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Designing for Music with Tiffany Howell

“I want my interiors to feel poetic, one of a kind, and not easily describable,” says Tiffany Howell, founder of the Los Angeles-based interior design firmNight Palm. With a background steeped in music and a love for the arts, Tiffany’s approach to design is deeply personal and emotional. For her, each project is like writing a love letter to her clients that opens with its own soundtrack.

Tiffany Howell reviewing Wrensilva material swatches for a project.

Growing up in a family of musicians, Howell learned early on the profound effect music has on shaping mood, memory, and atmosphere. “Music is everything in my process,” she reveals. Before she presents a design concept, Howell often curates a custom soundtrack to share with her clients. This soundtrack captures the essence of the project and allows her to communicate emotions and ideas that design alone may not fully express.

A collection of music muses from Tiffany Howell’s record collection.

With such a wide range of interests, it’s no surprise that Tiffany’s aspirations stretch far beyond traditional interior design. From imagining the bespoke interior of an airplane to creating a creative commune in Europe, her ideas continue to expand as she seeks new ways of expression. And even in those dreams, music remains a constant influence. “Music can transport you in a way that takes you somewhere else, but it also brings you back home. I feel like it’s the same thing with design. They just cross over.”

“Silky, sexy and heirloom-worthy”

Tiffany Howell

In her Night Palm design studio, Tiffany listens to aWrensilva M1 Record Consolein Natural White Oak with fluted doors, Caramel Suede, and Aluminum legs.

In every project, Tiffany weaves together elements of music, art and personal narrative to create meaningful, beautiful spaces.

This deep relationship with music works into every space she designs. Her eclectic style, which draws inspiration from vintage fashion, poetry, and the cinematic, gains an added layer of richness from her musical sensibilities. If she wants to create a space that’s “moody and sexy,” Tiffany puts on a Sade record. For spaces that need to feel “lush” she may reach toLeonard CohenSkin for the Old Ceremony. Her music muses range from Stan Getz and John Coltrane to Lana Del Rey and PJ Harvey.

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