Dr. Daniella Ohad Story

I am a design historian, educator, writer, hostess of a talk show, blogger, curator of exhibitions and events in the wordls of design and architecture, and tastemaker, based in New York City. My work is focused exclusively on design culture.

From the diary of Dr. Daniella Ohad's story

Life and Experiences

Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself? Some fun facts and anecdotes from your life.

Where are you from originally? What are some of your favorite memories as a child?

How do you maintain the balance between your professional and personal life?

What do you do to relax? Any therapy you would like to share?

They say that first impressions last and are made in the first few seconds of meeting someone. What personal attributes convey a positive first impression to you?

Which people helped you to get where you are today and what did they do for you?

Professional Career

Can you briefly share your professional journey?

Did your career turn out just the way you wanted it to?

What impact has your educational background had on your professional activities?

Can you share some of the interesting projects you are working on these days?

Leadership Advice

What advice would you give to anyone seeking a career in your industry?

In the Information Age, millennial s tend to be interested in leadership roles. Do you have any advice for millennial professionals starting their careers?

What is your favorite book and can you explain what you like about it?

What do you think about Executives Diary?

Dr. Daniella Ohad's story

Life and Experiences

Where are you from originally? What are some of your favorite memories as a child?

I was born in Israel. My father came from a prominent German family from Munich, and his Zionist parents settled in Jerusalem in the early 30s. My grandmother's brother was the renowned writer Lion Feuchtwanger, and my late uncle, critic and director Michael Ohad, has been credited for introducing classical music and opera to the Israeli cultural narrative. My father grew up in Jerusalem and after fighting in the War of Independence of 1948, he went to study agriculture in Berkley and in UCLA. In 1958, upon returning to Israel, he pioneered the industry of subtropical fruits. I grew up in what was then the countryside, surrounded by the most exotic fruits, shaping my love for rare fruits. I believe that our lives are shaped by our ancestors and that we are the product of our upbringing, and mine embody the story of many Jewish people of my generation. My mom, a holocaust survivor was born in Budapest. Her father was killed, and as a child, she spend the years of the war hidden in a monastery in the heart of Hungary. After WWII, she was displaced for years before arriving to Palestine. The deeper you’re going into yourself, the more universal and spiritual you become. Memory of my childhood has been a strong factor in shaping my later life as a person and as a professional. After high school, I served for two years in the IDF, completed my service as a sergeant in the Israeli Military Intelligence, and following my graduated from Tel Aviv University, I have moved to NY. The Big Apple has been my home ever since.

From the diary of Dr. Daniella Ohad's story

Life and Experiences

Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself? Some fun facts and anecdotes from your life.

Where are you from originally? What are some of your favorite memories as a child?

How do you maintain the balance between your professional and personal life?

What do you do to relax? Any therapy you would like to share?

They say that first impressions last and are made in the first few seconds of meeting someone. What personal attributes convey a positive first impression to you?

Which people helped you to get where you are today and what did they do for you?

Professional Career

Can you briefly share your professional journey?

Did your career turn out just the way you wanted it to?

What impact has your educational background had on your professional activities?

Can you share some of the interesting projects you are working on these days?

Leadership Advice

What advice would you give to anyone seeking a career in your industry?

In the Information Age, millennial s tend to be interested in leadership roles. Do you have any advice for millennial professionals starting their careers?

What is your favorite book and can you explain what you like about it?

What do you think about Executives Diary?

Dr. Daniella Ohad's story

Life and Experiences

How do you maintain the balance between your professional and personal life?

The personal and professional aspects of my life are very well integrated within one another, as they are often one. To me, this is the best balance and harmony I can achieve. I believe that when you do something you love, when your 'job' is equal to your hobby, then those two worlds naturally come together. Educating, writing, and curating in design and taste are not just components of a job, byt my personal lifestyle, what I love doing every day. Travel is always about learning something new about material culture, architecture, art, and design, and the people behind these worlds. I love people and have friends all over the world, many of whom I have met through my work.

From the diary of Dr. Daniella Ohad's story

Life and Experiences

Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself? Some fun facts and anecdotes from your life.

Where are you from originally? What are some of your favorite memories as a child?

How do you maintain the balance between your professional and personal life?

What do you do to relax? Any therapy you would like to share?

They say that first impressions last and are made in the first few seconds of meeting someone. What personal attributes convey a positive first impression to you?

Which people helped you to get where you are today and what did they do for you?

Professional Career

Can you briefly share your professional journey?

Did your career turn out just the way you wanted it to?

What impact has your educational background had on your professional activities?

Can you share some of the interesting projects you are working on these days?

Leadership Advice

What advice would you give to anyone seeking a career in your industry?

In the Information Age, millennial s tend to be interested in leadership roles. Do you have any advice for millennial professionals starting their careers?

What is your favorite book and can you explain what you like about it?

What do you think about Executives Diary?

Dr. Daniella Ohad's story

Life and Experiences

What do you do to relax? Any therapy you would like to share?

My daily time of relaxation takes place at the yoga studio. Since discovering the style known as Mysore-Style Ashtanga 18 years ago, yoga has become the engine of my creativity, the power beyond the performance, the spiritual, the single most substantial agent of transformation that I have ever experienced. My grandmother, Henrietta Reich was the first to introduce me to yoga. I was 7 or 8 years old, and yoga was far from the popular practice that it is today. The only yoga teacher in Tel Aviv, she had constantly perfected her teaching as I have discovered years later, when looking at her library, which was full of yoga books in German. As a teenager gymnast, yoga could not become a part of my life, until years later. It was in 2000 when I first met Heidi Fokine, my first yoga teacher; when learning that we were born on the same day at the same time on two opposite sides of the ocean, I immediately knew that it was meant to be. Yoga has since become a part of my life, not a hobby, but lifestyle.

Mysore-Style Ashtanga is a brilliant system, where every practitioner practices according to their ability, strength, and flexibility and it was founded by legendary Indian yoga teacher and scholar K. Pattabhi Jois (1915-2009), also known as Guruji. I had the honor to meet him years ago in his annual visits to New York, where he was teaching at the Puck building. It was after his iconic NY visit during 9/11, which was famously captured in one of my favorite films. Guruji's chanting in Sanskrit, in the room full of thousands of students, flying to NY from all over the country, was like standing in front of Jerusalem's Wailing Wall in twilight, most memorable and spiritual moments. Guruji has passed away in 2009 at 94, but his legacy has lived with all of his students everyday, while his Ashtanga Yoga Institute in Mysore, India is now lead by his grandson Sharath Jois.

Beyond the peace and constant sense of renewal, beyond the contemplation and the deep connection, yoga is a metaphor and the most amazing tool for anything you do in life. It teaches you the power of passion for long-term goals, for motivation to achieve objectives, and it is a tool to overcome obstacles and challenges that lie in every path to accomplishment. The lifelong practice demonstrates that the impossible is achievable.

From the diary of Dr. Daniella Ohad's story

Life and Experiences

Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself? Some fun facts and anecdotes from your life.

Where are you from originally? What are some of your favorite memories as a child?

How do you maintain the balance between your professional and personal life?

What do you do to relax? Any therapy you would like to share?

They say that first impressions last and are made in the first few seconds of meeting someone. What personal attributes convey a positive first impression to you?

Which people helped you to get where you are today and what did they do for you?

Professional Career

Can you briefly share your professional journey?

Did your career turn out just the way you wanted it to?

What impact has your educational background had on your professional activities?

Can you share some of the interesting projects you are working on these days?

Leadership Advice

What advice would you give to anyone seeking a career in your industry?

In the Information Age, millennial s tend to be interested in leadership roles. Do you have any advice for millennial professionals starting their careers?

What is your favorite book and can you explain what you like about it?

What do you think about Executives Diary?

Dr. Daniella Ohad's story

Life and Experiences

They say that first impressions last and are made in the first few seconds of meeting someone. What personal attributes convey a positive first impression to you?

Knowledge, warmth, charisma, attentiveness, integrity, language.

From the diary of Dr. Daniella Ohad's story

Life and Experiences

Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself? Some fun facts and anecdotes from your life.

Where are you from originally? What are some of your favorite memories as a child?

How do you maintain the balance between your professional and personal life?

What do you do to relax? Any therapy you would like to share?

They say that first impressions last and are made in the first few seconds of meeting someone. What personal attributes convey a positive first impression to you?

Which people helped you to get where you are today and what did they do for you?

Professional Career

Can you briefly share your professional journey?

Did your career turn out just the way you wanted it to?

What impact has your educational background had on your professional activities?

Can you share some of the interesting projects you are working on these days?

Leadership Advice

What advice would you give to anyone seeking a career in your industry?

In the Information Age, millennial s tend to be interested in leadership roles. Do you have any advice for millennial professionals starting their careers?

What is your favorite book and can you explain what you like about it?

What do you think about Executives Diary?

Dr. Daniella Ohad's story

Life and Experiences

Which people helped you to get where you are today and what did they do for you?

Many people helped me to get to where I am today, but if I have to choose two it is my mother and Nakashima. For the person I am, I thank my mom; for changing the way I look at taste and design and for choosing my profession, I thank American-Japanese architect and woodworker George Nakashima.

My mom instilled the values of honesty, integrity, kindness, and respect, the values that one has to have in order to achieve an ethical lifestyle. She taught me that these values are not luxury, but rather the basis for meaningful life. These values have given me good reputation, trust, and I believe, opened many doors. My mom made me thoughtful, warm, loving, personable, teaching me the power of lifelong relationships. Thanks to her presence and constant guidance, I have gained the confidence and self-assurance that are so important in my world.

From George Nakashima I learnt about the value of things beyond the beauty. I had first met him at his studio in New Hope, PA when I was very pregnant, on the hottest day of the summer of 1987. He was sitting in the showroom like a guru talking to clients, and I immediately joined his enormous group of admirers. Today I know that you can read all the books and magazines you want, you can attend designer showcases, lectures, and exhibitions. But when you went to Nakashima studio, you could really learn design.

I thought his visionary furniture was as genuine as its maker and from that day on, Nakashima had become profoundly influential in my own life. On that day, I made the decision that this is exactly how I wanted to live at home, with his furniture, with the spirit, the peace, the beauty attached to it. His furniture has the power to turn daily life extraordinary. He made furniture to live with, and not just to look at, not as a showcase of taste, class, or aesthetic sensibility. Furniture, he believed, should be lived with and not be treated as overly precious. "The more a surface is used," he said, "the more resistant and beautiful it becomes," and this is exactly what we have done ever since. Nakashima has brought a sense of harmony and spirituality into our home, and had become a part of our family. He inspired me to study design history and to make it my profession. He inspired me to become an educator.

From the diary of Dr. Daniella Ohad's story

Life and Experiences

Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself? Some fun facts and anecdotes from your life.

Where are you from originally? What are some of your favorite memories as a child?

How do you maintain the balance between your professional and personal life?

What do you do to relax? Any therapy you would like to share?

They say that first impressions last and are made in the first few seconds of meeting someone. What personal attributes convey a positive first impression to you?

Which people helped you to get where you are today and what did they do for you?

Professional Career

Can you briefly share your professional journey?

Did your career turn out just the way you wanted it to?

What impact has your educational background had on your professional activities?

Can you share some of the interesting projects you are working on these days?

Leadership Advice

What advice would you give to anyone seeking a career in your industry?

In the Information Age, millennial s tend to be interested in leadership roles. Do you have any advice for millennial professionals starting their careers?

What is your favorite book and can you explain what you like about it?

What do you think about Executives Diary?

Dr. Daniella Ohad's story

Professional Career

Can you briefly share your professional journey?

I started my professional journey at Tel Aviv University, where I did my undergraduate studies in Art History and Philosophy. After moving to New York and becoming a mom, I went back to school and earned Masters in Art in 'Museum Studies: Decorative Arts' at the Fashion Institute of Technology. I immediately started teaching and in the early years, focused on 19th-century decorative arts, which was the hottest topic in the world of applied arts in the 90s, one that generated most scholarships, museum collections, exhibitions, and collecting. Gradually, as the field moved to 20th-century material, so the focus of my teaching. In 2006, I earned PhD in Design History from the Bard Graduate Center.

For 12 years, I was teaching at the Department of Architecture at Parsons and at the same time, taught in other institutions, such as Pratt Institute, Bard College, and the Cooper Union. When leaving Parson, the focus of my teaching moved to public education in collecting, history of design and architecture, taste, and other themes in aesthetics and design. I have also become an advisor for collecting historical and contemporary design for both museums and private collections. In the private arena, I tend to work with architects/interior designers interested in creating what has become known as the 'curated interior.' Today, I teach contemporary design, Collecting Design, I host a talk show, programs on stage, and I lecture across the globe. In publishing, I have also moved from the academic to the popular, and I write in magazines, exhibition reviews, and in my blog Daniella on Design, which is read by an audience of 120,000 a month. Influencing the public to an elevated, educated taste is the main focus of my work today and social media has a key place in this mission.

From the diary of Dr. Daniella Ohad's story

Life and Experiences

Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself? Some fun facts and anecdotes from your life.

Where are you from originally? What are some of your favorite memories as a child?

How do you maintain the balance between your professional and personal life?

What do you do to relax? Any therapy you would like to share?

They say that first impressions last and are made in the first few seconds of meeting someone. What personal attributes convey a positive first impression to you?

Which people helped you to get where you are today and what did they do for you?

Professional Career

Can you briefly share your professional journey?

Did your career turn out just the way you wanted it to?

What impact has your educational background had on your professional activities?

Can you share some of the interesting projects you are working on these days?

Leadership Advice

What advice would you give to anyone seeking a career in your industry?

In the Information Age, millennial s tend to be interested in leadership roles. Do you have any advice for millennial professionals starting their careers?

What is your favorite book and can you explain what you like about it?

What do you think about Executives Diary?

Dr. Daniella Ohad's story

Professional Career

Did your career turn out just the way you wanted it to?

I had no idea what I wanted to do. Yet, I did know that I wanted to have life filled with passion, success, and meaning. I knew that I wanted to develop some kind of expertise and to be able to make a difference.

From the diary of Dr. Daniella Ohad's story

Life and Experiences

Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself? Some fun facts and anecdotes from your life.

Where are you from originally? What are some of your favorite memories as a child?

How do you maintain the balance between your professional and personal life?

What do you do to relax? Any therapy you would like to share?

They say that first impressions last and are made in the first few seconds of meeting someone. What personal attributes convey a positive first impression to you?

Which people helped you to get where you are today and what did they do for you?

Professional Career

Can you briefly share your professional journey?

Did your career turn out just the way you wanted it to?

What impact has your educational background had on your professional activities?

Can you share some of the interesting projects you are working on these days?

Leadership Advice

What advice would you give to anyone seeking a career in your industry?

In the Information Age, millennial s tend to be interested in leadership roles. Do you have any advice for millennial professionals starting their careers?

What is your favorite book and can you explain what you like about it?

What do you think about Executives Diary?

Dr. Daniella Ohad's story

Professional Career

What impact has your educational background had on your professional activities?

As an educator in design history, I believe that education is the single most substantial agent of knowledge and success. One should never stop learning, and in my profession, is it really important to stay relevant, to make teaching of history accessible and significant. My role as an educator is first of all to enhance critical thinking and understanding of material culture. I seek to help designers, architects, and collectors to make a connection between past and present, to make good observation, to develop their passion, and ultimately to elevate their taste. I would like to know that my students can analyze historical design and that this knowledge pushes them to make a better design. There is no better way to design great than incorporating historical knowledge in new projects.

From the diary of Dr. Daniella Ohad's story

Life and Experiences

Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself? Some fun facts and anecdotes from your life.

Where are you from originally? What are some of your favorite memories as a child?

How do you maintain the balance between your professional and personal life?

What do you do to relax? Any therapy you would like to share?

They say that first impressions last and are made in the first few seconds of meeting someone. What personal attributes convey a positive first impression to you?

Which people helped you to get where you are today and what did they do for you?

Professional Career

Can you briefly share your professional journey?

Did your career turn out just the way you wanted it to?

What impact has your educational background had on your professional activities?

Can you share some of the interesting projects you are working on these days?

Leadership Advice

What advice would you give to anyone seeking a career in your industry?

In the Information Age, millennial s tend to be interested in leadership roles. Do you have any advice for millennial professionals starting their careers?

What is your favorite book and can you explain what you like about it?

What do you think about Executives Diary?

Dr. Daniella Ohad's story

Professional Career

Can you share some of the interesting projects you are working on these days?

In February, I will celebrate the 8th anniversary of the program 'Collecting Design: History, Collections, Highlights,' which I teach at the Center for Architecture/AIA in New York City. In this program, I host some of the most brilliant figures in the world of collectible design: curators, dealers, makers, designers who give insights into the world of collectible design and to the stories behind the scenes. The program, the only one of its kind, focuses on modern and contemporary collectible design, with a special emphasis on connoisseurship, taste-making, and on the most magical interiors created today.

In February, I will also open a new program called 'The Story of Modern Design' at the New York School of Interior Design. This two-part course provides an introduction to the major historical styles, evolutions, and movements that came to shape the story of modern design from 1800 to the present. By examining objects, interiors, designers, makers, methods of production, and material culture, students will develop an understanding in the history of design and its visual vocabulary.

This spring I will curate a show on contemporary ceramics, and will moderate a couple of design/archtiecture talks on stage.

From the diary of Dr. Daniella Ohad's story

Life and Experiences

Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself? Some fun facts and anecdotes from your life.

Where are you from originally? What are some of your favorite memories as a child?

How do you maintain the balance between your professional and personal life?

What do you do to relax? Any therapy you would like to share?

They say that first impressions last and are made in the first few seconds of meeting someone. What personal attributes convey a positive first impression to you?

Which people helped you to get where you are today and what did they do for you?

Professional Career

Can you briefly share your professional journey?

Did your career turn out just the way you wanted it to?

What impact has your educational background had on your professional activities?

Can you share some of the interesting projects you are working on these days?

Leadership Advice

What advice would you give to anyone seeking a career in your industry?

In the Information Age, millennial s tend to be interested in leadership roles. Do you have any advice for millennial professionals starting their careers?

What is your favorite book and can you explain what you like about it?

What do you think about Executives Diary?

Dr. Daniella Ohad's story

Leadership Advice

What advice would you give to anyone seeking a career in your industry?

You must believe in what you do and should never stop learning. There are many professional levels one can achieve in teaching and writing design history, and there is a major difference between those who have received an academic background and those who have not. I would advise those seeking a career in this industry to find their own strengths, and think creatively and to seek to personalize the teaching of design history. It is important to be flexible, but old teaching techniques are outdated and should no longer be used.

From the diary of Dr. Daniella Ohad's story

Life and Experiences

Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself? Some fun facts and anecdotes from your life.

Where are you from originally? What are some of your favorite memories as a child?

How do you maintain the balance between your professional and personal life?

What do you do to relax? Any therapy you would like to share?

They say that first impressions last and are made in the first few seconds of meeting someone. What personal attributes convey a positive first impression to you?

Which people helped you to get where you are today and what did they do for you?

Professional Career

Can you briefly share your professional journey?

Did your career turn out just the way you wanted it to?

What impact has your educational background had on your professional activities?

Can you share some of the interesting projects you are working on these days?

Leadership Advice

What advice would you give to anyone seeking a career in your industry?

In the Information Age, millennial s tend to be interested in leadership roles. Do you have any advice for millennial professionals starting their careers?

What is your favorite book and can you explain what you like about it?

What do you think about Executives Diary?

Dr. Daniella Ohad's story

Leadership Advice

In the Information Age, millennial s tend to be interested in leadership roles. Do you have any advice for millennial professionals starting their careers?

Commitment is essential to success, as well as developing an expertise. Passion and determination for meaningful goals, thinking outside the box, and persisting when meeting obstacles are important ingredients. It is called Grit, meaning to stick with it, never to give up in times of failure, and to thrive for achievements.

From the diary of Dr. Daniella Ohad's story

Life and Experiences

Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself? Some fun facts and anecdotes from your life.

Where are you from originally? What are some of your favorite memories as a child?

How do you maintain the balance between your professional and personal life?

What do you do to relax? Any therapy you would like to share?

They say that first impressions last and are made in the first few seconds of meeting someone. What personal attributes convey a positive first impression to you?

Which people helped you to get where you are today and what did they do for you?

Professional Career

Can you briefly share your professional journey?

Did your career turn out just the way you wanted it to?

What impact has your educational background had on your professional activities?

Can you share some of the interesting projects you are working on these days?

Leadership Advice

What advice would you give to anyone seeking a career in your industry?

In the Information Age, millennial s tend to be interested in leadership roles. Do you have any advice for millennial professionals starting their careers?

What is your favorite book and can you explain what you like about it?

What do you think about Executives Diary?

Dr. Daniella Ohad's story

Leadership Advice

What is your favorite book and can you explain what you like about it?

My favorite book is Stephan Zweig's The World of Yesterday. I had read it for the first time at 16, and have since found it a constant inspiration. In fact, when I first met my mentor, the man who became the advisor of my PhD dissertation, we immediately found that common chord. We share The World of Yesterday as our most favorite book. I love it because it has all components of the type of books I love reading: history, biography, Jewish culture fin de siecle, WWII, architecture, design, fashion, intellectural life, creative imagination, and the most beautiful language to describe it all. This book gives you toold to comprehend history, and while there are many ways to tell history, his is fresh and fascinating, focused on his personal and tragic experience.

The World of Yesterday, the memoir of Viennese author Stefan Zweig, one of the most renowned writers in the German-speaking world. He began writing it in 1934 and continued in exile, after leaving Austria for Brazil. Two days after delivering the manuscript to his publisher, Zweig committed suicide with his wife. It was February, 1942, and one has to read the book to fully understand the tragedy. In his wonderful language, Zweig describes the privileged life in Vienna under Emperor Franz Joseph I, which he calls the 'Golden Age of Security.'