Alums Atara Beller and Melania Tosh Design for a Habitat for Humanity Showhouse
Atara Beller and Melania Tosh
NYSID alums Atara Beller ’23 (MFA1) and Melania Tosh ’23 (MFA1) recently launched their new design firm, Malt Studio Interiors, with an act of service. The Kingston Design Connection selected the up-and-coming duo to design a guest bedroom in the Kingston Design Showhouse, a benefit for the Ulster County Habitat for Humanity. The showhouse was open to the public May 31-June 2 and June 8-9 of 2024. Ulster County Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit organization that builds quality affordable homes for low-income families in the Catskills and Hudson Valley regions. The showhouse was not a mansion, but a modest “Habitat-built” home in the town of Saugerties, NY. It was built and designed from the ground up by Habitat for Humanity volunteers and staff. The challenge set before Beller and Tosh was to make the bedroom beautiful and functional, on an extremely small budget, using only vintage, repurposed and/or up-cycled materials and furnishings, many of them sourced from Habitat for Humanity's ReStore. The house was ultimately sold to a family who needed it through Ulster County Habitat for Humanity. We sat down with Beller and Tosh, co-principals of Malt Studio Interiors, to discuss this experience.
What was the best aspect of working on this showhouse benefit?
Atara Beller: We both enjoyed getting to know the other designers who participated in the project. It was incredible to see how everyone took blank canvases and transformed them into different and beautiful spaces. The challenge of designing on such a limited budget was also a highlight. As designers, it’s empowering to show people how they can make the most of the spaces they have through design, even with limited resources. Working with Kingston Design Connection and being involved with an organization like Habitat for Humanity, that does such meaningful work, was extremely gratifying.
What was it like to source the furniture and decor from a Habitat for Humanity ReStore?
Melania Tosh: The donated items they have collected to sell are arranged in sections of furniture and home accessories like art, kitchen items, lamps and even books, so it’s really easy to shop. The staff at ReStore made the shopping experience even more fun.
AB: I think it is not only meaningful, but also our responsibility, to use recycled and vintage pieces. Design is all about being fresh and creating timeless spaces, so it is imperative that we think about how we can do this in a responsible way and keep the impact we have on the environment in mind. This is why I think it’s so important to incorporate pieces that clients already have in their home into their designs or find pieces that can be up-cycled and refurbished.
What were your favorite vintage and up-cycled finds in your design?
AB: My favorite vintage piece is the secretary we borrowed from a Hudson Valley local designer, Michael Van Nort of MVN Design. The petite size and the wood details were remarkable and really gave our guest bedroom a cozy and homey feel.
MT: My favorite piece is the bed we found at Restore. The French Blue color of the bed really stood out to me. I thought it would be fun to have the blue bed juxtaposed with the green tinted walls and then add a bright color like the yellow/gold which we ended up using for the pillows and vases.
Congratulations on starting a firm together. The cohort of NYSID’s MFA1 program is known for being tightly knit. Will you comment on the importance of having peers in interior design as you launch your career?
AB: In school at NYSID, it was amazing to see and feel the collaboration every single day. That collaboration has extended into the design world as we have all now successfully begun our careers. We have found it is so helpful to have friends within the industry to help build one another up, give each other advice and support one another in so many ways. This industry is predominantly female and we think it’s so important to support one another. Having such a tight knit class really helped us forge bonds, friendships (and partnerships) that will last well beyond our years at school, and we are so grateful for that.
Follow Beller and Tosh on Instagram @MaltStudio.
Interested in a career in interior design but don’t know how to get started? NYSID offers everything from a certificate in Basic Interior Design to a professional-level Master of Fine Arts in Interior Design (MFA1) for students with no previous experience in architecture or design. Request information HERE.