Photo by Liz Linder
Nalina Moses, Architect, Writer, Curator
Nalina Moses is an architect and writer who lives and works in New York City.
She has completed retail, residential and institutional architecture projects in North America, Asia, the Caribbean and the Middle East. She has worked for design offices including Gensler and Robert A. M. Stern, and companies including Tiffany & Co. and Michael Kors. She has written about design, architecture and aesthetics for numerous online and print publications, including Vogue India, Harvard Design Magazine, Architecture Boston and Planet. In the blog Drown Me in Beauty she explores her own design ideas.
She is the author of the book Single-Handedly, published by Princeton Architectural Press in 2019, that collects and considers drawings by contemporary architects who work by hand. And she was a co-curator of the accompanying exhibit, at Art Omi in 2020, that explored the subject more deeply.
Nalina studied art history at Yale University and architecture at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. She is a registered architect in the state of New York.
When you see a fork in the road, take it
September 17, 2020
There's an unstated path for new architects, through internships, office jobs, and registration to a leadership position and high-profile projects. Nalina’s best opportunities grew from personal interests, when she took the fork in the road. After losing her job at a large corporate office, an interest in fashion led to piecework drawing display tables for a handbag company, which became a rewarding specialization in retail architecture. Years of impassioned design writing on a personal blog launched a second career as a freelance writer. And a special interest in architectural drawings led to writing a book, curating a gallery exhibit, and speaking at schools, museums and bookstores on the subject. Working outside the margins, in retail and writing, freed her from daunting expectations. And it led to special projects that honed her design, management and presentation skills. Stepping outside the profession actually made her a better architect.