On this episode of Design Santa Barbara we are honored to have talented designer Leesa Wilson Goldmuntz who has an unmistakable style when it comes to interior design. Leesa first became a designer because she and her husband moved a lot and found her self in London, upstate New York, and Connecticut. She did not like paying for others finished product and would rather support her own. With buying houses that needed fixing up leesa was able to use her amazing talent in interior design.
Leesa’s inspirations when it comes to interior design is either the home she is working with or the client. She starts by asking her clients how they live and what do you want to do with this space.
Elements are very important in interior design but it always goes back to the client and making sure they feel comfortable in there space. For example, if the customer is a particularly colorful person, Leesa makes sure that the colors that surround them also energize them. Its also important to as the client what colors they do not like, especially before painting. Incorporating natural elements also helps feel grounded with the surroundings from the inside and outside.
When working with the clients personal items or antiques it revolves around the inspiration stage when you first meet and talk about what they have and what they want to keep. When leesa is called in to do renovations or a house that need freshening up its important that when someone whats to bring something with them that the designer knows why and the significant it holds for them.
Many people do not know the differences between staging and designing. 50% of Leesa’s business is interior and the other 50% is staging. Staging is almost the opposite of interior design because stating is a home that is going to be marketing for sale appeals to the widest possible group of buyers. You are selling square footage, details of the house and when the house is to cluttered with the people who have been living there or there things. Suddenly you are looking at the people and not the home. Design should reflect exactly who is living in that home.
Staging has become far more popular in the last decade. Marketing online really changed the game with showing the light and space in photos for people to be able to get a sense of staging and what the house looks like. Whether there is lighting coming in or not, how big the room is and what it can fit. Taking pictures is important for those who are visual. Buying a home there is an expectation level, especially in Santa Barbara things need to look done.
Leesa goes about staging a property by asking the real estate agent that she is working with who do you think your buyer pool is and who is this house going to sell to. For example if it is a two story house in a good school district, there is a high chance it will be sold to a family.
Its important that the inside of the house reflects what the outside of the house looks like. For instance, have you ever walked up to a cottage style house but when you walk it everything is modern but expected a more cottage approach. Its important to reinforce the aspect of the house because its what people expect to see.
