Nancy Fire Branches Out

Nancy Fire’s East Quogue home was scattered with fabrics, furniture, rugs and other home decor amid a two-day photo shoot in June for a project that the home design expert has been working on for two years.

The disheveled scene embodied Ms. Fire’s mantra—that imperfect is the new perfect.

Ms. Fire is the co-founder and creative director of the New York City-based design studio Design Works International, where she has worked closely with designers in areas such as creative problem solving, textile design and product development for 30 years.

Now, Ms. Fire is testing the waters in the world of product design herself, beginning with Organic Modern, the designer’s inaugural collection for her brand Studio NYC Design that launched earlier this year, which captures the art of effortless sophistication.

“Studio NYC Design has been my baby that’s been brewing for 30 years, and I said that before I retire I always wanted to come up with my own collection of designs,” said Ms. Fire, who is also the design director for HGTV Home and the head of her own research and market analysis service, CreativeCorporate.

The Organic Modern collection focuses on a subtle yet surprising look that incorporates hues found in nature, marrying deep shades like stone gray, forest green and black with vibrant colors like teal, cobalt and coral. The result is something the designer describes as a timeless, fresh design somewhere in between laid-back and luxurious.

Catered to on-trend yet money-savvy consumers, Organic Modern features fabrics, rugs, pillows and throws, but this is only the beginning for Ms. Fire’s East End and New York City-inspired brand. She recently partnered with manufacturer Nourison to launch rugs from the collection, and bedding and home decor are expected to debut in the winter.

Affordability and functionality were key when designing the collection, which Ms. Fire believes will appeal to millennials and baby boomers alike.

“We’re catering to so many different layers and types of consumers,” she explained. “We’re thinking of Generation Z, we’re thinking of millennials, but more so we’re thinking of people my age who are empty-nesters who are looking to redesign their homes, or they’re moving into condos and downsizing, and they’re looking for an affordable product.”

The designer believes that building a versatile product is more efficient than cornering one specific market or age group.

“Some of my kids’ friends have more traditional tastes than I do,” Ms. Fire laughed. “Age is not a number, it’s really a sensibility. If you have that sensibility, you can produce a beautiful product for so many different types of consumers. That’s really the goal.”

Ms. Fire is in many ways going against the grain with her brand, ignoring the age-old industry adage that says designers should be constantly updating their products.

“Both my parents worked in retail, and my mother used to always say, ‘You have to know how to get in and out of a product, because that’s how quickly the market changes,’” she recalled. “My philosophy now is sort of the opposite: You need a product that is sustainable, attainable, affordable, and that people want because they like the design. We don’t want to get in and get out—we want to build our consumer with our products.”

Ms. Fire’s summer home in East Quogue was an easy choice as the location for photographer Amanda Bantham to shoot 4,000 photos of the new collection, considering the designer, a self-proclaimed “Long Island girl” who grew up in Nassau County, found much of her inspiration from the home she moved into 17 years ago and has been renovating herself ever since.

“It’s my haven,” Ms. Fire said of the 19th century farmhouse she shares with her husband, Design Works International co-founder Neil Breslau. “I get my inspiration truly from being here. I get the energy from the city and the inspiration from the country.”

Shooting the collection in her own home was all about making the products appear as natural as possible, the designer said, and that it was important to showcase how the designs function inside the average home.

“This is home, so why not do it here?” Ms. Fire laughed. “When we shot the bed, we had the pillows just a little off and the bed just a little unmade. We want to show our product how it would be in your own home, and it’s not meant to be perfect. It’s more organic—it’s a little rough in hand, but that’s what I like. I like things being imperfect. I like things looking a little bit off.”

Ms. Fire has worked one on one with designers for many years, including celebrities such as Kelly Ripa, with whom she has a licensed line of home products. It only makes sense that the designer would collaborate with other companies and designers for her own line, including wholesale supplier Burton and Burton, which she is working with to create a home decor seasonal line. While she is accustomed to assisting her clients, Ms. Fire admitted that she isn’t used to it being the other way around.

“This is the first time I approached a client and said, ‘Hey, we’re doing this—I think I could bring you more business, because this is something you’re not doing yet.’”

Ms. Fire expects many more collaborations moving forward, and she believes that as long as her hands-on involvement persists, Studio NYC Design will grow organically despite the company’s youth.

“This is my company and I’m schlepping rugs,” she said. “It’s bare bones—we really started it ourselves, and we want to continue it that way.”