furbish

uma stewart

Uma Stewart, owner of Furbish Home, is an interior designer and tastemaker who is earning a local following for her friendly, yet sophisticated approach to residential design. Clients who require beautiful surroundings to be at their best, and who want a fresh, no-rules approach to design seek her out.

Uma started her training early as the daughter of a successful South Jersey interior designer. She entertained herself with paint chips and fabric swatches in the studio, visited job sites and showrooms, helped take measurements, and observed her mother as she made her design choices, all before the age of 10. Family vacations were filled with visits to Frank Lloyd Wright homes, botanical gardens, and historic houses with period furnishings. Throughout her childhood, teen, and college years, Uma never even considered a career in design. It wasn't until she hit her 30s that she realized design was in her DNA.

In the meantime Uma created a diverse background to now bear on her design. She studied communications and culture in college and graduate school, where she completed five years of doctoral studies. She has worked as an acquisitions editor in book publishing and as a photo editor for a women's fashion magazine, taught university courses in popular culture, and served as a union leader and organizer. She has traveled extensively in India, the country where her parents were born.

Uma's passions begin with design, but extend into writing, food, exploring cities, shopping, museum visits, and drinking wine. She gives an honest portrayal of her life and her passions in her blog, the furbish notes.

Uma's primary passion is her son Aadi, who was born in November 2007, and her husband Michael, who helped her found Furbish Home in 2006. The three live in Maplewood, NJ with their dog, Rosie.