Design Expert: Julie Frank

As an architect, what’s most important to me is how a space makes people feel once they enter—how all five senses combine in unison and how the very space I’ve created can trigger someone’s memory, stir their soul and create emotion that is personal only to them.

After spending years designing restaurants, designing nurseries and children’s rooms was a seamless transition for me. One of the most rewarding parts of this process is creating spaces that reflect the visions of our clients while using my skills in weaving colors, textures, and planes into coherent compositions that are inviting, exciting and not overwhelming. It’s most gratifying when we show our clients the design scheme for the first time and watch them grow more and more excited as they realize that their creative ideas are becoming a reality. At My Tiny Nest, we know how much time families will spend in these new spaces, so we strive to be sure it provides the comfort and style they envisioned and then some.

My personal style is a mixture of the clean, fluid lines of modern design and its elegant sense of proportion with nods to vintage influences—from jewelry to fashion. I love elements that call back to a more feminine era. I find inspiration in the every day: from a beautiful sunrise, the smell of cupcakes or a street side bouquet of flowers—these elements are the palettes of the every day that help inspire the canvases of our creations.

- Julie

My Tiny Nest

Julie Loves…

1. I love sitting at sidewalk cafes with my omnipresent cup of coffee; I see them as the best places to be both a part of the world and just an observer. 2. The beach and sand between my toes, no matter what the weather, always feels great. 3. My grandmother’s ring—it’s still stylish 50 years later and is as unique and special as its original owner. 4. Retro-inspired fashion makes me feel so feminine! The full skirts, fun colors, playful accents and sculptured forms make me feel ready to take on any day. 5. Love this Chieftains Chair, by Finn Juhl, with its distinctive sculptural shape and a seat that appears suspended above the frame. The sculptural form changed the future of Danish design, and it tops my list of things that I covet! 6. Natalia, my best friend’s daughter and my buddy, inspires me with her giggles and snuggles and her funky sense of style. 7. William Sonoma’s Presidio Settee makes being a couch potato feel elegant. 8. I can’t resist the doughnut plant on 23rd street with their delicious tres leches and peanut butter and jelly donuts. They takes these guilty treats to a new high with their intoxicating taste and smell. And they look beautiful!

View more Design Experts