Event with Interior Designer Taniya Nayak to Help Raise Scholarship Funds
11/20/2014
By
and Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
LOWELL, Mass. – One of the country’s most engaging interior designers – best known for her appearances on the Food Network’s “Restaurant Impossible” and HGTV – will return to UMass Lowell next month to share insights about her dynamic career and her time on campus in a program for alumni and the public.
UMass Lowell graduate Taniya Nayak will give a motivational talk about her design work, life at UMass Lowell, family and how she balances it all. She will also offer design ideas for the holidays and everyday living at the event on Wednesday, Dec. 10 at 6 p.m. in Moloney Hall, located on the second floor of University Crossing, 220 Pawtucket St., Lowell. A question-and-answer session during the program will allow audience members to seek Nayak’s opinions about home-improvement and interior-design projects.
Tickets for the event are $30 per person and are available at http://alumni.uml.edu/homefortheholidays. A portion of the proceeds will support scholarships for UMass Lowell students. Members of the public who would like more information should call 978-934-3140.
Born in India and raised in Weymouth, Nayak’s love of decorating was evident at UMass Lowell where she adorned her room with painted furniture and handmade curtains. A member of the dance team who credits the university with helping to teach her entrepreneurial skills, she earned a bachelor’s degree in business marketing from UMass Lowell before receiving her master’s degree in interior design from Boston Architectural College.
Television soon came calling and her bold personality proved to be a good fit for the small screen. Audiences may recognize Nayak from her turn as a host of ABC Family’s “Knock First” or for the looks she has created for HGTV’s “FreeStyle” and “Designed to Sell.” She has appeared on “The Today Show,” “Good Morning America” and the “Rachael Ray Show” and has been featured in Architectural Digest India, Design New England, People magazine and Cosmopolitan.
As an interior designer on the Food Network’s “Restaurant Impossible,” she has transformed the décor of struggling businesses to rave reviews. Her success has also been on display at Boston hotspots such as Abby Lane, Back Bay Harry’s, Bostonia Public House, Petit Robert Central and many others, where her company, Taniya Nayak Design LLC, has created interior and exterior spaces.
“The education I received at UMass Lowell served as the ideal launching pad for me to pursue my passion for architecture and design,” she said. “I’m looking forward to seeing the university’s ongoing transformation firsthand and reconnecting with friends and faculty to help support the next generation of exceptional students.”
Along with designing commercial spaces, Nayak brings her talents to homes, counting actor Jesse Metcalfe of “Desperate Housewives” and “Dallas” fame and Aerosmith lead guitarist Joe Perry among her clients. She is an honorary board member and supporter of the Room to Dream Foundation, which remodels and brightens the living areas of Greater Boston children and teens who face physical and health challenges.
“We are so grateful for the tremendous pool of outstanding alumni who continue to give back to the university, including Taniya,” said Heather Makrez ’06, ‘08, UMass Lowell’s director of alumni relations. “We are very excited to have her share her experiences and her inspirational ideas with the public and her fellow graduates during this first-of-its-kind event to benefit student scholarships.”
Nayak’s talk is being held at University Crossing, which opened in September as UMass Lowell’s new hub for student services and amenities, along with community events. The complex includes the Crossroads Cafe and the River Hawk Shop, UMass Lowell’s newly expanded bookstore, both of which are open to the public.
UMass Lowell is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its more than 17,000 students bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be ready for work, for life and for all the world offers. www.uml.edu