TV Star, Famous Designer Returns to Campus
12/18/2014
By Sheila Eppolito
When Taniya Nayak burst onto the stage to Pharrell Williams鈥 鈥淗appy,鈥 the tone of the evening was set.
Perched on spikey high heels and dressed in a chic black ensemble, Nayak, a 1997 alum and design superstar, insisted the University Crossing audience get up from their chairs and dance with her. Unable to resist her wide smile and welcoming energy, and the place got to its collective feet.
Fresh from a spontaneous speaking engagement with a group of design students and, earlier, a strategic management class, Nayak is at once a TV star and the girl next door.
Born in India to an MIT-trained architect dad and a 鈥渓oving, energetic鈥 mom, Nayak grew up in Weymouth, and decided to study marketing at 51视频 because, she says, 鈥渋t checked off a box, and had some creativity involved in it.鈥
She admitted to the crowd gathered to glean some star-powered design tips (the Q & A featured pleas for help with offset mantles, tricky loft lighting challenges and more) that she鈥檇 gone off track her freshman year.
After living in a strict family where academics ruled 鈥 鈥淚n my house, if you brought home a B, my dad would say, 鈥楤 stands for bad鈥欌 鈥 Nayak didn鈥檛 handle the freedom of college well.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 go to class,鈥 she said, 鈥淎nd I flunked out.鈥
But, thanks to a program started by Executive Vice Chancellor Jacqueline Moloney 鈥 who served as the evening鈥檚 emcee 鈥 Nayak returned to campus focused and ready.
鈥淭hank you for that program,鈥 she said to Moloney on stage, 鈥淚 am grateful you offered that to students like me who needed a second chance.鈥
After graduation Nayak took a job in sales 鈥 鈥淚 sucked,鈥 she admitted, adding that she bartended to offset the money she wasn鈥檛 earning in her 鈥渞eal鈥 job.
鈥淚 was unhappy, and knew I wanted something else, something more creative,鈥 she said.聽
She went to design school, and was on her way.
鈥淭oday, when I met students, I could so identify with them,鈥 she said.
鈥淪ome were so stressed, worrying about the rest of their lives. I told them to give themselves a break, nobody gets out of college and takes the job that lasts their lifetime.鈥
Nayak鈥檚 break came when she responded to a call for entries to a design show, and won.
鈥淚 truly believe that everyone has something that they love, and the key to success is paying attention to that passion. If you love something, you will be good at it.鈥
And good she is. She鈥檚 hosted multiple shows on HGTV, Including 鈥淒esigned to Sell,鈥 and 鈥淩estaurant Impossible鈥 on Food Network, been interviewed on 鈥淕ood Morning America,鈥 鈥淭oday鈥 and 鈥淭he Rachael Ray Show.鈥 She launched her own design firm and a lighting line with Wayfair.com, and, word has it, will soon be named Ellen Degeneres鈥 Brand Ambassador.
While she has made a name in the design world, Nayak says she uses her marketing background every day in running her own business.
In a one-on-one interview, Nayak admits she doesn鈥檛 go along with design trends, in fact, she doesn鈥檛 believe in them at all.
鈥淲hen I hear about the latest design trends, or the color of the year, it makes me crazy,鈥 she said.
鈥淭o me, these things are like Valentine鈥檚 Day : it鈥檚 just an excuse to make people go buy stuff.鈥
For Nayak, it鈥檚 far more important that people rely on their own taste, embrace it, and put in some effort.
鈥淧eople are nervous to have me over to their houses, thinking I will judge. I don鈥檛! If you like country, or traditional or some other style and you put some work into it, that鈥檚 great鈥 she says.
At the end of the evening, her husband Brian O鈥橠onnell (owner of 10 Boston restaurants, and recipient of a teasing jab during the presentation: 鈥淚 know you only married me for the free design help with your restaurants!鈥) and parents waited patiently as the hometown girl posed for pictures, smiled her way through a dizzying array of design queries and gave out her email so people could contact her with questions.
鈥淚 answer everything,鈥 she said.聽
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