Soon after moving to town, I got lost trying to take the “short-cut” to Greenwich. I never made it out of Port Chester that day. Following directions was never my forte, which on this occasion was fortuitous as I discovered Patdo Light Studio that fall day in 1992.
By Robin Jovanovich
Soon after moving to town, I got lost trying to take the “short-cut” to Greenwich. I never made it out of Port Chester that day. Following directions was never my forte, which on this occasion was fortuitous as I discovered Patdo Light Studio that fall day in 1992.
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Since then, owner Mari-Lou Nania and I have done the lighting for five homes, one apartment, and, most recently, our younger son and his wife’s apartment in Brooklyn. We’ve yet to have a heated discussion, much less an argument. We may sometimes disagree, and I have been known to return fixtures I was sure would work, and didn’t, but I always go back and we always find a lighting solution.
Have we made any whopping mistakes? I can honestly say none to date. She’s a big believer in functional lighting that is also not hard on the eye.
What I love about Mari-Lou is that she understands the sensibility of a mostly traditional woman who longs to be a little edgier and isn’t afraid to take a design leap.
When I try to describe what I’m looking for — not always succinctly — she finishes my sentences or rushes to grab a catalogue. I’m always amazed to watch her talking about a light fixture when she’s looking at it upside-down.
I’ve thought of doing a lighting “memoir” based on our combined efforts these twenty-plus years. What stomped many an architect and builder was no problema for Mari-Lou.
