About Abbey
As a design historian, novelist, and mother, I bring together different ways of seeing and understanding how our material world shapes who we are and how we live
I'm Abbey Nova, and I've spent years exploring the stories behind the objects that define our daily experiences. As a design historian, novelist (and long ago, documentary filmmaker), I weave together different ways of seeing and understanding the world around us. Since 2006, when I founded Design Scouting, I've shared discoveries about everything from 19th-century silver patterns to hand-painted grocery signs, celebrating how the things we live with matter.
Professional Experience My training began at Parsons with a Master's in Design History, which opened doors to enriching experiences at places like the Metropolitan Museum of Art. There, as the Tiffany & Co. Foundation Curatorial Intern in American Decorative Arts, I worked with Louis Comfort Tiffany's design drawings and contributed research to the decorative arts curators of the American Wing.
My research spans centuries - full of fascinating stories – from Cassiano Dal Pozzo's 17th-century 'paper museum' to American silver manufacturing and the evolution of design at the turn of the 20th century. I've shared these explorations through writing in Anthology, The Magazine Antiques, the Journal of the Archives of American Art, The Kitchn, and Etsy.
What You'll Find Here Design Scouting is where design history, personal stories, and everyday discoveries come together. Each newsletter weaves together observations about the objects and spaces that shape our lives.
