“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 firm Night 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’s Night Palm Studio.
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.
Tiffany Howell reviewing Wrensilva material swatches for a project.
“Music is a Universal love language that can help you understand something in a way that you visually can’t express. I use music oftentimes to describe a project before I even show them anything conceptual.”
Tiffany Howell, Night Palm
A World of Inspiration
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 to Leonard CohenSkin for the Old Ceremony. Her music muses range from Stan Getz and John Coltrane to Lana Del Rey and PJ Harvey.
Tiffany Howell standing in front of the Wrensilva M1 Console in Natural White Oak that she customized with fluted doors and Caramel Suede.
“Silky, sexy and heirloom-worthy”
Tiffany Howell
Her love for music also naturally extends to the functionality of her spaces – specifically the audio experience. A Wrensilva console serves as the musical centerpiece of many spaces she’s designed, including her own studio. Tiffany describes these hand-crafted consoles as “a very nice glass of whisky–silky, sexy, and heirloom-worthy.” Statement pieces like a Wrensilva become part of the overall experience that enriches her spaces.
The Power of Music in Design
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.”
A collection of music muses from Tiffany Howell’s record collection.
Tiffany Howell finds inspiration in vintage fashion, poetry, film and music for her design projects.
In every project, Tiffany weaves together elements of music, art and personal narrative to create meaningful, beautiful spaces.
In her Night Palm design studio, Tiffany listens to a Wrensilva M1 Record Console in Natural White Oak with fluted doors, Caramel Suede, and Aluminum legs.
