With her signature mix of charm, candor and a fine-tuned eye for balance, designer and Douglas Elliman award-winning real estate broker Mindy Miles Greenberg knows how to make a house feel like home. Her passion for interiors—especially those rooted in traditional architecture—dates back decades, from her early art studies to a successful run on HGTV’s “Decorating Cents,” where she starred in 26 episodes that aired for five years and are still seen in reruns.
“Interior design—that’s really my passion,” Greenberg said. “The paperwork for real estate is not my passion.”
While her real estate career now takes priority, Greenberg’s love of design continues to inform how she lives and works. She owns a two-bedroom prewar co-op that she refuses to sell because of its enduring architectural charm and she recently purchased a Long Island home with a classically inspired garden and a beautifully detailed interior—complete with sparkle tiles, mohair upholstery and heritage furnishings.
“The esthetic of a comfortable home should meld the architecture of the space, the furnishings and the personality of the homeowner,” she said. “When all are aligned, there is just something that feels so right about the environment. It all just clicks.”
That sensibility—a harmony of form and feeling—has always defined Greenberg’s approach to interiors. Inspired by the timeless elegance of brands like Restoration Hardware, she favors clean, classic room shapes paired with luxurious, understated furniture: mohair, silk, cut velvet and tailored linens.
“It’s a yin and a yang,” she said. “The architecture has a dynamic quality—moldings, high ceilings, French doors—while the furniture seems simple. But the materials and the shapes are where the luxury is.”
Her collection is filled with stories. A green crushed velvet loveseat inherited from her mother, reupholstered in a two-sided cushion—cut velvet on one side, gray faux fur on the other—sits in her living room.
“It reminds me of my mother’s Persian lamb coat,” she said. “These treasured items add soul to a space.”
That balance of old and new, history and reinvention, is central to her design philosophy.
“As for furnishings, I’ve always made sure to include pieces from my family home,” she said. “Reupholstered sofas, new cushions in updated modern fabrics add to the something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue mentality. A thick, ornate picture frame that my mother had around a big floral oil painting is the centerpiece of my entrance foyer now, but the painting went to my brother—I filled the white wood frame with a big mirror. Love that heirloom!”
While she champions preservation and craftsmanship, Greenberg is quick to acknowledge the shifting demands of today’s real estate market.
“Classically detailed homes typically have well-proportioned rooms,” she said. “But we are finding that today’s buyers crave bigger spaces.”
That often means major changes. “New buyers are taking what were considered pleasing spaces years ago and knocking down walls,” she said. “Expanding kitchen areas into what might have been the formal dining room, raising the roof, adding skylights—maxing out on square footage seems to be what it’s about these days.”
Still, for those who may not be ready to renovate, she has practical advice.
“If your budget is limited and construction is not in the foreseeable future, some choice furniture pieces strategically positioned, functional but not fussy, light-controlled window treatments and highlights of opulent materials on some pillows, a throw and a shimmery rug just might do the trick,” she said.
Design, Greenberg insists, is not about money—it’s about intention.
“Every single person I tell and can interact with, I say, ‘Do yourself a favor and hire a designer. It just makes all the difference.’”
And it doesn’t stop at the front door. A recent landscape overhaul of her Long Island home included classic foliage layouts, paving stones, a bird bath and symmetrical beds.
“It’s very beautiful. Makes my husband feel comforted,” she said. “Curb appeal is important and it carries through every glance of your home.”
What today’s buyers are craving, she says, isn’t just open layouts—it’s functionality.
“Mudrooms and large, conveniently located laundry rooms with a sink, drying area and plenty of cabinets are every buyer’s dream,” she said. “Large garage spaces with areas for a work bench, storage, generous space for at least two cars and possibly a second fridge, is also top on the list.”
As a broker on Long Island’s North Shore, Greenberg has seen firsthand how thoughtful design enhances resale value. But beyond the financials, she believes design has the power to affect how people feel.
“Most homes have too many mirrors,” she said, laughing. “And when you look in the mirror, you might not feel so good—‘Oh, my hair’s not right,’ ‘I need to lose five pounds.’ But when you look at beautiful furniture—the shape, the proportion, the spatial relationship—you feel a sense of calm. It just works.”
That instinct—rooted in emotion and experience—continues to guide her, even as she steps back from client design work.
“Sometimes good design becomes stale over the years,” she said. “But architectural details live on forever.”
With decades of experience behind her and two design-forward homes of her own, Greenberg’s design legacy is less about trend and more about lasting beauty.
“Love your home,” she said. “Love what you see. It makes a difference every single day.”
