Inspiration: African

Interieurs Showroom: photo by Jeff Cate

I am fascinated by artists and the creative process. Is a designer an artist? not quite, I would never be conceded to the point of viewing myself as an artist. However, I feel that the source of great design comes from the core of one's creativity and emotions.

My approach to design is not a calculated one, it comes from pure instinct. Indeed, my training was in finance, I cannot draw, sketch, nor use CAD... but I have an innate sense for form, color, proportions, texture, and space.

I do not sit at a desk and start drawing a furniture collection, rather I may be reading a novel, looking at an art book, observing nature or be in a foreign land, and it suddenly hits me....this is it!
This is exactly what happened last fall. I was reading a marvelous book, Cutting for Stone, whose story took place in Ethiopia. I felt transported to a beautiful harsh world full of contrasts. I was reading in my Living Room, and started to look closely at an antique Ethiopian Tombom I had acquired years ago, and for the first time  noticed all the intricacies in its rough carvings. That was it... my next collection would be inspired by this one artifact.

Today, I cannot look at a fashion magazine without noticing that African style is in!!

Saturday, I will be flying off to Africa for close to a month. My friend Judy and I will be hiking up the African sacred mountain Kilimanjaro with a guide and a couple of porters, sleeping in tents for 10 days as we are taking the long route to the summit. My husband will then meet me for a "safari'' through various Tanzanian parks, and finally off to Zanzibar where I hope to find small interesting artifacts and furniture for my showroom Interieurs, and finally to Pemba Island for some rest and swimming. As I am reading "Memoirs of an Arabian Princess from Zanzibar", I feel transported to a vision of Oman and Zanzibar . I hope to capture some of the scents, traditions, architecture of these times gone by.

 Hopefully, my Interieurs team will keep the blog going with (I hope) a few guest posts.
 A few African inspired images to illustrate a classic ethnic style that has inspired designers, painters, musicians for generations.

 

The Ethiopian Tombon  as an inspiration for the Interieurs Amara collection

 

African meets Industrial

 

African fashion style 

 

Interieurs Showroom: Modern Eclectic

 

Morocan  Lounge for a music industry client

 

 

My Living Room and kid's playroom published by Robb Report

 

Hope you are inspired!

A Bientot,