We continue our series of interviews for those of you interested in how the mind of a designer works and for all our young readers looking for a strong carrier in this fascinating field. Today’s interview is about chasing your dreams and never giving up, no matter what the obstacles. Here us Hillary Unger from Perianth Interior Design:
Freshome: What determined your passion for design? Tell us about the moment when you decided this is the way to go.
Hilary Unger: My passion for design was determined at a very young age. I used to draw floor plans of imaginary houses that I would want to live in when I was 10 years of age. I have always been interested in architecture and building and decided that interior design was the way I wanted to go when I was about 16. Finishing my final years of schooling, interior design appealed to me as it was creative, but in a much faster turn over than with architecture.
Freshome: Can you remember your first design project? Describe it a bit, whether it is a gizmo you worked at as a little kid or something that was sold at a large scale.
Hilary Unger:The first design project I worked on was a cubby house I had built by my parents for me when I was about 7 years old. It was a little timber house with a front door and balcony. It was amazing!
Freshome: What field of design are you most interested in? Do your works have anything to do with it? (We are asking this because not many designers do what they actually want)
Hilary Unger:I love what I do and love the diversity of interior design that my company works on. I do not really have a favourite as I love all design, residential, retail, hotel, restaurants, corporate offices, planes etc as they all have different challenges. Ultimately I would love to work on projects all over the world, especially hotels.
Freshome: Chronologically describe what you are going through (feeling and thoughts) on your way to work.
Hilary Unger: On my
way to work I am thinking about the day, although I had already started doing this before I even wake up. Design for me is my life and not just a job, therefore I am constantly thinking about it. Driving to work is usually consumed with thoughts of the day ahead, making lists and going over design projects in my mind.
Freshome: What is the most frustrating aspect of your job as a designer? And the most rewarding one?
Hilary Unger: One of the most frustrating aspects of interior design is the tight time constraints, having to deal with tight budgets, when you want to spend, spend, spend and trying to design with new materials and details that can not even be achieved yet. This gets very frustrating. But the rewarding part is when you do achieve a new detail or find a new material to work with, this is very rewarding when you produce something new.
Freshome: What is your favourite book/magazine on design? How about your favourite site?
Hilary Unger: My favorite book on design at present is one on Plam Springs modernist houses. My favourite website is the Aman Resorts website, here I can dream about holidays and look at beautiful images of amazingly designed hotels.
Freshome: What inspires you?
Hilary Unger: Many things, places, people inspire me. It is hard to pinpoint it. I am like a sponge that is constantly absorbing what is around me. I am more of a visual person rather than a heavy reader so I get inspired by things I see and experience.
Freshome: From your point of view, is design an art or a science?
Hilary Unger: Design is both an art and a science.
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