Nathan Anthony’s Creative Director Tina Nicole Dishes on Modern Shapes, Rounded Edges and The Art of Working Alongside Your Partner
Tina! We’re so excited to chat with you! To kick things off, tell us about your journey to becoming the Chief Visionary Officer at Nathan Anthony. I was working as an estate planning attorney in Los Angeles when my husband asked me to come on board to help pick fabrics for his small upholstery shop. I had a merchandising-textiles degree from FIDM and had worked for many years as a window stylist for Benetton and Ralph Lauren in San Francisco. We started doing trade shows, designing our own frames, creating our own brand vibe, and we wrote a ton of business. The rest is history!
Your pieces are so incredibly curvy and artful—Where do these organic, modern shapes come from? It comes from wanting them in my own space. We had small children around all of the time (big extended family) and so we would design our version of furniture with round edges and puffy silhouettes. We want home to feel modern, but cozy at the same time.
How do you find and source your inspiration? Traveling and walking the alleyways and small streets of European towns, visiting museums, attending art shows, galleries, and being a student of pop culture.
“WE WANT HOME
TO FEEL MODERN, BUT COZY
AT THE SAME TIME.”
Talk to us about working alongside your husband. Are you two creatively aligned or do you have different aesthetics at times? It’s an honor to work with my husband and best friend every day. We are aesthetically aligned which helps. His expertise is in engineering and mine is in bring the creativity and vision. So, we don’t step on each other's toes, we actually bring our own expertise to the table. We have mutual respect for one another, so when we discuss a design or a process, it gets heated sometimes, but in a circle of respect, we come out in the end with the right answers. It’s those discussions that make it fun and rewarding.
Tell me about your creative process. What’s the vibe like when concepting new pieces? It’s a little bit like a rave- pumped, colorful, chaotic, musical, fun. I have materials thrown all around. Piles of fabric, wood samples, pictures, books, catalogs and somehow they all come together to make the collection.
Talk to me about keeping your furnishings made in Los Angeles. Why was it important for you to maintain your artisans and craftspeople? Growing up in Los Angeles, we have a sense of connection to the city and the people that live here. Over the years we’ve worked with so many talented craftspeople here and made long lasting friendships with our suppliers. We are deeply embedded in the community here and the talent pool is rich, like nowhere else.
“BEAUTIFUL, HEIRLOOM FURNITURE
IS OUR LEGACY.”
What do you want people to take away from your furnishings?
That it was hand-made by people, one at a time. Our furniture is made by artisans who work hard, focus on the details and love the craft of furniture making. To see people incorporate the furniture we create into their home, knowing they will be making memories with loved ones is such a joy to see. Beautiful, heirloom furniture is our legacy.