Allison Eden, 'Lady Gaga of the Tile World,' Makes Dan's Cover Debut

There is an ebullient, vibrant force afoot in the world of glass mosaic artwork for interior design. To say she is creative would be an understatement. It might be more accurate to say she is the Lady Gaga of the tile world, bringing to bear a plucky, energetic mix of inventiveness, innovation, cheerfulness, enthusiasm, openness, tenacity, excellence and fun to the art and craft of glass mosaics.

To talk with Allison Eden is to get swept up in how much she is in love with what she does — designing and manufacturing custom glass mosaic tile in her Brooklyn studio for a wide range of applications, from residences to retail, hotels to hospitals, cruise ships to casinos, restaurants and everything in between. Her custom designs have been featured in Architectural Digest, Interior Design Magazine, Architectural Record, Metropolitan Home, New York Cottages and Gardens and Elle Décor and grace the homes of such celebrities as Elton John and Kris Kardashian. Her passion is palpable, and by the time you’re done conversing with her, you are sold on how her colorful designs help make the world a better place.

Case in point: Eden was commissioned to bring a pop of color to a hospital in Barrow, Alaska to fight the high suicide rate brought by months of total darkness.

Eden has collaborated with leading architects; her major commercial installations include work at Mohegan Sun, Wynn Casino, The Venetian, Cosmopolitan, Four Seasons and Resorts World at Aqueduct.

Although Eden does business globally, she loves being a New Yorker and enjoys working with the city’s most iconic brands. Bloomingdale’s department store sought Eden out to decorate holiday windows and to create permanent glass mosaic sculptures for their flagship store: a perfume bottle that towers 10 feet tall in the entryway, a “monster shoe” for the shoe department and a 10-foot frozen yogurt sculpture at 40 Carrots. “My shoe gets more hits on Instagram than anything else in the store,” she says.

Eden recently created a major original pastel colored glass mosaic kaleidoscope piece now on display in the jewelry department at Bergdorf Goodman.

Eden draws inspiration from vintage clothing, pop culture, her travels and the vibrant city of New York. She is also influenced by the glitter and glamour of the ’80s and all the over-the-top styles of that age. “It’s shaped how I design — big and bold,” she says. “From watching television shows like Dallas, Dynasty and Falcon Crest, my style was quickly defined and has never veered!” She records her ideas in a book she carries everywhere. Her recent mosaic collection features candy-colored stripes, ice cream cones, lip gloss, palm trees, unicorns and rainbows, all meticulously created by hand.

These vivid-colored, delicious mosaic masterpieces feature her trademark “Lips” pattern (shown on cover,) ice cream cones, bright stripes and will be prominently displayed at the soon-to-be-unveiled expansion of the scrumptious Serendipity 3 restaurant in Times Square next month. Eden is honored to have a significant presence in such an iconic restaurant in her own home town. “Most fun, amazing, delicious restaurant ever,” she says. “And I’m proud to have played a role in decorating with my very favorite designs!”

Eden prefers using U.S.-made materials for her designs, often sourced from family-run glassmaking businesses. She collects vintage stained glass and colored mirror to incorporate into her artwork, ensuring that each project is a unique piece of original artwork that tells a story.

Eden places great importance on nurturing creativity, self-sufficiency and entrepreneurial spirit among the younger generation. She operates a high-end business with meticulous attention to detail, ensuring perfection in every piece she creates. Through Allison Eden Studios, she actively promotes the tradition of handcrafted tile and glass art, aiming to keep these skills relevant in contemporary design.

The majority of Eden’s designs are meticulously crafted by skilled glass artists using traditional tools like nippers and pencil cutters in her Brooklyn art studio. New offerings include a just-launched stone mosaic collection based on her favorite glass patterns. Her Allison Eden Studios tile collection is available exclusively through select top-tier tile shops across the country.

Allison Eden’s work can be viewed on her website allisoneden.com, and she can be followed on Instagram @AllisonEdenStudios.

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