Videos

The History of Nest

I started this business about 15 years ago. Before I was a designer and a general contractor, I was a graphic designer. After that, I made a list of things that I love. One is building and the other is design. So I married the both and started Nest. I had the experience to design. But what I didn’t have was the experience to build in New York City. So I put an ad out for somebody that did – that does – and I ended up with my partner Ben, who does the building, and we ended up with another partner, Mike, who does the day-to-day. So between design and build, we create these amazing spaces in New York.

Meet the Founder

My biggest hobby is rock climbing. I’ve been climbing for 30 years. We’d climb up in New Paltz, a place called The Gunks, which is world famous rock climbing. You have to put in your own gear and climb. So I’ve been doing that with that community for, like I said, 30 years. Also climbing around the United States. I actually moved out of New York City after 28 years upstate, so I can be closer to climbing. But we bought and we bought a house on an apple orchard, and I ended up renovating the whole house. But I also ended up spending the last three years renovating. So that’s what I do now. I talk, I only talk climbing, but I actually renovate for a living. And, that’s what I’ve been doing to our house. And it’s beautiful. I like, love it. And it really is a labor of love, but it takes up all my time. So in another year or so, I should be done. And then I’ll just get back into climbing. My other passion that I started is designing and building furniture, which I’ve been doing now for about a year and a half, and I love it. My other passion that I started is designing and building furniture, which I’ve been doing now for about a year and a half, and I love it. I have a passion for cooking. I’m kind of like a gourmet cook. I hate that word, but I’m like a fancy schmancy cook. AndI could spend all day just, you know, picking out vegetables and produce and meats and then, you know, it would all these amazing recipes from all these great chefs. I can make anything and I and I do. So I’m always having people over, you know, for food and for drinks. And I’m kind of like a mixologist in a way. And since we live on an apple orchard these days, I’ve been making a lot of hot toddies and apple drinks with liquor, which is great.

Proudly Serving Tribeca and Beyond

So we’re in Tribeca here, which is one of the most beautiful spots in the city. It’s all basically lofts and not too many brownstones, but just big, beautiful lofts and a lot of designers here. We do tons of work around the area. We just finished a project, actually, right over here. 3500 square foot renovation. We’re doing three other projects right now in Tribeca. We also work in the Upper and Upper East Side. We work on the Upper West Side. We do work in Chelsea. We do work in Soho, all around the city.

The Road to Interior Designer

My background was in design and my studio is right up the block, right there, where I spent seven years working with clients like Nikon and Nokia and Good Morning America and TV and Altec Lansing. But then I gave it up, and now I design and rebuild apartments and renovate them in the most beautiful city in the world. So when I was looking for my studio before I ended up being down the road, I met the owner of this building, and I told him I wanted to break one of the walls. And what he did was he ran out, got a sledgehammer and started pounding his way through the windows and the door and made a big hole and goes, “Here’s a hole.” He goes, “If you want to make it bigger, make it bigger.” I thought that was hilarious. So that was my first introduction in real estate in New York.