A Well-Designed Life

INNOVATOR, CREATOR, historian, apprentice and master designer, Ridgewood resident Tess Giuliani’s love of balance and design and her spirit of adventure have been rudders of her life’s journey.

With an educational background in European history, she launched a career as a potter soon after graduating college. It wasn’t long before her drive and creative inspiration led her to begin working part-time as an apprentice for a European jeweler. She soon began sketching designs and bartered the help of a colleague who professionally rendered the sketches in exchange for her pottery.

After taking classes in gemology, applied for a position in one of Manhattan’s fine jewelry houses.

CAREER BEGINNINGS

“I heard that Cartier had a full-time opening,” she said. “However, there only wanted a part-time job, not a full-time position.”

Tess forged ahead, got the interview and was hired. “I was the first woman goldsmith at Cartier and worked in the early days creating Cartier’s renowned ‘love bracelet,’ originally designed by Aldo Cipullo. Eventually, Cartier produced one of my designs—it was a big deal!”

Her husband’s transfer to Japan in 1980 catapulted Tess’s fascination with Asia and the Far East. Her son, Ryan, was six when they moved. He attended American and Japanese international schools there while Tess had the opportunity to explore interior design in a global setting.

The bare walls of an expansive new apartment were a blank canvas for Tess, who had devised a unique approach to pursue an interior design career in a brand-new country.

“I designed the apartment myself and decided I wanted some big screens for the balcony. I invited the top interior offered me a job!”

Her strategy paid off, and she became the first “foreign” woman to work for the firm. “I like to think I brought some fresh talent to them. I know I spoke the best English there,” she jokes. “Back then, our clients didn’t want traditional Japanese design; they preferred American or European styles.”

Her four years in Japan introduced her to feng shui, and she was drawn to the harmonious, balanced living spaces and positive energy flow that the ancient practice rendered. It led her to study it upon her return to the U.S. She also continued her formal education by enrolling in the New York School of Interior Design.

Upon their return to the U.S., the family lived on Spring Avenue, and her son enrolled in Somerville School. Tess knew she wanted a job close to home, so she began working as a kitchen and bath designer for Ulrich.

“I worked there for ten years and then went out on my own because I wanted to design space—rooms, renovations and additions—in addition to kitchens and baths. I still retain Ulrich to do my cabinetry and execute my kitchen and bath designs.” Tess’s designs have won numerous national awards over the years— including the first kitchen she ever designed.

Her long list of design work includes homes throughout Ridgewood and the surrounding area, as well as vacation homes for local clients. “One of my claims to fame is that I’ve designed the smallest full-sized bathroom in the largest home in Ridgewood,” she laughs. “So, I can do that—and anything in between!”

Case in point: Tess even designed the Gold Star Families monument, which was installed in Van Neste Park next to the WWI memorial.

HARMONY AND BALANCE

Her former family home on Spring Avenue was a vibrant example of her design expertise. Tess has since moved to The Benjamin in 2021—one of its original residents upon its opening. She truly enjoys the simplification of apartment living. However, regardless of the size of the space, her personal style is always eclectic, engaging and smile-generating.

Her “women’s wall” features an array of artwork and photos of her ancestors and compelling prints and photos of women, including her great-grandmother. Family legacy is essential to the décor in her own home, and Tess loves to showcase vintage pieces and photos passed down from generation to generation.

Her strategy focuses on working from the inside out to create harmony and balance. “My personal style is fun and whimsical,” she says. But, each home I design reflects my client’s own aesthetic, choices, color and lifestyle. One client once told me that I create ‘magical reality!’”

Her design firm, Tess Giuliani Designs Inc., has recently added consulting to their renowned design-build services. “It’s ideal for those beginning the process or who need creative design ideas,” notes Tess.

AROUND THE GLOBE AND BACK TO HOME

Tess’s sense of adventure is not easily quenched, and much of her wanderlust springs from her adventurous ancestors, five generations of which were storied New York harbor pilots, one of whom was Captain John Wieshofer. In 1914, her great-grandparents brought their daughter (Tess’s grandmother) to the Panama Canal to see him navigate a vessel through the locks before its official opening later that year. Tess’s father began his career as a maritime attorney, and his sister, a Marist missionary, was a doctor and first nun resident at Bellevue Hospital, working in Calcutta with Mother Teresa.

As one of six children, Tess enjoys celebrating her extended family and traveling to destination weddings across the globe and has a travel bucket list that includes India, Australia and New Zealand.

Despite her love of travel and exotic places, Tess still enjoys returning to her home and many friends in Ridgewood. “Ridgewood is a town for all seasons. As a young mom, I loved living in a neighborhood where my son walked to a nearby school with friends. As he grew and participated in sports, I met parents from all over town and cemented many lifelong friendships.”

Once her son was college-bound, Tess got involved in civic organizations including the Historic Preservation Commission and the Ridgewood Guild.

“This broadened my scope of diverse friends with a common goal, giving back to a village that offers so much.

All these chapters coincided with a 40-year design career which gave me the privilege to design beautiful spaces for hundreds of Ridgewood homes. My advice—see life with fresh eyes, it creates surprising new beginnings!”

For more information, visit tessgiuliani.com.

BY KRIS PEPPER