Taniya Nayak talks global design, travel, restaurants and pergolas with MyFixitUpLife.
Theresa: You are inside MyFixitUpLife with my husband Mark.
Mark: And my wife Theresa and I’m global.
Theresa: You are.
Mark: I am a man of many countries.
Theresa: Is that because you have an internet connection?
Mark: Mostly. I do it through Facebook.
Theresa: You do, you are a global Facebooker?
Mark: I’m global from my living room
Theresa: Oh no.
Mark: That’s the power of the internet.
Theresa: The world is scared.
Mark: Yeah.
Theresa: One of the downsides of having the internet is that Mark is actually global.
Mark: I’m an international force, Taniya Nayak Restaurant Impossible HGTV. I would say more things from your bio, but I started reading it and it was 12-13 pages long in 4 point font.
Theresa: And he got tired.
Mark: So I threw it away.
Theresa: Yeah.
Taniya Nayak: He just tossed it. That is what men of the international scene do. They just toss things, they just live by the seat of their pants.
Theresa: And that’s smart.
Mark: I’m a global trash maker is what it is.
Theresa: Yeah, that’s great.
That’s why he usually has like a tear in the seat of his pants too because that’s how they live.
Theresa: You do, you usually do have a rip in the seat of your pants.
Mark: That’s because I’m working hard man, I’m working …
Theresa: He does.
Mark: … hard like Taniya Nayak does on all of her projects, which are infused with what we would call a global design theme. What! Huh!
Theresa: He uses the word we as that we would call it that because Mark is an expert in global décor.
Taniya Nayak: Oh naturally. I don’t even know why I’m here because Mark could totally talk about all the global designs.
Mark: OK, all right, Taniya, bare with me for two seconds here because now I’m going to tell you a story. I just built a pergola.
Theresa: Oh lord.
Taniya Nayak: You know I love pergolas, right?
Mark: Oh my god, do you really?
Taniya Nayak: Oh do I. I built a couple of them on Restaurant Impossible and Tom has decided that they’re no longer called pergola, they’re called purgatories.
Theresa: Well Mark loves, loves, loves building pergolas.
Mark: Taniya, I will build a pergola with you and it will be awesome.
Taniya Nayak: Let’s do it! I’m in, I’m in.
Mark: There you go.
Taniya Nayak: I’ll tell you, Robert Irvine does not allow garden light, so I have to fight. So are you with me, are you with me on this?
Theresa: No garden lights?
Mark: No garden lights, I’ll tell you what, open flame.
Theresa: Why doesn’t he like garden lights?
Taniya Nayak: I don’t know, he has a thing about garden lights and silk plants, which I’m with him on the silk plants.
Theresa: Yeah.
Taniya Nayak: I don’t know. I think he thinks they look knick knack-y and garbage-y, but I have shown him that they can look cool.
Theresa: It’s true, they can look cool and they can look really tacky, it just depends on what you are using and how you’re using them.
Taniya Nayak: Exactly.
Mark: But back to me and the pergola.
Theresa: OK.
Taniya Nayak: Right, back to you Mark.
Mark: I cut and designed a bunch of rafter tail details, and Theresa said this one eh, not so much, this one not so much, and then the one that we chose to use Theresa says, “Wow! That’s awesome. That’s reminiscent of Aztec design that’s very popular now.”
Taniya Nayak: Aah, nice.
Mark: I will tell you …
Taniya Nayak: So it’s very angular?
Theresa: Yes, I actually said it was Mayan, but, yeah.
Mark: Oh Mayan, OK. Sorry, wrong culture.
Theresa: It’s the same thing.
Mark: At any rate, I invented it out of the ether in someone’s backyard. So I just want you to know that I’m infused.
Theresa: I think you were channeling the spirits. I think you were channeling some kind of spirit to create that. Right?
Mark: No, I can’t ever be given the credit for it.
Theresa: It came from your essence.
Mark: It has to be gotten from somewhere else.
Theresa: Well, I think too, looking at the work that we’ve seen Taniya do on HGTV and Restaurant Impossible and everywhere else, that you do have a sense about this whole global trend that’s really hot right now. That’s something that seems like you’ve been doing for a long time naturally in your designs. I want to give you a little bit of credit for like making it hot.
Taniya Nayak: Yeah, I try. Let me tell you though, I’ve been really lucky in the sense that the last series that I did with HGTV was called House Hunters on Vacation. So I had the opportunity to not just travel and see these beautiful, fun, exotic places, but I was also in charge of showing these gorgeous homes that had a bit of the flair of wherever we were, like Santa Fe, New Mexico, for example, has a very different style than Scotland. So we got to do all these beautiful places and it definitely gave me an eye into the real deal and how to incorporate it back at home, back here in the states. I’m from India. I was born there, I got back to visit all the time, so as far as global design is concerned, totally it’s what I live. Live, breathe, eat, sleep.
Theresa: I kind of think that my husband, Mark, is thinking right now, now we have to travel around the world in order to be on trend. Is that what you’re thinking?
Taniya Nayak: No, no.
Mark: Plane, plane, already on it.
Taniya Nayak: I think Theresa’s trying to get you to say that so you guys will now do a trip around the world.
Mark: Oh, that’d be great.
Taniya Nayak: The good thing is that you’re right about the internet. I mean, a
ll you need is Google images. I type in the craziest, weirdest combos, like, Moroccan style modern. You’d be amazed at what pops up, something will always pop up on Google images no matter what you type in. That’s a nice way to kind of get the ball rolling.
Mark: That’s a great DIY tip. It really is. For someone who doesn’t really
have a sense of their own sense. I’m guilty as charged, so I can type in a couple of things I like, country, rustic, wild, outside, made of wood, and say pergola. You can type in that cockamayme stuff and the algorithm would spit something ba
ck at you that maybe gets you the first step down the road.
Taniya Nayak: Right, and I think in working with clients nowadays, I ask them to put a Pinterest board together for me because I’ve had instances where a client will say, “You know, I would really love a Mediterranean design.” Then I end up spending a lot of time pulling together Mediterranean, what I think is Mediterranean, and a concept for it, and so for example, this particular client, I came back to her list, very Greek Isle-y type of style, when I think Mediterranean stuff; what I think of, I think of blues, whites, breezy, fresh, and I think what she had intended in her mind Mediterranean was Tuscan. Italian fields of grapes, all of that style, it was totally different. It’s nice to have that as a tool when you are trying to pull together a look. Pinterest is a living concept board for you.
Theresa: I think that is such a good point communicating through pictures because even spouses, husbands and wives, couples, trying to communicate this is what I think that I want to do and in words it doesn’t really paint the picture for the other person about what it is you really want to do.
Mark: I walk away with conversations with Theresa and she had one conversation and evidently I had another. Then we come back to meet in the middle, and we can’t find the middle because the Tuscan, Mediterranean, Greek thing.
Taniya Nayak: Yeah, that’s what happens, it’s a miscommunication. I do have a few tips on some real simple DIY projects that you can do on your own that will add a bit of that ethnic, global vibe, in your space and it’s super easy. So are you ready?
Theresa: I’m ready, seatbelts on.
Taniya Nayak: I’ll lay it on ya. For example, you know those Kilm rugs? It’s K-I-L-M, they almost have that sort of Aztec design on them or a Turkish rug, that heavy woven, they’re not quite like a shaggy rug. You know what I mean? They’re sort of a nice flat jute rug. You can use that and actually reupholster an ottoman. All right, first of all, just using one of those as a bit of a flair to the space anyways, but if you want to take it and use it in a different way, take an old ottoman and reupholster it with one of those. Perfect to give a nice cool look, in your space.
Of course baskets, the flat round baskets are great in a series of them on the walls. That’ll always be something beautiful. Me being from India I love sharis, that’s the print from the sharis, which are what the women wear when they wrap them around their waist and up and over their shoulder. You can use that fabric for a table cloth for a great dinner party. Things that are really simple it’s just a matter of getting your hands on them and just thinking creatively with it.
Theresa: I really love those tips in using things that are intended for one thing and using it in a different way.
Taniya Nayak: Yeah, it’s easy and it’s fun and it adds that flair.
Theresa: I like that flair. Are you, are you …
Mark: Now, I have a question for you because you’re talking about being from India and traveling back there and stuff. I’m going to use House Hunters on Vacation as a specific. Is there a particular place in the world that you sort of … and this doesn’t have to come into your design, but feel most at home. Do you like to take a Caribbean vacation or go skiing in Aspen? You know what I mean? Where does Taniya go when Taniya wants to be inspired and could you please speak about yourself in the third person. Thank you.
Taniya Nayak: OK, so Taniya really enjoys sitting on a beach and just zoning out when I’m out of here, but I do love, love, love traveling. I have a trip coming up to Turkey. I’ve been to Spain several times. I just love to take in the whole culture from the food, even the smells, the design, décor, the architecture, all of it. I don’t know, I mean I love travel. It’s always been the case since I was very young.
Theresa: So for everyone who is traveling to Boston, what restaurant should they go to there that you have recently designed.
Taniya Nayak: My new restaurant, which is called Back Bay Harry’s, so that one is in the back bay area. We just opened it about 5 months ago but also … I’m actually standing, if you hear an echo around me or people yelling or hammers. I’m in a restaurant that we designed. I’m not an owner of this one, but it’s beautiful. It’s on State Street in Boston and it’s called Bostonia. You want to talk about pulling inspiration, this whole restaurant was designed on the inspiration of old Boston.
Theresa: Wow.
Mark: Aw, I’m in love with it. I would love to go there, but I would only go to yours, to name drop you. Hey, where’s Taniya? By the way, I know Taniya.
Taniya Nayak: I want you guys to come. When are you guys coming to Boston?
Theresa: When are we going to Boston, Mark?
Mark: We’re going to Brimfield.
Theresa: We are, but that’s not Boston.
Taniya Nayak: That’s fun.
Mark: Yeah. It’s not Boston, it’s not close enough to sort of swing in and check out Back Bay Harry’s on Commonwealth Avenue. Is it on Commonwealth Avenue, I have no idea?
Taniya Nayak: Now you guys are in Pennsylvania, right?
Theresa: We are, we are in Philadelphia.
Taniya Nayak: OK, so enough with the excuses it’s not that far, just get over here already.
Theresa: It really isn’t that far, Mark, you should really take me on a trip.
Mark: You know what we could do Taniya? Let’s come up and see you, we’ll give you our children, then we’ll go to Back Bay Harry’s and then wish you were there.
Taniya Nayak: Darn, I’m the babysitter. Are you kidding?
Theresa: Our children are really nice, too.
Taniya Nayak: I’ve seen pictures of them, I’ve seen you guys tweet and on instagram, and all that stuff and I’m in.
Theresa: They’re handy, they can help with the restaurant.
Taniya Nayak: They’re adorable. Oh good, I’ll put them, trust me, I’ll put them to work, don’t you worry about that.
Mark: Put yourselves to work and check out Taniya, follow her at Taniya Nayak on Twitter, check her out on Facebook, check out her umpteen thousand shows on every network in America and check us out. We’ll be back and we’ll teach you how to build a pergola right after this. We’ll be back with more of MyFixitUpLife.
