As a self-proclaimed “Interior Design Lover” (really, it says that on my Instagram profile!) working with interior designers to create the perfect customized art for projects is my favorite. When I first met Tyson Ness, he sent me an email regarding a NYC project, featured below, that called for a large-scale textural art element. He explained that he had been following my Instagram account for a while and waiting for the right project to bring in my artwork. He was open to my suggestions for the space and gave me a few parameters and color specifications. He shared links to my previous works that he loved and the ball started rolling quickly after that! It is a pleasure to share images from two projects of Tyson’s, both including my art, that span the time frame of him launching his own design firm, Studio Ness!

Hey Tyson! Tell us about yourself.

Hi! My name is Tyson Ness and I am the founder of STUDIO NESS, which launched in 2018. Before starting my own firm, I spent nearly a decade in NYC working for contemporary design and architectural firms, 5 years of which I was the senior designer for Fawn Galli, creating some beautiful spaces throughout the city.

I grew up in Wyoming, in a (small) coal mining town where JC Penney was started. After graduating I went to college and bounced thru a couple majors (photography, journalism) before being introduced to interior design as a career, something I hadn’t  considered before, but found I was completely obsessed with this intro class (much more than any of my communications or journalism classes) and changed my major to focus on interior design.

 I completed my education in Salt Lake City and I moved to NYC nearly a decade ago, in a last minute decision, after receiving an offer to be a design assistant.  I had never been east of Nebraska up to that point, and was visiting only to consider a move to NYC. I received the offer the day I landed; which is totally crazy looking back, but seemed serendipitous, and I have been building my portfolio since.

Aside from design, which really occupies most of my thoughts, I love to travel, I shoot film on my vintage Pentax, I’m an avid cook and (slightly) obsessed with plants -- there are currently about 90+ house plants (I have actually lost count) in my possession. 

I live in Brooklyn with my boyfriend and two cats and have completed work all over NYC, the Hamptons, Colorado, California and in the UK.

How would you describe your design style?

Motley Contemporary -- I love mixing texture, color,  and furniture from different eras, styles and price points. Most of my clients are young families who need a project that will be able to evolve with them as their needs, inevitably, change. I approach my projects with the same ethos: bit of vintage, a bit of custom and a lot of contrast. 

From there, it’s a collaboration with the client based on their specific needs and requests. I aim to deliver a space that reflects a collected and unique point of view that won’t look like a page from a catalogue or anyone else’s space. I strive to create an environment that is comfortable, chic, layered and collected -- I am also a total nerd and love working on full scale remodels or ground up construction.

I worked for an architecture firm prior to going to Fawn Galli and love working in conjunction with an architect to achieve a cohesive vision. I had considered a career in architecture, prior to going into design, and always love working on projects where I can help mold the interior architecture and details to fit with a cohesive vision.

What inspired you to branch out and create STUDIO NESS?

I reached a crossroads about 2 years ago after leaving Consort Home, where I had been working as their Senior Designer for East Coast projects -- I launched STUDIO NESS right after that and haven’t looked back.  

I am thankful and lucky enough to have made some great contacts over the years and maintained great relationships with my past clients and vendors, to which I owe a huge amount of gratitude, as they helped pass along the word about STUDIO NESS that has helped the studio to grow.

Your projects include modern and vintage pieces. How do you choose a great vintage piece to complement a room? 

Growing up I would request that we stop at local antique stores or flea markets, and have always loved the thrill of the hunt for that special piece. So it’s no wonder that I LOVE vintage and incorporate it into the beginning stages of sourcing.

I usually begin the conversation by asking my clients, early on, about their feelings toward vintage and that helps to determine where to incorporate into their project. I have found that many vintage items are great for families, as these pieces have already lived a life before my clients and have stood the test of time, so they are actually one of the few things I am not worried about after the project is completed. The easiest way, I’ve found, to incorporate vintage finds is thru lighting, rugs or accessories. 

Vintage isn’t always an easy sell -- and I show the clients the pieces multiple times before committing to the purchase. When the leather chairs at Columbia Heights went in, it still took a bit of convincing for one of the clients -- I was finally able to phrase it as such: “the chairs are like that cool, vintage leather jacket on top of a polished, new outfit -- a little beat up and lived in with a ton of patina that will add some instant character to the newly produced pieces”.

What/Who/Where is your go to in NYC for sourcing great pieces? What about online?

Showplace is a treasure and I can spend an entire day there -- great for vintage lighting, accessories, etc.

I also love Eskayel and find they have the right pattern for any of my projects. I have used their rugs, papers and fabrics. 

Best source for leather is Dualoy. I have known Andy for years and trust his eye and advice.

For the comfiest sofa’s, I check out Montauk Sofa and top it with yummy textured pillows from Homenature, who also has some great vintage pieces.

Finally -- my most visited site for sourcing is 1stDibs, even if it’s just to dream about some of the pieces.

Tell us about the Brooklyn Heights project.

The Brooklyn Heights project is one that was completed for a young family. The project was a collaboration while at Consort Home and finished by Studio Ness in late 2018. They had bought a newly developed apartment in a building that was originally built as a hotel. The aim for the space was to really accentuate the huge open living/dining/kitchen by filling it with comfortable pieces for their family to spread out. The rug in the living room was commissioned thru The Anou, another of my favorite sources.  The sitting area has the aforementioned leather chairs, a custom daybed and the wallhanging is by M. Quan which reflects the astrological signs for the family members.

The dining room is anchored by a 10’ live edge, bleached mango table that was procured thru From The Source (another GREAT local company that I know I can rely on.) In order to get it into the space we had to put it on top of the elevator car and have someone ride on top with it to the floor -- because, even though the building was completely gutted, the small, turn of the century elevators and stairs remained relatively untouched (which isn’t very convenient when filling an apartment with modern day sized furniture). I worked on the design of the chandelier with Park Studio LA and commissioned the two art pieces from Kristen Giorgi. The fireplace has custom planters that are planted with creeping fig to (eventually) grow to cover the brick and are flanked on either side with custom liquor and wine storage cabinets. 

The kids’ rooms are small havens that we created for her boys. The powder room is swathed in a gorgeous Eskayel paper. The master bedroom has a custom channeled bed, with two nightstands designed in conjunction with 57st. Design that are topped with lamps from Stone and Sawyer.  

We had a tight room but knew we needed to get an art piece to anchor the wall opposite the window, which is how we decided to explore a piece from Lauren.

What made Lauren’s art work for this space?

The space we were putting this piece had a couple of unique needs: first, it was between the bed and the wall -- so anything we put there would like be bumped up against. Secondly -- we needed something that was low profile and would look great from any angle of the room.

Finally -- I wanted something that would bring in some texture and movement. The piece we worked on with Lauren is the perfect size and really commands attention. A home run.

Tell us about the 29th Street project.

29th Street is a project for another young family but with a bit of a different scenario. They reached out to Consort after already occupying the space -- and was tasked with updating the apartment, which we’ve been doing over the past few years.  The apartment, originally dark and dated, was updated by changing the lighting from halogen fixtures for LED’s, replaced the kitchen countertops, backsplash, and and installed new storage solutions. The clients love to host family and friends and wanted to create a comfortable space to do so. 

This started by anchoring the living room with a new sofa, chairs and ottoman. One of the largest challenges (and features) in the space was the height of the ceilings -- we swapped out the TV with the Samsung Frame and built a gallery wall around that, using the client’s artwork, personal photographs and some additional pieces to round out the grouping. I love to work with  iLevel to help out with gallery walls and my art hanging. We took the gallery wall high to take advantage of that wall space.

Opposite that wall we installed a huge 60” round mirror from Consort Home to help bring in more light and reflect the gallery wall beyond. To save space, we commissioned the dining bench and used a Sunbrella fabric to help keep the space looking tidy. 

In the master bedroom we installed a new area rug from Loloi and sconces on either side of the bed to keep the tops of the nightstands open. I worked with Jodi Siegal to commission the SICK wall hanging over the top of the bed. 

The girls’ room has a sweet bunkbed set up with a double desk that we made using IKEA components. 

What brought you to including Lauren’s work in this space?

We needed something in the dining area above the newly built buffet cabinet. Since there is already a gallery wall and a large mirror in the room,  and given that the piece needed to span a large distance we knew we were looking at either a single massive piece or two large pieces to put together. I knew the client would love Lauren’s pieces and when the discussions were started it was a no brainer. Luckily for us, a new collection was just about to drop which had this “Revolution” pair as part of it.

Are there any rules you follow when incorporating artwork into your design?

As much as possible I steer clear of mass produced artwork -- which is really my only rule. There are so many great artists and places that sell unique art that I would rather support over the big box retailer down the street. ;)

What’s been the biggest design challenge since launching your firm?

The largest design challenge I’ve faced was actually designing my business and striking a balance between doing creative work and more business work and development. While I would still say this is something I am still working on overcoming and figuring out, I did enroll myself in a business training class geared toward interior design, which has been a godsend to answer all those questions I never learned in design school or while working for a firm. 

Can you tell us about your upcoming projects?

Of course! I have some really fun projects in the works that I can’t wait to share. We are about to kick off a huge remodel and renovation for a loft in Meatpacking. I am also working on an office outside of San Francisco, in Menlo Park,  that will be a fun change of pace. It’s been a busy January so far, so I’m sure I’ll be sharing a lot more...soon!

Which trends are you loving? What’s trending for 2020?

I love the shift in materials toward the natural and imperfect. Materials that age, patina and evolve add dimension and contain the history of the user. That being said -- I also love the massive amount of options for performance fabrics (hello white sofas). I think a home should be a place you live in, but not be worried about -- so the natural wabi-sabi mixed with high tech performance materials really checks those boxes for me.

Thank you SO much for sharing so many great resources and design tips! How can we follow your work in 2020 for even more goodness from STUDIO NESS?

On my instagram, of course! @StudioNess

I am also on Pinterest -- I’m an avid pinner which is a blessing and a curse. 

Heck -- you can also follow me on Facebook

Tyson has projects featured in Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, Remodelista, Lonny and Luxe Magazine; and has worked on projects ranging from renovations of classic brownstones on the Upper West Side and Brooklyn Heights, to apartment combinations in the West Village, the conversion of an 1800s piano factory in Stamford, CT, and a former soap factory in TriBeCa, as well as ground up construction from New Jersey to The Hamptons. You can also find him at www.StudioNessNYC.com

INSPIRED BY STUDIO NESS?

Check out the pieces below to get the look!