Thirty Under 30: Chrystalla Neocleous

By Donna Heiderstadt

Some little girls like to play dress up in their mother’s clothing and high heels, but Chrystalla Neocleous went a step further: She literally followed in her mother’s footsteps. “My mom has been a successful kitchen designer for 30 years,” said Chrystalla. “She opened her first solo business when I was six years old. I spent a lot of time with her and found so much inspiration from what she did.” When it came time to begin looking at colleges, Chrystalla knew she was destined for an art school — and she graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in Interior Design in 2018. “I have been working alongside my mom ever since,” she says.

Now the Senior Interior Designer at her mother Vasi Ypsilantis’ Greenvale, NY-based The Breakfast Room, 27-year-old Chrystalla is also a mom herself — she and her husband, Billy, have a nine-month-old son, Emmanuel. She admits the transition to being a parent has been a major adjustment. “I went from only working 24/7 to being a mom 24/7,” Chrystalla said. “Certain days I’m lucky enough to work from home. One of the best parts of my job is that I can design, draw and specify products for clients anywhere.”

Those clients are often in some of the poshest neighborhoods in the Big Apple and its suburbs.   “The most exciting part of being a kitchen and bath designer in New York is working on the most amazing homes from Manhattan to the East End of Long Island,” said Chrystalla. “These beautiful areas and neighborhoods bring such inspiration to our designs.”

The most memorable projects, however, are always the ones with clients that become close friends, Chrystalla admits. “When the experience I have working with someone is so positive and wonderful, I never forget the design process and final product,” she said.

Chrystalla, whose preferred kitchen design styles are Modern and Contemporary, says she is most proud that a modern kitchen she designed won Top 5 Regional Entries for the Subzero Wolf Kitchen Design Contest. Another career highlight: Participating in the Kips Bay Palm Beach Decorators Showhouse and getting to help design the kitchen — with the room receiving a multipage spread in Veranda magazine.

Her heritage is also a source of pride. “My family comes from Greece,” she said. “All of my grandparents migrated to America from Greece. My mom was born there and came here when she was seven. Every summer we take trips back to Greece to visit our family and our hometown. It’s the most beautiful country.”