DESIGN SANTA BARBARA
VIGNETTE BY PROFESSOR DIANA COSTEA
Diana earned her Master’s Degree in Architecture from CalPoly Pomona in 2005. Originally, from Eastern Europe, Romania, Diana moved to Santa Barbara in 1991 and 3 years later built her own custom home in the Mission Canyon Hills. The process was challenging but exciting and inspiring at the same time. She loved it so much that she pursued a career in Architecture and Interior Design.
It is this passion for design that fueled all the subsequent endeavors. Diana realized that it is not enough to just design a good building, as they don’t exist in a vacuum. A good designer should be concerned with the exterior complexities as well as the interior ones and their impact on the inhabitants.
Through her practice, which includes commercial and residential projects, Diana discovered new ways of experiencing Interior spaces that satisfy the unconscious and the senses. She was especially drawn to the material language, the juxtaposition of contrasting materials and their association with light. Interior Design is magic when one can apply attention and care and create an environment that make people feel better then when they arrive!
With the goal of “giving back” and passing on the knowledge she acquired, Diana teaches part time at Santa Barbara City College in the Drafting/CAD/Interior Design Department.
ITEMS FEATURED
VIGNETTE BY INTERIOR DESIGN STUDENT LISA
Lisa Ostendorf, a graduate of UCSB, and current student of the SBCC Interior Design program has always been passionate about color, holistic health, nature, design, antiques, and vintage anything, especially clothing and homes. Her design ideas stem from how color, home materials, and space planning affect one’s health, and that of the planet. She focuses on incorporating feng shui, green products, color psychology, and personal color systems in order to reflect her clients’ individuality, and also to promote their wellness and prosperity.
She has worked in kitchen design, and has also completed 5 major renovations on her 3 homes, including her turn-of-the-last-century Craftsman, as well as consulted on other smaller projects. Recently, she was chosen to design 2 outdoor vignettes for the Santa Barbara Design Center’s television show, and she is also proud to say she has learned the computer design programs of AutoCAD, and Revit. When she’s not dreaming of or working on another design project, she volunteers with the bunny shelter and Audubon society, is active in 3 community health groups, sings, and travels.
She lives gluten-free in Santa Barbara with her husband, Mark, an aeronautical engineer, her son, Ryan, and their Coton-de-Tulear, Jaunty, and has 3 other adult children and step-children, and their families. She can be contacted at [email protected].
