Interview with New York Interior Designer Sara Gilbane

Earlier this year, the seasoned, Traditional Home and youngster, Lonny collaborated to create a new digital shelter magazine, TRADhome. In it’s debut issue, TRADhome names 20 New Traditional Designers to Watch. On the coveted list is New York-base interior designer, Sara Gilbane. She is known for her classic modern-traditional style and artfully combining low-key and elegant pieces. Sara’s interiors are chic, yet grounded in practicality.

 

Simplified Bee: When did you know you wanted to be an interior designer? 

Sara Gilbane: After my first day of work at Kemble Interiors. I was thrilled to be working with Celerie Kemble and Christina Murphy and once I dove into those fabrics I never looked back!

SB: How would you describe your personal style? 

SG: I come from a traditional background and love bold color and pattern mixed with neutrals. My style has a bit of an eclectic loved feel with a sense of calm.

SB: Who would you most like to collaborate with on a project? 

SG: Architects Peter Pennoyer or Gil Schafer. 

SB: Do you have “go to” paint colors? If so, which ones? 

SG: Benjamin Moore Linen White, Dove White, and Super White are always used on my moldings. Farrow and Ball Skylight is another favorite- a pale grey blue that makes you feel like you have been enveloped in a cloud.

SB: Which of today’s interior design trends are here to stay and which ones will we see fade away?

SG: Ikat, zebra, sisal, jewel tones, reclaimed wood, and bold color are all trending but they are classics and will never go away. Perhaps neon is one trend we will (gladly) see go.

SB: Where do you recommend clients splurge versus save? 

SG: Splurge on drapes, wallpaper, and a custom sofa ( you will LIVE on this for 20 years and it will be amazingly comfortable). Save on cocktail table, side tables, lamps. With this splurge/ save combo the splurge items are so unique people assume the rest of your pieces are special. Then again.... if you fall in love with something, buy it. Since you love it you will always find a way of working it into your next home.

SB: I love the timelessness of the nursery you designed that was featured in TRADhome. Tell us about your favorite design elements in the space. 

SG: We used a classic wool rug with a timeless geometric pattern in charcoal grey, celadon green, and slate blue to hide stains. The room had a tremendously high ceiling so we added silver star wallpaper on the ceiling and a custom painted pale blue and white circus tent stripe on the walls to add a sense of whimsy to the room. The deep mulberry colored rocking chair is one of my favorite pieces. It is so comfortable and the shape makes it perfect for a growing child ( not stuck in a nursery forever).

SB: You are embracing social media and write a blog {Travel for Design}, are on Facebook and can be found tweeting {http://twitter.com/sgilbane}. Do you prefer one over the other? What is your advice to other interior designers who are timid about trying social media marketing outlets? 



SG: I love the blog though I do not have nearly enough time to update it as much as I would like to. I need to be better with tweeting! I would advise other designers not to be timid. I was not sure anyone would read our blog and we have over 6,000 hits a day! Go forth and blog, tweet, and tumble!

SB: Fill in the blank. No room is complete without… 



SG: Art.

SB: What’s next for Sara Gilbane Interiors? 



SG: I would love to design a range of fabrics and wallpapers for one of the fabric houses. I am fabric obsessed!

*images via Sara Gilbane Interiors and TRADhome

Kitchen Lighting Designs

Kitchen Interior Design

Kitchen Design Photos

Kitchen Furniture Designs

New Discovery: Kitchens.com

The great thing about the internet and blogs is that there is always something new to be learned.  For a passionate lifelong learner, like myself, it becomes a joy when I stumble upon a great new website through the referral of a great blogger.  Truth be told, this is how I usually find all the blogs that I read - through the referrals of other blogs I enjoy, because there is a level of trust I have with them - if they put out great content and I enjoy reading their blog, someone that they refer is getting at least a click-through, if not follow via Google Reader.

This is how I discovered the Kitchens.com website today.  Paul Anater, of Kitchen and Residential Design blog, referenced them in an article that he wrote about one of their new features in helping homeowners research the kitchen process.  In going through the website myself, I found a wealth of information that I believe every homeowner who is researching either a new kitchen or kitchen remodel should look into.  It covers different kitchen products (everything from flooring to appliances to crown moulding), what to expect when remodeling, and why using a kitchen designer is so beneficial.   If you are planning on doing anything in your kitchen, you should definitely check this site out and take the time to read the informative articles that they have available.

What You Can do to Your Kitchen for $1000

A lot of potential customers come to us not wanting to spend a lot of money on their kitchen.  They carry a belief that refacing - or our custom-made product recrafting - is going to get them the kitchen of their dreams on the cheap.  But more often than not, we have to break the bad news to them - their dream kitchen is going to cost money.  And in fact, it is going to cost you somewhere in between $10k to $20k.  Many people don't want to hear that.  They don't like to think that there are real costs associated with re-doing a kitchen well - and that these costs are actually extremely fairly priced in today's market.

BUT....there are things that you can do to update the look of your 30-yr old kitchen that don't have to break the bank.  Check out the before and after pictures and the project description that our VP of cabinetry worked on for her niece.

THE ISSUES:
1 - The kitchen has 30+yr old cabinets with a white dishwasher and range that were 5+years old and a refrigerator and range hood who's age has yet to be discovered.  Needless to say the appliances did not match.
2 - The shelf unit over the peninsula portion of the countertop created a huge division in the sightline and aesthetic flow of the room's space.
3 - The tile countertops were dirty and had missing or broken front edge tiles.
4 - The wall cabinets had an uneven bulkhead above them.

THE SOLUTION:
1 - White appliance paint changed the refrigerator and avocado green range hood to standard white, creating matching appliances throughout the kitchen space.
2 - The dividing shelf unit came down, opening up the space.
3 - The tiles on the front edge of the countertop came off and were replaced with a dark stained 2" wood trim.
4 - Large white crown moulding above the wall cabinets was added to bridge the gap between the ceiling and cabinets and both the trim and ceiling were painted white to match and create a unified sightline.

Water damage had caused the sink base doors to warp and be covered in water stains, while also causing the dishwasher and countertop to be unlevel.

The problems from the water damage were fixed with new birch plywood doors and drawer fronts and a brace that went underneath the cabinets to level the countertop and dishwasher.  New hardware was also added, completing the overall change in the look of the kitchen.

Some elbow grease, Murphy's Oil, clear lacquer, and clear poly finishes helped add polish and panache to the rest of the cabinetry.  Commercial tile and grout cleaner cleaned up the backsplash and counters.  The light fixture, sink, and faucet were all updated as well, creating the finished kitchen.  It goes to show just how much the look of a kitchen can change with the details and some cleaners. 

And meanwhile, you can save some dollars for when you actually want to design and create your dream kitchen :).