We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Mitra Gholami ("MG").
Mitra Gholami is a young professional interior designer with big visions for the future. Her main goal is to bring joy and satisfaction to her clients and not only bring that in San Francisco where she lives now but to the whole world. from the beginning, she wanted to change the way everyone would look at interior design because she believes a good design will not only change the appearance of a space but will change the behavior of the people using it.
Mitra Gholami Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Mitra Gholami.
Designer Interview of Mitra Gholami:
DI: Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
MG : I have a bachelor and master degree in interior architecture. I was always inspired by art and great artists such as Vincent van Gogh and Michelangelo and I always wanted to be a great designer in the interior design field.
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
MG : My company was established in 2015 and since then I have been focusing on highend commercial, hospitality and residential project in the bay area.
DI: What is "design" for you?
MG : Design for me is to take something broken and turn it into a unique character.
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
MG : I enjoy hospitality and commercial type of projects more.
DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
MG : Every project for me is unique and enjoyable. But my favorite project is a lounge that I am designing in San Francisco and it is inspired by 1920's art deco style. The fact that I could bring the old American era design into 20's by my creativity, is fascinating to me.
DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
MG : The first project was a coworking space in San Francisco that I've designed.
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
MG : My favorite material is wood and leather or a mixture of both in a space.
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
MG : at the beginning of each project, I feel the most creative because there is no limit to what I can design.
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
MG : In a good interior design project, every aspect of the design counts from lighting, sound, material, functionality and the color.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
MG : I feel happy when I design a project.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
MG : I feel satisfied and proud when people appreciate my design.
DI: What makes a design successful?
MG : When a project is done and I see my client and his customers happy I know that, that project was successful.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
MG : the shape and functionality.
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
MG : A goo designer should know what the society and environment needs, and according to that submit the final product.
DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
MG : Technology is the future of design. Nowadays there are alot of projects that evolve technology.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
MG : Before designing any project, I research alot about my clients need and after that, I look at different design magazines and website to come up with my own ideas.
DI: How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
MG : My personal design style is rustic and industrial. I enjoy using reclaimed and natural material in my design because it gives character to space.
DI: Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
MG : I am originally from Iran where the culture has alot of effect on design, and now I live in united states but I have no difficulty, adopting to the new design and using it in my projects.
DI: How do you work with companies?
MG : For each project, I team up with different contractors, architects, and subcontractors to finish a project.
DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
MG : Each designer is professional in a certain field and types of project, it is always better to work with the ones that are qualified for the certain job.
DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?
MG : First is to listen to the clients need, then do research about the concept of design to present to the client and after the concept is approved I create a 3D perspective model for my clients to see the actual design. After the whole design and material selection is approved the construction or the remodeling will start.
DI: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
MG : Sofa, floor lamp, cushions, accessories, and art.
DI: Can you describe a day in your life?
MG : every morning I wake up early and do some exercises, then I have a good healthy breakfast. After my breakfast, I open my emails to see if any of my clients have emailed me and then I start working on my projects while listening to music.
DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
MG : Never be afraid to work on your passion and create what you always imagined for yourself. It is always better to start what you want, even if you don't know how to do it, than just postponing it just because you don't know how to do it.
DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
MG : The positive part of being a designer is the fact that you can be creative and make other people happy with your creativity and the negative part of it is you can not make everyone happy since other people might have different taste in design than you.
DI: What is your "golden rule" in design?
MG : Always create something unique in every design.
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
MG : being patient, a good listener and being creative are the perfect skills for every designer.
DI: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
MG : I use Revit and 3D max studio to submit my work to my clients.
DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
MG : I always have a plan and prioritize my tasks in order to get everything done on time.
DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
MG : It really depends on the details, but it can take from a week to 3-4 months of work.
DI: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
MG : How long does it take and how much does it cost.
DI: What was your most important job experience?
MG : The most important job experience was to always depend on myself and always double check every detail.
DI: Who are some of your clients?
MG : mostly private owners are my clients.
DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
MG : The types of project that I enjoy the most are the ones that I can be free with my creativity and nothing will limit me.
DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
MG : The future plan for me would be to expand my firm and eventually start another location in other states and other parts of the world.
DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
MG : I used to have a business partner who would help me with design, but now I do everything myself until I hire more people.
DI: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
MG : I am currently working on a design of a lounge that is inspired by 1920's stye that will be done within 2 months, an apartment complex in Oakland city that I am responsible for designing the whole building and another nightclub and coworking space in Denver.
DI: How can people contact you?
MG : They can always reach me at my email address mitra.gholami@deleap.com .