Tara's husband Sam is an artist, and the painting in this room is one of his. "As an interior designer, I have a natural attraction to pairs of things," she says. Sam "encourages me to juxtapose colors and pieces and to break free from some of my natural inclinations."
And though she's a fan of resources like 1stdibs , Tara says there's nothing like learning from furniture dealers. "They are such a wonderful resource, especially in New York... Being around a piece of furniture and learning from these experts can never be replaced by looking at a two-dimensional drawing."
Having so many of these great resources around her can be dangerous, though. "I fall in love with objects and make everything work around them," she says. "Right now I have five storage spaces!"