Sarah Anne Gare is a London-born, interior designer, who is rapidly building a name for herself for the sophisticated elegance she brings to every client’s home. Her sense of style comes from the jet-setting influences of her upbringing, her family’s international heritage and her own passion for traveling to the four corners of the globe to garner the inspiration that she employs on every one of her amazing projects.
Join us, as we to learn more about Sarah and the values and processes of her design practice. Photography by Enzo Cerri.
I love the intricate detail of beautiful architecture, both inside and out, so I have always gravitated towards a career in design. My first job in the industry as event coordinator in charge of exhibitor selection for Top Drawer, one of the UK’s most prestigious home fashion and furnishings exhibition companies, just fuelled my passion for interior design.
I’ve always thought of my style as aspiring towards elegant, timeless, balanced and calming, and that’s how my clients have described my work to me and others.
I find my inspiration by travelling across the globe to remote and beautiful destinations, simply to see how people express their cultures and styles through their homes.
I feel that every project is a meeting of minds – a client’s vocalised dreams and aspirations that are interpreted through the designs and fabrics I use to bring their vision to life. Even fundamental stylistic differences can be aligned with the right collaborative approach to design.
“I do often feel drawn to the Chase Erwin neutral palette, because it allows me to effortlessly layer my schemes.”
I know this may sound a little clichéd, but I love seeing everything come to life. Once the designs have been approved and the procurement phase is complete, seeing the vision – that has only been a reality in my mind’s eye and within our sketches or rendered images – forming, layer on layer, before my eyes is a wonder I’ll never tire of.
As a designer I consider adaptability to be fundamental to my profession, adjusting stylistically to each client’s wishes and wants. So, while we have still been meeting with clients, we do so in a completely Covid-safe way, conducting follow-up meetings over the phone and on Zoom. The pandemic has merely shifted some of our processes – it has not changed either the demand for our work or my ability to deliver.
I have a very hands-on approach to my work; I like to see and feel the fabrics before I select them for a project, so I would normally attend all the main interiors/design exhibitions and personally visit fabric houses to make final selections. With recent restrictions this is, of course, not possible, but I have managed to overcome this by meeting with representatives from many of the main brands on a one-on-one basis in my offices – once again, adapting to the realities of the past year.
Absolutely. I have been using Chase Erwin fabrics on projects for years, and I fully intend to continue, and hopefully expand, my relationship with them on several upcoming projects, specifically using your Ombre, Trillion and Ultrasuedes.
I have to admit that I would be hard pushed to choose. I personally think they all have such a refined quality to them. And, while my selection is usually based wholly on what’s best for the project I’m working on, I do often feel drawn to the Chase Erwin neutral palette, because it allows me to effortlessly layer my schemes.
I have a few really exciting projects that I’ll be working on this year. One is the transformation of an outdoor pool area into an extravagant entertaining space – Hadley Wood meets Ibiza, refurbishing the pool area, designing an outdoor bar and plush seating – all so much fun. Another is a beautiful home in Totteridge, just a few years old, but its new owners wish to totally refine the interior, softening its style, creating the home they’d wish it to be for them. We will, of course, be incorporating plenty of Chase Erwin textiles in this project too.
Thank you to Sarah for sharing an inspiring insight to the world of interior design. All photography by Enzo Cerri.
