Sarah Sarna is an interior designers based in Manhattan, New York, and editor of Live The Life You Dream About. Her site is a blog giving lifestyle advice focusing on the belief that design is about embracing life to the fullest. Sarah has over 10 years of experience within the design sector and has worked for a number of high-end residential firms. She finally set up her self-titled firm in 2011. So we are proud to bring you the Designer Insights of Sarah Sarna.
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1) In your own words describe your unique style and creative aesthetic?
I would describe my aesthetic as classic with a fashion-forward edge. I love traditional design elements, like toile for instance, yet with a twist, for example the neon pink embroidery Alessandra Branca has added to her Continenti toile for F. Schumacher. I love mixing old and new, and high and low: classical style with fashion-influenced accents.
2) When starting a new project, what is your creative process?
As a blogger and as an interior designer I begin with the narrative, the story that is to be told. With clients that means understanding who they are and how they live, as well as what they aspire to project. The process is the same with each article I write for my lifestyle blog, Live The Life You Dream About (sarahsarna.com): who or what is the piece about, and how do they live or how does the item facilitate a lifestyle.
3) Out of the creative people you have worked with, who is it that you respect and admire the most?
I have worked with so many amazingly talented creative people, but the person who has taught me the most, by far, is Mara Miller, now of the interior design firm Carrier and Company. Mara was my manager when I entered the New York design world as a newbie junior designer at a boutique SoHo firm. She taught me project management, design politics, how to train my eye, and a great deal in between. I consider her to be my mentor, as I've consulted with Mara time and time again along the way in my decade-long career. She provided me with a solid foundation of skill and knowledge that can't be taught in design school, which I've utilized every day in several firms since, and now in my own practice.
4) When looking for inspiration is there a particular thing you do to get inspired?
I am inspired by seeing, and exposure to new things. This can mean new products at a trade show, new work by a favorite designer or new source, traveling, or simply trying to be as present in the moment as possible. Being right here, right now goes a long way.
5) What has brought you to this point in your career? And what is your advice for people looking to follow in your footsteps?
I have been an interior designer for all my professional life, and before that a student of Literature. When I launched my own design practice in 2011, I also started my blog. To my surprise, the blog has become the perfect marriage of design and storytelling for me, so much so that I am currently taking a break from my design practice to fully focus on Live The Life You Dream About. This point in my career has come about by listening to my heart, and my advice to others is do the same.
