WELCOME to Nest by Tamara blog

WELCOME to Nest by Tamara blog
Hi- It's Tamara. I'm happy you've stopped by, and since 2010 I've been sharing my passion for interior design, history, art, entertaining, travel & fashion. I am an interior designer, textile designer and writer living and working in New York City and East Hampton, Long Island. My musings have taken me to international design, art, antique and epicurean events and I have lots to share. I'm grateful to have been listed as the #1 top design blog, blogs to watch, top design blogs and named and awarded Rising Star of Design by the IFDA NY industry organization. Please feel free to reach out to our team for an interior design consultation at NestbyTamara.com -Tamara
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Design Musing from Tamara- Rolling With the Changes in the Design World, and why I'm on TikTok

Hello Blogger world,

and I've been busy churning out content here (yup, since 2010- never waning), I've not had the chance to update about my life, and I want you to know I'm now on TikTok and here's why...

I often look at interior design from different vantage points-- first as. learned interior designer, then several years later in 2010 I created this blog and embarked upon this adventure of writing about design which has taken me down a lot of fun "rabbit holes" to cover topics surrounding this world of design. Then in 2016, with my friend Susan Young, I began my own textile company, root cellar designs. At the time, I wanted to create something of my very own after years of taking in design inspiration, so creating a textile line was perfect. Today, our American-made fabric and wallpaper is sold throughout 13 design-trade showrooms around the country. These various perspectives gives me valuable talking points, as well as a deep well of inspiration to tap into daily.

Summer Table Post 

About the textiles- I started out (after design school at Parson) as a glorified shopper of fabric and I learned the industry while freelancing for a few design firms at once. As a result, I became quite adept at textiles. I would literally make my way through the D&D Building daily with several shoppings bags on my arms (one for each firm and inside folders for each client). Time was of the essence since I was paid by the hour so I'd run from fabric house to fabric house putting together schemes. I'd then pop into FEDEX to send these off in pretty envelopes to clients and the firms because many of the design firms I worked with were not located here in New York City. You could say I was a remote worker long before remote working was a thing.

What people love, what I love, is how stuff is made and the "back story" about how and where it's sourced. Of course, we all know this industry has gone through changes in the last two decades, and many of the French ateliers I have long loved have been sold to big business enterprises. That changes the fabric, that changes the industry. There was a time that clients would wait 16 weeks for fabric (laughable today). But, the "Fast Fashion" world was born. It's fast and furious, it's immediate gratification. Albeit, some of this stuff goes in the trash after a year (we've all seen those sofas that look great online and cost nothing yet the fabric pills and they are about as comfortable as a cardboard box), but, the world of interior design has morphed from an exclusive discreet world where you need to be an "insider with the right credentials" to clients googling everything and getting them on their doorstep in 24 hours. So, designers have had to re-invent themselves, the world has gotten bigger and we seem to have settled in the middle. What comes with that is some necessary changes. But, all in all, people still want beautiful stuff and beautiful, quality homes. People still need interior designers. As a result of all these changes, designers were forced to grow and morph and change with the times.

What has social media done to the industry-- Social media was born and that was a whole other "kettle of fish" for the design world. As we look at social media, we realize that first there were just words and ideas being shared (Twitter was where many designers first networked to "talk shop" back in the day), then there was Instagram and Pinterest, a perfect venue for design since it's all about pretty pictures, but somehow the "realness" has gotten lost there. All the tech experts have been saying for quite a while that video is the future. Makes sense because of the fast paced nature of our lives today. If video is the next best thing, TikTok is the current star. Before I joined TikTok only as a viewer for a year, and at first it seems only suitable for crazy people and teenagers. The world of TikTok is fast-paced and a space where both educational and entertainment live simulataneously (sometimes collide) and while some of it is idiotic, there some genius there too. I don't suspect I'll be TikTok famous anytime soon but it is kind of fun to explore the growth and value of video on social media. It's a great way to get your message out effectively, and I believe there is a space for interior design over there, although it's mostly DIY and young design fans now.


Future of Home- I did get inspired a few weeks ago when I attended the Future of Home Conference sponsored by Business of Home magazine. There are certainly some new ideas on the horizon and video sharing is only one of them. There's also Virtual Design and that's just so crazy! For now, on TikTok I'm sharing a variety of topics from interior design to food, to life as a designer in New York City so it's a well rounded view with a design-focus. If it's not for you, I'm certain there will be the next best thing soon, so stay tuned!

Happy Nesting
XO Tamara