Living Edge Talks: Dana Tomic Hughes from Yellowtrace
February 16th, 2012 § 2 Comments
Living Edge caught up with award winning interior designer and blogger Dana Tomic Hughes for a chat about her career, and her journey that lead to the creation of her fabulous blog Yellowtrace and how she approaches gaining inspiration.
What was the journey for you to becoming a blogger?
I’ve been practicing as an interior designer for nearly 13 years and I’ve always been a bit of a visual junky who was really inspired by beautiful imagery. I started collecting images and all other type of information many years ago as I discovered this really helped me with my design process.
At first I had a small number of images I used to turn to regularly, but very quickly I realised that I needed a broader point of reference. This constant search for inspiration grew my library of information, and I got hungrier and hungrier the more I uncovered. In December 2009 I decided to create a little online space where I could catalogue and share all of this research. I think that all this “stuff” I had been collecting over the years was simply busting to come out!
Describe a typical working day?
I’m afraid there is no such thing as a typical working day for me. It really depends on which “hat I am wearing” that day – designer, blogger, advisor or a combination of these.
I usually have a quick check of e-mails on my iPhone while eating breakfast (the blog generates A LOT of e-mails these days) and decide if anything needs urgent attention. If the time permits, I catch up on my daily design research and engage in a bit of social media chatter (find Yellowtrace on Facebook and Twitter).
The Yellowtrace studio - where the magic happens!
If I have a job on site, my mornings are usually spent talking to my clients, builders and suppliers etc.
I always block out time for design work and writing posts and don’t answer e-mails or take any calls during this time otherwise I’d never get anything done! As my schedule and type of work I do is so varied, I often work for at least a couple of hours after dinner and try to catch up on anything that didn’t get done during the day – a habit I am trying to kick in 2012 (but so far not so good!)
Can you give us a brief rundown of your creative process?
Every project starts with a lot of thinking… I think about my clients and their brief, the site and the context, and any other unique quirks for the project. My aim is to distil and break down all of my ideas to the most basic principle – or a concept – which becomes an anchor for all ideas during the design process.
Yellowtrace design philosophy is based on a holistic approach, which translates brands, ideas and my clients’ personalities into spaces. I approach my design with passion and emotion, and I always strive to separate who am I as a designer from the essence of my client, which isn’t always easy to do. I feel it is most important to create a space that tells a story about the user, rather than about me and my own design sensibilities.
Tomic Hughes' work for The Furnace - reception area
Where do you look for inspiration?
Strictly speaking, I don’t tend to “look for” inspiration. I find that being inspired is a state of mind which can be induced by many, many things – big and small, obvious and hidden, special and everyday. More often than not, being inspired is about having the right attitude and the ability to approach things the a truly open mind and observe things with a child-like wonder.
Who do you admire creatively?
The complete list of all the creative people I admire is endless and literally grows every day, nevertheless I will single out Ilse Crawford of Studioilse for her approach of designing with a cool head and a warm heart, and Rossana Orlandi for her impeccable eye and legendary design intuition.
I also admire all the designers and creative people who are dedicated at creating good quality work that isn’t a slave to the latest “trends”, and are committed to realizing wholesome, honest and relevant projects.
What has been a career highlight?
I feel lucky to have a number of professional achievements of which I am really proud today, although I am determined to keep growing and seasoning as a designer and I truly believe that my best is yet to come…
More examples of Dana's interior design work
How would you describe your own interior aesthetic?
My personal interior style is part classic, part eclectic and high in personality. I would describe it as expressive, unpretentious and constantly evolving.
What advice would you give to someone about decorating his or her home?
Choose pieces that you absolutely love and don’t be concerned if they are from different styles and eras – vintage to modern, designer to junk. This approach (when done correctly) can achieve an overall sense of unique character and create a home that feels “real”.
Also, don’t be afraid experiment and express who you are – just go for it! There is nothing worse than a home that looks like a furniture catalogue – generic and devoid of owner’s personality.
What are you reading at the moment?
I have about 5 books on the go and I’m also desperately trying to catch up on my piles of magazines and my daily online reads. In other words – heaps of stuff!
What’s your favourite piece of furniture?
For someone who has a furniture fetish (especially for chairs) I find this an impossible question to answer! It is like asking a parent which one is their favourite child!
Do you have a favourite building?
This is almost as difficult as the furniture question, but I can at least narrow it down to a few I’ve visited and LOVED – Herzog & de Meuron’s Caixa Forum in Madrid, Paris Opera Garnier, Tadao Ando’s Church of Light in Osaka, The Pantheon in Rome… Oh, and I also love the Astor apartment building on Macquarie St here in Sydney.
Favourite restaurant/cafe?
Eating at my mum’s kitchen table gives most restaurants a run for their money, although I am a sucker for a lamb & harissa sausage roll from Bourke St Bakery (I thought I didn’t like sausage rolls until I met that particular one!)
All images by Nick Hughes for Yellowtrace blog.
[...] Hi guys! I just wanted to let you know about a little interview with yours truly over on the Living Edge Blog last week. I was chatting to Skye about my career, the path that lead me to the creation of this [...]
Great post, love to hear how Yellowtrace has grown into the blog it is today.