Designer Interview with Diana Sawicki

Photographs by ChiChi Ubiña

Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina

What influences did you have growing up that made you become a designer?
My father had a textile factory and even as a child, I loved going there and playing with the yarns, mixing colors, textures.  At one point, he let me design some fabrics for his collection. The real influence was living in the city, Buenos Aires has always been a very cosmopolitan city, each neighborhood reflects architecturally the community that settled there and it was always of European roots.

When I started to be aware of the beauty of its neighborhoods, the one I was most attracted to was “Barrio Norte” with its mansions, petit hotels and prewar apartment buildings that were straight from Paris. It captivated my imagination and when I visited some of those apartments filled with antiques, works of art and mix of styles and periods it made a mark on me. I couldn’t wait to be able to create spaces myself, and to put all those wonderful things together. As I grew up, I started to appreciate less opulent areas and admire their simplicity and ingenuity. My first subscription for a magazine was for a decorating one when I was 13 years old. All I wanted to be was a “decorator.”

What would you consider your design style?
My design style is based on a balance mix of periods, materials, colors and textures disregarding their provenance or style. The result is a fresh, comfortable inviting space that welcomes the technology that is part of our lives, and that can be contemporary or traditional, formal or casual but it will always reflect the client’s needs and taste.

How long have you been designing? Where did you study?
I have my own company since 1994, I studied in Buenos Aires and at Parsons School of Design.

How do you define “home”?
A home is a space where an individual can feel protected, rest, feed, socialize, raise a family, the space should reflect this person’s personality and fill his needs.

What are some questions you ask your clients before begin a project?
What are your needs? What do you expect this project to do for you? What can I do to help you achieve your goal?

What can you tell about a person when you walk in a room?
If the room belongs to that person - a lot.  Is the person neat, organized, formal, casual, creative, settled in the space? And much more.

Who are some designers that have influence your work?  And how?
Billy Baldwin, Dorothy Draper, Jean Michel Frank, Elsie de Wolfe, there are so many more, each had a different style, but all of them brought something new to the design field that at some point inspired me.

What are some trends we should look out in design?  Any particular colors?
I don’t like to focus on trends, they come and go and a home cannot be changing every three months according to the trends the magazines announce. I like new elements that help refresh a space, that keep it personal and updated:  colors, some accessories, new materials for bathrooms and kitchens that are wonderful for their texture and practicality bring a new dimension to a design. In terms of color, I love blue, in light or dark, alone or mixed with other colors. I also love white as a color, it should be used with conviction not as a neutral, that is bland.

How does your home design reflect on what you wear?
My design doesn’t reflect on what I wear. It is the reverse, I apply my approach of well edited clothes, made with good materials and dedicated craftsmanship to what I like to use in a room. Good design is good design for clothes or for a home.

Who is your dream client and why?
A dream client encourages my creativity, supports it and shares my enthusiasm for the project. This person will have a positive attitude and will understand that I will always be by their side until the project is finished.

Diana Sawicki Interior Design
14 Warnock Drive
Westport, CT 06880
203-454-5890
www.dianasawicki.com