Michael Tavano Design

Michael Tavano Design Interior Design, Product Design, Entertaining and Tabletop Design See Michael Tavano’s portfolios at www.michaeltavano.com

Michael Tavano is an Interior Designer, Product Designer and a consultant to the design industry on their toughest custom decorating challenges through his workroom, MT Custom. In 2012 Michael’s design expertise won him a judge’s chair on the BBC’s popular series House of the Year and as a guest on NBC’s LXTV Open House. In Manhattan social circles Michael is known for the elaborately themed pop-up jewel-box dining environments he creates exclusively for Manhattan’s most intimate and elite occasions. Among those who’ve commissioned Tavano’s tables are: Steuben, New York Tabletop Week at 41 Madison, Orrefors Kosta Boda, The New York Design Center and Bloomingdale’s. He has also created dozens of tables for nonprofit events including DIFFA’s Dining by Design, The Red Cross Red & White Ball and The New York Botanical Garden’s Orchid Dinner. Michael has been featured editorially in The Wall Street Journal, Bon Appetit, WWD, Ebony, Veranda, LUXE Interiors + Design, ELLE Decor and many other esteemed publications. He recently completed the design of a townhouse and the public spaces in the luxury Harlem condominium building The Morellino, and is currently at work on several residential and retail interiors.

Sometimes the best seat in the house is just off the kitchen. 🍷For this intimate dining nook, I wanted a space that felt...
09/23/2026

Sometimes the best seat in the house is just off the kitchen. 🍷
For this intimate dining nook, I wanted a space that felt both relaxed and a little bit bold. A round mid-century table and Danish-style chairs with black leather seats keep things warm and conversational, with no head of the table and everyone close. Above it all hangs a Calder-inspired light fixture, its red, black, white and yellow petals casting a soft glow while floating in front of a striking black-and-white portrait. Art and light, working together to make the whole wall come alive. A walnut panel, soft linen drapery and herringbone oak underfoot ground it all in quiet warmth.

It’s where morning coffee turns into long conversations, and weeknight dinners linger a little longer.

Tell me: is this your spot for Sunday brunch or late-night dinner? 👇
Save it for your own breakfast nook inspiration. TkoVla® All Star Woodworking | Custom Cabinetry

This dressing room within the primary suite was designed as a quiet threshold — the space between rest and the world out...
09/17/2026

This dressing room within the primary suite was designed as a quiet threshold — the space between rest and the world outside. Venetian plaster walls in the softest blush and ivory catch the morning light, while a dusty rose palette carries through the custom upholstery, antique bone-inlaid bench, and a hand-knotted rug in faded terracotta and taupe. Every texture was chosen to feel lived-in and luxurious at once — nothing too precious, nothing too polished.

A mirrored vanity, a well-placed mirror to catch the light from the ensuite beyond, and just enough personal history on display (photographs, small treasures) to make it feel like hers. This is the room where getting ready becomes a moment, not a task.

Michael Tavano Design Design.

This bedroom is from the apartment featured in my previous post, where coral becomes the thread that carries the color s...
09/09/2026

This bedroom is from the apartment featured in my previous post, where coral becomes the thread that carries the color story from one room to the next.

Here, I kept the foundation neutral—the walls, upholstered bed, and architectural elements—then layered the coral back into the room through the floor-to-ceiling draperies and bedding, allowing the rug to introduce another layer of color and movement.

One of my favorite details is the floor-to-ceiling upholstered headboard. Drawing the eye vertically accentuates the height of an already tall room—and it’s a design trick that works just as beautifully in a room with lower ceilings, creating the illusion of greater height.

For me, color doesn’t have to overwhelm a space. Against a neutral foundation, a saturated color like coral can become the element that gives a room its personality.

Rick Lew Marks & Tavano Workroom Schumacher Tri State (NY, NJ, CT, Philly) Odegard Carpets

I started this room with a deliberately neutral foundation—the walls, rug, and custom-made sofa create a quiet backdrop ...
09/04/2026

I started this room with a deliberately neutral foundation—the walls, rug, and custom-made sofa create a quiet backdrop that allows saturated color to become the personality of the room rather than overwhelm it.

From there, color is layered in with intention: the coral ceiling completely changes the architecture of the space, while electric blue, warm yellow, red and touches of black move your eye around the room. Pattern and texture add another layer, but the neutral base keeps everything grounded.

I’ve always loved rooms that reveal something about the people who live in them. For me, color isn’t simply decoration—it’s one of the tools that gives a room its identity.

And sometimes, the most unexpected place for color is the ceiling. Rick Lew Scalamandré | Luxury Fabrics & Wallcoverings Perennials | Fabrics, Rugs & Wallcoverings

I started this room with a deliberately neutral foundation—the walls, rug, and custom-made sofa create a quiet backdrop ...
09/04/2026

I started this room with a deliberately neutral foundation—the walls, rug, and custom-made sofa create a quiet backdrop that allows saturated color to become the personality of the room rather than overwhelm it.

From there, color is layered in with intention: the coral ceiling completely changes the architecture of the space, while electric blue, warm yellow, red and touches of black move your eye around the room. Pattern and texture add another layer, but the neutral base keeps everything grounded.

I’ve always loved rooms that reveal something about the people who live in them. For me, color isn’t simply decoration—it’s one of the tools that gives a room its identity.

And sometimes, the most unexpected place for color is the ceiling. Rick Lew Scalamandré | Luxury Fabrics & Wallcoverings Perennials | Fabrics, Rugs & Wallcoverings

I started this room with a deliberately neutral foundation—the walls, rug, and custom-made sofa create a quiet backdrop ...
09/04/2026

I started this room with a deliberately neutral foundation—the walls, rug, and custom-made sofa create a quiet backdrop that allows saturated color to become the personality of the room rather than overwhelm it.

From there, color is layered in with intention: the coral ceiling completely changes the architecture of the space, while electric blue, warm yellow, red and touches of black move your eye around the room. Pattern and texture add another layer, but the neutral base keeps everything grounded.

I’ve always loved rooms that reveal something about the people who live in them. For me, color isn’t simply decoration—it’s one of the tools that gives a room its identity.

And sometimes, the most unexpected place for color is the ceiling. Rick Lew Marks & Tavano Workroom scalamandre_nyc Perennials | Fabrics, Rugs & Wallcoverings

Mixing eras is where the magic happens. A Saarinen tulip table brings clean, sculptural mid-century lines, while a Louis...
08/26/2026

Mixing eras is where the magic happens. A Saarinen tulip table brings clean, sculptural mid-century lines, while a Louis XVI leather stool adds warmth, patina, and history right beside it. The architecture stays simple — quiet millwork, a clean line of base molding continues up and around the door in a light color to add a slight dimension - so the furniture can lead the story. Down the hall, a glimpse of the den hints at more to come. Photography: Rick Lew

Bespoke, top to bottom. ✨This Upper West Side kitchen and dining space is custom, down to the last detail. Book-matched ...
08/11/2026

Bespoke, top to bottom. ✨

This Upper West Side kitchen and dining space is custom, down to the last detail. Book-matched marble runs across the waterfall island and backsplash, wrapping a fully clad range hood with brass accents. Cabinetry is oak with a cerused, dark gray finish, layered with brass mesh cabinets and inlay pulls.

Handmade lighting anchors the room — a sculptural chandelier over the dining table, globe pendants above the island. The oval table sits on a bronze pedestal, framed by a custom tufted banquette and herringbone oak floors.

Custom, considered, completely one-of-a-kind. TkoVla® HOLLY HUNT Design All Star Woodworking | Custom Cabinetry ANAKA STUDIO Marks & Tavano Workroom BookMatchedMarble InteriorDesignNYC

In this sitting room, the conversation begins with color and continues through texture, pattern, and light. The tailored...
08/06/2026

In this sitting room, the conversation begins with color and continues through texture, pattern, and light. The tailored draperies creates the architecture, while custom pillows echo the movement of the Roman shades, creating a subtle dialogue between fabrics. Carefully chosen accessories—including a sculptural glass bowl and a curated stack of design books—add personality without competing for attention.

For me, luxury isn’t about filling a room—it’s can be about editing it. Every element should have purpose, every layer should contribute to the whole, and the result should feel collected, timeless, and effortlessly inviting.

Marks & Tavano Workroom TimelessDesign ColorStory

Address

New York, NY
10035

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+12125640034

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Michael Tavano Design posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category