Interior Design, Editorial & Consulting Services

111 Third Avenue, #14H

New York, New York 10003

212.677.5945

PattiOhome@mac.com

 
Interior Design:  My specialty is decorating and furnishing residential interiors. I do both large projects and quick makeovers. I call the makeover service, House Calls. I’ve been in home furnishings since 1985 and specifically, interior design, since 1995.

Editorial Services:   I have worked in both book and magazine publishing and I’ve done research, production, styling and writing.  In 2004, I turned my attention to a new medium, radio.  House Calls became a radio show.  With radio partner

Beth Tichacek, we interviewed experts in all facets of residential design and home improvement.

Consulting Services:  I do special projects with businesses in home furnishings from product development to marketing.  Recently I introduced House Calls, the make over consultation, to the real estate market.  Brokers find a 2 hour consultation will increase the selling price and provide vision to potential buyers.

House Calls;

an ever-changing prescription for healthy, handsome homes.

 

 

CLIENTS

 

Click on pictures to enlarge.

Photography by Steven Mays

 

Short Hills, NJ, Stephanie

When we met seven years ago our house was empty. We had just finished renovating our kitchen and upstairs bath with another designer and knew we wanted to furnish our home with someone else. 

 

It has been a pleasure working with Patti. She has taken the time to get to know us, how we live, the differences between my taste and my husband’s taste, and what works with our kids. She lives in the real world, she understands what is worth spending money on, not everything has to be outrageously expensive. Patti wants our home to be beautiful as well as functional. She believes our home should be personal, a reflection of our taste, and hers!

 

We have just completed renovating our attic space into 920 sq. feet of living space which includes a game room, home office, guest room and bath.  Patti has helped us articulate our vision to our architect, and our lighting designer.

 

Patti is the whole package as a designer, creative, visual, and professional. It’s a pleasure to have her in your home. She is easy to be with and approachable in a profession where many of her colleagues are not. 

 

Upper West Side, Ken & Marilyn

 

I have worked with Ken and Marilyn for more than 10 years.  We have done three cycles or layers, each time with an emphasis on different rooms.  They have wonderful artwork to play with, we have hung and re-hung the art, giving the apartment a fresh look each time.  We upgraded the living room, and kitchen twice, we renovated both bathrooms completely which created a dramatic change from the original black and white  subway tile.   Most recently we redecorated their bedroom.  Ken and Marilyn are cyclists, hikers, naturalists, and  gardeners, I wanted their bedroom to reflect their love of nature, so we used earthy florals in the custom designed Tibetan rug and fronds and floral in the fabrics.  The signature dresser, hand hewn in natural Tulip wood by Peter Murkett, of New England Modern,  glows.  Here are photos taken in 1998 and again in 2008.  Although their home does not get good natural light, you would never know, their entire apartment is warm and bright.  This is a perfect example of a job evolving over time!

 

               

2008

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pictures

to enlarge.

 

                 1998

   
NYC, Margaret

Patti's skills with color, pattern, furniture placement and lighting are spot-on. 

But beyond the expected, working with Patti has been an education in the art of living.

She considers the practical side of life. She understands life with children. She knows that in a New York City apartment there is never enough space, never enough light, and never anyone who can hang a picture when and where you need it. She knows what’s worth a splurge and what can be done on a shoe-string. She is creative and witty and always, always a pleasure to work with.

Artist, Eve        Portrait of her mother Margaret

 

 

FAVORITES

 

Fabrics:  I love Osborne & Little and the other lines carried by the O&L showroom at the D&D in NY. Designer’s Guild is a real favorite. I feel very aligned with Tricia Guild’s perspective and progression. You may know of her delicious books on color.  Her newest book is PatternI had just reached the same unabashed  conclusion early last Spring, I love pattern!

Paint:  I love Pratt & Lambert for their deep colors. And decorative painting is my favorite decorating tool, it’s custom, versatile, imaginative and so very useful to disguise. 

Accessories:  Lamps, I see them as jewelry for the room. And mirrors, they can be so useful for creating the illusion of a window or balancing and bouncing light in a room, not to mention, glamorous. 

Challenges:  Weaving color and pattern into a scheme. Color is my strong suit. Usually, I find a project first materializes for me as a color scheme.

Magazines:  My favorite, by far, is the British magazine, World of Interiors. It’s rich, arty and quirky. Elle Decor is the most adventurous domestic publication. Dominique Browning editor of House & Garden and author, has a sensitive perspective on house and home, her books are lovely. HG’s pages are always a vacation. 

Clients:  Families with children! I find it very satisfying to make a house function well for every member of the family.  It's a luxury to design a space for one or two.  Recent retirees are often the most daring.  My most difficult clientele are usually pets!

 

   

   

 

In the January ‘07 issue of Real Simple magazine, I am featured with 2 other interior designers challenged to create a better, more functional furniture floor plan for one very boxy living room. The room is a long rectangle and we had to use all the same pieces currently in the room. It seems I am always trying to break out of the rectangle, putting something at an angle to force the eye out of the box! In this case, I suggested 2 distinct conversational circles that can merge. I always look for seating that can swivel and roll. An upholstered perch, ottoman on wheels, is so useful.  Furniture fluidity makes a room flexible and, well, youthful!

 

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