I was first attracted to the field of design in high school, where I studied graphic design. When I went to college, I chose to pursue a degree in interior design. From the time I was a little girl in elementary school, I was part of a group that created the artwork for classrooms and chose how the classrooms were laid out.
After working for a lighting design consulting company for 5 years, I chose to open my own company, which has been in existence now for approximately 9 years. I wanted the freedom to create my own designs and be moved by the projects I chose.
I really enjoy working on projects which present unique challenges. I relish the opportunity to find creative solutions which benefit my clients. I particularly like working on hotel projects, because those projects provide me with the opportunity to come up with multiple lighting solutions.
While I have created lighting designs for many projects, I recently designed my first lighting fixture, which was created by a lighting company and featured in their catalog.
As a lighting designer, I focus mostly on lighting. Of course, I have to take all aspects of design into consideration when I am determining the best lighting options for the project. This includes natural light, materials, space layout, furnishing, color schemes, etc...
I feel very satisfied when everyone is happy with the final product. And there's always the little kid in me whose heart skips a beat every time I drive by one of my projects. I still can't believe I get to do what I love every day.
Good working relationships with all those connected to the project, i.e. architect, client, etc..., when everyone is open to ideas and we can discuss frankly and come up with the best solutions for the specific project.
My inspiration comes mostly from the project itself, and also from the architect's vision. I feed my creativity by traveling around the world and taking inspiration from different and unique designs from both old and new styles.
I live in Israel and feel that my approach to design is heavily impacted by my surroundings. Israel is a very eclectic country, where you can find people of many faiths, and different natural environments, i.e. sea, greenery, dessert, etc. in a very small space. I feel that exposure to all of these is my biggest advantage.
I recommend companies view the portfolios of designers, visit projects completed by each designer they are considering, and discuss with the designer their approach to design to determine that it will be a good fit.
I start with gaining a deep understanding of the vision from both the architect and clients. Once I feel that I can begin to create my own vision, I come up with various ideas to pitch to the design team. Once a design is chosen, I identify the best materials to work with to carry out that vision.
Working for yourself, you manage all pieces of all projects on your own. My typical day is spent running from meeting to meeting, visiting project sites, speaking with clients, and designing.
AUTOCad, Photoshop, and Dialux Evo are the program I use to design. I gain a lot of inspiration from Pinterest, believe it or not. People create vision boards and sometimes it helps to see someone else's vision of a similar project to get you out of your head.
All aspects of the projects are time consuming, but they are equally important. I try my best to stay off social media during crunch time and try to minimize my communication by phone. This allows me to stay focused on the tasks at hand.
On one of my largest and very first projects, I was fortunate enough to be mentored by the client project manager. This helped me tremendously to shape my approach to projects.
I am currently working on the lighting for a brand new, state-of-the-art rehabilitation center for one of the largest organizations in Israel providing services to both adults and children with disabilities.