A talk with our client: interior designer Linda Lagrand

Photographer: Frits de Beer

Interior designer Linda Lagrand has been a lovely and inspiring client of ours in the past four years. For our blog, we asked Linda some questions we were very curious about. Such as: how has the pandemic affected your company? And: what trends do you foresee in the future?

One of the things we were wondering about, is how you dealt with the pandemic in the past one-and-a-half years. How has this period affected your work?

‘To be honest, our work did not suffer much from the consequences of the pandemic. In the beginning there was this slight panic. We kept a wide distance between each other, but in the houses that we decorate, there is usually enough space. We could easily do our work without getting in the way of each other.

Something that was different, however, was the fact that we couldn’t travel that much. There were less suppliers that could visit us, and there were also less suppliers that we could visit. I usually go to many art fairs for inspiration, but that too was off the table now. Usually I get a lot of inspiration from meeting new people there, and admiring the new collections. We have definitely missed this. Fortunately we are slowly taking this up again.

There was also a plus side of the pandemic: we finally had the time to clear out our office and add some new wallpaper. Also we finally had the time to take up projects like refreshing our corporate identity, creating a new website and changing our name to Lagrand Interiors.’

Did your style go through any changes in the past year?

‘No, our style covers three key components that actually grew stronger over the past period. The first is providing peace and quiet. We all live a hectic life. Especially in the Netherlands we are always keeping ourselves busy. Coming home should feel like an escape from all that. You want to step into a space and immediately feel: ah, I’m home. Also in this crazy past year when there was so much happening outside, it’s nice to find that quiet zone inside your home.

Our second key component revolves around color. We apply colors that stem from the natural world. This component evolved partly from my Norwegian roots. I still return to Norway every year. There, I completely surround myself with nature. I travel far up north, and stay in a cottage in the middle of nowhere. I never meet a single person. Only the animals that are hopping through my garden. It is in big contrast with my hectic life in Rotterdam. The natural surroundings bring calmness. That is also what we try to pursue in our designs, through the use of natural colors and materials.

With our third key component we try to recreate the feeling of a luxury hotel room at home. That doesn’t mean we want you to feel like you are far from home. The idea is that your home offers those small joys that you experience in a luxury hotel room. Things that stimulate your senses. A soft carpet, for instance, or nice fragrances in every room. A small speaker with music in the toilet, or a minibar in the bedroom. We apply this mostly in the private sector projects, but sometimes also in the contract sector. In beauty salons, for instance, we also want the rooms to emanate a feeling of luxury and comfort.’

What kind of trends do you foresee for the future?

That is something that, right now, I find a bit more difficult to predict than in a regular year, because we did not have the chance to visit many fairs. Although it is also not our ambition to closely follow all the latest trends. We rather create our own signature. But something I do foresee is that natural materials will grow even more in popularity. Materials such as natural stones, marble or onyx. These are luxury materials that used to be only for the happy few. But now you see it being used in many different segments. We make use of them as well. Not only in the fixed structures of the house, but also in our decorations, with beautiful onyx or crystal bowls.’

How do you use wall textile in your designs? And what do you believe wall textile can bring to a room?

‘Wall textile can make you feel like the room is embracing you, like it is immersing you in luxury. It is a small operation, applying wall textile to the walls, but the effect is very grand. The great thing about DWC is that they use real fabric. The soft feel and quality of this fabric is much in contrast with the wallpapers that have always been used in the past. With the fabrics of DWC you can really create the sensation of craftsmanship and luxury. That is what makes them special compared to other brands.

We make extensive use of wall textile. And we not only use it on one wall in a room, but preferably on all four. This way you can really feel how the warmth of it surrounds you. One of the fabrics we love very much is called Caribou. With this fabric you can create a sort of 3D-effect. The inner fabric is a golden weave, stacked with a flaked velvet on top. It’s warm, soft, special and tactile. The perfect finishing touch for our projects.’