Part of the reasoning behind my blog is to provide some insight into me, Denise Maloney, as a designer and an individual. So I figured what better way to share some personal insight than a behind the scenes look at my office. I am a strong believer in surrounding yourself with things you love and that provide inspiration, so here is what inspires me on a daily basis.
I am usually a minimalist when it comes to tchotchkes, but I do like to collect small trinkets from each project I work on and I often showcase them on my desk. For example, the small wood and inlaid metal ball on the left is from India, where I worked on a hotel project several years ago; the hibiscus bowl was a housewarming gift from one of my longtime clients; the “Denise” clock is a found object gifted by my design mentor after completing a particularly challenging project; and my pencil holder is a hand-painted coffee mug from my Nana, an extremely talented china painter. When I was a small child, I would sit for hours as my Nana taught me to paint my favorite flower, forget-me-nots, on practice china. Even though she is no longer with us, her china still serves as an inspiration to explore my creative side on a daily basis!
As a reminder of my incredibly handsome and supportive husband, I love looking up from my computer to see this photo from our wedding day.
Another family treasure is my wooden architectural scale handed down from my Dad, a retired mechanical engineer. This boxwood scale made in West-Germany (yes, it actually says that) was from my Dad’s college days and when I decided to go back to school for interior architecture, he graciously “handed over the reins” so to speak. I love having such a unique tool that I actually get to use in my job.
I often have a paint deck on my desk and it just so happens that I recently received the new Kelly-Moore paint deck from my neighbor, a Kelly-Moore rep. I always tease him that I am a loyal Benjamin Moore client because they do such a great job catering to designers and architects, so I was thrilled to see that they have come out with this new, leather-bound paint deck for easy toting around.
So now you know what my desk looks like and hopefully a little bit more about what inspires me as well. Have a great one!
