Why I Love Design
How growing up in public housing shaped my love of design
I grew up in Manhattan in the same apartment my Dad grew up in, a NYCHA complex on the Upper East Side. Public housing gets a bad rap, often deserved because buildings aren’t invested in or well-maintained. It’s a city within a city where 1 in 16 New Yorkers live. My experience was different. Yes—the building had (a lot) of problems, but I loved my home.
My brother studied studio art in college, and it was clear growing up with him that was the path he’d take; our house was always lined with his artwork. My mom kept our apartment pristine in her eclectic style: tall metal candle holders with white pillar candles at different stages of burning, cement gargoyles placed thoughtfully around the apartment, ornate mirrors from Housing Works (my first workplace), and pieces of furniture taken from the streets I'd eventually start to help her carry home.
My mom swapped furniture and knick-knacks with friends in the building. When Iris Apfel died, I bid at her estate auction for us both (she now owns this bowl I try to steal often). I share my mom’s love of things—my taste comes from her. I wouldn’t trade where I grew up; it taught me to be resourceful, creative, and thrifty. It taught me that great design doesn’t come from your budget, it comes from your vision.
I didn’t know until later there’s an industry for this. I studied communications in college and drifted into nonprofits upon graduation. After moving into my own apartment and investing in this passion, I realized it could be a career. I’ve written a design newsletter for a few years and even weaseled my way into pretending I was a designer, and got a project working with one of the lead characters on the Gossip Girl reboot (after confessing I wasn’t formally trained, she didn’t care).
I recently decided to pivot my career. I’m figuring out what that looks like; design, fashion, the whole world of making things beautiful. Expect more personal writing about it here.
A departure from my usual content this essay was adapted from a short piece I wrote for an interior design program application (250 word cap, though I added a bit more here!). I’m sharing it because it captures much of why I love writing this newsletter and what’s to come next. Hope you enjoyed it!
Your brother’s art is beautiful! As is this apartment. Love this one!!