Ladies and gentlemen welcome back to another SLG meetup your host Alvaro Nune to bring you another successful and interesting guest today We have with us somebody very special it is consider L.A. List top designer in the world She's a very successful interior designer that has been featured in all sorts of different magazines and her name is Paloma Contreras She's gonna talk about how she has been developed such a successful career in this industry She also has two books the dream design and her newest book new classic home And she's also been doing collections for visual comfort and co and to marker 1889 She has been doing all sorts of projects in modern luxury homes meaning traditional So she's gonna tell us all about her angle and what makes her so special so Paloma Contreras Fantastic fantastic Where are you joining from? See that's one of those destinations that I haven't been but it's booming especially in real-state So a lot of amazing homes and those that you are taking care of to make a special Right now there's a lot happening here. It's a big city.
It's not one that people come to for tourism like Miami where you are So understandable that you haven't been yet, but there's a lot happening in terms of the real estate market for sure lots of beautiful homes So let's start with how did all started how do you decide to become an interior designer because you've been over two decades in the industry And now you've become according to L magazine A-list as one of the top interior designers in the world And not only that but you can also feature in all these different magazines and press as they go to interior designer And I love one of the things that says here which is the signature modern meets traditional aesthetics And I think that you have a very unique approach But I don't know if this is something that you always wanted to do or it kind of evolved over to well It's certainly evolved over time design is actually a second career for me. I was previously a high school Spanish teacher So I made your Spanish and minor in Italian studies so foreign languages were always I'm a native speaker But languages are my first love and so that's what I did for a little while after graduating from university and in 2007 I started a blog out of summer for them and it very quickly took on a focus of design My husband and I had bought our first house around that time So I was looking for inspiration and wasn't finding a lot And so I really just started to focus in on the things that I was inspired by and it took a very You know just sort of work in a approach and over time people started to notice and to read this was when blogs were very new So I thought in on the basement floor if you will the ground floor and I was able to grow a really big following and from that over the course of quite a few years I Sort of established myself in the industry made a lot of great contacts started to take on some clients So I'm not formally trained Been exposed to incredible mentors over the years the people that I admire that have been in this industry for decades Were very kind to me because I had given them press when I had a blog and made me all kinds of advice and resources over the years So that certainly was a tremendous foundation to start with but I've had my firm now for I think 11 years 12 years and we do project all over the country So we're in Florida quite often actually we do a lot of work there and work in Palm Beach and More than the panhandle Alice Beach we just installed a project. We're actually working on something at the Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo So yeah, I think we fly into Miami to get there so yeah, I mean we go with the work takes us and We've been fortunate to work on all types of homes and a variety of architectural vernaculars I love that well look you just mentioned truth even in spots in South Korea that I love Palm Beach Which I'll be going this weekend and then Ocean Reef which I have a lot of friends that are there So I'll be paying attention to your design, but you mentioned something very interesting, right? So you started by being a high school Spanish teacher and you had that approach to what you wanted to do in life And you started developing this additional passion for homes specifically interior designs and you started a block and you build a community You build an audience you build that knowledge and trust over time Which you transitioned two decades later into your social media which you have a big following you have a good community But one of the things that I see in what you're doing is that you've not only just evolved a community But you've also been tapping into becoming the go-to person in everything right?
So you have a collection that you're providing for different companies Then you're also having your own shop you started your own book So how does somebody structure which approach to to go to become that known interior design that people want to work Well, I think one one thing that's really important to mention is I didn't set out with a plan to do all of these things necessarily They really just evolved over time As opportunities came up or as I really sort of tapped into how I want to destruction my business and diversify it I think it's really important regardless of what industry you're in to have more than one stream of revenue You just real estate unpredictable our industries are very tied together on whether real estate markets top people aren't hiring you to do design So it's important to have a variety of revenue streams But I will say for anybody who is in the midst of their career or thinking about this and thinking about all these different sort of avenues of design and how they might support a design firm or be part of an overall brand I do think it's really important to to work with people to help you to strategize. So I have a wonderful Publicist who's been with me for a long time since before I started my first Since I published my first book and so she's really helped me to be strategic But the most important thing has been relationships and just really Establishing and understanding the importance of relationships in the industry whether it's with clients contractors Furniture manufacturers that people that would eventually go on to be my licensing partners So, you know, I would say the most important thing if your goal is to have product lines of your goal is to publish books is First and foremost focus on your work and do the best work that you can social media is an amazing platform And I feel like I've really been able to build a lot of my career based off of social media however I Really easy to get caught up in all the noise around you and the pressure of what everybody else is doing So I think do the best work that you can do and establish a great foundation be a pleasure to work with be really professional That'll be good at your craft and then all of those other things will come So if you're focusing on designing beautiful interiors, then you're gonna have projects to showcase in a book, right? The top of it Are gonna want to work with you good styles are gonna work with you more clients will hire you and then that the book especially a First book is a really important marketing tool because it allows you to Reach abroad or audience and so people that may not already follow you or know about you will discover you and then Brands start to pay attention And so that's really something that you want to have in your arsenal when you're looking to do brand partnerships or licensing collaborations for product All of those things matter so I say do the best work that you can work on a first book Hopefully there's more that come after that and then those partnerships really tend to follow and I think once you have a couple of good ones I'm very fortunate to work with visual comfort for lighting and Schumacher on trends and textiles those are amazing industry partners They're highly recognized the best in the business of what they each do so having those particular licensing partners I think would make me more attractive to you know potential furniture partners or different categories because I sort of have a Stand-up approval if you will from these other very established names, so it's relationships at the end of the day So it boils down to Now I love that I mean network is your networks right and it'll come down to build in that community that not just represents the people that Loping to your design but also those that you work with and you said it right there You take care of the work that work will take care of you So just make sure you focus on continuously developing your craft and staying consistently right because you've been very consistent at it And that's what kept you giving that momentum to keep on doing more projects now one thing that we want to talk about of course Is interior design so what's trending right now now that you've seen all these different changes especially with COVID and what is trending in the luxury Interior designs well I think people are still gravitating towards a more sort of contemporary aesthetic materials are really important I think people love the idea of texture and comfort these days So you know you see a lot of beautiful oak finishes and Textural fabrics and beautiful metal finishes and the way that all that comes together tells you know really rich stories So I a lot of people are still coming to us for that my work skews a little bit more traditional than probably what you're seeing and My ami real estate market. I know you guys go a little bit more contemporary there, but it's really about the mix It's about telling the story for the client, you know, who are they where they traveled?
What do they care about? What are they passionate about and bringing together the thing that I really enjoy is bringing together elements and pieces from different Periods and styles and eras to create a very layered look that's much more personal and a little less Recognizable in terms of when a house was designed, you know, we want things to feel really timeless and to have staying power And you're talking about that burp, right like feeling because I like how your design that approaches about not just how it looks But how it's right? That's one of the first questions I asked a client is how do you want your home to feel because we're gonna make it look beautiful No matter what but the most important thing is how do you want the house to feel? How do you like to entertain?
Is it more casual or you more formal? Do you have children and pets running around all of those things really matter and you know even ask them questions about different Conferences, you know, what is your favorite hotel and you make them What is my favorite hotel have to do with my house? Well, it evokes a feeling in you right when you're at your favorite hotel staying there There are details or elements that contribute to your overall experience beyond just like what is a bread cup on the lens And there are certainly bits and pieces about that we can incorporate into somebody's house. I Like that question.
How do you want it to feel? I think that it applies to not just a cure design It could be applied to so many things just to get a better understanding on What that person really wants because now you're talking about something that is bringing an emotion out of the person, right? And it's much more likely that you can connect on emotions than just on some Visuals or facts that might not touch the heart. So it's a good question I think that I'm gonna start applying it for many different things So I like that now tell me a little bit about what's going on with your inspiration Now is that something that you acquired through traveling?
I know that you also move around and you've been doing this blocks for a while But what do you have that main source of inspiration? Well, yes, as as cliche as it sounds travel is my biggest source of inspiration I'm definitely a friend of all I love France. I love Paris in particular and That is important to me in terms of finding inspiration I think even if I can't get over to Europe just getting out on your planet going somewhere other than my normal day-to-day Helps my eye to pick up on different details and to see differently I know it was Diana Brilenthe the former Bogadder from decades ago That's the I has to travel and it's so true Just exposing yourself to things that are out of your daily routine is so important because you'll look at things differently You've noticed different details You're inspired by you know how different the sky looks in a different city than your own or you know Just the colors in nature even can be so inspiring but all of those elements in travel particularly in Paris for me You know anything specific as a doorknob detail iron railings on a house and building like those things I have diluted down into inspiration for you know fabric designs from science lighting like I find inspiration everywhere It's super important especially, you know, not only on the designs I for a tear years, but I find it super super important Yeah, that is so true right when you step out of that box that we live in you start seeing things differently And then you can start building a different box or a difference or self environment for yourself and for those that you work with now When you work with clients, how do you keep that balance of what you believe is best and what the clients needs or wants are? How do you keep that?
It's a fine line. That's a great question and it's a dance that we do constantly I like to kick out interior designers wear many hats marriage counselor and psychiatrist or psychologist I can't describe them as like all of them You know, you're dealing with people and personalities and you're dealing with the most important possession they own They're home, you know, it's their sanctuary and there's a lot of money involved And you're in their home like in their closet and seeing intimate details about their lives And so their needs are always paramount, you know, we take function as seriously as we do form You know the beauty is important, but we want the home to be comfortable and to evoke that feeling we're talking about for the client that being said sometimes Some clients can be a little bit more challenging where they want to be more involved or they need more hand-holding in terms of getting to the finish line of decisions and when we have maybe a little bit of tension or trouble getting to a decision because they're having doubts or they're listening to their neighbor or their adult children or whoever I just like to remind them of the trust that we need to build You know, that's the most important thing like please just trust me that I'm doing my absolute best work on behalf and I know what I'm doing and We've done this a million times before so, you know, if there's an issue nine times out of ten We find the middle ground, you know, we're always gonna find the middle ground. I'm always gonna take the clients Desires and their concerns into account and making them happy is my first priority But if there's something that I feel really strongly about that I think is right for the home and doing something else is a mistake Then I definitely will mention that in a kind way and you know, a diplomatic way I always find that they say it but sometimes, you know, you have to trust the professional in the room and they have to remember that they hired you for a reason Very true very true Sometimes we give up too soon because we believe that oh my god This person wants this and that and then you start doing everything based on what they say because client first But if you're confident of your craft and what you're doing then the person hire you for a reason So you got to stay confident on that passes are really a really funny fine line Right that you got a dance as you mentioned a good approach now talking about Everything that you've been doing I always ask a question to all of our guests which is what does luxury mean to you? Oh luxury to me.
I think the ultimate luxury is time I would say time comfort, you know in the sense of interior design or the from the perspective of a client hiring Interior designers and a safe view and absorb it amount of time and believe it or not I mean obviously you're gonna spend a lot of money in the end But we're saving you money in the sense that if you were to try doing all the same things on your own You would probably make a lot of costly mistakes So time really to me it's the one currency in life that you can't acquire more of it's there's a finite amount and the only thing That we can control is how we spend it and obviously for any working person, you know, especially an ambitious working person That's a challenge and one that is very present on my mind because I have a young daughter And so I want to spend as much time with her as I can It's us. Yeah, I mean the ultimate luxury is time and whatever you know relating it back to services or experiences You want to spend your time wisely and an enjoyable way 100% I love that so true so last question for you Now if you have to put all these together all these two decades in the industry and all the different lessons experiences What is one of the main takeaways that you will share with the audience? Oh, I think Consistency is key, you know working really hard doing the best that you can do honing your craft I have never gone to a place where I felt like I know everything there is to know or I've really made it and you know I know that I've been successful I know that I've had many triumphs in my career span But I don't feel like I'm at the top of the heap and I've got it all figured out I still have that I don't know imposter syndrome or whatever Like I still feel ambitious and I know there's more to do and more that I would like to accomplish The consistency is the biggest thing you know as we add more things to our plate We have different books that we've written we're doing different product designs in addition to you know Designing homes for clients. I have a retail store all of those things You know, I still want to be the best that I can be at those things and then I on being a mother to that And so it's a lot of people didn't but just showing up I think it's huge and doing consistently good work and consistently working to improve myself I love that, you know yesterday I had a different interview and somebody says the same thing about consistency how he builds distance, right?
Because it's about that compound that you create by being consistent So you say that it makes so much sense to see everything that you have accomplished over all this years So I appreciate you sharing your story appreciating some of the answers that you share with us today And for those I want to read your book or connect with you work And I mean you have two books for the latest one that you have here work and they find They can get it on Amazon so it's called the new classic home published by Abrams You can also visit my website Voloma Contreras.com and that has links to everything we've talked about today So you can find my books there product, you can look at our design portfolio and visit my store and all of those things You have a lot of amazing things in there for people to look so I definitely encourage everybody to look Paloma Connect and if you have any questions or any inquiries about designing a beautiful home reach out to her She's amazing. So I appreciate your time Paloma Thank you again, mucha la rápias and whenever you are coming down this way to either family Turoshan Reap make sure you stop here Miami and we'll show you also some of music Well it's been a pleasure. Thank you so much. I'll stop And thanks again for everybody tuning in today.
We hope you enjoyed it and remember embrace it beautiful success in life My name is Alvaro and I'll see you next time