The most successful designs, with longevity of design, are all based in nature
Brenda Anderson Interior Elements & Design
I’m super excited to bring you this months designer spotlight. Brenda Anderson of Interior Elements & Design is our designer in the spotlight. She is the creative force behind her full service interior design firm, Interior Elements & Design, located here in Kansas City. Brenda and I have shared several design projects over the years and I have come to regard her as a good friend. She is an award winning designer and also creates amazing art. Grab a cup of coffee or tea and read on.
SGS: How did your interest in design begin?
BA: I can’t tell you when my interest in interior design began, it feels like it was always there. I began my professional life as a commercial underwriter for a national insurance company right out of college. Once my youngest when to full day kindergarten, I took an interior design class. At the end of the first class, I spoke to the instructor about how awesome the class was… she said, well, if you love this, and want to take the following class next semester, you need to take three more classes this semester as prerequisites. I drove home and enrolled in three more classes. Later in the day, a military spouse told me about a grant that was just announced, paid for by private industry, to provide scholarship money for military spouses to get degrees in portable careers to reduce the divorce rate in military families. By the end of the day, I’d applied for and been granted, a full scholarship for interior design. When my husband got home that night, I greeted him by saying, “Guess what, Honey?! I’m full-time college student again, and this time it’s paid for! I’m going to be an Interior Designer!” LOL
SGS: Where do you source inspiration?
BA: We source inspiration from traveling, art, a lot of nature and everyday experiences. The most successful designs, with longevity of design, are all based in nature. If we can stay within a design, based or inspired in nature, it will be timeless. You can think of nature as your go to timeless palette.
SGS: What is a favorite space that you have designed?
BA: I can’t say I have one favorite design! I love them all equally, like my kids!! 😊 However, if the client says, “you know us, so just create something we’d love to come home to…” that becomes my dream client. The dream client is a repeat client that completely trusts us and our process, knowing that they’ll love the result.
SGS: If you could redo any space in your home what would that be?
BA: My kitchen is in desperate need of a full makeover. Through-out my husband’s military career, we would buy the worst house in the neighbor, fix it up, sell a profit, then move on to the next assignment. My husband is now retired from the military, so I’m taking my time and enjoying reworking our home to fit our lifestyle and aesthetic.
SGS: If you had no limits (money, resources) what would you create?
BA: If I had unlimited resources and time, I’d create a backyard with a large water feature, gardens and living space. However, right now, I’m still working on the interior. 😊
SGS: Is there a particular designer’s work that has influenced you and you admire?
BA: Candice Olson is my #designercrush. I love her quirky sense of humor and her easy, elegant and functional design aesthetic.
SGS: From your point of view, is design an art or a science?
BA: I believe that design is a balanced mix of both art and science. There are tried and true principles and elements of design, that if not followed, create chaos in the final design. It’s that simple. Therefore, if principles and elements are considered science, it’s the basis for a solid, functional and cohesive design. However, there are always times where you can push a principle or element out of the norm to create the unexpected, that becomes the art portion of a balanced and unexpected design.
SGS: What is your approach to balancing beauty and function?
BA: Aesthetically, we can make any design look beautiful, but if the room does not function well for the client we have failed in a beautiful design. We focus on how the client lives in the space and how can we improve it. Once we’ve determined what works great, we’ll keep those elements and work to fix everything else. The beautifully finished interior will easily fall into place if we are successful. If the client doesn’t use the space when the design is complete, how can they refer our firm?
SGS: What design faux-pas makes you cringe?
BA: Design Faux that make me cringe… LOL, scale. Hands down. Tiny art on the wall, itty bitty coffee tables, oh, and baby rugs!!
SGS: Does your home reflect your professional style?
BA: My home does not reflect my professional style, in so much that I don’t consider myself to have a professional style. We spend a considerable amount of time with the clients in the discovery phase to create an aesthetic that reflects their experiences, lifestyle and personal style. We will help them discover, if they don’t know, at the beginning of the design process. Our favorite compliments at the end of a project is when they exclaim, “WOW!! It looks just like us! How did you do that?!! It’s perfect.” My greatest fear is for someone to say, “Gosh, did Brenda at Interior Elements & Design do this? It looks like their style..”
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed and found this glimpse into Brenda’s creative approach and philosophy on design fun and insightful. Nature plays such an important role in the designed space and our well being too. Brenda’ comments regarding the role of nature in her work remind us all that “design and decor inspired by nature” is timeless. Here at Sage Garden Style we are all about showing you how you can achieve that with architecture, color choices, furniture, fabric, and accessories for your interior and exterior spaces.
If you are in need of professional design services, commissioned artwork, or would like to see more about Brenda and her work you can check out her Instagram profile and website listed below. Brenda Anderson Allied ASID, CLIPP
Insta: interior_elements_and_design
Don’t forget to check back each month as we have a great lineup of more designers to come!