THE CUT
DESIGN PROFILE
The self-confessed details queen from Melbourne is creating unique, highly personal interiors in some of New York’s most unlikely places
T
he week after finishing her interior-design degree in 2013, Melbourne-born Tali Roth was on a plane to New York with her husband Marcus and just $3000 in the bank. “I had a few interviews when I arrived but didn’t get a single job offer. To be honest though, I couldn’t really imagine sitting at a computer all day among a sea of designers,” says Tali, who also has a background in psychology and fashion. Eventually she was recruited by a start-up agency that contracted out independent designers on a freelance basis, giving her instant access to their social-media platforms, which helped propel her own interiordesign business. She eventually went solo and last year launched her ‘shoppable office’, called The Playhouse. While the Great Australian Dream of home ownership hasn’t completely gone out the window, New York’s renting culture has greatly influenced the 32-year-old’s design mentality. “Just because apartments have to be handed back in the same condition doesn’t mean you can’t go crazy with paint, wallpaper or lights. People here live in rentals for decades and need to be comfortable. For us, it wasn’t financially viable to buy, but rent and renovation are doable.” When the couple moved into their Chelsea loft, Tali covered the walls in a faux concrete that can easily be restored with a skim coat and some paint, and in a previous apartment added wainscoting around the perimeter. “Sometimes we probably interpreted ‘permission’ a little too liberally,” she admits. “But everything was reversible so it was fine!”
Six years on in Manhattan, Tali finally feels like she has honed her signature style, calling it “pretty but not overly feminine, clean-lined but with a warm, mid-century edge.” Her rule of thumb? Every interior should have at least one piece of furniture that’s vintage, one that’s custom and one that’s affordable or retro-fitted. For artwork, she still looks to Australia for inspiration, decorating with pieces from artist such as Minnie Pwerle, Adam Pyett, Stephen Baker and Leila Jeffreys (one of Leila’s bird photographs is in son Phoenix’s room). She has also introduced clients to Dinosaur Designs, Contemporary Editions and the work of glass artist Amanda Dziedzic. Currently, Tali is working on a flagship coffee venue for Australian-inspired Bluestone Lane in SoHo; the AWAY luggage offices; a multi-res development in Brooklyn; the home of a high-profile couple in the entertainment industry; and 7-10 apartments per year. When it comes to colour and texture, it’s all about glass, wood and marble while avoiding materials that aren’t in their natural state, like overly stained timber. While clients come to her for a particular look, Tali is hyper aware she’s not designing for herself. “My job is to bring the client’s personality into a space through furnishings, fabric and accessories, but I try not to be too prescriptive. I never attempt to convince people of things they should have. There are only so many times I can find the coolest vase, but if someone comes to me with their grandma’s vase I want to include it, even if I don’t like it. It’s important to bring joy, and it’s all about balance.” For more on Tali’s work, see talirothdesigns.com or thetrplayhouse.com WORDS CARLI PHILIPS
PORTRAIT BY GENEVIEVE GARRUPO. OTHER PICS BY CLAIRE ESPARROS (88 BLEECKER & 10 PARK), JULIA ROBBS (TRIBECA FAMILY HOME, TRIBECA LOFT & REBECCA TAYLOR OFFICE), SETH CAPLAN (MINETTA ST) AND CHRISTIAN TORRES (STOOL DETAIL).
Tali Roth
Tali’s aesthetic is very New York but with a fun, fresh edge. Her residences include 88 Bleecker (opposite page), Minetta St (top right and bottom right), 10 Park (bottom left), a family home in Tribeca (top left) and a loft nearby (above centre). Her look for the NY offices of Kiwi fashion designer Rebecca Taylor include geometric 3D stenciling on the floor (left), which Rebecca is considering for her stores. At right is a terrazzo dining table and suede ottomans from The Playhouse, Tali’s shoppable office.
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