Hi! I'm Danielle, CEO and Principal Designer at Nicole Elizabeth INTRS. One question that comes up a lot is where the name Nicole Elizabeth comes from, since my name is Danielle. Easy enough: my middle name and Elizabeth is my Confirmation name – glad that is cleared up. 2019 is slated to be an exciting year as Nicole Elizabeth has several things in the works that we can't wait to share with you soon. For now I thought I would share some things about myself and give you a peek into my life.
One: Drexel University Alumna
I'm not going to tell you when I graduated (a lady never tells her age), but I left Drexel University with a BS in interior design. They were honestly the best four years of my life and I got to do so many amazing things while I was there. Between studying abroad in London, all my design classes, and my co-op, the entire experience has influenced not only my body of work as a whole but the process behind it. If you want to be an interior designer go to Drexel (I don't care that that was a shameless plug, maybe they'll give me a recruiter's fee).
Two: Designer Since Eight
I knew I wanted to be a designer pretty much my entire life. My dad is a contractor and I grew up "helping" him with his projects. Growing up around construction, I was fascinated by the process and being able to create something incredible from just some lines drawn on a piece of paper (I know I'm dating myself, we draw on computers now, not paper). By the age of eight my mind was pretty much made up that I was going to be an interior designer.
Three: I Lived On A Construction Site
When I was six or seven my parents decided to convert our one-story cottage into a two-story contemporary. They did this in sections while we were living there. I remember waking up on Saturdays and being so excited because all my dad's friends would come over to work on the house and that meant there were doughnuts! I was able to walk through the walls before the drywall was up and there may or may not have been a winter when we didn't have heat. I very much prefer summer as an adult.
Four: I Was A Ballet Dancer
I danced from age seven until I graduated college. It all started when I was five and my parents took me to see The Nutcracker in Philadelphia. From that point on I wanted to be Clara (or Marie depending on whose version you're reading). The school I went to performed The Nutcracker at the Music Fair in Valley Forge (again, I'm dating myself) and the one in Westbury on Long Island. I loved preforming but sadly never got to be Clara.
Five: I Celebrate My Half Birthday
In case you're unfamiliar, a half birthday is exactly what it sounds like: the day exactly six months from your birthday. There is a very good reason why I celebrate it, and it's not because I was a spoiled only child, although the "only" child part is correct. My birthday is December 22nd and everyone told my mom that I was going to get cheated out of celebrating because it's so close to Christmas. Well, my mom made sure that never happened. Events were separate and we celebrated my half birthday with dinner only, no presents. See, I wasn't spoiled.
Six: I'm a Jane of All Trades
At least I like to think I am. I do have my own drill, which I sometimes carry around in my Neverfull. But besides that I like to sew, knit, re-upholster and re-finish flea market or yard sale finds, and I do cross-stitch. Honestly, most of my projects sit half finished for a few months, but they eventually get finished.
Seven: I LOVE Antiques
Antique shops and flea markets are my guilty pleasure. I love hunting for that perfect piece that you can tell is just full of history. Those are the pieces that instantly bring character to a space and make it feel complete. My husband has actually banned me from going anymore because we are running out of room in our apartment. Although, he always loves what I bring home when I don't listen to him and go anyway. Design Tip: If you have a small budget and need to stock a kitchen, go to Goodwill. I have found several on-trend serving pieces.
Eight: I Love To Bake
I had a phase not too long ago where I seriously considered starting a boozy cupcake bakery and leaving design. For those of you not familiar, boozy cupcakes are based off of cocktails like Irish Car Bombs (I know that's not really a cocktail but bear with me), which is a chocolate Guinness cake with Bailey's Irish Cream frosting. They're amazing, you should make them. I like to get creative and try to make the Pinterest-perfect dessert. I probably succeed about 80% of the time.
Nine: My Personal Style Is...
I get this question so frequently as a designer and I get it. A lot of decorators and even designers (yes, they are different, check out this post) stick to one style. I do my best to really design spaces that reflect my client's tastes and style, not my own. But personally I would say my style is classic eclectic (designers like labeling styles in a way that makes absolutely no sense to anyone but them). Our apartment is in a 100-year-old building with picture moulding and French doors and is filled with antiques, Craig's list and IKEA finds, and new pieces with clean lines. Somehow it all goes together and is definitely the epitome of "collected decor."
Ten: My Husband and Our Menagerie
I saved the best for last, at least I think so. My husband, Michael, and I got married in May 2016, so we are going on three years without killing each other (I'm totally kidding). Michael is the Director of Marketing at a tech company in New York and gets to commute there almost every day. He would tell you it's not as bad as it sounds. We live in Center City Philadelphia with our collection of animals who are all part of our C-Suite Team at Nicole Elizabeth, even though all they do is sleep most of the day. Luna (aka Luna Lovegood because she's really sweet and just a little odd) was our first cat, after our Rottweiler, Aston, passed away in 2017. She came from the streets of West Philly and has no desire to go back outside. She has an eye deformity and is partially blind but does not let that stop her from putting the others in their place. Bella is our "kitten," named after Bellatrix LeStrange (are you noticing a theme yet?), and she lives up to it. She LOVES LOVES LOVES food and thinks she is very stealthy when she's trying to steal it, but she isn't. Reggie is our Rottweiler puppy who really isn't a puppy anymore. He's only 75 pounds at 18 months due to a very rough start in life, so he still seems like a puppy. Reggie is a certified therapy dog and loves to be in anyone's lap. Lastly is Hank, only because technically he isn't our dog. Hank is our neighbor's dog who comes and hangs out with us during the day. He's 135 pounds of pure love and sometimes old man grumpiness. It is pretty much impossible to be sad or angry in our office because there is always someone furry to cuddle with.
I hope you enjoyed my 10 kinda random things about me. Be sure to "like" this post and subscribe to our mailing to find out about all the great things to come in 2019. If you have a project you are working on shoot us an email or text, 610.948.9196, and we would be happy to discuss it with you!