Be still my heart.

By now you have probably seen the stunning work of designer Gabriel Hendifar. If you haven’t, you’re in for a treat. Every image is a feast for the eyes, and my heart beats a little faster at the site of the richness, the textures, the drama, the flair…ahhhhh…

…Back to reality! I had the opportunity to correspond with him recently (a fellow Bruin, I might add!) and get a few essential questions answered for us:

1. When first starting a project, what are some ways in which you get the process going?

It’s a rather playful process. Sometimes I sketch, sometimes I take things apart and put them back together again. There is a lot of exploration and a good amount of walking away and waiting to see if an idea sticks. Stickiness is the key. We can make a lot of beautiful things, but the essential ones stick. Jeremy, my partner, really hones me in. He’s an eagle eye and a great editor. We start to bounce and build ideas off of each other, and good things become better things.

2. Where do you find inspiration?

This goes back to form and material. I see interesting forms and shapes in the world everywhere. Architecture, art, fashion.  Similarly, materials are inspirational and determine form.

The most elusive inspiration is emotional—when I aspire to give an object a feeling or disposition — a playful lamp, or a nonchalant chandelier. It can be silly, but I think it is in these little choices we make that objects are elevated and given life.

3. What motivates you as a designer?

I was trained as a costume and scenic designer and have been primarily designing womenswear for the past 10 years. I really value an interdisciplinary approach, and the common denominator is my concern for proportion and material. These choices signify intent in an object — whether a jacket, a lamp, or a room.  Ultimately, the day-to-day motivation is to find the boiling point where all of your inspirations and past experiments come together to form something new and beautiful — where proportion and material strike a perfect balance.

4. What do you strive for in your designs?

A sense of timelessness is very important. And often that is more about the heft and material of an object than about its style. Something that feels thoughtfully conceived is timeless to me, whether inspired by classical architecture, or modern art. These are the kinds of interiors that most inspire me as well—spaces where objects of significance are collected and speak to each other in a way that transcends stylistic boundaries.

5. What career advice would you give to those starting in your field?

Play! Make what you want to see in the world. Be informed enough about what’s going on in the design world to be able to disregard it.

6. Where do you shop for your projects?! I know we are all lusting after the pieces you find.

Inheritance on Beverly. Great mix of curated objects and modern design. Online: deringhall.com. And I’m kind of an eBay junkie.

8. One tip you can give us to create better spaces?

Invest in good lighting. It’s the room’s jewelry.

If you didn’t know, Gabriel also has an amazing line of light fixtures: Apparatus. Most of the standout pieces in the images above he designed himself! And he shared that they are looking to produce furniture and decorative accessories as well…waiting with bated breath…

No seriously, I can’t get enough. I want more!

Don’t you?