Chantal Michel Nashed 

New York City has been the inspiration in the molding of my thinking and the freeing of my imagination. At first site, NYC can be intimidating in expression and scale. However, the big city has taught me not to revel at the large, but to dissect, appreciate, and fall in love with the small, each intrinsic part of the whole. It is then that you can fully understand the bigger impression.  It is those details, unspoken sometimes hidden gestures, that add the dimensional texture and mystery to the overall picture.  That thinking always guides my approach to design.  There's a meaning and purpose behind each element created. This is how design successfully and magically tells a story to you, to your senses, to the world.   I pull from every resource, every field, to articulate an idea, a vision.  The starting inspiration of a project can be something as simple as: a doodle, a fabric, a piece of furniture, a painting; as untouchable as: a scent, a taste, a song, a feeling, a dream; or as big and real as: a defined brand, a population, or a physical space.  Design, in both approach and execution, is truly endless and unique.  It is nice to get lost in it , throw things off and have fun finding your way out to the end.  

Fun Facts

I am a devoted wife, caring daughter, protective sister, silly auntie, blessed Godmother, and loyal friend.  I get my colorful, bighearted personality from my loving and growing family. I am continuously inspired by Architecture, Culture, Food, Travel, Nature, and People. 

Education

Masters of Science in Interior Design, with Honors.  Pratt Institute. Brooklyn, New York.  Pratt Institute's Graduate Interior Design program, grounded in Architecture, is consistently ranked #1 in the country by US News & World Reports.

Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts, Cum Laude.  Major in Architecture with a concentration of Interior and Graphic Design. Fordham University at Lincoln Center. New York, New York.