her father, interior designer Nicholas Calder, in 1971. By age six, Melanie was accompanying him to job sites and client meetings. “Growing up in New York and watching him work with clients on truly remarkable homes, I learned early how emotional the design process is,” she recalls. That early foundation gave her the kind of confidence you can’t teach. “I’m not afraid to take risks.”
After earning her degree from NYU, Russo officially joined the firm in 2001. What followed was a powerful father-daughter design partnership that shaped homes and hospitality spaces up and down the East Coast. Over the years, the firm became known not just for its design talent, but its philanthropy, contributing to initiatives like Holiday House, Kips Bay Show House, and Design on a Dime, benefitting Housing Works.
Today, as principal of the firm, Russo leads with clarity, curiosity, and emotional intelligence—traits that have earned her the loyalty of multigenerational clients and an ever-expanding portfolio that includes residences at 220 Central Park South, The Baccarat Residences, and Glen Harbor. She’s also designing a moody, subterranean Mediterranean-French restaurant in Manhattan, where architectural millwork and lighting do as much storytelling as the food.
Beyond interiors, Russo co-owns Russo Custom Furniture with her husband Vinny, where the workshop serves as both incubator and executional partner for her ideas. “Custom work isn’t a luxury in our process—it’s essential,” she says. Her dual fluency in design and real estate development has made her a sought-after expert, both on screen and behind the scenes, known for meeting budgets and deadlines without compromising design integrity.
Clients often describe her work as “unexpected but grounded,” “cool without being cold,” and “classic with a pulse.” What unites it all is a sixth sense for how people move, gather, and live—wrapped in visual storytelling that feels effortless. “Every project starts with listening,” she says. “Once I understand how someone wants to feel in their home, the design becomes almost inevitable.”
Under her leadership, Calder Design Group continues to evolve while honoring its legacy. Russo’s vision isn’t just about beauty—it’s about bravery: trusting intuition, embracing the tactile, and creating interiors that move beyond style to become spaces of emotion, memory, and possibility.
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