“Developer-designed,” “builder-grade,” “spec home”: None of these terms elicit visions of a high-design, uniquely detailed space. But that’s exactly what Brooklyn-based designer Natalie Kraiem was looking to change when she embarked on a new kind of design project last year.
After years of experience in bespoke, high-end residential interior design, Kraiem was looking for a new project when COVID put other client work on hold. She had been vacationing and designing on the Jersey Shore for a long time, so she figured she had a pretty good idea of what prospective homeowners searched for when purchasing in the coastal locale—and with the sudden demand for real estate, there simply weren’t enough good homes to go around. So, she thought, why not create one?