We asked Rona to share a little bit about her design process and where she finds inspiration. As Rona talked about above, she loves stories and telling stories through her designs. It definitely is apparent when hearing about her design process. After finding inspiration, she always sets an intention for each project. Ultimately, Rona wants her designs/spaces to represent her clients and show off their personalities. She walks us through one of her favorite projects at the Lido House in Newport Beach, CA.  

Rona: “The Lido House/Balboa Cottage was a story of a community of what it’s like to live on Lido. I wanted to create that nostalgic feeling that people would talk about. It is a space for moments and memories to be made. 

I always set intentions when I am designing spaces. My intention for this space was for families to connect, put the phone down and play board games together. I chose for the beds in the kids’ room to be facing each other so the kids could build those memories. It is a vacation spot for them to look back and remember the times they threw pillows across the room and jumped from bed to bed. So that is what I wanted to create, a childhood memory.”

Rona: “I find inspiration through traveling and nature. I usually find something that is inspiring or the inspiration for the project by listening to the client and hearing their story. I try to pull their personality out of them and use that as their home canvas.

When you walk into your home you want it to reflect you so I like to find something that is a starting point of inspiration. Sometimes that is maybe their favorite piece of art or something they collect. We then build mood boards around that inspiration point.”

The next phase of the design process consists of picking out furniture. We were curious to hear Rona’s take and see what she looks for in furniture pieces.  

Rona: “I like to make the home feel like the furniture matches the architecture of the home. It has to speak to the architecture. It drives me nuts when people put Mid Century furniture into a Spanish-style home. There is a balance. When I am looking for furniture it depends on the style of the home and the scale. It is a very important thing and easy to miss the mark on.

The Capitola cocktail table is one of my favorite pieces because they are both functional and the form of them looks awesome.”

Rona also gives insight on where to spend more and where to spend less. It is always helpful to know when designing a home what you should invest in. It is an art in itself to create a home that is timeless yet still trendy and relevant. 

Rona: “You can get a lot for your investment by choosing the right pieces. Which starts with the right architectural bones and materials.  

Invest in timeless architecture and furniture then you can always change out pillows and accents to things that are trendy 

Invest in a great bed - You spend a third of your life in it! 

Invest in art - It doesn’t need to be the exact same style as the furniture, as long as it tells a story. I think everyone should at least own 1-2 pieces of original art.”