This month, we sat down with Geremia Design’s founder and principal, Lauren Geremia. The Bay Area firm has an impressive portfolio of projects which include hospitality, retail, commercial and residential spaces. Geremia utilizes her background in art to help develop custom environments that inspires creativity and collaboration.
Geremia speaks to us about how art influences her work, her relationship with technology and words of wisdom to her younger self.
Take us back to the beginning. When did you decide to become a designer?
When I moved to San Francisco, I believed that there was a lot of room for me in terms of opportunity. My background is in art, which translates as having an education in aesthetics and conceptual ideas. I realized that interior design included so many things that I love, materials and textures, space planning, art consulting, furniture and product design. It felt like an organic transition from art to design. Since the beginning, I’ve used my connections to other emerging artist and utilized their work in my designs.
How does living in Bay Area affect your design practice and your design thinking?
The Bay area is filled with people who are changing the world through technology, and many of my clients are innovators in their field. My clients interests and passions directly influence my design work. With the fast paced changes and the newness that is occurring in the the bay, I like to add contrast with my design work via a sense of timelessness. It’s about creating experiences and spaces for our clients that generally last and grow in beauty over time.
At what point in any given project do you start thinking of furnishings? Is it more of a finishing touch or is it integral to the whole thinking process?
I am usually working with furniture concepts that form in the beginning of a project, and bring those ideas through the end when I source actual pieces and make final purchases. I take inspiration for the design as a whole from the clients interests, site architecture and history, and contemporary art trends. Sometimes the concepts are as simple as including a woven texture or a certain unique material like charred wood.
You collaborate quite a bit with other artists, how does this influence your work?
Art is often the focal point of our spaces, and we love to commission original art work for our projects. Artistic touches bring a sense of contemporary culture that we love to integrate in to our work. Plus, our team is constantly taking inspiration from fine art, including installations, even when we aren’t looking for artwork to purchase.
Have there been any notable influences on your career?
Traveling to different parts of the globe, and experiencing different kinds of architecture, design, and detailing.
If you were to give your younger self advice in regards to a career in design, what would it be?
It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon.
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