With a fresh start to both the new year and a new decade, I’ve felt compelled to share my world as an interior designer to give a behind the scenes glimpse of what precedes those pretty glossy pictures. The not-so-glamorous life often leaves me covered in construction dust from site visits, lugging around multiple totes full of heavy samples (RIP leopard heels), and spending the vast majority of my time managing damaged goods, construction snafus, and client expectations.
But there is so much beauty in this niche world full of characters and plot twists. And instead of showing how the sausage is made, I’m looking forward to sharing the aspects of my day to day that make my heart skip a beat.
It’s been a huge year for my boutique interior design business which officially launched in 2015. This past year was the first press as we finally had projects ready for professional photography. Did you know that a typical project can take anywhere from 6 months to 6 years? That’s why it’s so important to choose your team wisely. Expect a project lifespan of 1 to 3 years as I liken these projects to a marathon, not a sprint. It’s about being thoughtful, diagnostic, and patient.
One of my favorite projects completed in 2019 was our client’s Brooklyn Brownstone in Fort Greene. I brought my Father to the darkside from landscape photography to interiors, and we captured the stunning custom kitchen together.
From the custom cabinet profiles to special bend-y trim for the new arch to reveal the original brick walls, this kitchen illustrates the importance of details. The favorite detail I designed in this room was the tin ceiling. It was actually the General Contractor’s concept of a tin ceiling initially, and that’s what I love about the collaboration process of a highly skilled team - they add both value and a voice to the project.
I worked closely with W. F. Norman to specifically produce this custom design, who uses turn-of-the-century machines that stamp metal panels one by one on rope drop hammers. The goal was a heavily layered design where the sum of the tin sheets precisely fits the specific dimensions of the ceiling including a jag around the fireplace on the other end of the room, but also appropriately fits the time period of this 1860s townhouse as reflected in the tin profiles. Fun fact: pressed tin originated in the United States during the 19th century and is a Victorian Age detail that was used to counter the decorative plasterwork in Europe of that time.
I’m reminiscing about this Brooklyn Brownstone and specifically this kitchen because I’m working with W. F. Norman once again on one of our current projects, Keramos Hall in Greenpoint Brooklyn, for the restoration of their lobby and commercial office spaces where some of the existing tin ceiling has been salvaged. I’m looking forward to seeing where we end up with the design of the tin ceiling for this historic building, but in the meantime here are some of the conceptual images that have inspired my designs for custom tin ceilings.
Thoughtfully yours,
meg / LAVA
