Mitra Gholami

Interview with Mitra Gholami

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?

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.

Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?

My company was established in 2015 and since then I have been focusing on highend commercial, hospitality and residential project in the bay area.

What is "design" for you?

Design for me is to take something broken and turn it into a unique character.

What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?

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.

What was the first thing you designed for a company?

The first project was a coworking space in San Francisco that I've designed.

What is your favorite material / platform / technology?

My favorite material is wood and leather or a mixture of both in a space.

When do you feel the most creative?

at the beginning of each project, I feel the most creative because there is no limit to what I can design.

Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?

In a good interior design project, every aspect of the design counts from lighting, sound, material, functionality and the color.

What makes a design successful?

When a project is done and I see my client and his customers happy I know that, that project was successful.

From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?

A goo designer should know what the society and environment needs, and according to that submit the final product.

How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?

Technology is the future of design. Nowadays there are alot of projects that evolve technology.

Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?

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.

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?

My personal design style is rustic and industrial. I enjoy using reclaimed and natural material in my design because it gives character to space.

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?

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.

How do you work with companies?

For each project, I team up with different contractors, architects, and subcontractors to finish a project.

What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?

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.

Can you talk a little about your design process?

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.

Can you describe a day in your life?

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.

Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?

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.

From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?

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.

What skills are most important for a designer?

being patient, a good listener and being creative are the perfect skills for every designer.

Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?

I always have a plan and prioritize my tasks in order to get everything done on time.

How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?

It really depends on the details, but it can take from a week to 3-4 months of work.

What was your most important job experience?

The most important job experience was to always depend on myself and always double check every detail.

What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?

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.

What are your future plans? What is next for you?

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.

Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?

I used to have a business partner who would help me with design, but now I do everything myself until I hire more people.

Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?

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.

How can people contact you?

They can always reach me at my email address mitra.gholami@deleap.com .

Extended Interview with Mitra Gholami

Could you please tell us about your experience as a designer, artist, architect or creator?

I have a bachelor degree in an interior architecture from Dubai UAE and I received my master degree from San Francisco, CA.

How did you become a designer?

When I used to go out and see places that had design problems I automatically would redesign them in my head and wish I could do that in real life. That was my motivation to become an interior designer.

Which emotions do you feel when designing?

I design hospitality projects such as lounges, nightclubs, and bars, as well as commercial projects such as office spaces and coworking spaces. I would like to design more hotel projects.

What is your growth path? What are your future plans? What is your dream design project?

A good designer design for himself and the client and the great designer designs for everyone.

What are your advices to designers who are at the beginning of their career?

when every aspect of the design is taking care of such as lighting, material, color and functionality I can call that design a goo design.

You are truly successful as a designer, what do you suggest to fellow designers, artists and architects?

A well design space has a direct effect on the behavior of the users. When there are time and money spent on the design there will be more customers and clients involved.

What is your day to day look like?

I would design the most luxurious boutique hotel if I get a chance.

What is your biggest design work?

I love Frank Lloyd Wright falling water project because he brought the exterior to the interior and the architecture is very unique.

Would you tell us a bit about your lifestyle and culture?

I Always look for inspiration and design trends in the field and then I come up with my own design.