Big changes here at NYC Interior Design Firm Nirmada - we have a new name and are soon to have a new address. Nirmada Interior Architectural Design is now....KATI CURTIS DESIGN. Our new branding was designed by the incredibly talented Cooper House, and it couldn't be more perfect. Personally, I am having a hard time with the name change, but everyone else seems to think it's long overdue. Of course, we have to thank Strohl and Co., our PR Firm extraordinaire for the nudge. Apparently I am the brand - so the interior design firm has to have my name... Well, I might be the brand  - but I certainly couldn't do it alone and I have to give a shout out of thanks to Carolyn, Ira, Walter, Todd, and Anne for their brilliance and support. It's a team effort. Other than the name, you can still expect the same professional, high end design services we've always provided. That will NEVER change! We will also be moving to new digs in May, so update your address books accordingly. If you haven't changed over to our new email, don't worry - everything will be forwarded thanks to the super-intelligent coding done by Tim Cooper at Cooper House. We'd love to hear your thoughts about our new brand and look! xo, KC

We're starting out the new year with a fantastic LEED GOLD penthouse project in an NYC new construction residential building in the Flatiron District. One would think a new construction project would be fairly straight forward and simple - but it's actually not. Developers design these buildings so they can make fast money, and don't always take in to consideration the real users of the space. While wowing you with high end appliances and modern amenities, sometimes things like lighting and AV could be left up to the new owner. Here are 10 things to ask your real estate broker before purchasing a new construction apartment in NYC: 1. Is there accommodation for lighting in the ceiling? This seems like a no-brainer, but in NYC it's all about square footage. New construction is usually concrete slab and the floor to floor heights are often as tight as possible so the developer can squeeze more units out of a lot. By not dropping portions of the ceiling to add electrical, plumbing and HVAC, they can give the new owner a higher ceiling height, but sometimes no accommodation for lighting! The new owner won't be able to add it in later either, because making modifications in the slab could compromise it's structural stability. Make sure your new home at least has junction boxes in the ceiling to accommodate lighting where you need it.   2. What is the ceiling height? It seems...

Interior designer Kati Curtis founded Kati Curtis Design in 2005 after over 12 years of working in international architecture, and engineering firms on both the east and west coasts. Featured in such publications as the Architectural Digest, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Financial Times, Curtis has been privileged to work with many of New York’s most successful institutions and individuals. After quickly developing a following among an influential Manhattan client base, Kati Curtis Design expanded to include projects throughout New York City, and the world. A Certified Interior Designer in the State of New York (CID), and a Leadership in Energy Efficient Design Accredited Professional (LEED AP), Kati Curtis stewards projects to LEED certification by combining her knowledge and skills of the certification process, with her passionate belief in sustainability. Curtis is also certified by the National Council of Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) whose core purpose is to protect the health, life safety and welfare of the public by establishing standards of competence in the practice of interior design. On the cusp of the latest technology, Kati Curtis’ team of contractors, craftsmen, interior designers, architects and specialists utilize current technologies, combined with classic design tools to communicate and execute their designs. Kati Curtis was brought up with the value of giving back; she does this for the design community through her volunteer work for Design Industry Foundation For Aids (DIFFA), where she recently designed the installation Masculine/Feminine for...

You apply the prepasted paper to your wall and when you want to take it down you simply grab the corners at the top of the strip and pull it down. The wall does not need to be repainted or anything. They also have wallpaper with different textures that is designed to be painted on. That way you can paint any color you want and when you move you just take down the wallpaper.

Yesterday I traveled out to embroidery's Mecca - Penn and Fletcher in Long Island City, NYC.  Being an interior designer, of course I'm always on the hunt for new and unique items that our client's can't get any where else and that none of their friends will have.  Penn and Fletcher is the go-to for custom made embroidery treatments, whether for interior design or fashion. I was so excited to learn embroidery tips from them! According to Penn and Fletcher,  embroidery is "anything that can be added to a fabric". And they can certainly add just about anything to fabric! Here are some things they do and a guide to the terms that describe the process: So basically if we have the time and the budget we can do just about anything you want on fabric. The key is making sure we use the right fabrics for the application, as the fabric must be structurally stable enough to hold the design. When doing trapunto, they sometimes even inject air into the back of the fabric to give it some relief and depth. With computer aided machines, we can also design motifs to be embroidered on a large scale. But my favorite part of Penn and Fletcher has to be the furry friends that help out in the showroom: Once again I'm convinced we can create just about anything for our clients! Love discovering new embroidery tips. PS: If you've been...