Renovation Diary - Modernizing Our Ranch

November 05, 2014 by Abi Stock in Home Inspiration, Project Report

The home was a split-level ranch. There are many things admirable in ranch-style homes, but our weekend place seemed to have developed many of the negative qualities instead of the positive. At some point I stepped back, and asked, is there any way to reimagine our home that achieves all of our goals? Is there a ranch style that works with our lifestyle and connects the outside with the inside? Can I learn to love a ranch? I finally turned to inspiration and validation by revisiting the California Eichler homes I knew from my youth.

Gifts for My Hosts

October 29, 2014 by Abi Stock in Tips + Tricks

Fall is upon us. My family is gearing up for a new season of visiting friends and family. We are lucky – the upcoming months will bring visits to New England, Australian beach homes, and San Francisco. Nice to have family and friends in nice places. As always, as guests, we will bring wine, flowers or dessert to compliment the event. But how about some specifically thoughtful gifts for our thoughtful hosts?

Renovation Diary - Why Renovate?

October 22, 2014 by Abi Stock in Home Inspiration, Project Report

As I mentioned in my North Fork prologue, there were lots of things that were right about our weekend home. We spent many weekends and weeks there throughout the years – entertaining, hosting family and friends, visiting the beach, riding bikes, swimming – in complete relax mode. My ten-year old daughter would say chillaxing - which is the perfect term for our time on the North Fork of Long Island. Much of our time was spent outdoors, and when we were inside, we basically ignored the interior. (A tough thing for a designer to do.) But there were some serious design, décor, and layout issues that were always in the background,

Thinking About Wallpaper

October 16, 2014 by Abi Stock in Home Inspiration

Last week I spent some time sourcing wallpaper for a client project – a burst of color and pattern for a small hallway within a master suite. Perfect and space changing. Every time I source a wallpaper, I am inspired by the potential it can bring to a room. I am also impressed by the variety of wallpapers available today – from traditional designs from historic companies to new colors, patterns and printing methods from small, artist driven firms. A few things I think about, when thinking about wallpaper…

Renovation Diary - Introduction to the North Fork

September 29, 2014 by Abi Stock in Project Report

Renovation of my family’s North Fork Long Island home is ongoing. It’s been a great project and we are starting to see and enjoy the results. I have a lot of ideas and reflections and updates to share – and I will. But first, I’ll share a prologue – an introduction to the North Fork and our property.

Art: The Ultimate Accessory in Home Design

September 19, 2014 by Abi Stock in Home Inspiration

Art helps to fill out and finish a space. But for some of us, we hesitate, we wait, we don’t want to spend the money, we don’t know what “counts” as art. Here are five of my favorite tips for finishing your space with art.

Red Hot, Cool Kitchens

July 18, 2014 by Abi Stock in Home Inspiration

I love red in the kitchen. To be honest, I just love kitchen design, always have, and always will -- The mix of materials, functionality, the easy gathering of friends and family, creativity, and food and laughter. Red is special. It can be used in small amounts or large and can be used to illustrate and highlight all of the things I love about kitchens.

Bathroom Storage Solutions

July 18, 2014 by Abi Stock in Home Inspiration

Bathrooms are small but they need to address many, many varied needs. There are, of course, the obvious functional needs of a bathroom. But then there are so many more needs a bathroom may serve – it can be a space for relaxation, a space to create yourself each day – check to see if a tie is on straight, or to try a new lipstick. When my kids were very young, it was the only place where I asked for (and occasionally received) a moment of privacy.

Inhabitat Features Tamara H Design Chelsea Triplex

October 09, 2012 by Abi Stock in Home Inspiration, Press + Praise, Project Report

There's nothing more exciting — or more challenging — than managing the renovation and redesign of your own home, and that's just what I did a few months back. My family and I loved the finished product, but it's been especially validating for publications like Inhabitat to feature our home.

Our Chelsea home featured on NYMag/Dwell

October 06, 2012 by Abi Stock in Press + Praise

My husband and I underwent our own major renovation and redesign that I'm excited to say was picked up in the NY Mag / Dwell "Home Tour". Below is a sneak peak, but check out the full tour here.