About
Swain Street & Co. (SS&Co.) is a Westport, Connecticut–based interior design and architectural consultancy practice. Founded by David Nastasi, the firm takes its name from the location of his first studio—a nod to the idea that physical and historic context can provide both inspiration and deeper meaning to design. Over the years, this ethos has become part of the studio’s identity: a dedication to refined design rooted in tradition yet adapted to modern living.
SS&Co. provides comprehensive design and architectural services for discerning residential clients across the United States, the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, and Africa. The studio’s portfolio spans an array of unique projects, including the transformation of a 19th-century Maine farmhouse into a gathering space, the creation of a family compound on a private African game preserve, the reimagining of a New York City brownstone for contemporary family life, and the restoration of historic properties in East Hampton, Greenwich, and Barbados.
Known for interiors that are timeless yet deeply personal, SS&Co. takes on only four to six projects annually, ensuring each receives the highest level of attention and craftsmanship. The firm’s work is characterized by a thoughtful balance of historical understanding and contemporary relevance—whether revitalizing a landmark home or imbuing new construction with a sense of permanence and charm. Clients often return for multiple homes, trusting the studio’s ability to create interiors that feel both lived-in and enduring.
Each project is carefully considered, with architecture and interiors designed in harmony. From finely resolved space planning to layered finishes and bespoke detailing, SS&Co. prioritizes comfort, intimacy, and beauty. Mood, lighting, practicality, and appropriateness guide the process, resulting in spaces that enrich daily life while reflecting each client’s individuality.
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Materiality plays a central role in the studio’s language: unlacquered brass, raw leather, horsehair, and Belgian linens that age gracefully; rich velvets and naturally stained woods that add depth and permanence; marble, glazed tiles, and reclaimed elements that lend narrative and authenticity. Sourcing spans international dealers, European markets, New York galleries, and New England auction houses, while collaborations with local artisans bring bespoke cabinetry, upholstery, and one-of-a-kind pieces to life.
The studio’s palette favors jewel tones—deep blues and greens with timeless appeal—balanced with warm pinks and whites that enhance light, mood, and well-being. Each color choice is deliberate, layered to suit the rhythm and purpose of a room.
At its core, SS&Co. is dedicated to adapting classical traditions for contemporary living, creating interiors that are sophisticated, comfortable, and timeless. Every project reflects the studio’s belief that a home should not only tell a story but also feel as though it has always belonged to its owner.
David Nastasi
ARCHITECT, CONSULTANT AND DESIGNER
David Nastasi, founder of Swain Street & Company (SS&Co.), grew up inspired by the 1920/30s residential architecture that proliferated in his birthplace of Westchester County. Suburban New York at the turn of the 20th Century experienced an incredible housing boom of well thought-out, well executed, architect designed houses and estates. Reflecting the economic prosperity, technological innovations, and a renewed interest in academic and historic styling that characterized the era, those houses fascinated David not only by their outward appearance, but also as the stage set for the lives that were lived within them.
David continues to be motivated by the house as a backdrop for everyday human experience. At SS&Co., David and his studio aspire to fashion an environment that belongs completely to the individual, a world of their own fabrication, reflecting who they are or who they would like to be. As an architectural consultant and interior designer, David is passionate about timeless design, not trends. He enjoys the challenge of figuring out and delivering practical solutions that not only enhance the buildings he works on but also his clients’ lives.
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His road to a profession in design was winding. A graduate of Hamilton College, David focused on English literature and European history with an eye for following his father into the Law. Studying in Florence and subsequent trips through Italy and Belgium changed his career path and the course of his professional life. Challenged by a modernist architect he was encouraged to enroll at Columbia University for an M.S. in Historic Preservation. There he met and interned for Robert A.M. Stern who encouraged him to stay and get a second Master’s degree in architecture.
At the beginning of his career, David worked for a Belgian architectural firm and lived in central Bruxelles. Aside from daily exposure to great art and historic architecture it provided an alternative to the American perspective on design and its role in day-to-day living. He interned with various American architectural firms including Beyer, Blinder, Belle - famous for their restoration of Ellis Island, Grand Central Station, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. And, during his early career he worked as an interior architect for Hilton Van der Horn Architects, Fairfax & Sammons, and Ralph Harvard Interiors. Upon becoming a licensed interior designer he started the firm Nastasi Vail Design with his college friend Katherine Vail. Their partnership lasted 13 years. After which, David opened Swain Street & Co.
David’s Westport Connecticut practice bridges contemporary and traditional design delivering highly personal interiors. His architectural and interior design influences, though varied, are common in their academic knowledge of, and respect for, traditional design, but also in their unfearful manipulation of that heritage in the spirit of innovation or whimsy.
He believes firmly that a house should reflect its owner’s taste and experience, and that a good job showcases the client not the designer. To that end, he encourages his clients to use existing furniture, inherited antiques, and the decorative objects they have acquired over their lives set against a new backdrop and with a disciplined editing and a clear aesthetic purpose. Integral to keeping design fresh is travel and research. Regular trips abroad provide new resources and fresh perspectives. Materials and fixtures are chosen for their beauty, to age well, and to serve their purpose with appropriate durability. Above all, choices are made to grow old with grace and as timelessly as possible, rather than to reflect the mood of the moment.
The firm’s work is characterized by a thoughtful balance of historical understanding and contemporary relevance.
– David Nastasi