Welcome to Future Talks by RTF, where we engage in insightful conversations with design pioneers shaping the landscape of the future.
In our ongoing series, we are thrilled to host Sarah Bernard, a distinguished designer and advocate for personalised, sustainable spaces that prioritise mental, physical, and emotional well-being. As a WELL AP and LEED AP, Sarah’s work goes beyond aesthetics, delving into the realms of consciousness, inclusivity, and compassion in the creative process. Her innovative designs, deeply rooted in art and environmental preservation, have garnered recognition in prestigious publications such as Architectural Digest, Elle Décor, Vogue, and HGTV.
Join us as we delve into Sarah’s journey, exploring the stories behind her restorative spaces and her commitment to a mindful and eco-conscious approach to design.
Explore more about Sarah’s work at www.sarahbarnard.com and follow her journey on Instagram at www.instagram.com/kaletreeshop.
RTF: Tell us about the Sarah Barnard Design and what is your design philosophy.
Sarah: Sarah Barnard Design is an interior design studio specialising in sustainable spaces supporting emotional, physical, and environmental well-being. Personalization plays a crucial role in developing these spaces, as each person will have unique needs and require specific approaches for a space that can help contribute to calm, happiness, and ease of living. Because of our studio’s focus on customization, many of our designs work closely with the local environment as a point of inspiration to help develop a symbiotic relationship that can support nature, wildlife, and people sharing that space.
RTF: You recently became a certified Naturalist, which tells a lot about your open mindset towards learning and changing. How would you highlight the importance of constantly evolving in architecture?
Sarah: The world is growing and changing every day. Continued education is integral to both professional and personal development, allowing us to keep ahead of current trends and bring our clients the latest technologies and best practices in contemporary design.
Throughout my career, continued learning has been crucial for my practice, from my LEED and WELL accreditation to my certification as a California Naturalist. As our world changes, education can help us adapt, problem-solve, and connect, benefiting personal, communal, and environmental well-being.
Nature plays a significant role in my creative process, helping to balance productivity and structure with mindfulness and mental quiet. Biophilic design is beneficial in interior spaces, both for its beauty and positive impacts on emotional and physical well-being. In a recent California home project, I created a tangible connection with the outdoors through design concepts that incorporated and worked with the beautiful views of the surrounding woods, mirroring this landscape within the home through natural materials, finishes, and imagery.
RTF: Which has been the most rewarding project for you until today? And what factors made it so?
Sarah: One of my most rewarding projects was a multi-room living space that I custom-designed for a family with a neurodivergent child. This project connected several rooms within the family home that focused on the sensory experience of a space, and was designed to help him thrive in every aspect and live his best life with his family, visiting teachers, and therapist.
This project incorporated energetic spaces that included custom-designed climbing forms with toys and areas for play. We designed an indoor treehouse with a slide that goes through a window onto an outdoor patio and a tunnel that goes from the base level of the treehouse into an adjacent room. There is also an intimate space for reading and focused therapies and a sleeping space designed with abundant soft upholstered surfaces on the walls, incorporating tactility into the space.
By taking a deep dive into the objects and components of each room, we were able to customize this family home to create an inclusive, supportive, and healing space in which this family can thrive and live their best life.
RTF: What are your views on working collaboratively with contractors and consultants? How exciting and challenging it is at the same time?
Sarah: Collaboration is a great way to reach creative solutions, learn from others, and expand our abilities. We often collaborate with local artists and craftspeople in our projects to develop unique solutions and craft specialty items. I also love collaborating with clients looking for unique, sustainable, supportive home solutions. We’ve worked with several clients on developing custom wellness spaces. Each person has a unique perspective on what experiences may foster well-being, from outdoor botanical scapes to encourage mindfulness, peaceful meditation nooks, or home yoga studios. Working with others to develop a dream space focusing on ultra personalization is a process I always enjoy.
RTF: What is your idea of finding one’s design voice in a world full of ideas?
Sarah: I find a good first step in finding your voice is to trust and listen to how an object or a space makes you feel. Beauty affects us all and gives us what I like to call a “sparkly” feeling. We should be mindful, in our body, paying attention to how colors, textures, and shapes affect us in space. Seeing something beautiful puts us in awe, and we should trust that sensation.
RTF: How do you approach communicating your architectural projects and ideas to a wider audience? Are there specific communication strategies you find most effective?
Sarah: The Sarah Barnard Design Blog creates a space where we can share our projects with a wider audience and take a deeper dive into the concepts that drive our process. We have covered subjects such as inclusive language within the design world and creating spaces where neurodivergent individuals can thrive. Blog posts such as “Designing naturally: Enhancing spaces through biophilia “and “How interior design can facilitate mindfulness and reduce stress and burnout” explore my interest in the potential for biophilic design to create mindful, healing spaces in the home, which contributed to my founding of Kale Tree.
Kale Tree began as an extension of my interior design practice. The level of personalization in our projects led to the creation of many custom home decor products. Kale Tree designs nature-inspired wall coverings, botanical fabrics, and environmentally-minded home goods that reflect the aesthetics and values I share with many clients. One of our most recent releases is a Matilija Poppy pattern available as a textile, wallcovering, and rug. Matilija Poppies are a favorite California native flower, and it was important to me to offer something that had a broad appeal while also speaking more personally to people living in a region where they regularly enjoy these flowers. Kale Tree offers vegan home goods, multiple nature-inspired colorways, and custom colors suited to personal preferences.
RTF: Can you share your experiences and insights into the challenges and benefits of getting published in online and print media platforms?
Sarah: Our design studio is contacted regularly by writers and editors seeking images and details of our design projects as well as expert commentary on contemporary design trends. We are often asked about the specific locations of projects or the contact details of clients so that writers can correspond with them directly. While we understand the value of this extra information for a journalist, and we value our relationships with writers, we prefer to focus on the design principles and strategies that were utilized in the project, finding a balance between sharing helpful tips with the general public and protecting our client’s privacy.
RTF: Falling out of love’ with the practice and ‘obsessing’ over a project is not an uncommon phenomenon in creative fields. How does one keep a stable head to pursue design to the best of their abilities?
Sarah: Walking in the woods or visiting the ocean or desert can help me feel more calm, grounded, and connected. I aim to fold that experience into my designs, whether working on interiors or products for Kale Tree. Many palettes, materials, patterns, and textures are pulled from these walks and time spent outdoors. It helps me connect to a more creative mental space and relate my designs to local exterior environments.
RTF: What is the process of establishing a common ground when dealing with a client’s demands and your ideas? How important do you consider ‘The Art of Persuasion’ for architects?
Sarah: While it may be common practice to steer clients toward the tastes and interests of the designer, I deeply understand that I am creating a supportive environment that is customized for an individuals needs. We want our clients to thrive in their environment. It is very rewarding to have the opportunity to work and collaborate with clients who share our values of home health, biophilic and eco-conscious design, and we’re always open to considering and implementing their desires and dreams to create personalized, healing spaces through custom furnishings and finishes where they can live their best life.
RTF: Can you reflect on your journey as an architect and give young students and architects some wisdom to excel in this field?
Sarah: The experience of living in historic homes throughout Los Angeles as I was growing up, introduced me to the restoration, renovation and care that these spaces require. This instilled within me an understanding of environmental responsibility, the importance of spending time in nature and a passion for wellness focused design. My professional practice as an interior designer influenced my decision to pursue a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) credential in 2007 and a WELL Accredited Professional credential in 2018.
It’s important to prioritize a work-life balance, making sure to make time for family and friends and walking in nature.
There is a time to bloom and a time to nourish ourselves. Many of us experience pressure to constantly produce and neglect the time needed to seek comfort, explore curiosities, and find inspiration. It’s as important to spend time absorbing information from our experiences and surroundings and to take in art and nature as it is to create something new.
The process is the point. I consider this to be good life and design advice. It’s easy to forget that the “end” product in design is often the start of its life, whether a freshly designed room or a newly upholstered sofa. In the early stages of designing, considering the function and lifespan of an item can help make thoughtful decisions.
