Designer Profile: Lauren Geremia

We've been thinking a lot about our clients and how they've adapted to the changes in our industry and culture over the last few years. Following that curiosity, we're starting a series of interviews with some of our favorite clients and collaborators from the past 14 years in business.

We're beginning with Lauren Geremia who we first worked with in Grain's early days when she was mostly designing office spaces for start-ups in the Bay Area. 

We didn't ask her how she first learned about our work, but a guess is that it was through a RISD connection as we all attended school there at different times. Lauren studied painting, but for the past 16 years she has led the interior design firm Geremia Design which now employs a team of ten. 

We tried to keep the interview brief, but as you will read, Lauren is a deep thinker. Her responses are so rich. We edited things down a bit, but we also wanted to give you a feel for the dimension that we experienced first hand. 

Chelsea: What I love so much about your work is how intimate it is. When I go through your new website (congrats, btw!) and see your handwritten notes, it shows me the extent of your observation and your care towards your clients. Can you tell me a little bit about how you get to know your clients? How do you read between the lines to see not only what they want, but what they need?

Lauren: The pandemic/becoming a mother made me so much more connected to my team and clients and that in turn has created a much more fulfilling business for me.  

My clients are people that chose me and vice versa. We spend a lot of time talking. I examine their life and their needs as closely as they will let me. We usually have some drinks. Often, they will meet my family. 

Sometimes they will help me with things too, so there is an exchange that goes both ways. I had a client dress me for a photoshoot. One helps me constantly with parenting advice. I think there is insight into both of our lives and crossover in the things that inspire us. 

My process is messy and creative. I think more and more of this has been exposed and opened up for [my] clients to participate in and enjoy. Clients always want to see themselves in their homes, but in ways that are unexpected and thoughtful. This is the best part of my job and top of mind when I am solving more specific problems.

Chelsea: You championed our work (and our friends' work) in the very early days of our studio - sometimes in big ways in your commercial projects. What do you think about time and timelessness vs. trend when working with contemporary artists/designers? 

Lauren: Evolving as a designer means constantly building my knowledge, resources and understanding of design. I love learning about old things as much as I love supporting young designers.

I love to try to make [a home] look like it was designed over the course of 10 years, not one. I think incorporating things that are part of the clients' family, legacy or collection is always a bonus.  

My clients’ life story is still in process. They don't want [their home] to be designed to a level where every single thing is picked out and there's no room for them to buy things [when they] travel or whatever. So there are holes in these places for their own projection. 

I think timelessness is important and I think it's [achievable by] doing a mix. I think that leaving actual holes in the design [is important] too. It doesn't bode well for photographs, but I always like [leaving space].

Chelsea: Can you tell me a little about your team? How many people do you have? What is your leadership style and how do you create “artful” culture in your studio?

Lauren: My team is smallish. Feels great. I love spending time with them and feel genuinely so impressed by who they all are individually. I could easily go on vacation with any one of them. 

I find that I work really well with women. It’s more than just political. I have been like that since I started. I think that a big part of design is empathy and women will always impress me with their capacity for it. 

We do a lot of group conversations, learning opportunities and cross mentorship. There’s a lot of hand sketching and playing with different ideas and tools. I think there is a pretty strong emphasis on learning and pushing what we know. That keeps us feeling engaged as a group and individually. 

Chelsea: What makes you excited and hopeful about the future right now? Is there a project you are working on that you can’t stop thinking about? 

Lauren: I'm excited about everything! I'm feeling very rejuvenated by the fact that every day there are more interesting opportunities. We are lucky people are so interested in design and investing in it. It is validating after spending my life so far learning about it.

What I do feel for sure is that this is a golden age of interior design. People are insanely busy. There is a demand and respect for quality. There is so much work happening and so much visibility into great projects. My peers are getting better. I love being at work. 

We are at this really special time and place. I'm just excited that the field I chose is having a fucking moment.