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Introducing Kitty Minervini and Mat Hale, two Asbury Park locals who I can safely say were my first official friends here in town. I love when the Universe brings people together, and this is certainly a story of just that.
I first met these two at Dwell on Design back in 2013, long before Asbury Park became home for me. Years later, I randomly ran into them on the beach here in town. Kitty recognized me from Instagram and had already purchased a handful of CMD pieces at Dwell on Design. After chatting for a bit, I realized they lived in the same neighborhood where I was thinking about putting down roots. Not too long after, we were just a quick walk up the block from each other. True neighbs.
These two are the bee’s knees. They’re funny AF, and from the beginning, being with them felt like being with people I’d known for ages. Since I moved to Asbury, Kitty (AKA the mayor) and Mat have introduced me to so many friends and interesting people around this sweet little town. Their furbaby Penny and my Migs even became two peas in a pod.
Mat and Kitty have been together since they met in LA many moons ago and got married in 2020 on the anniversary of the day they met, January 3, 2009. They’re design aficionados and food lovers, so there’s never a shortage of things to talk about when I’m with them. They moved to Asbury in 2017 and created the most beautiful home here, complete with flourishing veggie beds and a killer outdoor movie screen.
When I dreamed up the Hand Project in 2022, I wanted to photograph an eclectic group of people from my new community and show how the same CMD jewelry takes on a completely different personality depending on who is wearing it. Of course Mat and Kitty had to be part of it. The Hand Project collection itself is no longer available, but these photographs and stories remain one of my favorite snapshots of the people who helped make Asbury Park feel like home.
Looking back at these photos now, I love that the jewelry doesn’t feel like the point of them. It simply looks like it belongs on Mat and Kitty, which has always been what I want from my designs. Jewelry should become part of the person wearing it, not the other way around.
I’m so grateful for our friendship and for all the ways these two helped welcome me into Asbury. Love you, Kit, Mat and Pen, to the moon and beyond. 🌙
Much love,
Colleen
© Colleen Mauer Designs. All rights reserved.
Published: July 14, 2022
Updated: August 21, 2026
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