Welcome to The Malachite Door

Thank you for visiting my blog, celebrating an idea i have been obsessing over for three years. I have been in the interior design space for 15 years but have never truly felt that my media presence matched my true sense of self expression. I felt like The Malachite Door was a business name that reflects what I love and what informs my view of design and the world.

Green has long been my favorite color. It was my mom’s too and I think that is why I had kelly green wall to wall carpeting in my childhood bedroom (it was the 1970s). It was about that same time, the summer before sixth grade, that I picked up my parents’ copy of Robert K. Massie’s Nicholas and Alexandra. I was fascinated by the story of the Romanovs and Imperial Russia. While much of the historical and political history was over my head, Rasputin and the downfall and murder of the royal family was both horrifying and mesmerizing. Over the years, I have collected dozens of books on late 19th and early 20th century Russia, and had the opportunity to visit the country with my mother in 2001.

Malachite, the gorgeous green marbled mineral, was a symbol of the crafstmanship and luxury of 18th and 19th century Russia. During the reign of Nicholas I and his wife Alexandra, architect Alexander Briullov designed a formal reception room at the Winter Palace that was adorned with 16 malachite columns as well as malachite fireplaces and urns, known as The Malachite Room.

So my love of Russian history and the color green merge into malachite. Now what about the door? Doors and their embellishments are not only incredibly beautiful architectural elements, but they are also barriers to or portals into the mysteries that line behind them.

So by entering The Malachite Door, I hope you will enjoy sharing my thoughts on interior design and travel. Welcome.