We got to talking and I thought she would make a great candidate for an interview on my blog; I invited her to our studio and between sharing new product finds and discussing current trends I had the opportunity to ask her for her opinions on design today and discover what influences her design choices.
Iván Meade - What was your first experience with design?
Iván - Who or what has influenced your style?
Iván - How did your company start?
Lana - Right out of school I started my own company .
Iván - One of the first things I heard about you as designer was that you were very organized. I think it’s important for us to show people that in our industry we are capable to run any project. How has being organized helped your business?
photograph courstesy of Lana Lounsbury
Iván - What is your design process?
Lana - I have to see the place first, then I walk through it in my head and imagine what it could be like...everything melts away, the cat, the ugly wallpaper and I imagine what it could be. And then from the imagined picture I pull out the hard elements, furniture layouts, architectural elements, colour, special relationships and start working it into the floor plans, colour boards and samples.
photograph courstesy of Lana Lounsbury
Lana - I consider it an advantage because I want to think positive, but it can be disadvantage. I have been chosen and not chosen for projects for the same reason .
Iván - What is the most unusual request you ever had from a client?
Lana - Probably to do with pets. I have done elaborate dog baths in mudrooms with special showers.
Iván - Living on an island, we have a limited access to a lot of goods. Do you find yourself relying a lot on custom work for your designs?
Lana - Yes, sometimes it’s just not feasible to ship in items from all over the world. I also like custom made pieces because there is a lot of pride in it; pride of design, pride of workmanship and then pride of ownership in having something unique.
Iván - What would be your dream project?
Iván - Do you prefer residential or commercial design?
Lana - I really do like residential. Even though it’s a bit more high maintenance, I really enjoy the interaction and relationship with the client that you don’t get with commercial work .
Iván - How do you help your budget conscious clients achieve an expensive look without breaking the bank?
Lana - It’s about mixing. You can invest in one well-designed piece and then mix it with other pieces. If you are careful you can do it.
Iván - what do you think most Victoria homes are missing?
Lana - Fun!
photograph courstesy of Lana Lounsbury
Iván - What project or piece are you most proud of?
Lana - Not one project really stands out. I strive to make each project my next pride and joy.
Iván - Recently we both had the opportunity to attend a dinner in honour of Barbara Barry, what was your impression of the event?
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2 comments:
This is a fun interview, you can really see her personality through her answers :)
I liked Lana's answer about where she looks for design inspiration. Fashion seems to be the first in trend-setting for design, and therefore influences many other areas of design.
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