Rita Catinella Orrell is an author and design journalist working in New Jersey. She has been a member of the design press for over 25 years, covering interior design, home furnishings, kitchen and bath design, and architectural building products. She was products editor for Architectural Record for over 14 years and was the founding editor of SNAP, an award-winning building products tabloid. She has contributed to several publications and websites including Texas Architect, American Craft, Contract, Interior Design, and Engineering News-Record.

Orrell has a M.A. in Creative Writing from CUNY Queens College, and her chapbook Stuck in the Dream Wheel was published by Finishing Line Press in 2005. Orrell curates two blogs on design: Designythings.com, a list of gifts, gadgets, and gear for consumers and ArchitectsToybox.com, a blog dedicated to building products and accessories for architects and designers.

Her first product design book, Objects of Desire: A Showcase of Modern Erotic Products and the Creative Minds Behind Them, was published by Schiffer Publishing in March 2016. She lives with her husband and two daughters in an 1880’s Queen Anne Victorian that requires her constant love and support.

Image by Yasmeen Anderson Photography