6 THINGS WITH TENLIE MOURNING

6 Things with Tenlie Mourning, Interior Designer and Creative Director

Based in New York City, Tenlie Mourning is an interior designer with work featured in Architectural Digest. She studied architecture at Columbia University, founded vintage furniture marketplace Dendwell, and now designs interiors that balance restraint with bold material choices. I was lucky enough to interview her for our first conversation surrounding women in the design space. Our shared interests in vintage were just the start of an inspiring chat.

1. What started it all for you?

I was raised by women who had an inherent taste for aesthetics—both of my grandmothers, especially. They taught me that how you curate your life reflects how you value yourself and care for others. Design was dignity, expression, and self-respect.

When I moved to New York to study architecture, I was able to formalize those childhood lessons into something I could practice. Architecture taught me that design lives in the tension between form and function—how something looks versus what it accomplishes. That balance is what drives my work now, whether I'm designing a home or building a business.

2. What drives your creative spark?

I am driven to craft an emotional experience with my work. Spatial projects have a unique ability to be all-encompassing when you step into a room: the light, sound, smell, color, and texture all need to work together to create a harmonious experience. I am constantly becoming more detail-oriented in my work, cultivating every aspect of the space down to the tiniest of details with the belief that every design decision is an opportunity

3. Most treasured home decor item?

The first pieces of real vintage I ever purchased were Marcel Breuer Cantilever chairs in black. They have moved with me to three different apartments, and have sat at my dining table and in my office. I have some sentimental attachment to them, and will always do my best to find them a place in my home

4. What’s the best advice you've ever received?

As a person who struggles to slow down, the advice I am always trying more and more to receive is the best way to get where you are going is to slowly. In creative work, I think this is especially true; it requires moments of intensity followed by prolonged periods of rest, recovery, and exploration. There are no shortcuts, and there is no better feeling than simply doing the work.

5. It's 5 o'clock at home. What would you be pouring?

9 months out of the year, I will reach for a savory, light lambrusco. On the advice of my best friend, a budding sommelier, I love this fairly priced pick by Cleto Chiarli

6. What are your favorite 6 accounts that you follow for inspiration?

@valledevalle 
@atiyawalcottfits
@melaniemasarin
@sasha.mei
@claudehome   
@ninachrls

 

SHOP TENLIE'S 6 HOME PICKS

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