logging in...
Renegade Craft: Twig Terrariums
06/09/2011 | Designer Spotlight
The ladies behind Brooklyn-based terrarium biz, Michelle Inciarrano and Katy Maslow, share the story behind the inception of their moss terrarium company, Twig.
TheNateShow.com: Tell us a bit about yourself and how Twig Terrariums originated.
Twig Terrariums' Michelle Inciarrano & Katy Maslow: We're both passionate Brooklynites who have been friends since we were wee teenagers. Katy moved away and we lost touch but recently connected at Michelle's 30th birthday party, when a mutual friend invited Katy to the party as a surprise (this dates us, doesn't it?) Since then we've been crafting buddies as well, making cards and bookmarks. We're both old artistic souls so terrariums seemed a natural progression of our hobbies. Little did we know this would turn so many heads! It was love at first terrarium! We knew they needed little scenes and started peopling them. Eventually, we had so many on our shelves that we figured we'd try our hand at selling them. We debated what to call ourselves for weeks, but one of our visits to Prospect Park brought the revelation. We were relaxing on the grass and found an adorable twig next to us.
Our first outing at the Brooklyn Flea was a huge success, even catching the eye of a writer for The New York Times! We headlined the top of the 'Home' section a few weeks later and had a huge outpouring of lovely emails. The second outing caught the eye of a director for Country Living magazine, who asked to feature some of our terrariums in their gorgeous LEED-certified prefab home that they assembled in the middle of Battery Park waterfront. The rest is recent history. Since then we rented a studio near Prospect Park and have been living the Twiggy life. ...And of course we still have the original Twig that started it all!
How would you describe your style?
Twig is quirky! Also, for two girls that work with dirt, our entire studio is decked out in white!
Where do you find inspiration?
Everything inspires, but as Michelle is a plant nerd and Katy has an 'I Heart Dirt' bumper sticker, we both agree that nature is the biggest inspiration!
What do you like to collect?
Terrariums? Each of us has our own funky collections, but the main one: finger puppets!
What handmade possession do you cherish most?
Michelle cherishes a knit vest that her grandmother made and Katy cherishes each odd object in her cabinet of curiosities!
What’s your favorite web site/blog?
There are so many amazing websites out there! We've recently been diggin' yours and thefancy.com. We also love Apartment Therapy and Design*Sponge!
What’s your biggest challenge?
Our biggest challenges have been meeting demand, paperwork, and keeping our studio clean for visitors.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
"Enjoy when you can, and endure when you must." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Thanks, Twig! And readers, to check out Michelle and Katy's work, click HERE for a look inside their Brooklyn studio at some of their favorite projects.
For more information about Twig Terrariums, visit Michelle and Katy's website at Twigterrariums.com. And New York readers, be sure to check out Twig at the Brooklyn Renegade Craft Fair on June 11th & 12th!
Community Question:
Leave your questions and comments for Michelle and Katy below!
Join or
Follow Nate:
Attach A Photo To Your Comment
Photos must be in JPEG, PNG, or GIF format (no progressive JPGs or animated GIFs), 100 MB limit
Do not upload copyrighted materials without the original author's permission!