What's the first piece of art you fell in love with?
Picasso’s Guernica: I was fortunate to grow up in a home where art and design were an integral part of my life and I was exposed to art and design at an early age. My father was a Modernist architect and my mother was a director of a design gallery in the 1950s. They introduced me to the world of art and design. When I was ten years old my parents took me to the Museum of modern art in New York City and I had the chance to see Guernica for the first time. My first reaction was fascination with the artwork; I spent hours trying to identify and understand the magical images hidden within a particular piece. Guernica immediately illustrated to me the power of art, communication, and passion. Now I relate Guernica not only to a piece of art but also to my first trip to NYC with my parents, and the beginning of a love affair with art and design as well as the city itself.
Who are your favorite designers?
Tejo Remy, The Campana Brothers, Ingo Maurer.
What is the best piece of style advice you've ever heard?
When it comes to design, there is no right or wrong, but a matter of taste.
Who are your favorite writers?
Marguerite Yourcenar, Jorge Luis Borges, José Ortega y Gasset, Antoine de Saint-Exupery.
What is inspiring you these days?
The financial recession: Design tends to thrive during times of recession. Within the design world I now see a new level of consciousness that focuses on better and efficient use of our resources and the optimization of opportunities. I welcome a new time in which restrictions challenge us to ask questions and to think more critically while looking for new and innovative solutions.
What is your motto?
To make a difference: I am interested in design that really speaks to people who want to engage in a conversation with it, design whose ultimate purpose is revealed by the user, design that allows for the possibility of change, design that touches the senses. My hope is that my work encourages others to discover the delight in the potential of materials, spaces, and places. My ultimate wish is for the people who interact with my designs to be encouraged to recreate or reinterpret in their own terms the particular time and place in which they live.
What is your favorite indulgence?
Travel: It broadens one’s perspective, and as human beings we learn new norms. I love finding other perspectives and views on people and places. Travel brings new perspectives not only to the destination travelled but more importantly to the life and experiences we bring when we return home. Although I love traveling to Europe and North and South America, my favorite destination is always the one I have yet to take. I have desired to visit India since I was a teenager. I plan to make my first trip to India in the new year.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Love, and the self-awareness to understand what is truly important in life. I live life unconditionally; I love it and celebrate life by expressing it in my personal relationships as well as in my work.
What career other than your own would you like to attempt?
Photojournalist or dancer.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
My inability/unwillingness to remain still and focus on one thing or moment at a time.
