“I truly believe that an environment which exudes beauty will enrich ones’ life. To that end, my work is focused around listening to you, as my client, to discover your vision of beauty. I find that it is important for me to create enough comfort between us that who you are in the environment we are creating, will be disclosed” ~ Leela Willow
In this competitive, social media loud & crowded world, Leela Willow is one of those rare interior designers who doesn’t advertise and doesn’t do any marketing. All her clients come through the word of mouth, one of the oldest and yet the most reliable form of referral.
“When I moved to California I began renovating homes and was called in to help other homeowners as contractors, clients, and realtors began sharing my name. The business organically evolved from that point. As I studied design and still continue to study design, I have continued to receive referrals from all over the Bay area, as well as working with clients in New York, LA, San Diego, and Texas. I work with realtors to prepare homes, homeowners who are remodeling, new construction, and commercial spaces as well.”
Leela, what’s your approach to interior design?
In interior design, there is a distinction between beauty and style. I like to look for how to create BEAUTY. I want something lasting, something that has emotion, and maybe a certain ability to create calm and peace. Do I know about styles and what’s current? Absolutely! But I don’t find those ultimately satisfying in the same way as when designing for beauty. I ask my clients to share things that they love. Something that is important to them. This tells me so much about where we can go from a design perspective.
I started doing this work as a colorist. That’s my first love. Yet, people laugh because, in my own home, I have a monochromatic scheme of one color….my favorite color. Yet that is the foundation I chose to create a sense of a haven, which is important to me. How a client would like their environment to feel is an important consideration. I still love color, all color – in any shape or form, and I think that’s what guides my work in design. Whether it’s tile or flooring, or anything else – I see everything through the lens of color.
Can you describe your design process?
I find my process to be quite intuitive. Initially, in meeting clients, I get to know them, what’s important to them in the process, what they love. Then, depending on the scope of a project, images start swimming in my head. From there, I use a very collaborative process to create with my client.
Part of what is important to me is to provide education to my clients so that they can make really informed choices. I prefer to not make decisions for people, but to help them discover their own aesthetic.
I don’t do marketing and work by referral only. When I come in, I want people to have a sense of who I am, what I’ve done for others, my style. That works for me and my personal style.
I love being with people, sitting with people, chatting with people. Beautiful surroundings come from the interplay of people, and it’s the willingness to share with one another that jazzes me and makes me excited in my work.
Can you share your experience with ART TILE?
I love this place – people are incredibly helpful, they know their products. Even if they don’t carry something, they’ll do their best to find it. It’s also nice to have different personalities on staff. If I have a particular client, I know this client will work well Marta, another one – with Gary or Eve. Each of them has different strengths. They CARE. The location is fantastic and It’s important to me that it’s local.
“Leela has transformed our house. We’ve slowly moved around the interior and the exterior of our traditional home. We usually have a general idea of what we want, and Leela helps us explore and refine our choices. We have a spectacular view, but the house was more “just there”. Our living/dining area color was designed to make both our view and a piece of art “pop”. Leela helped us pick out the fireplace tile, which had been a slate eyesore and is now a stunning marble and black stone centerpiece. Every room color is special, contemporary while enhancing the hardwood floors and crown molding. This year’s highlight was transforming our exterior from “ok” to “stunning”. The house now makes the garden come alive, and we couldn’t be happier “~ Timber E., Oakland (Yelp)
P.S. I loved chatting with Leela and learning about her design process, her clients and her passion for color and people. And I really enjoyed her serene energy that exudes calm, tranquility and beauty. For more info about Leela Willow, click HERE.