Home: New York City, NY. Age: 55. Birthplace: Long Island, NY. Profession: Interior designer, product developer, fundraiser, volunteer. Organization: Haute Home. Title: Founder, Lead Designer. Alma mater: SUNY University at Buffalo; NYSID (New York School of Interior Design).
Current project: Residential renovations in NYC, Brooklyn and the Tri-State area. Recent professional development: Certification at NYSID 2024. Latest contribution to others: Volunteer at Metropolitan Museum of Art NYC since 2018. What’s been your big (or biggest leap)? Leaving my career in my 30s to care for my husband and children and starting my own business in 2024. Hobbies: Yoga, reading, travel, cooking, walking, NYC. Recent travel or adventure: Provence and the French countryside. Last book read: The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music, by Dave Grohl.
Personality profile: Open, insightful, curious, smart, honest, real, hardworking. How do you define an ideal business relationship? All parties feel are satisfied. Usually, this involves compromise, appreciation and trust of the process. What is your greatest joy? Knowing my kids are ok and that the sun will shine in the morning. What is your greatest fear? Grief and loss. What is your guilty pleasure? Cigarettes and diet coke. What occupation, other than your own, do you most admire? Doctors. How do you relieve stress? Yoga, yoga, yoga.
What was your first paying job? Bakery at 15 years old. What’s prominently featured on your home or office wall? Rock & Roll collage print by Max Steven Grossman. What’s the best advice you received growing up? Don’t sweat the small stuff. What is your favorite app? Architectural Digest. What is your go-to source of news and information? The New York Times. What is your go-to source of creative inspiration? Travel. What personal circumstance has had the greatest influence on your life? My husband’s massive stroke in 2006 at the age of 36.
What change would you like to see in the world?
Humans respecting one another and allowing for peace and harmony. No fighting, no hatred, no jealousy.
What message do you want to send out into the world? It’s the small things that make a big life. What widely held belief do you reject? God.
What actor would you choose to play you in the movie about your life? Sarah Jessica Parker. Who would you like to spend an evening with, in heaven? My dad, pretty please! As a kid, what did you first want to be when you grew up? A fashion designer. After your loved ones, what object would you first save from your burning home? My wallet. How would you choose to spend tomorrow, if you knew it was your last day on earth? I’d love a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich while looking at the trees sway in Central Park with my sons. What advice would you give your younger self? Go for it.
Personal motto: Appreciate, love, enjoy, cherish, forgive, enjoy. Favorite quote: “I have found that if you love life, it will love you back” (Arthur Rubinstein). Desired epitaph: Lover of life, beauty, people, places and things.
