Born in Sydney, Australia, Anna Coroneo distinguishes herself as an artist as well as a designer, often using her artwork as the inspiration for prints that are translated across various avenues of design, including fashion, interiors, stationery, and accessories. She is based between New York and London, and is inspired constantly by her surroundings, which she infuses into her designs. Known for her use of bold colours and vivacity in her artwork, she often references botanical and marine life as inspirations. Anna has exhibited her photographs and paintings internationally at solo, group shows and at art fairs worldwide since 2005, including Art Basel Miami, Art Sydney and The AAF in New York.
“I am constantly inspired by vibrant patterns and textures in both the natural and built environments. I enjoy exploring botanical and marine life inspirations, which I often contrast with references to the manmade world. Whilst my paintings frequently juxtapose intricate brushstrokes with an intense use of bold colour, my photographs tend to highlight natural textures and shapes from an abstract perspective. My creative process often involves breaking down the barriers across art and design disciplines, by adapting my artworks and translating them across various media.” – Anna Coroneo
Anna completed her graduate degree from Parsons, The New School in New York in 2008, where she was merited on the Dean’s List. She has also completed studies at Central Saint Martins in London and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Design (Hons) at the College of Fine Arts (University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia).
She describes the Anna Coroneo girl as someone who is “…confident, colorful, charismatic, sassy, kind and generous. She loves to love and she loves to laugh.” We visited Anna at her New York studio to learn more about her life in her New York city neighborhood.
Tell us about the TriBeCa neighborhood in which you live and work?
After living on 19th st and 5th ave for many years, we moved to TriBeCa a couple of years ago. TriBeCa is a really great area particularly for couples and families. It’s so funny – there are a million prams parked outside the restaurants on Greenwich on the weekends. My husband and I often joke that they need to organize valet parking for all of the prams in the area! TriBeCa has a rich history of converting former industrial buildings into residences. The building we live in used to be an old sugar warehouse. As such, a lot of the buildings have gorgeous features including high ceilings, arched windows, original floorboards and brickwork riddled with years of history.
Being an artist/designer I am also appreciative that TriBeCa in the 19th/early 20th centuries was a textiles centre and many artists resided here and in nearby SoHo. TriBeCa, like many areas in NYC, is steeped in a colorful history and you can feel this when walking along the cobblestoned streets. I really admire the small details such as star joints in buildings, intricate brickwork and old numerical steel and painted signage – particular details that I really like are little metal star anchor plates on some buildings. Our building is located right on the Hudson River – having grown up near the beach in Sydney, I just love to be near the water. One of my favorite things to do is to go for a run along the river in the mornings. There are a lot of residential developments at the moment and new businesses and stores keep popping up. It is really exciting to watch the area change quite quickly.
How would you describe TriBeCa to someone who has never visited New York?
TriBeCa is a little more calm than other areas of Manhattan – there is less noise/traffic and screeching sirens than in other areas. TriBeCa is very beautiful in that there are many old industrial buildings that have been converted into residences. As mentioned, we live in what used to be a sugar warehouse – opposite us was a soap factory and further up the street was a plumbing/pipe warehouse. Each building has a story and its own unique character. Many families live in the area which brings a sense of community often hard to find in big cities. Our friends who have children in the area have told us that they often run into each other in the neighborhood and it is easy to arrange play-dates with other children. There is also a lovely park/playground and the development on the piers on the Hudson has also brought fun amenities to the area including volley ball, mini-golf and soccer days on the weekends for example. TriBeCa is also home to some of Manhattan’s best restaurants, which is great as we really enjoy being able to walk to some of our favorite restaurants.
What do you love about TriBeCa?
Everything! (Except the rats haha!!!) I love the cobblestone streets. I love living near the Hudson River. I love the old buildings with so much character. I love my neighbors and the more chilled out calm vibe of living downtown. I also enjoy the rich industrial history of the area and the fact that many artists historically have colored the areas of TriBeCa and SoHo. I also love living a few blocks from Pearl Art supplies!
There are celebrities everywhere in New York but TriBeCa is home to many of them. Who are some of your famous neighbors that you see on the streets?
I am exceptionally bad at spotting celebrities though I did spot Meryl Streep a few months ago. The doormen know the locals best!
Where do you go to pamper yourself (hair, nails, spa?)
iPlaza on Greenwich street – really great manicures/pedicures. For hair, I am so loyal and always go to 12th st and Broadway to see Nicholas Berrios at Lifestyle Salon. Nick has been doing my hair since I first moved to NYC!
You split your time between New York and London. How would you compare TriBeCa to your other neighborhood across the pond?
In London, we live in a very quiet, residential area in North-West London. Our street is quintessentially British, with opposite facing rows of late Georgian/early Victorian terrace houses – it is very pretty and we have amazing neighbors with whom we love to chat with regularly. In London we live close to Regent’s Park and we really like to walk along the canal towards Primrose Hill. TriBeCa definitely has more buzz and a cooler, more edgy vibe, whereas St John’s Wood is much more leafy and residential. There are a lot of Americans in our area in London, which I love especially at Halloween. We were in London this year for Halloween and there were hundreds of children trick-or-treating – the costumes were just amazing!
What’s your favourite place in the neighborhood for…?
-fitness? I love to run along the Hudson River.
-coffee? I am not a coffee drinker, as I prefer tea. I like to go to Kaffe 1668 on Greenwich and Hubert. They also have amazing juices and salads.
-date night? My absolute favorite is Mr Chow and also Smith and Mills for a more casual night.
-people watching? Locanda Verde… especially sitting outside in spring/summer.
-art/culture? I love walking down Duane Street and visiting antique /furniture stores.
-shopping for him/her? Roberta Roller Rabbit on Duane Street.
-shopping for the home? I like to pop into Oly Atelier on the corner of Hubert and Greenwich.
How do you get around – by foot, bike or car?
By foot mostly (or taxi) – I also use the subway.
Describe a perfect day in TriBeCa on the weekend.
My ideal morning in TriBeCa is to wake up and go for a run along the Hudson with my husband. After a run, he cooks the most delicious omelets. We love to cook and just listen to music and read the newspapers with a big mug of tea.
In the afternoons we like to walk around the shops and have brunch with friends. I also really like to spend a lot of time in my studio, painting and coming up with new designs. Late afternoon, I also really love to catch the sunset on the Hudson – some days the sky is the most beautiful pinky/purply/orange colors. It’s also fun to go out for dinner in TriBeCa.
Where can we buy your designs?
My website: www.annacoroneo.com
