Sömn is always exploring new knowledge and likeminded ideas and people to connect. We've added an extra category to our journal where we will be taking one interior design interview per month, asking a series of questions about the local design industry and what the designers are working on at the moment. Focusing on interior designers and architects who we interview to share their background and a home with you.
Details will be posted for all our readers to see and comment. If you have an idea and would love to connect, feel free to contact us.
For Alyssa Lewis, the Creative Director and Designer at Studio Block, the most powerful impact that design can have on our wellbeing is her favourite thing about her career. She feels the power of this first hand, because every space she works with evokes a strong emotional response in her. This intuitiveness is why we chose to feature her business today.
Here is our Somn Home interview questions with Alyssa Lewis from Studio Block.
Vancouver Interior Designer Alyssa Lewis From Studio Block
How it all began:
“I had been working full-time as a home accessories designer for Oak + Fort and part-time as an interior designer on the side when I had to decide on a direction as work was becoming all-consuming. I wanted to have more creative freedom and see where I could take my work so I chose to bet on myself and started my own design studio.”
The Studio Block method:
“I believe in simplicity and material honesty. I'm not interested in unnecessary adornment or communicating luxury through opulence. This boils down to interiors, art, products, and installations that are essentialist yet humanistic. Designs that incorporate natural materials, and create beauty by evoking an emotional response. I would say my personality coincides with my design ethos, I am honest, captivated by the natural world, and very inclusive.”
What makes Studio Block unique?
“I think our strength as a studio is our multi-disciplinary nature, often having our hands in every aspect of a project. We are also known for a soft, organic approach when it comes to interiors with influences coming from Mexican, Scandinavian, and Japanese design cultures, including our local modernists and surrounding nature.”
What “home” means to Alyssa:
“Most of my life I was without a permanent location to call home, having lived all over the world. People often say home isn't a place, but after moving to Vancouver 8 years ago, I realized that Vancouver was my home!
I needed a physical space to settle into and that could be weighed down by collections and possessions of personal value to truly feel at home. Creating a home or a fixed space to call my own has meant everything to me, and has given me the opportunity to grow in new ways. I believe that home is your canvas to create the life you want to live.”
What she loves about Pacific Northwest interior design style:
“I don't really view the Pacific Northwest as having an interior design style, but I see a common thread of influence. I believe our design culture in the Pacific Northwest is still too young to be defined as its own style. What I love most about our region is the openness to make it what you want. I also see an openness in clients which makes my job so exciting.”
Alyssa’s interior design predictions for 2020 and beyond:
“I think the current pandemic and political unrest has given us all time to reflect on what’s most important. I predict people wanting to create a refuge from the chaos and greater support for our local community. I believe this will lead to creating spaces that feel calming and healing through the use of natural materials and simplified forms, alongside incorporating more pieces sources and created locally. We will also continue to place greater importance on quality and timelessness (perhaps this is part of what draws me to Sömn products.”
Sömn pieces in Alyssa’s designs:
“Sömn pieces fit into our projects seamlessly as they embody the same values that we believe in— simplicity, quality, natural, and effortless. They have a unique understated elegance that is easy to incorporate into an interior without dominating it.”
Alyssa’s love for Sömn bedding:
“What initially drew me in was the incredible texture and quality of the linen bedding. It is soft and comfortable to sleep in and looks great when making a bed without much effort. I also love the available colours, which seem to work well next to nearly any designs I can create.”
How Alyssa spends her personal time:
“In many ways, my work is my life and most of my creative endeavours fall under Studio Block. However, I have recently started taking up photography and plan to turn it into a more consistent art practice. I love to spend time in the sun and nature, hiking, biking, and swimming. Having friends and family over for gatherings is also something I love to do when I can. Gardening will also be a new venture for me this summer.”
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Alyssa really enjoys working with clients who share her values. She is looking for new clients interested in more creative installation work, concept styling for brands, furniture and product design collaborations. Depending on how the local economy fares, she would love to start some new projects for retail and hospitality brands.
Thank you to Alyssa at Studio Block for chatting with us and sharing her passion with the world.
Photos: Studio Block
