A couple of weeks ago, I went to a really fun party that Interior Design magazine threw at one of the most wild homes I had ever been to, located in downtown New York City. The multi-level apartment is a collaboration between my very talented friend, Ghislaine Viñas' firm and David Hotson Architects. The place is a bright, happy, zany, playground of fun - just like Ghislaine herself. They even incorporated a slide (literally) that you could ride from the top floor to the ground floor in case you weren't feeling like steps. Why not, right?!
Ghislaine was nice enough to chat with me about her work, and I am happy to share . . .
Photos above via Interior Design magazine
David Stark: What is your background? When did you move to the United States?
Ghislaine Viñas: I moved to the United Sates when I was 18. I was born in the Netherlands and moved to South Africa with my family when I was five. My father was a civil engineer, and he was sent to South Africa to help engineer a harbor there. I completed all my schooling in South Africa, and I moved back to the Netherlands after matriculating. I lived in the Netherlands for about a year until my South African boyfriend convinced me to join him in the United States (I did and he broke up with me two weeks after I arrived). So I guess I followed my heart ... (and ended up with a broken one). But I survived, and I ended up studying Interior Architecture in Philadelphia, and then I moved to NYC as soon as I graduated. PS ... I moved to NY because of another boy ... tells a lot about me doesn't it?!
DS: What? That you like love? I don’t blame you. (Wink!) How does your background inform your design sensibility?
GV: My mom had a big influence on my design sense growing up. She has a super modern aesthetic, and we grew up in homes with very contemporary interiors. She always spoke her mind when it came to aesthetics both in fashion and design, and I suppose I heard it. Without knowing it, at an early age, I had a pretty strong idea of what I liked and did not like. On a cultural level, growing up in a Dutch family in South Africa just taught me to be observant. I identify with Dutch culture because our parents raised us that way at home but I went to South African schools and had amazing South African friends growing up and was deeply embedded in South African culture. I'm so grateful for this exposure to these different cultures . . . and then moving to the United States was such a fantastic opportunity for me. I married a Venezuelan man so my husband brings yet another cultural element to our family. I think as a designer my exposure to these cultures has allowed me to be open minded - not really deeply rooted in anything or stuck in my ways but having the freedom to do whatever my heart tells me.
DS: You seem to have an awful lot of fun what bought you to interior design in the first place?
GV: Yes I like fun ... I'm glad it shows in my work. I love what I do and I have a fantastic team in my office that is a huge part of what we accomplish both creatively and practically. We laugh a lot in the office and in meetings with our clients. It’s not brain surgery - nobody's life is on the line when I work - so it should be fun!
DS: I agree and feel the same in my design land. How did you get your start?
GV: At ten, I pushed my shoes out of the bottom of my closet and turned it into a Barbie apartment. I furnished it with my Barbie furniture and cut out magazine pictures which I stuck onto the walls with tape. I knew art was important even then. Another one of my favorite weekend pastimes was going to open houses with my Mom. Seeing other people's homes was always fascinating to me. So when it came time for me to decide what I wanted to do, interior design was a very obvious and natural choice.
The one drawback and insecurity I had was in high school when I was not accepted into the art program because my work was not strong enough. This was devastating for me, definitely set me back, and made me feel very insecure. I questioned my ability as a creative person. I did not realize that drawing and painting are just two single expressions of creativity and there are lots of others.
I did end up majoring in speech and drama and I think this came in pretty handy in my life actually. Today I see myself as a designer and a curator. I love bringing things together in a very specific way and often this involves humor or twists or a "tongue in cheek" approach. To me that just makes things lively and interesting. I don't think about it too hard but really sort of just let ideas come together. I love hearing about client's interests or history and then I start putting that information into a design story or into an aesthetic. It’s very intuitive.
DS: If you were not a designer, who would you hire to design your home?
If I were not a designer, I would ask Jaime Hayon and Faye Toogood to collaborate on the design of my home. Wow I can't believe I just came up with that - that would be amazing!!!! And actually I don't really like designing for myself because I can never make up my mind - I am my own worst client.
DS: Where do you find your inspiration?
GV: I am inspired by artists and creators of all kinds. For the last three years, I have been lucky enough to attend TED, and it always leaves me very inspired and eager to tackle new ideas -- it’s like a trampoline and lets me jump so much higher than I ever could on my own. I am inspired by my husband Jaime Viñas and his incredible talent and stability. I am inspired by my two amazing girls Mia Soleil and Saskia Luna - they are natural creators and I love watching them work and hearing their ideas. I am inspired by New York City and all the incredibly creative people I am surrounded by. I am inspired by nature - a bright red bug on a grey rock or a chartreuse leaf next to a purple flower. I am constantly online looking at all kinds of random inspiration. Inspiration is everywhere.
DS: Who is your dream client?
GV: A dream client is a client who calls me up and says “we want to hire you because we love your work." To feel that somebody wants to work with ME and not anybody else because they get what I am doing makes me so incredibly happy. Once we are on the same boat, the collaborative process is natural and fun and it allows for a fantastic voyage. I like clients who bring new ideas and challenges to the table, and I appreciate clients who make me work hard. I'm totally ok with a client not liking an idea or wanting to see more ideas just as long as we are thinking and dreaming along the same lines. I'm only as good as my clients so I cherish the good ones and don't take them for granted.
DS: If time and money were not an issue what would your dream project be?
GV: My dream project ... I have always wanted to design a small privately owned beach resort or a boutique hotel of some sort in a tropical setting. I love the ocean - it just makes me so happy, and I would just come up with the perfect aesthetic for it. Happy, relaxed, fun with maybe a little something cheeky and very luxurious ... but luxurious in a relaxed way not in an over processed way. When can I start????
DS: What artists do you admire?
GV: Oh there are way too many. My friend Paige West has had a huge influence on me as far as art goes. I've watched her fill the walls of interiors I have designed and its always astounding to see which pieces she selects. She is truly gifted. I love seeing unexpected pieces in interiors. I love Hendrik Kerstens work and I admire Nick Cave but really the list is too long, and there are too many artists who I love.
DS: What's next for Ghislaine?
GV: No idea! What's been lovely about my career thus far is that it has sort of just naturally evolved in a very organic way. I've worked with amazingly talented, exiting people and clients, and I've had so much fun in my career. I don't know what is next for me. We are working on some fantastic residential projects now, but I love how I can be sitting in my office working on something and the phone rings and that’s the next thing. I'm hoping that someone calls me today to tell me they love my work and want us to design a beach resort on a tropical island somewhere ... that would be nice. We are doing some product design in the office but it seems to be put on the back burner too often as we meet deadlines on our design projects. I am working on a very exciting new project with a new partner, but it’s not something I can reveal yet. I've always got to keep things fun and exciting and I'm always open to new fun ventures and opportunities - it’s really why I enjoy this gig so much.
DS: Me too. We’ll be watching out for all of your new developments. You are truly exciting, pal.
Ghislaine I liked this intervieuw and hope your wish comes through!
Posted by: lottie van loosbroek | March 05, 2013 at 11:06 AM