Tête-à-tête with Vyna St. Phard
Illustration: Damian DiCarlo
What inspires you in your work?
The obvious answer is nature. However, great design shouldn’t be overlooked. I’ve spent decades attending, and participating in high-end furniture fairs both in the US and abroad, observing people and the objects that affect their lives, and how they respond to them in the most meaningful way. Great design is a powerful tool, and so are places, photography, and the sheer beauty of nature. The eye is trained not only on the awesomeness of well-designed spaces, but it is also drawn to the importance of architecture, art, culture, travel, and fashion.
Do you often work with artists for your interior design projects?
Absolutely. An art-filled home is something that I value a great deal, and there are a lot of modern to contemporary artists that we collaborate with. Since we do a lot of customization for our private clients, working with artisans has proved quite advantageous because that allows me to design furniture pieces that are detailed oriented, comfortable, and aesthetically pleasing.
How do you describe your style?
A mix of vintage design with an elegant laid-back feel. Don’t get me wrong, I love the extraordinary, however, ostentatious interiors are not what I am known for. I like the mid-twenty-century canon for the optimistic way it registers with people even in the 21st century. I constantly question, and see the value of why a curated style, textured fabrics, and wallpapers, mixing the high to mid-level designs bring out the best personality, emotion, and experience in a client’s home.
Since I know that you are bilingual in French, what’s your go-to French word(s) – if any?
The Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat … The most beautiful words in the French language.
