Katty Schiebeck, interior designer
Katty Schiebeck, self-taught interior designer and blogger at Somewhere I Would Like to Live — a website of inspiring photography, tasteful interiors and architecture — is truly the product of her generation. Her work has been shared online with such an enthusiasm that it has catapulted her onto the international stage.
Despite her modest-sized portfolio of residential projects — the most blogged-about being a 440-square-metre apartment in Barcelona’s upscale Passeig de Gràcia — Schiebeck’s distinctive style has attracted attention from day one. What some might see as a mix of Scandinavian minimalism and contemporary Spanish design, the interior designer prefers to describe simply as “welcoming and austere at the same time”. There are many other influences at play, she adds. The work of Modernists Le Corbusier and Mies Van der Rohe and the dramatic interiors of American architect Paul Rudolph are all touchstones.
Most important for Schiebeck, however — and the starting point for every project — is to respect the history or the ‘bones’ of each site. “I try to retrieve some architectural elements of the space, for instance: a floor of mosaic tiles or some moulds on the walls,” she explains. “I’ve been fortunate to work on properties in Barcelona of modernist style, where you always find such decorative elements.”
Schiebeck came to interiors via real estate, an avenue that allowed her to build a client base quickly but decorating was always her first love. “I used to love going to Encants, a small flea market in Barcelona, to look for pieces,” she says. “Furniture with lots of character fascinates me.”
The furniture Schiebeck sources for her clients is mostly custom-designed and made to fit each interior, almost always in mid-century modern style. The careful arrangement of these pieces creates a sense of space — one of the most remarkable characteristics of her work.
Another Schiebeck hallmark is an emphasis on light: “Always maximise the natural light,” she says. Adhering to a neutral colour palette — white, ecru, light grey and blond and honeyed woods with dramatic black accents — and the interplay of timber, marble and micro-cement surfaces make her interiors appear more light-filled.
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