Elizabeth Dillon, AIA, NCARB

Elizabeth Dillon joined Historical Concepts in 2005 after completing her Bachelor of Architecture with a second major in anthropology at the University of Notre Dame. Her interest in architecture was first sparked by holidays spent exploring the historic Pennsylvania homes of her grandmothers. This youthful curiosity eventually grew into a deep fascination with old houses, encouraged by the eclectic residential styles that made up the village of Skaneateles, the quaint upstate New York town where she grew up. Elizabeth established the firm’s New York office in 2014 and now leads a studio that works with design-informed residential clients, with a particular interest in projects that adapt traditional forms and architectural elements in a modern context. Her studio is also making a name for itself serving forward-thinking municipalities, helping to shape new infill development and redevelopment that preserves or enhances a great, historic place. Elizabeth is a member of the American Institute of Architects, Congress for New Urbanism and has served in multiple leadership roles for the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art at both the chapter and national levels.

Matthew Bromley

Matthew Bromley is the founder and principal of Bromley Landscape Design LLC, a nationally recognized landscape design firm known for creating exceptional outdoor environments across the United States. Collaborating closely with clients, architects, developers, and interior designers, Matthew leads a team that consistently delivers award-winning work of the highest caliber.

Rooted in a deep appreciation for classical English and French garden traditions, Matthew’s designs are shaped by a rich understanding of landscape history and narrative. This foundation allows him to craft spaces that form a meaningful dialogue between land and architecture.

With a refined use of structure, scale, texture, and light, his work is both artfully composed and deeply attuned to its surroundings. Whether formal or informal in character, Matthew’s landscapes are distinguished by their timeless elegance, sophistication, and sensitivity to place.

Charlotte Barnes

Traditional, but not. Award-winning interior design, a shared language between style and space, function and suitability, Charlotte Barnes’ aesthetic is grounded in a stylistic mélange of luxurious materials — a clean, modern yet eclectic mix of the contemporary and antique with attention to detail and a measured discipline.

Elegant, warm and livable spaces are a hallmark at Charlotte Barnes Interior Design & Decoration, a full-service interior design firm specializing in high-end residential and commercial projects around the world. Our scope of services is not limited to interior design and decoration; we bring integration and thorough, practical architectural

planning and technical expertise to projects, representing our clients from beginning to end. We focus attention on the decorative arts, bringing together custom design, and antiques as well as modern furniture, fine art curation and accessories.

Charlotte honed her appreciation for interior design and visual decoration while living and traveling abroad. She began her career in fashion at Ralph Lauren Womenswear in New York and London, and Pomellato USA. But when her own London home was published in British House & Garden in 1995, Charlotte Barnes Interior Design & Decoration, LLC was born.

Charlotte serves as a Vice President on the Board of Directors of The Decorators Club in New York. She has been named to the 1stDibs 50 list, inducted into the New England Design Hall of Fame, and honored with the CTC&G Innovation in Design Award for Interior Design in 2022. Her work has been featured in leading publications both in the U.S. and abroad, including British House & Garden, Elle Decor, Frederic, House Beautiful, U.S. House & Garden, CT Cottages & Gardens, New England Home, and more.

Lauren Luskey

Lauren Luskey brings a rare synthesis of artistic vision and technical mastery to the world of luxury design. As Vice President of Business Development at ABC Stone, she partners with the industry’s most visionary architects and designers, transforming ambitious concepts into tangible reality through the marriage of timeless materials and innovative applications across luxury residential and hospitality developments nationwide.

Her journey began in New York City’s civil sector, where she managed complex infrastructure and waterfront projects before joining The Related Companies for over a decade. There, she directed the interiors division on some of the city’s most celebrated residences, including Zaha Hadid’s sculptural 520 West 28th Street and Robert A.M. Stern’s refined 70 Vestry. Her expertise encompasses the complete development lifecycle from initial conceptual planning through international sourcing to meticulous on-site execution.

This global perspective has led Lauren across continents to oversee the engineering and fabrication of intricate custom finishes, where she has collaborated directly with master ateliers, artisans, and manufacturers. Her approach seamlessly weaves technical precision with profound appreciation for fine craftsmanship, consistently achieving bespoke, design-forward outcomes that push creative boundaries.

At ABC Stone, Lauren spearheads national growth initiatives while cultivating strategic partnerships with premier architects, designers, and developers. Her academic foundation in Art History and Studio Art, combined with advanced certifications in construction management and fine and decorative arts appraisal, enables her to navigate fluidly between creative inspiration and technical execution within the built environment.

Lauren approaches each project with a curator’s sensibility, guided by deep respect for narrative, material integrity, and the emotional resonance of space. Her work draws from a lifelong passion for architecture, urban planning, and cultural history, all grounded in an unwavering commitment to quality, innovation, and design excellence.

Beyond her professional achievements, Lauren serves as a dedicated advocate for philanthropic initiatives centered on the arts, Jewish life, educational opportunities for underserved youth, and meaningful mentorship programs. Her professional philosophy reflects a fundamental belief: that truly exceptional spaces transcend mere construction -they are imbued with soul, shaped by compelling narrative, and realized through intentional, collaborative vision.

Tovah Martin

An avid (verging on obsessed) gardener indoors and outside, Tovah Martin is a frequent contributor to the pages of Connecticut Cottages & Gardens. She is the author of many gardening books, her most recent title, The Garden in Every Sense and Season received GardenComm’s Gold Medal Media Award in 2019. That book follows several titles on houseplants including The Indestructible Houseplant, The Unexpected Houseplant, and The New Terrarium. Currently, she’s part of a team working on The Contemporary Garden from Phaidon to be published in autumn of 2025. A freelance writer, her articles have appeared in publications throughout the country and the world including our The Washington Post, Gardens Illustrated in Britain and the Korean Airlines inflight magazine. She is an accredited Organic Land Care Professional through NOFA and an honorary member of the Garden Club of America. For her writing, The Garden Club of America also recognized Tovah for an award for outstanding literary achievement. Additionally, in 2013, she received the Gustav Mehlquist Award—the highest honor bestowed by the Connecticut Horticultural Society. She speaks throughout the country and has lectured aboard the QE2. With lifelong indoor gardening experience, she also serves as a houseplant coach, helping clients make their homes greener places.

Bennett Leifer

Bennett Leifer Interiors is an award-winning studio known for blending sophisticated color palettes, historical references, and whimsical concepts to design uniquely tailored interiors. The firm creates livable, elegant, and artful designs which have grown to include private residences, model residences, collaborations with developers, executive suites and brand campaigns.

The firm’s Principal, Bennett Leifer, was exposed to fine art, architecture and Interior Design at a young age. He pursued an education in Art History and Business at Skidmore College, which helped him develop both an artistic eye and a thorough understanding of the business side of design. Throughout his career he has worked on projects of all sizes, scopes, and styles and has experience working on projects globally.  Following a decade of apprenticeship in the Interior Design industry, Bennett founded his New York-based firm in 2013. 

Honors and recognition within the industry include:

• Luxe Interiors + Design Gold List 2021
• Bloomingdale’s Mix Master campaign Spring 2019, Fall 2019 and Spring 2020
• Ocean Home Magazine’s Top Coastal Designers 2016 – 2020
• Lux Deco’s Top 100 Interior Designers to Know in 2020 and Top 50 Interior Designers to Know in 2019
• Elle Décor’s A-List 2018
• American Registry’s Top 200 Influencers in the Home Design Industry 2019 – 2020
• The Design and Decoration Building’s 2015 Stars on the Rise
• IFDA’s 2015 Rising Star
• House Beautiful Magazine’s Next Wave 2015
• Traditional Home Magazine’s 2015 Rising Stars of Design

Photograph by Bjorn Wallander

Matthew Patrick Smyth

Matthew Patrick Smyth is an interior designer whose work evokes an enduring, traditional sense of style. He was consistently listed as a top designer on Elle Décor’s “A” List for 10 consecutive years. His work has also been featured in Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, Traditional Home, New York Magazine, WSJ, and Connecticut Cottage & Gardens. Matthew is also a recipient of the D&D Building’s Stars of Design Award. 

Currently Matthew’s projects include residences in Palm Beach, Nantucket, Aspen, Geneva and Hampshire, England as well as homes in Litchfield and Fairfield Connecticut; the Hamptons; and city apartments in New York, London, and Paris. 

Further personalizing his distinct blend of history with a modern study of scale, Matthew has broadened his work into product design with two rug collections for Patterson Flynn, and a collection of fabrics and wallcoverings introduced by F. Schumacher. 

Matthew has participated in numerous designer showhouses, including five times for the prestigious Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club. Additionally, he reimagined the NY Mets Room at The Ronald McDonald House of Long Island and designed a celebratory room in honor of Traditional Home’s 25th and Schumacher’s 125th anniversary as a part of Holiday House NYC’s annual showhouse. As he wrote in his first book, Living Traditions: Interiors by Matthew Patrick Smyth from Monacelli Press, now in its second printing, “A single object can bring the entire room into focus and cause everything else to fall into place.” Likewise, the right designer can bring even the most challenging project into focus, imbuing the work with a harmonious feeling of balance. 

“Through a Designer’s Eye” is Matthew’s most recent book for Monacelli Press.