5 degrees of inspiration…pt. 2

July 28, 2009 · Posted in Interior design projects

Interview with interior designer Sarita…

Is there someone or something (architect, piece of art work, painter) who/that inspires your creativity?

I am inspired by many things. Anything that is beautiful or interesting to me can inspire my creativity. It could be a piece of art (I love modern abstract), a fabric, pretty wrapping or craft paper, or photos of beautiful spaces (I love Metropolitan Home magazine). When I’m designing for other people I like to find something owned by or loved by my client to inspire design ideas for their spaces that really reflect their personality and style.

What are your favorite elements/colors to use in a design proposal and what elements/colors do you think are necessary to make a successful proposal?

Lately, I am loving gray as a neutral base for rooms. It looks amazing with purples, blues, creams, dark charcoal or black. It’s the new beige. Also, I love white…especially white furniture. It’s so fresh and modern and looks great with anything. These days I’m really into pieces that have a combination of wood and white lacquer.

I think VARIETY is the most important element for a successful design. Every space needs variety to avoid being boring. Variety can be achieved with different textures, wood finishes, or wall treatments to name just a few ideas. The second most important element is SCALE & PROPORTION. Furniture should be scaled to the size of the space it is in as well as proportionate to the other pieces of furniture in the space.

When was it that you became interest in the design field and how has your career evolved?

I’ve always had an interest in design, I would say since I was old enough to ask for paint and craft supplies. As a little girl, I was the only child in the neighborhood that rearranged her bedroom furniture every other month. My mother remembers me giving her suggestions for the living room furniture too, I guess it is just something I have always had in me.

About two years into my first “real” job I realized the corporate office world was not for me and I had to follow my desire to be creative. I enrolled in the Interior Design program at The Art Institute and started working on my bachelor’s degree. I landed a great job as a design assistant at a design/build remodeling firm shortly afterwards, it was a great first job in the industry. After almost two years I left the remodeling firm to join the Vastu team in 2007 as a designer and I have since worked with dozens of clients in DC, Virginia, and Maryland.

Where do you look for new inspiration and how do you avoid “designers block”?

When I need a little design inspiration I flip through design magazines (I have hundreds at home, I can’t part with them) or I check out design blogs on the web. I also like to browse through fabrics or art portfolios to inspire a design.

What helpful tips can you give our blog readers about taking on a design project of their own?

1. Pick your paint colors last. There are a million colors of paint, there are not a million upholstery fabric options that will work for you. Pick your furniture, fabrics, art, and rugs FIRST and then find a paint color that works with everything. Starting with a paint color and trying to find upholstery or drapery fabric or a rug that works is very hard, don’t make it harder on yourself!
2. Measure your space and draw a floor plan TO SCALE. Then, draw in the furniture (TO SCALE) that you are considering so that you can see if it actually fits and it there is enough circulation room around the furniture. It’s much easier to do this first than it is to buy furniture and get it home only to realize it’s too big or too small.
3. Create a “WISH LIST” file of magazine pictures, catalogue pages, paint swatches, fabric swatches and anything that you find that you love. It will be much easier to pull together the space with all of your inspiration in one place.