15 Minutes With Megan St. Denis
Pembrooke & Ives proudly welcomes Megan St. Denis as an Associate Design Director. Megan is an accomplished architect and designer with 20 years of industry experience. Since joining us in 2022, her knowledge and curatorial expertise have made her an invaluable member of our team.
Megan has overseen the design and construction of complex private residences worldwide, including in New York, Chicago, Nashville, Sonoma, and Hong Kong. She excels at client relationships and draws on her technical experience in the art and architecture worlds to transform client visions into beautiful and functional spaces.
We sat down with Megan to learn more about our newest Associate Design Director in a brief Q&A.
Was there a specific moment when you knew that design was going to be your career path?
I had been working at an architecture firm for a few years when I realized why I particularly enjoy designing residences: the anthropology behind it all. I love the discovery process of learning about a client, how they live and what their habits and hobbies are, and how to create a space that will optimize both beauty and functionality for them.
What is your favorite residence you ever lived in?
Between moving around as a child, and interesting work-travel opportunities, I’ve been fortunate enough to live in so many special places, and something about each of them has imprinted on me. The lilacs on the side of the Colonial I grew up in. The view of a medieval castle from the balcony of my room in Germany. The all-white furniture in the apartment on the quai in Lyons. The Moroccan-inspired arched niches in the brownstone in Park Slope. I feel so lucky to have these experiences shaping my work as a designer.
What role did design play in your childhood?
As a small child, I would spend hours in my room playing with my dollhouse. I loved making wallpaper, furniture, and clothes out of whatever discarded objects I could find. By age 8, I was rearranging my own room by myself; my parents were ever surprised when they would open the door to a reimagined space! As a teen I started sketching floor plans and elevations of houses.
To this day, when I see a real estate listing I can’t resist doodling over the floor plan to see how the space could be improved.
Where do you go to get inspired?
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. From the classical architecture to the light-filled sculpture court and the American Wing with its period rooms… each space transports you to a different place and time. It is truly awe-inspiring, and each time I go, I notice something new.
What’s at the top of your life’s bucket list?
1. Attending a concert by one of my favorite bands at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
2. Returning to Venice, Italy; its beauty is so magical I cried the first time I visited.
3. A private tour of Champagne houses in France. Pourquoi pas?!
What is your favorite restaurant in New York City?
Scarpetta is lovely; it’s housed inside a beautiful 1904 Beaux Arts-style hotel with a corner entrance. The squid ink pasta is divine.
I have been wanting to check out Il Fiorista, an Elizabeth Roberts-designed restaurant and flower studio where many of the cocktails and dishes are infused with flora and botanicals.
If you weren’t a designer, what would you be?
A jewelry designer. It’s fascinating how shape, material, color, and texture have been manipulated into powerful symbols of self-expression and personal style, even at the smallest of scales, from the beginning of time.
If you had to identify with a piece of art, which would you be?
Hmm, maybe Brancusi’s Bird In Space. A little aged, a little polished. Strong in conviction, yet gentle in expression.
What does a “day in the life” look like for you?
I like to wake up early, with the sun. When the weather is nice, I bring my coffee outside into our back garden and sip it while enjoying the landscape and the sounds of the birds starting their day. The quiet time is meditative and centering, which helps me tackle even the busiest of days.
Who is a designer or architect who inspires you?
I recently visited Wildflower Farms in the Hudson Valley and was in awe of its rustic and natural beauty. The main building faces the Shawangunk Ridge, which serves as both a backdrop and a focal point via the lens of a central outdoor pavilion that frames the view. When I discovered that the architects and designers are [a female-owned firm called Electric Bowery] based in California, it made sense. The connection between built and natural form is, at times, fluid and, at other times, striking and sculptural.
If you were stranded on a deserted island, what would you bring?
Probably reams of real estate listing floor plans, rolls of trace paper, and a pen to keep me busy!