Designer Insight

October 24, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (16)

The Beijing 2008 Olympic games were China's coming out party to the world to show that they are as powerful, sophisticated and open as the West. The televised opening and closing ceremonies and the actual Olympic events were all a huge success and captured the world. However, because I've been to China several times, I felt it was all fabricated. I saw a government using its money to buy internationally known architects to create an image and mask the country’s real problems: poverty and human rights issues. China has world class technology and low cost labor. But China is not yet a design-confident country and all of the impressive buildings that shaped the Olympics were designed by international architects. The $417 million Bird’s Nest Stadium was designed by Herzog and Meuron. The lovely blue bubble Cube Aquatic Center was designed by P...Read More

July 31, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (3)

Describe your idea or memory of the perfect summer place. Has anything about that special place in time provided inspiration for your work?

For me, summer has always been about travel, fun, lightness and beaches, things that I always incorporate into the body of my interior design work. As a child my family traveled to Florida each year, and our adventures to the state’s many white sand beaches have remained a source of inspiration and relaxation.  The soft sheer fabrics, the shells, the light colors of the sand and ocean and the casual feel of summer are ever present in my design. I always notice windows and natural light and incorporate as much fun into a home as possible -- all things I am sure I picked up from the many holidays in Florida. As an adult I still do the bulk of my travel in the summer. I do not have a particular “getaway,&rdquo...Read More

June 11, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (22)

The last time you shopped for home décor item(s) for your home, what did you buy? Where did you buy it? And what attracted you to that particular shop?

Sandra Espinet: The hardest job I have worked on is my own home. I joked with my husband that I needed to hire an interior designer in order to finish the house. My tastes are ever changing and eclectic but clean, not cluttered. I mix contemporary furniture with unique found antique accessories or items purchased on travels. They range from Bhutanese Buddhist scripts to French architectural pieces converted into mirror frames and mid century silver lamps with custom shades. ...Read More

January 16, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

I believe that specific areas call for specific color trends. Major cosmopolitan cities have long been influenced by fashion runways where sophisticated color combinations and constant change is the norm. Therefore I suspect that Tokyo, Manhattan, Paris and Los Angeles will embrace the trend towards the 80¹s look and the Tom Ford and Calvin Klein black, gray and white -- the ultimate hip for 2008. However, In Los Cabos, where I do the majority of my work, I find people seeking simplicity and relaxation. Simple color palette combinations and more natural colors reflecting the environment appeal to most. Soft ocean blues and sands are extremely popular and so are neutral tones of cream with burnt orange and terra cottas. --Sandra Espinet

November 25, 2007 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

Like many in the know, I consider myself an Aman-junkie: a person addicted to anything Aman Resorts have to offer. They consistently design and operate the most luxurious, relaxing and best designed hotels in the world. My husband and I have been to most of their locations, and we even chose Amanusa in Bali for our wedding. I am always inspired by the beauty of their locations, the perfection of their interiors and the superb effort that goes into their creative hotels.

Amansara in Siem Reap, Cambodia was especially memorable. We were picked up at the airport in a black 1964 Mercedes stre...Read More