Ep. 164: designer Brigette Romanek

Our guest this episode, Brigette Romanek, is one of LA’s most sought-after designers. Brigette is the founder of Romanek Design Studio and has been featured in Architectural Digest’s “AD 100”, ELLE Decor, Vogue and more. With no formal training, Brigette relies heavily on her intuition and doesn’t believe there are hard rules when it comes to design. We discuss how her one-of-a-kind style is heavily influenced by her musical mother, her travels and her love of eclecticism.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• How Brigette went from having no formal training to designing Beyoncé’s home.
• Why it’s important to tune in to each individual client’s needs and “speak their language”.
• Brigette believes less is more (especially on windows!) and often strays from traditional design elements.
• What Brigette means when she says “livable luxe” and why she wants a home to feel functional yet uniquely yours.
• When designing a house, a room should be its own vignette but also fit together as a whole.
• Lighting is so important, yet difficult, to enhance the overall feeling of a space.
• Brigette likes to keep the original character of a building’s architecture and work with it instead of against it.
• Brigette’s clients run the gamut of completely hands-off to overseeing each step of the process; and she learns something new each time.
• What it was like working with Queen Bey!
• One of Brigette’s most challenging projects was working on a commercial project because everyone involved had different ideas.
• How Brigette gets away with including a wild card in each of her projects.

Decorating Dilemma

Brigette thinks you can break this up into two separate spaces that will serve as their own vignettes. You can put a rug down when you first walk in to immediately ground the space as well as some curtains to outline a seating area by the window. You could also have a cushion made to go on the bench you already have. As far as the rest of the room, using shelving or bookcases will make a decorative but intentional break in the space. In that middle space you’re not fond of, how about a beautiful table to place vase and even store your keys on? To store your winter clothes and other items, you do have that coat closet that protrudes. Let’s enhance that area and own it so you really love it! You could cover it with a fabric you love, you could paint it, you could change the hardware…play with it. A visit to the Container Store would help organize the inside of it.

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If we talk about using the things you already own, what if you took the bench you have and put it straight ahead when you walk in and then move the table where the bench is. And then just add Ballard’s double boot tray either right when you walk in or tuck on the backside of the closet. Maybe add hooks above it too? – Karen

And don’t forget to use those high ceilings for some fun lighting!

Mentioned In This Episode:

• Romanek Design Studio
• Romanek Design on Instagram
• Ballard Designs

Find the show notes for this episode at ballarddesigns.com/podcast.