The Conversation
Always using surfaces you can put a cup down on is the essence of good design for Noa Santos – he tells our editor Pip Rich how to get the high/low mix right
New York-based designer Noa Santos is the founder of international studio NAINOA. His emphasis is on creating homes that feel luxurious yet relaxing and using a blend of opulent materials with more affordable decor.
PIP RICH I’m very excited by how many times I spotted the phrase ‘Coming Soon’ on the projects section of your website next to teaser images, as I always get so inspired by your work. What moods and materials can we expect to see next?
NOA SANTOS Thank you! There’s a huge trend post-Covid for homes that also function as retreats – and our work has a spa-like quality to it I think. We use lots of natural stones and plasters, unintentionally developing this style that seems to resonate with people wanting a place they can go home to and feel calmed.
PR I’m so glad to hear this as I was going to say that for all the grandness in your work, all the luxe stone and architectural statements, you always create spaces that seem soothing.
I find it a little like schemes by Brigette Romanek – who I also love – smart, but in a shoes-off kind of way.
NS That’s right! Interiors need to not feel ostentatious, and luxury is being redefined.
You don’t want to feel like you’re in a museum, you want to be comfortable and have a house that works for the way you live. Just like in fashion, gone are the days when you might be decked out in labels head to toe, and now it’s about the high/low mentality as overspending doesn’t feel chic.
PR Interestingly, when I look at your rooms I can never see any of the lower end – everything always looks so fabulously expensive.
DECORATING IS A MUSCLE AND YO U HAVE TO ENGAGE THAT MUSCLE FREQUENTLY SO YOU CAN UNDERSTAND HOW YOU WANT TO LIVE
NS The secret is how you pair it, making sure a room has three or four statements to catch the eye, but everything else needs to fade into the background. We did a dining room where the wallpaper was a de Gournay mural but the chairs were from cb2. When you have kids or you drink red wine or coffee you don’t want to be worrying about every surface – you want a table you can put things down on and not be stressing about. Design needs the mix of an inhale and exhale, the balance of the fabulous and the functional.
PR What materials and colours would you say fit with your spa vibe, but also wear very well?
NS Taj Mahal quartzite. It still looks beautiful after plenty of wear, and means you don’t have to always be policing the use of coasters. I also like silver travertine, and we’re using a lot of limewash. It has the same softness and subtleties as Venetian plaster, but if Venetian plaster cracks you have to replace the whole thing. Lime
