Barbara Kapelj Osredkar

Barbara Kapelj Osredkar: Where did your love for architecture, design come from?
Jeffrey Beers: Growing up in Manhattan. The city’s tremendous architecture had an undeniable effect on me.

BKO: Did you enjoy drawing and building houses when you were a child?
JB: As a matter of fact, during my senior year of high school, I chose to do a redesign of the school for my final project. The interest in design and architecture has always been with me.

BKO: I saw the Chihuly exhibition in De Young museum and I can see that you have both the same poetics. You are playing in your interiors with transparency, translucency, reflections, glass, colors, shadows… What kind of memories do you have about the time that you have spent blowing the glass? Does Chihuly still inspire your design?
JB: Truly. To this day, Chihuly has the greatest color sense of anyone I’ve known. I am continually inspired by Dale’s use of color – he has the most dramatic, sensual, powerful flair for color, and I’d like to think this comes through in my own work.

BKO: What are your memories of Oscar Niemeyer and I. M. Pei?
JB: I’ll never forget walking down the promenade of Copacabana with Oscar Niemeyer talking about architecture. With Pei I have vivid recollections of being in board meetings with him – he had the incredible gift of being able to dazzle and inspire the most non-creative people in the industry.

BKO: Do you have any icons in architecture, art, interior design?
JB: Certainly. Francis Bacon, Rothko, Scarpa,Picasso, Palladio. . . these are all inspirations of mine.

BKO: Who among interior designers, fashion designers, architects or artist past or present have most influenced your design?
JB: It is difficult to say who has most influenced my work. A recent example is Morris Lapidus, whose iconic Fontainebleau Resort we recently completed renovation of. His work is bold and striking, and certainly inspired my own work on the project.

BKO: Which are the projects that you think make your work stand out?
JB: I am particularly proud of The Cove resort in The Bahamas. Rum Jungle and Tabu stand out as nightclub projects, and I would also say the original China Grill here in New York.

BKO: Which were the projects that have been dreams realized?
JB: Probably The Cove is the project closest to a dream of mine. I have always wanted to do a resort on a tropical island, so The Cove was really exciting for me. That dream hasn’t left me though, and I hope to do many more in the future.

BKO: Do you still make hand sketches?
JB: Yes.

BKO: How much are you limited and how much freedom in design do you have?
JB: I feel I have unlimited freedom in my creative freedom.

BKO: If you had no limits and no laws what kind of a place would you design?
JB: A dream.

BKO: Can you describe your workday?
JB: Full of meetings, phone calls, sessions with designers.

BKO: Do you have any rituals before you design?
JB: I am constantly brainstorming, searching and observing. I walk through inspiring spaces, or travel, sketch and think about possibilities.

BKO: How do you start the project-from wild ideas or from simple ones?
JB: I always start with strong, bold, clear ideas.

BKO: Where do you get the ideas, the inspirations?
JB: That’s a secret.

BKO: Which are your preferred colors, materials, and fabrics; and which don’t you like to use at all?
JB: I love bold colors, vibrancy, richness. Natural materials often have some or all of these qualities, and I love employing materials such as natural stone and wood in projects. This, paired with the latest in innovative and unique products makes for great depth in a space.

BKO: Is less still more?
JB: Sometimes.

BKO: How many people are working on one project and how much does it take to make a good interior?
JB: It varies. I don’t believe there is a set number of designers to create a good interior – it takes strong creative force and clear direction within any team.

BKO: What do you think about American interior design?
JB: The 1940s I believe represented the best of American interior Design with the supperclub culture and old Hollywood glamour.

BKO: New York, London, Dubai, and Tokyo – do you use completely different compositions in different cultures or do you feel as a global interior designer?
JB: I strive to be both. I certainly compose interiors to relate to their environments, but as a designer, I also have a distinct look and expression in my work, which carries through every project.

BKO: Could you briefly describe the projects at which you are working on presently?
JB: We just completed work on Bond, a restaurant and lounge in the historic Langham Hotel in Boston. We are currently at work on Fontainebleau in Las Vegas, an InterContinental project in New York, a nightclub in Morocco, a Pan-Asian restaurant in Philadelphia, as well as a high-profile residence in Manhattan.

BKO: What are your thoughts about organic, ecological design?
JB: I am excited by the shifting as designers towards more ecologically safe and intelligent design. I look forward to see what innovations, new materials, and technologies result from these changes in the industry. I also hope that clients continue to embrace this new way of practicing and encourage designers to follow suit.

BKO: What would you say to anyone who aspires to be an interior designer today?
JB: Stick to your dreams, while having a clear understanding of the realities of the business.

BKO: What are the most important design trends affecting the next generation?
JB: Certainly the ecological/sustainable movement – thinking intelligently about design choices and how they will affect the guest and the environment.