Rue magazine - winter 2024

• INTERIOR DESIGN B Y JACQUELINE GONÇALVES, MOKȘA S TUDIO

• PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL CLIFFORD 

How do you take a modern interior from stark to spirited? Ask Jacqueline Gonçalves of Mokșa Studio. Her clients—a creative couple and new parents—were excited to own their first home in Brooklyn’s picturesque Clinton Hill neighborhood. Built in 2022, the single-family townhouse is the epitome of modern living, with a contemporary layout that features an open kitchen, formal dining area, and great room with dramatic 12-foot ceilings. “They aspired to create a unique home that was elegant, embodying their playful spirit and love of travel, music, and art,” Jacqueline explains. 

Texture was the first piece of the design puzzle, and the designer established it with white-oak herringbone floors and limewashed walls. In the dining room, which is the first room you see upon entering, a magnificent Gem Chandelier by Giopato & Coombes greets guests and adds another thoughtful tactile element, this one iridescent. “The glass is stunning and handmade in Italy,” she says. To offer privacy, a floor-to-ceiling window is dressed in a linen gauze curtains made by Primo Interiors. 

Since gathering with extended family is commonplace on the weekends, the couple opted for banquette-style seating that allows flexibility when more guests need to squeeze in. “We designed it with curves inspired by [French designer] Jean Royère,” Jacqueline explains. “We loved the ZAK+FOX fabric selected for the back because it’s durable and also reminiscent of Japanese weaving; the putty-green leather seat makes for a wipeable surface that will allow the piece to age gracefully for decades to come.” Above the banquette, a collection of vintage plates hangs low enough to avoid competing with the chandelier. 

Another standout moment is the living room’s built-in shelving unit, designed to showcase the couple’s favorite pieces. It was constructed with a radius edge that creates a finished, almost pillow-like quality. The collected items—both here and in the dining room—feel intentional and cohesive thanks to a limited and complementary color palette. “The blue and lime colors in the dining room plate collection add a lot of vibrance to the earthy palette of the home and are balanced in the artwork across the room,” Jacqueline explains. Though the home is still new, of course, it now looks well-loved and lived in.