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Designer Takes on Trump (Tower)
Zivit Etzioni (B.F.A. ’00) proved she’s a competitor even without appearing on “The Apprentice.” She has been hired to decorate a luxury, three-bedroom condominium in Trump World Tower at the United Nations Plaza where accommodations start at just under $1 million and can be as pricey as $13 million.
Originally brought in to help the owner select furniture, Zivit, an interior designer with her own company, quickly won him over with her ideas, and he decided to re-do the entire 2,000-square-foot apartment.
Her client, who is the owner of one of the largest jewelry retail chains in the Caribbean, wants the space to be his “comfort zone,” a retreat from the everyday demands of the business world. To accomplish this, Zivit created a Zen-themed haven with the luxury of a spa.
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“This is a work of art — color, fabric, texture, light and space are all coming together in a very harmonious and homey fashion,” she says.
Her ability to connect with clients is evident throughout her business, even in its name. “One of my clients complimented me by saying, ‘You’ve enlightened me about design, colors and light, why not find a word that means enlighten?’” Delighted by his suggestion, she named her firm Isttrutiva (Italian for “enlighten”) Design.
Growing up in Israel, Zivit was called the “child painter” by family and friends. “My head was constantly filled with new images to paint, new colors to mix … I lived in my own unique world.”
But she didn’t find her true calling until she met the man who would be her husband, Moshe Etzioni (B.S. ’97). “He was a student at NYIT, where he convinced me to take a few classes,” she says. “This was my first introduction to interior design. I instantly knew I had found my passion.”
The designer says her professors were an inspiration and continue to influence her work. “With most of my family overseas, my professors became my extended family. I can still hear Professor Martha Siegel (msiegel@nyit.edu) saying: ‘Zivit, whatever you put your mind to, you can achieve. There is a bright future ahead of you.’ I am so grateful for their support.”
In addition to the Trump Tower project, Zivit is renovating a 14,000-square-foot office on 5th Avenue and overseeing the interior design of homes in St. Thomas, the Virgin Islands and Florida.
The Etzionis have a 4-year-old daughter, Bar. “She loves painting and drawing more than anything else,” says the designer, “leaving me to wonder if perhaps she will follow in my footsteps.”
-Angela Marshall
Send feedback and story ideas to alumni@nyit.edu.
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