We recently connected with Corbin to discuss her two current projects: a newly revamped Harlem townhouse and a work-in-progress Catskills cabin.
Is interior design something you’ve also been into?
Hannah Corbin: I never thought I would own a home in New York, maybe because I’m a millennial? I’ve always fixed my spaces to feel like home—even if it was a temporary apartment—because my living space is so important to me, having that place to come home to. It wasn’t until we bought a home that I could spend a little bit more on furniture because I knew it would be in that place for a long time. I leaned into my own style—it’s still developing and still evolving, but I could lean into it a little bit more.
How do you describe your overall design style and aesthetic?
HC: We’ve been designing our condo in Manhattan, and then we’re doing a cabin renovation in the Catskills about two hours north of the city. I feel like my personality shines the brightest in my condo, which is interesting. People who thought they knew me really well come into my condo and know me better when they leave, which is pretty delightful. The cabin is more contemporary-rustic with our own personal eccentricities thrown in.
How is the Catskills cabin renovation coming along?
HC: We’re about two weeks away from being done with the construction part. All of my furniture is sitting in its boxes, and I am so ready to pull it out. It’s going to be so exciting to see it all actually come together. I decided to do all of the art instead of purchasing it because I wanted to do big, fun textured pieces. So, my husband and I recently learned how to make frames and how to stretch canvases. I’m not an artist in the painting sense at all, but I have a lot of artistic friends. For the condo and for the cabin—and for really everything in life—I feel very strongly about bringing my friends into the fold. When we can share talent, that’s when projects become the best. I have a friend who’s a pastry chef in the city and also paints, so I asked her for help with the painting elements, and she’s going to teach me. It’s wild when you really hone in on the talents of people around you and how much there is to learn.
How has color played into your design plan for each home?
HC: They are totally separate palettes. Speaking of talented friends, we worked with one friend who helped us design the condo, and we’re working with a different friend who is helping us design the cabin. The first friend is Nate Koch, and he’s a longtime theater producer. He was actually the theater producer on the show that my husband and I met on. He has a design background, that he wanted to tap into, and we gave him free rein. In the townhouse, there are a lot of bold, bright colors with big pieces of art. In the living room, I have a gallery wall. I have a skull painting, an aluminum piece of art over our record table, even the lights are sculptural and not sterile. It’s been really fun to do these big pops of color. On one of the floors, we actually have a seven-foot painting of a butt—it sounds more aggressive than it is. It’s quite tasteful! It’s really bold, and I love people’s reactions to it.
How do you decide on which pieces you want and when to take that risk?
HC: I try to hone in on how I feel about furniture and art. That initial feeling is always spot on: if it makes you feel even five percent funny or off, pass. Especially with furniture—if it brings up a weird memory or makes your brain feel fuzzy in that way, then most of the time, pivot.
How has your active lifestyle shaped your design choices?
HC: It’s a combination of living in the city for so long and choosing a life of stage presence, but I spend most of my day covered in sweat and adrenaline. Whether it’s on camera or just on the sidewalk, it’s an elevated version of my own reality. Then, when I go home, it’s nice to have a calming environment with just enough color to feel the creativity still vibing. A big part of it also is clutter. Clutter, for me, leads to a lack of clarity in my mental and physical space. I’m always being honest with my things and purging anything that I don’t need. Don’t get me wrong, I’m certainly not a minimalist—I have a lot of stuff. But, I try and make sure what I do have is what I use actively.
Do you have any hacks or tips for blending style with health and wellness?
HC: We’ve had an interesting time trying to blend because, in that same clutter/clarity element, both my husband and I are active. My husband is a distance runner, and so we’re both into this sweaty thing called life. I want things to be accessible, because as soon as I can’t get to the weights that I need, it’s so easy to get into your excuses. Trying to be better than my best excuse is facilitated with everything I need available and accessible. There’s a fine line between having things available and having your living room feel like a gym, right? It’s really about finding that balance, even if it’s just a kind of artistic weight holder. We have our Peloton, of course. The bike is on a diagonal, so it looks like a centerpiece. We allow it to fade into the background, but also be a highlight. The power behind simplicity is hard to find at first, but it’s there if you keep looking.
Do you aspire to turn interior design into a career? Or do you think it’ll always be something that you love to do for yourself alongside your friends?
HC: That’s a great question. I think, eventually, I would like to try the design process. What would happen if my husband and I did it from start to finish? Part of me thinks that would be wonderful, but part of me also thinks it would be foolish because we have all of these resources at our fingertips. Sometimes, there are too many options and I’m stuck in my own indecision. But now, I can very easily look at things and be like, that’s a hard no, that’s a yes, this is a maybe. Having that confidence in the decision is fun now.
Is there anything that you’ve always loved in terms of design and style?
HC: In this process, we found that my husband and I have opposite tastes. The nice thing is, though, we didn’t settle on anything because we both had to like it. I think I’m quicker to go bolder and, my husband, with every bold choice we’ve made, really loves it. For example, we have this gigantic, yellow lamp in our living room that extends to over nine feet tall. We’ve never had it at that extension, but it’s a comically sized table lamp, like from Pixar. When we were looking at the colors, I gravitated to bright yellow. But visually, we were worried that the nine-foot bright yellow lamp will be the only thing you see. The other option was either white or a sky blue, which both seemed like safe choices. Now, I love when my husband turns and looks at it and goes, “I’m really glad we didn’t get white.” Boring can be good in the right situations, but thank goodness we took a chance on that bright color— it completely changes the space in the best way.
Do you have a favorite between the two houses?
HC: They’re so different. The cabin is more earth-toned, and it’s something we’ve always dreamed of. I think my favorite is the balance between the two. I’m a little bit of a city hippie, right? I was born in Portland, Oregon, but I live in New York City, and the juxtaposition of the two is also reflected in the condo/cabin choice. I love the cabin so much because I can stay in the city. And I love the city so much because I also have the escape of the cabin. As we talk about future projects, we start to put away some things that didn’t fit into either of these, but I’m excited to get all of that out of my system. Next time, maybe we’ll do a Victorian bathroom, just because we can. I like that we can try all different styles. You’re never stuck—you can always do something different next time, which is great.
Do you have anything lined up or just broadly thinking for the future?
HC: Just broadly thinking! I do think there’s probably another cabin in the works for us. It brings us great joy, so that’s my gut feeling, but only time will tell.
