Lisa Fine lives in Brooklyn. There she mothers, designs, styles for a top brand, runs a business and just generally burns the candle at all the ends. We love getting a glimpse inside the routines of women we admire and Lisa certainly fits the bill. Far from being the poster child for overwork and the busy-busy mantra of decades gone by, Lisa is simply a working creative with her hands full of exciting projects, including children.
We discovered Lisa’s new brand, Quiet Town, and fell in love. The small, sustainable brand creates bathroom wares that are the opposite of cheap and disposable – and that’s exactly the point. Quiet Town’s canvas shower curtains and Kilm woven bath rugs are responsibly made and build to last beautifully. We love that quality craftsmanship, responsible sourcing and high-style design are merging in so many new brands we love that allow us to shop sustainably in good taste! Here’s our morning with Lisa in her Brooklyn neighborhood…
Name + Biz:
Lisa Fine of Quiet Town.
My brand in 3 words:
Simple, functional, emotional.
My day begins with...
My son climbing over me to get between Michael and me in bed. Then my daughter plods in about a half hour later and works her way in too. We all pretend to sleep until the two kids start to fight, and that acts as our alarm clock. Time to start the day!
Aside from designing and branding Quiet Town, I am also the director of styling for a fashion brand here in New York. So my day begins at the office or on set and I don’t actually start working on Quiet Town until our two kids go to bed around 8 p.m. Michael and I get down to business while we cook dinner and then keep going until one or both of us crashes. If the brand wasn’t our baby, this lifestyle would be pretty brutal. But when you build something that’s yours, there’s no end, is there?
Healthiest daily habits:
I start my morning with two glasses of water before I drink or eat anything else. A good friend of mine is a nutritionist and she said if there’s anything I do, it should be this.
Favorite NYC hangs:
We are experts at finding our quiet town right here in Brooklyn. Here are some of our favorite spots: Brooklyn Botanic Gardens; The Brooklyn Flea and Smorgasborg (not quiet, but we love it); Red Hook waterfront (at sunset); The Salt Marsh Nature Center in Marine Park; Brooklyn Bridge Park; Lavender Lake; Swan Dive.
Fave product in the line:
The Narlai canvas shower curtain in Sunset.
On sustainability:
We use organic canvas to make our shower curtains and we create a product that is so well made you could have it forever – it’s the antithesis of fast fashion and disposable goods. We only give our business to factories that treat their employees with empathy and fair wages, which we know, as the movement grows, will create new standards that consumers and employees will come to demand.
Other brands I admire:
There are so many… Pansy, Groupwork, Jesse Kamm, Apolis, Dusen Dusen, Caroline Z Hurley.
Fave trends this year:
Pink, quilting, metal perforation, brass fixtures, translucency.
3 elements of a perfect bathroom:
Lots of natural light (good for your soul and your plants – you’ve got to have plants in your bathroom); mixed materials (wood, tile, cement, metals, plants); breathing room (space).
Fave natural bath products:
Dr Hauschka, De Mamiel, Say Yes to Carrots.
Best biz advice:
Embrace your mistakes.
