Growing up in Midtown Manhattan, I had the opportunity to see some of the most striking public architecture and interior design in the world. From the Chrysler Building to the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art to the Guggenheim, from the NYC Public Library to my father’s Art Deco office on 5th Avenue, I learned early on the value of high-end design to make people feel good.
In high school, I went after my dreams and attended the Rhode Island School of Design summer course on art and design. When it came time to choose a major and a university, I naturally picked interior design. At Ohio University, they also offered a minor in architecture which I was delighted to pursue. Working with Frank Ching, one of the leading architects and design authors in the country, was the highlight of my studies there.
Not only an interior designer, I found myself designing on all levels throughout my career. One such path in textile design took me to the Blue Hills of Kentucky and the shores of Watermill in the Hamptons to master the art of quilting, and worked along-side third generation builder Richard Sandstrom of Halstrom Builders. As a member of the Manhattan Quilters Guild, my work was shown at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institute.
As a longtime member of Temple Emanu-El in San Francisco, I was asked to design a time capsule bench which stands in the lobby of the main sanctuary today.
As a member of the lecture committee, I had the privilege of bringing in Daniel Libeskind, the renowned Polish-American architect, and my dear friend, Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D., author of Kitchen Table Wisdom for the temple lecture series. More than 500 people attended these lectures. I was honored to edit Little Book of Kitchen Table Wisdoms, also by Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen.
I’ve spent a lifetime volunteering in the community. It’s taken me from California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco to the Southampton Animal Shelter Thrift Shop, from Temple Emanu-El in California to Adas Israel Sag Harbor Synagogue in New York.
Designing interior spaces is as much about understanding people as it is about understanding concepts. This is why I’ve spent a lifetime working with people of all backgrounds and points of view. By grasping the psychology of people and how they live and work in their spaces, I’m able incorporate the limitlessness of the human imagination into a unique result for each client.
Two words define my design sensibilities: SIMPLE ELEGANCE