Interview with designers Jesse Carrier & Mara Miller
Williams-Sonoma Home featured as part of its Designer Series Carrier and Company Interiors Ltd, the husband and wife partnership of Jesse Carrier and Mara Miller. In the original interview, Jesse and Mara shared their thoughts on designing small spaces. Designer Marketplace had the privilege to ask Jesse and Mara a couple of questions on how they've used their creativity to solve tough design challenges.
Designer Marketplace (DM): What has been the most difficult challenge you’ve faced?
Carrier and Company (CC): There are two that come to mind. When we did the Hampton Designer Showcase, we were assigned a windowless basement. We thought a lot about what we could do to make the room pleasant, charming, and comfortable. We satisfied the challenge by adding architectural details, like white wainscoting, vertical elements like folding screens, and covered the walls in a saturated berry red wall covering, then layered the walls with a collage of artwork . Ultimately, people didn’t notice there was no natural light. In the second situation, we were working on new construction. We had to decorate an apartment that wasn’t actually finished yet, and we weren’t allowed in the building at all to see the space. Floorplans are an important tool but nothing beats standing in the actual room and seeing how it flows, where the best light is, and the best views.
DM: Has anything turned out far from what you originally imagined? What was the result?
CC: Though a project definitely evolves as we go along, things have always turned out according to plan. Designing is a process. We begin with a series of interviews to assess a client’s lifestyle and needs, and they usually give us some initial inspiration photos. We counter with binders and binders of our own conceptual images that we pair with real materials so everything keeps moving to a literal place. Developing a budget, working out the furniture plan, and selecting materials and colors usually takes a couple months. Finally, we do the installation, down to hanging every last piece of artwork. Plans can change here and there but overall there are no big surprises.
