The Vintage-Obsessed Designer Bringing the Drama to the Downtown Set
"I love to bring a sense of drama to a space, and to connect the past to the present," says Tara McCauley. The New York resident graduated high school a year early to pursue what she thought would be a life-long career in fashion. In fact, she pushed college off for a year to intern for fashion giant Tracy Reese. After the year was up, McCauley had an epiphany that would change her life: “I realized that I’d rather not pursue fashion as my livelihood and that I should find a way to be creative in a way that felt more personally gratifying, where I could interact with the ‘end user.’”
So she enrolled in NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Study, where she studied architecture, art history, literature, and film. McCauley says, “I toyed around with the idea of being a production designer for film, but again, it didn’t feel gratifying to see an entire set dismantled after a few days of filming.” The New Yorker claims that her boosted sense of sentimentality led her to explore the field of interior design. “Interior design allows me to tell a story through the space I create in such a way that it lives on after the install is complete,” she adds. So during her senior year at Gallatin, McCauley started working for the renowned interior designer Nick Olsen, where she stayed for eight years.
“I would encourage anyone interested in becoming a designer to work under someone whose work you admire before going out on your own,” McCauley advises. ASince establishing her own firm in 2022, McCauley has kept busy. Just last year, the designer took on the primary bedroom at Brooklyn Heights Designer Showhouse, one of her proudest career moments. She adds, “I love to bring a sense of drama to a space and to connect the past to the present.”
House Beautiful: Who was your first design crush?
Tara McCauley: Todd Oldham—I’ve been collecting vintage pieces from his 90s fashion line for years. I admire his ability to combine lighthearted humor with serious craft. The level of detail and exuberance in his work, both in fashion and interiors, just speaks to me.
HB: What sets your work apart?
TM: I try to steer clear of trends and prefer to combine the old with the new so that an interior feels collected over time. That’s not to say that I am not interested in the new, by any means! One of my great joys in life is having a network of creative friends who are making thought-provoking art and designing beautiful textiles, etc. I love living downtown with some of the city’s best up-and-coming galleries and shops right outside my door.
HB: What's your favorite room—anywhere, of all time—and why?
TM: In the near future, I could see myself leaving New York winters behind and living part-time in LA. In my fantasy life, my pied-à-terre would be Tony Duquette’s Dawnridge estate in Beverly Hills. From the grand dramatic gestures down to the most intricate fanciful details, that home is a world unto itself.
HB: What’s your go-to design trick that delivers big impact on a budget?
TM: A lampshade can make or break a room. A lot of lamps on the market these days have shades that just sit too high—the hardware sticks out and harsh light hits you right in the eyes. Sometimes, buying a $4 harp to adjust the height is all you need. My favorite trick to add some instant personality to a readymade shade is whip out my trusty hot glue gun and add a decorative trim.
HB: What's your favorite design era/style?
TM: Rococo. I just love a seashell-encrusted, floridly ornamented, candy-colored room. My friends and I have jokingly dubbed my aesthetic “Cuckoo Rococo.” At the end of the day, you only live once—might as well make it fancy, but in a lighthearted way.
HB: What's your favorite paint color?
TM: Emily Eerdmans’ Greenwich Village gallery is lacquered in Benjamin Moore's “Chic Lime” (but formulated in Fine Paints of Europe’s signature Hollandlac finish.) It’s the most electrifying shade of chartreuse—it just brings me so much joy!
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