Welcome
Hi everyone, I’m Nicolina. Welcome to my page!
I want to dedicate my first EVER blog post to really introducing myself unapologetically. Im 27 years old, I grew up in New York and currently live in New Jersey. I’ve been an Interior Designer for the last 6 years. I’ve always had a passion for design and truly believe that design changes your quality of life, even if its one item in a room that inspires you or a pop of color that brightens a room it changes your environment and how you feel. Which is why it's been something I never strayed away from.
Growing up I was constantly inspired by my father; as a child my dad was a working carpenter and he would bring any idea to life by hard work and a plan. Watching him execute project after project in our home and clients homes was inspiring to me. I was always drawn to watching a plan come to fruition. I used to take blank note pads and draw out furniture plans as young as age 6. To this day my mom still has them saved. With that being said I was an anal child. Everything I had was in a spot, I always kept organized and had back up solutions just incase it didn’t work out how I envisioned it. Which is why my mom always encouraged me to stay the course. Not many 6 year olds knew exactly what they wanted to do. Fast Forward to high school, I did a summer internship at FIT in New York. I bought all the special markers, rulers, drawing pads imaginable; I was all in. I went to Tottenville high school where they offered 3 year majors to prep for college. The major I selected was architecture. I totally nerded out in that class. I probably was one of the few people in the class that actually really wanted to learn and be there. I absolutely LOVED it. My professor Ms Troyano was a ray of sunshine to say the least. Always positive and upbeat, encouraged everyone year after year. She taught us how to draft… with paper and pencil. Hard to believe I know, the only time I use paper and pencil now is to sketch for clients. But I certainly enjoyed learning how to draw and draft before using auto cad. It really made me value the skills I knew I already had. Its always been very easy for me to visualize a thought or idea and that’s really been my super power.
Fast forward another 4 years and I graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Arts In Interior Design. I made great friends and took a ton of great courses. I really enjoyed my college experience. It wasn’t a typical experience at all. I just knew that when I was done with school I was finally going to start what I was truly meant to do. (ugh I sound so corny but its painfully true lol) Most of my job experience is in commercial/corporate office design but residential design is something I always wanted to get the ground running on. I’ve freelanced multiple residential projects myself from start to finish and had so much more fun with it. When the pandemic hit I was working for a commercial furniture dealer in New Jersey. A total boys club with no drive, ambition and low office morale. After a year of working from home with no steady work in the commercial world they let me go.
I can admit that position was the wrong path for me completely. No pressure I thought after 2 years in a role with no substantial growth at all. I knew one day the sun would shine on me. I still stayed the course. I applied to job after job during this global pandemic where it seems like there’s no progression. I reached out to pervious bosses to freelance 3D renderings to make extra cash and promoted myself on LinkedIn and Houzz to keep myself busy. Offering free color consultations and meeting with potential clients. Keeping my creativity alive is a must. I didn’t want loose hope. Which brings me to today my first blog post. My very supportive sisters and boyfriend have been pushing me to start my own website to generate more clients. I always wanted to start my own Interior design blog along with my website for styling and design trends and share some great diy projects that I get myself into. I welcome any feedback and comments. I’d love for you to follow me on this journey. Follow my social links above and below to keep up with me.
"If you don't love what you do, you won't do it with much conviction or passion."
-Mia Hamm
